Learning & Development Professionals Forum: L&D Professionals Forum survey

1. Did you enjoy the L&D Professionals Forum #1 - networking event on Wednesday 15 August?

Loved it - want more! - 41.7%
Yes - 33.3%
It was OK - 8.3%
No - 0.0%
Didn't attend #1 - 16.7%

2. What was the highlight for you?

The informal approach to networking. It was a refreshing change not to be bombarded by recruitment consultants at every turn.
Just seeing a forum being created with L&D professionals.
It was good to mix with other L & D professionals & consultants.
Meeting new people.

Everyone made an effort to talk with people they didn't know which was great!
Seeing the number of like minded individuals interested in sharing knowledge, ideas and experience with each other.
Meeting others from different industries.

Meeting like minded people.

Catching up with some people I hadn't met in a while.
Just mixing with people who 'speak the same language' and share the same passions and desire to serve the development of themselves and others.

The diverse experiences and backgrounds of the different attendees was great.
Meeting L&D professionals from outside the law industry.
I enjoyed meeting other L&D people and finding out what they do and where they work.
Casual and genuine chat with like minded people - and no pretences!!!
Being able to meet other L&D people!

Sounds inane, but there really are very few other channels in which to do this.

The relaxed environment made it easy to mingle and meet people.
Meeting people currently using Lectora - we are looking at it as a platform for self-authoring on-line training.
Relaxed atmosphere and really interesting 'real' conversations.
Meeting new people and finding out where they work and their training strategies & operations.

Catching up with old buddies.
Meeting other like minded professionals from other industries et al, and hopefully getting some work out of it!
Having the opportunity to have conversations with like minded people and not feel under pressure in terms of people trying to sell me something!
Meeting colleagues.
The informal nature of it on neutral ground (ie, not at an external vendor's location where they're trying to flog something.) Small numbers were good too. Not too overwhelming.
Opportunity to meet so many L&D people to talk shop with like minded people.

3. Other comments? Feel free to provide constructive feedback here.

The suggestion on the night for companies to host an event would be a great idea. I'll definitely run it past our MD.
Obviously some structure to the evening - speakers, energizers, game sharing would be fantastic. Real are happy to facilitate several snippets from training courses. The people were predominantly white collar and professional or financial services, opening this forum up to all industries would provide a great dynamic.
I think the bar is a lovely venue, however drinks are very pricey, particularly for a mid week work networking function.
For an opening event it was great! Low key, friendly, relaxed, interesting group of people with interesting things to say! It will be good to mix the sessions between some networking events and some discussions/presentations.
Need to harness this group - direct conversation/attention etc so that we are able to extract every piece that we can.
We should wear name tags - saying our name and where we are.
It would be good to create a structure around the event with a particular theme or topic that is relevant to those in the L&D industry.
Think it is a wonderful idea.

Would be great to have different representatives volunteering their own corporate facilities (and ideally showcasing the L&D facilities / programs going on). Also a competition on "top training icebreakers" would be a bit of fun
While I like the informal approach, it would be a good idea to 'theme' these meetings and actually share experiences or best practices. But you mentioned that that's the plan anyway :-)
I found the venue to be a little small and narrow which meant a lot of people were stuck at one end.
Thank you very much Stephanie.
While I loved the informal feel of the event, it might be good to have some structured events as well. Guest Speakers or a featured book/resource would expose many of us to new concepts and ideas. Also, there were some people I met who I would love to discuss ideas with further, but I didn't get their business cards. Potentially setting up some sort of discussion forum, or contact list would be good. This would enable everyone to contact other people as needed.
Start time of 5.30 is quite difficult to make - perhaps 6pm is better. Concept is a great one. For me the balance between "vendors" and "practitioners" would be a focus. A major draw card to these types of events is that you are not going to be sold to.
Thank you for organising this session, it was great!
It was a terrific idea and it was so pleasing that everyone who attended really wanted to be there and share their own workplace story.

