I've used Plateau and wasn't a huge fan. Do you have one you really like?

Today I sat though about two hours of absolutely brutal PowerPoint training. It was self-paced and nothing but wall after wall of text. Everything a good trainer despises. Experiences like this show me that there is still plenty of opportunity for a trainer/instructional designer out there! Seek and ye shall find!

I saw this on another platform and thought I would share here too. At first glance, it looks like it put's L&D at the lowest priority. However, I think it shows more: 70% of learning is done on-the-job. I really don't think many people would argue this point. This allows people to take experiences and knowledge and directly apply it in real time to their work. 20% of learning is done through mentoring and peer discussions. Again, I think this is valid. A mentor can make the difference between a good employee and an excellent employee. 10% of learning is from formal training. My ego wants this higher, but it's probably accurate. People don't retain 100% of the stuff we teach and if they are sitting in training, they aren't doing their jobs that support the company bottom line. All this is to say that it's the training program that builds the framework for the whole pyramid. Without the formal training program, the mentors have no direction and the OJT can easily devolve into bad habits and shortcuts. That's why L&D matters. It's not just the content in the classroom, but the whole picture of learning at an organization!

I am excited to start this new community for instructional designers, corporate trainers, adult educators, and other L&D professionals! This is meant to be a space where we can share ideas, problems, and best practices to help us in the day-to-day tasks we face in our professional lives. Please take a moment to comment on this post with your name, a little about your job, and what brought you to this community! I'll start. I'm Billy, and I currently work as an independent training specialist with a focus on nuclear energy and the oil/gas industry. I created this community because I think there are so many people out there with great ideas when it comes to training, and I wanted a supportive place where we can share those ideas!

I would love to attend some L&D conferences next year. I think they're fun and a great way to meet new people and share ideas. Anyone have a preferred conference I should check into?