I attended the ATD ICE conference (http://www.atdconference.org/About/Reasons-to-Attend) in Atlanta last month as a volunteer which means the conference fees were waived. For each day I volunteered I received a complimentary day. I volunteered two days and received two days free! What a win-win. One day I served as the volunteer day manager which turned out to be a 12 hour day. My second volunteer day wasn't as taxing. I served as a room monitor which means I was able to select the room I wanted to work in for the day to help the speaker, count the number of attendees, and make sure the room was tidy along with materials and water. I wanted to hear. Again, this was a win-win for me.
This international conference includes 10 content tracks of Science of Learning, Instructional Design, Learning Technologies, Learning Measurement & Analytics, among many others. This is a fabulous conference for those in Higher Education. In fact, one of the four Industry Tracks includes Higher Education. There were special events and receptions for those in Higher Education to meet and network on a global scale. In addition, Thomas Gilhooley, of Regis University's Higher Learning Partners was interviewed as part of the conference video summary. Thomas is interviewed beginning at 2:30 minutes into this video, see http://www.atdconference.org/About/Video. Further, there are many session tracks such as Healthcare, Education, Global Voices, Innogizer, Leaders of the Profession, Panels, Senior Leaders, Learning Transfer (applicable for back on the job), and Voices of Innovation.
One "Science of Learning" track speaker was Britt Andreatta of 7th Mind, Inc. She spoke about the power of teams. Her neuroscience research discusses how to build more effective teams. To do this, we must understand how the brain works and the human biology that works toward building collaboration, trust, productivity, and engagement. She discussed the metrics of inclusion and psychological safety affect team engagement. Britt cited that over 86 percent of employees and leaders lack the skills to create an effective team which leads to workplace failures. This information is astonishing. If you would like more information on Britt's research, her latest book is titled, "Wired to Resist." She can be contacted at http://www.brittandreatta.com/.
The keynote speakers (http://www.atdconference.org/Speakers/Keynote) included Captains Mark and Scott Kelly who spoke on their experiences that shaped their views on teamwork and collaboration, overcoming adversities and dealing with tragedies. Dr. Kelly McGonigal, Health Psychologist and Lecturer at Stanford University spoke about the upside of stress. Her book by the same title, "The UPside of Stress: Why stress is good for you, and how to get good at it. Here's a link to her TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/speakers/kelly_mcgonigal. The final keynote speaker was inspiring, Dr. Ronan Tynan is a medical doctor, paralympic champion and lovely Irish tenor. He spoke on hitting the high notes by living life to the fullest.
I highly recommend this conference for those interested in hearing from experts in our field of learning and education. There we also many, many exhibitor sessions, author chats and meet and greets. The exposition included over 400 vendors. What fun that was!!!
On a final note, being Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) I attended the annual ATD Awards ceremony and reception, sponsored by Harvard University, in which corporations and individuals were recognized for their efforts . Dr. Maureen Orey, CPLP, of Brandman University was recognized for her dissertation titled, "Is it Worth It? The Career Benefits and Return on Investment of Volunteer Leadership as Perceived by Chapters Leaders in a Professional Talent Development Association." As part of her research findings, the study participants reported volunteer leadership led to transformational change as a leader within their current workplace environments. For many study participants who were business owners and consultants, they reported a 424 percent return on investment.
As the 2017 Chapter President of ATD Rocky Mountain Chapter (www.atdrmc.org), these research findings resonate with me. Along with serving as a coach for the Regis Leadership Institute and a mentor in the upcoming academic year, I find that all of these experiences are tools to help me develop my leadership skills. So if you are looking for opportunities to develop your leadership skills, volunteer leadership is an investment in yourself which has a large return on investment.
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