The time went so quickly - Thanks Steph

Good venue, drinks were a little on the pricey side. Although for free, who's complaining? Steph, thanks so so much for organising.
Venue worked for first event great service from staff. Good balance of people.
Venue not great for networking - narrow area made it hard to mingle. Drink service very slow
very disappointed to have missed it - sounds like it was a great night. Congratulations on facilitating a much needed forum.
Perhaps try to keep informal, occasionally with some events hosted at different work groups.
Great idea Steph - the first event was excellent

4. Do you feel this was a good investment of your time?

Yes - 83.3%
No - 0.0%
Didn't attend #1 - 16.7%

5. Would you be interested in attending future events?

Yes - 100.0%
Depends on the topic/ theme - 8.3%
No - 0.0%

6. Would you recommend the L&D Professionals Forum to others?

Yes - 91.7%
Depends on topic/ theme - 8.3%
No - 0.0%

7. How often would you like to see an event scheduled?

Every month - 25.0%
Every two months - 66.7%
Every quarter - 25.0%
Every six months - 0.0%

8. What key topics/ themes would you like to see addressed at future events?

Current L&D initiatives, best practises, how to tune into business needs with tailored L&D practices.
Key L&D programs currently in action. As a relatively small company we look for inspiration!
I will email you a list of what we are happy to deliver.
How to motivate your staff, attitude, case studies of successful staff motivation programmes etc.
How to quickly and easily get the business' support for L&D. How to structure programs and their costs to make them more attractive in professional services.
Overcoming challenges in the profession . How to assess and measure learning in professional environments E-Learning in professional services.
Succession Planning - how to go about it; tips and tricks; case studies Mentoring - how to go about it; tips and tricks; case studies. Outsourcing consultants, instruments and tools coaching facilitation skills.
Always interested to hear what other companies are doing with their Talent Management programs - EQ. Went last week to AITD and their presentation was from two ladies from their L&D department on why they were a finalist for their training program - was all about their Leadership rollout - was interesting!
1. Different L&D models 2. Tips and tricks on helping communicate the value of L&D to corporate influencers.
Others experience and recommendations concerning Perform. Mgt. or LMS systems, 360 Feedback surveys.
I really like the idea of quarterly events like last night ie, a catch up. To have more structured events ie, guest speakers/SME's etc in amongst these would be great.
I would love to hear more about the 'Academies" a couple of companies are setting up. Some personal experiences of people's transition into L&D and their career progression since then.
Not sure about topics - this wouldn't necessarily be a draw card for me personally. May be an opportunity for a jobs notice board, for both people looking for staff and also those looking to move to another L&D role.
I'd be very interested in hearing more informal presentations from other L&D professionals on a range of experiences - what has worked and what hasn't worked. Or to be involved in structured discussions that involve sharing these experiences among a group of practitioners. I'm looking for ways to learn from and share my experiences with others through dialogue as opposed to hearing a formal presentation where there is little interactive discussion. I'd also be interested in seeing a mentoring program get up and running and would be happy to assist with putting this together if it is of interest to others (I have some experience in this area). In terms of topics/themes for future events - leadership development; competency/capability frameworks; influencing/putting together successful business cases or proposals to management.
Measuring and evaluating learning. Increasing e-/blended learning acceptance and usage. increasing L&D's partnership with the organisation.
Presentations/ Case studies on what other organisations are doing to train staff. Programs offered Methods E-learning Strategies Partnering etc. Successes and challenges.
I love the speed learning idea, where everyone would bring their own 2 or 3 minute learning 'piece' along and we all move around the room. I guess that may be a little daunting for some... Speakers as part of the evenings events - in relation to new books out / motivational speakers EQ / Talent Management / Innovative Initiatives!
LMS experience Global training vendors Metrics for reporting on training (eg spend, evaluation).
What's hot in L&D networking opportunities sharing of best practices across the industry
blended learning - personal experiences.
Good training providers - who? Performance Management systems In house v outsourcing e-learning platforms LMS implementation.