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Find the power in community
As a trainer you may feel isolated or alone. Perhaps you're an independent contractor, a department of one, or training is just your side gig. Being a part of a community with others who are also passionate about adult learning can be invaluable. There are large organizations out there with lots of resources, conferences and formal programs, such as the Association for Talent Development (ATD), Association for Educational Computers and Technology (AECT), International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI), and the Learning Guild. Many of these larger organizations also have local chapters, which can provide connection with like minds in your geographic area. Shout out to my home chapter of ATD Detroit (pictured in the banner above) for the support and community that helped me successfully navigate a career change and continue my development.
There are also organizations that host conferences and training and keep people in this industry connected like Training Magazine, and smaller focused groups such as Tim Slade's ELearning community.
Don't go it alone - get connected with an organization. Take advantage of the many resources available, and build your network through mutually positive sharing.
ATD, The Association for Talent Development is the largest organization for learning professionals. They have a broad audience including trainers, instructional designers, coaches, managers, learning technology, higher education and learning analytics. Some content on the website is available for free. Membership is available at the national level, local level, or combine them to be a "Power Member". Membership incudes TD magazine in print, case studies, TD at work guides (free in digital form), access to research studies, webinars, discounts on professional development training, and much more. ATD hosts several conferences throughout the year, with the biggest one ATD International Conference and Expo, which is held in May. They also offer two industry certifications, Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) and Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD).
The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) is a professional association of instructional designers, educators and business professionals who provide leadership in the area of Educational Technology research and application in order to sustain a continuous effort to enrich teaching and learning within the United States and across the world.
AECT offers access to a variety of resources and papers. They host an annual convention and a design and development contest.
Summary:
ISPI is a non-profit membership ISPI is an organization that believes “Being Better Matters." By providing tools and strategies for effective and universal improvement, we help our members create bigger impact, make greater contributions, and, ultimately, make our world a better place to be. Membership is available at the national level, and there are some local chapters. They host an annual conference, several publications, webinars and website resources. Some website content is available free. Their certification: Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) is highly respected in the field.
Are you a passionate Learning & Development professional eager to enrich your career and connect with a community of like-minded individuals? Join the learning Guild. Be a part of the community for free, or get a paid membership for more resources. They sponsor the annual DevLearn conference.
Free to join. Membership includes a magazine (print or digital), webinars, resources, and learning centers (ROI, Presentation Design, AI and Ray Jiminez - training specialist). They host a large annual conference in February. *Warning - Because the membership is free you will get a lot of promotional emails from them, and from organizations hosting webinars. But the content is good, and you can find information on just about anything related to training and adult learning.
Tim Slade is a well known leader in the world of eLearning design. His eLearning design community is a great place to connect with other designers through the forums, and to build your portfolio with his monthly challenges. Feedback Friday is a day to give and receive feedback on work samples, office hours allows informal meet ups with other professionals and he posts YouTube videos and resources for the group. He also has a paid cohort program new designers can join to enhance their skills.
Kassy LaBorie is a well known leader in the virtual training world. Her virtual trainer hangout is fun gathering of trainers online once a month. She also has a collection of resources on her website, and she frequently presents at industry conferences and events .
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