WORK LIKE BATMAN

Do you have a pile of work to do from your home office, a "white collar" desk job, or need to complete long hours of data entry (it is tax season now)?

WATCH YOUR POSTURE, ROBIN!
Most of the time...stand up while you work! This burns more calories, gives you more energy in general, and makes you sound better on phone calls!

The line about posture is out of the Dark Knight Returns book from Frank Miller.

TO THE BAT COMPUTER!
Get a sweet (sweeet) keyboard and mouse combination...it is the most used part of your computer, right?
There are multitudes of ergonomic designs from companies like Microsoft.

I prefer the wireless, rechargable, orange-glow-in-the-dark Divino variety from Logitech,
especially when it looks sleek, uses secure Bluetooth technology, and can be branded with a minimalist Bat logo.

Recently, Logitech launched a contest for some nifty prizes ala Dark Knight.
Swag!

CAPE AND COWL
Keep a neutrally-coloured blazer or jacket at your desk; dark beige, dark, blue, or grey seem to work well for most people. Layers of professional clothing are a nice (successful) way to handle temperature changes throughout the day within an air conditioned office, right?

Keep your clothes in shape by avoiding those 1960's "Bat Poles"...

MULTIPLE FLAVOURS OF CERTIFICATION

The lifelong CIU certification recently developed at IRM is specifically geared towards a software application that manages associations and non-profit organizations.







There are more generalized certifications for training professionals that can work hand-in-hand with virtually any software system. A few examples are as follows:





INSTRUCTIONAL SKILLS WORKSHOP (ISW) PROGRAM

The Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) Program is a comprehensive three-tiered instructor development program that serves as the foundation for several professional development activities.

The second tier is the University Teaching Certificate (UTC) Program.









CERTIFIED TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONAL

Obtaining a CSTD designation demonstrates you have a thorough understanding of the common body of knowledge of our profession. Both the Certified Training and Development Professional (CTDP) and the Certified Training Practitioner (CTP) designations are based on the competency categories outlined in the Training Competency Architecture, commonly called the 'TCA", a common body of knowledge for the training and development profession.







TECHNICAL TRAINER CERTIFICATION

Individual trainers may pursue certification of their skills as a trainer. Applicants who are full members in good standing and have successfully completed the Advanced Train the Trainer seminar may apply to be certified as a Professional Technical Trainer (PTT) for a period of three years. Members may apply for recertification. The PTT certification is valid only for full members in good standing.







TAP LEARNING SYSTEM

The Training Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the status of L&D practitioners to that of genuine Professionals. True professions demand a credible Qualifications Framework and continuous professional development. As a career trainer, you may feel that traditional certificates in training practice, often achieved many years ago, may not reflect the full range of practical skills you need in today's fast-moving L&D world.

GO! JUMP ON THE TIMEBRIDGE FOR OUR MEETING!

The Timebridge tool (from a subsidiary of Yahoo) eliminates the "coordination" requisite for meeting with two or more people.
http://forum.37signals.com/basecamp/forums/3/topics/9853

By the way, one of Alan Moore's characters, Jonni Future, also uses a ficticious "Timebridge" device...

...and my friend Shazia was also impressed with my Web 2.0 geekiness
during her recent visit. Wow! Shazia! Impressed! Wow!

Online and phone meetings just got easier; try it for yourself!

http://www.timebridge.com/home.php

As expected, the emails sent are coded so that click-throughs automatically identify the Attendee for the meeting.

This is similar to the coding in Messages from Basecamp Project Management, wherein reply emails get attached to Basecamp Message threads.

Web-based software vendors could utilize similar technology as an alternative to the BCC idea when users need to coordinate meetings.

Frank has invited you to a
meeting:Click this link
to reply:http://app.timebridge.com/meeting/reply/sReQBKyUhzujUjfFMessage from
Frank:========================Please click the "Reply" link to enter your
availability for this meeting.

Timebridge is definitely one of those "killer applications" because it is so quick, simple, and effective!

It can even "reach into" meeting attendees' calendars to find open time slots. Nifty, eh?

NOTE: In practice, people are currently a bit reluctant to believe that it is actually quick, simple, and effective. To wit, the application never requires new users to "create an account," which in my view is one of the best features!

Service is free, and users can opt to pay for their online meeting service (ala GoToMeeting from Citrix or NetMeeting from Microsoft). Let's keep an eye on how well they are doing when it comes to attracting cash, ya? Yahoo?

LEARN ONLINE, GET CHALLENGED, AND ADD VALUE!

I've been a member of TrainingZone for several years, and they seem to have more mature insights on the training profession, perhaps because the UK has advanced differently than Canada.
Below are a few helpful articles from 2008.

BIG PICTURE IDEAS ABOUT LEARNING ONLINE
Is e-learning just a mass-market delivery mechanism that offers the prospect of cutting per person training costs? What lessons have been learnt from its use? And how is its use changing and its value being assessed?



ATTENDEES THAT CHALLENGE YOU
How do you manage new employees who criticize your training methods, complain to senior staff and take the induction into their own hands? What training strategies will win back control and keep it?



REDUCE THE EXPENSE OF NO-SHOWS
How do you count the cost of no-shows to training? There seems little in the way of hard facts, but what we do know is they cost money - and lots of it.

LOOK OUTSIDE! YES, RIGHT NOW!

For the new year, do something simple, relaxing, and healthy for your eyes...
Preserve your vision by looking into the distance, which relaxes the muscles - if you are sensitive enough, you can actually feel tension vanish inside your head when you do this.

Specifically, take two minute breaks every 45 minutes.
Look outside for enormous, distant, scenery.

Mountains, clouds, and the horizon work brilliantly!

Though your eyes are one of the fastest-healing parts of your body, the slow assault of close distance work can make them more and more myopic.

*sigh*
Yes, I know from experience.

NOTE: the challenge for most people is to actually take the next step and start using a timer device of some kind!

Right now, go ahead and do a search for "free online timer," pick something, and implement it on your workstation.
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?q=timer&type=gadgets
Your eyes will thank you, right?