In this issue:

1. The Five Faces of Genius: An Interview with Annette Moser-Wellman, FireMark
2. Chuck Barritt of Cisco Systems Talks About Reusable Learning Objects (RLO)
3. Prediction for 2001
4. The 2001 Learning Events Calendar
5. Get Published in the New Year!
6. A Reader Asks...

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1. The Five Faces of Genius: An Interview with Annette Moser-Wellman, FireMark
http://www.fivefacesofgenius.com/index.html

Trends caught up with Annette Moser-Wellman of FireMark to learn more about genius. Annette is a featured speaker at Studio 2001: The Conference on Designing the User Experience, March 6-8, Seattle, Washington USA, http://www.influent.com/studio2001. While other researchers focus on either business strategies or creative imagination, Annette combines the two in her original approach. She holds a B.A. in Art, an M.S. in Theology, and an M.B.A. No one is better prepared to help you cultivate and master your business imagination.

TRENDS: Why is it important to think like an artist, especially given so much pressure to think like a "business person?"

MOSER-WELLMAN: My philosophy about this is that most people are taught to be "smart." We spend lots of time trying to be a stellar thinkers. However, great ideas come from those who are not only "smart," but clever. Truly great innovation comes from people who are artists, not highly recognized "strategic" thinkers. Most business people know nothing about the arts and sciences, the hot-bed of creativity and imagination.

When I worked for The Leo Burnett Company (Advertising) in Chicago, IL on the new business team, clients would come to me asking for help to think more creatively. Almost always, these firms had creative potential inside their organization, yet they only saw creativity coming from outside.

It is important to think like an artist in all facets of professional and personal life. You need to contemplate what constitutes a genius moment, and think about how you imagine so that you can master your imagination. In times of change, it is the creative, imaginative people that survive and make the change, not strategic thinkers.

TRENDS: What are the biggest opportunity and the biggest obstacle we face in employing business imagination?

MOSER-WELLMAN: The biggest opportunity is to think even more imaginatively. Instead of anticipating client needs alone, we need to figure out the right solutions: the most imaginative, the ones that make sense, and then work from there. When we have mastered our imagination, we immediately increase the pool from which we select ideas.

The biggest obstacle is being happy with what sells. While it is difficult to advocate for imagination, we need to keep trying, because when we are creative we find the meaningful from work we all strive for. By actively using each of the Five Faces of Genius, you can be at the forefront to help your organization achieve greater business success.

TRENDS: How can we begin to think more creatively about work challenges now?

MOSER-WELLMAN: The first thing is to really map the landscape of your imagination. How does your imagination work? Think about how to answer the question in a small way. Contemplate how you get your ideas, and when is the most fertile idea time for you.

There are only two ways to be more innovative:

1. Develop cognitive skills - in the sense of changing the way you think. This is the toughest. However, there is help when you understand the Five Faces of Genius.
2. Behavioral - changing the way you live. For example, not listening to voicemail during the course of the business day, wait until afterwards so the time you are working allows time for more thinking.

We need to maximize the times when we can pursue our imagination, and get to ideas more frequently and consistently.

TRENDS: What are the Five Faces of Genius?

MOSER-WELLMAN: The Seer, the Observer, the Alchemist, the Fool, and the Sage. Sadly, we only use one or two of the five skills I've identified. Here are the skills in brief so you can begin figuring out how you are currently getting your ideas, and how your imagination is working.

1. The Seer - Sees pictures in their mind's eye. These pictures lead them to ideas. Visualization is the primary way Seers navigate their imagination. The image guides them to breakthrough ideas.
2. The Observer - Unleashes curiosity. Observers collect details in a mental "basket" and from the collection of the small things create breakthrough ideas. Paying attention to things others might miss leads to the ideas of the Observer.
3. The Alchemist - Generates ideas by connecting different areas that interest them. In the connection, an idea is born. Always searching to see what they can bring together, Alchemists use similarities - analogies - as the fire of their imagination.
4. The Fool - Uses three related skills to find new ideas: inversion, absurdity, and perseverance. By turning things upside down, pushing notions to the extreme, and continuing to try in the face of adversity, Fools navigate their imagination to conjure up great ideas.
5. The Sage - Navigate their imaginations using the skill of simplification. When they encounter ideas, they ask themselves "What is the heart of the issue?" By coalescing the complete, they find their breakthrough.

TRENDS: Where can we turn to learn more about business imagination (Web sites, books, etc.)?

MOSER-WELLMAN: My book, "Five Faces of Genius: Skills to Master Ideas That Work," will be available March 19th from our Web site or your favorite bookseller. Our Web site, http://www.fivefacesofgenius.com, is a great resource for understanding your personal creative style.

I encourage you to use your Internet browser software to bookmark art museums, science sites or even news locations which you can go to regularly throughout the course of the day to stimulate your imagination. Your imagination is like a hungry lion that needs to be fed or will turn on you in mysterious ways. Learn to respect that lion!

* * * Master your business imagination at Studio 2001: The Conference on Designing the User Experience, March 6-8, 2001, Seattle, WA, USA. Register online at http://www.influent.com/studio2001. Studio 2001 brings together the leading authorities on visual design, interface design, and usability to deliver a compelling program which addresses the strategic and technological issues we face today and in the new millennium.* * *

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2. Chuck Barritt of Cisco Systems Talks About Reusable Learning Objects (RLO), email: cbarritt@cisco.com

Learning objects hold many advantages for content authors, instructional designers, and learners. Whether content is delivered on-demand via e-Learning or in a traditional classroom, the same database of learning objects can be utilized if they are designed and tagged correctly. Trends had the opportunity to check in with Chuck Barritt, RLO Implementation Program Manager at Cisco Systems, http://www.cisco.com, to tell you more about Reusable Learning Objects.

TRENDS: What was the genesis for your use of Reusable Learning Objects?

BARRITT: Over two years ago we realized that our existing curriculum of 5-day instructor-led training was monolithic and difficult to update and convert to e-Learning. We realized that we wanted a methodology to create one source of content that would support instructor-led, e-Learning, and blended training. Our solution was the Reusable Learning Object strategy which defined specific templates for content design, and a database to support their authoring and delivery in multiple media.

TRENDS: What are the advantages of using Reusable Learning Objects?

BARRITT: 1) Shortened course development time, and 2) Prescriptive, dynamic learning for customers within their time frame for learning.

TRENDS: Where does one go to learn how to design Reusable Learning Objects?

BARRITT: This is a hot topic at conferences today. I've given a number of presentations to groups over the last six months. In the Internet Learning Solutions Group at Cisco systems, we've contracted with CLARK Training and Consulting to teach their workshop on Planning, Designing, and Evaluating Technical Training (http://www.clarktraining.com). This workshop is effective because it's based on information mapping and the work of David Merrill (http://www.usu.edu). When we searched for templates, CLARK's performance matrix really fit our needs - defining a template for learning objectives that teach concepts, facts, procedures, principles, and processes. These become your default "objects" in the RLO database.

If you don't want to adopt the Ruth Clark templates, just be sure you have your content broken into "chunks" that you can put into your database. Reusable Learning Objects are not a great mystery. With the exception of adding meta data tags for searching, your course components have the traditional pieces: Objectives, Content, Practice, and Assessment.

TRENDS: Where does one find out about standards?

BARRITT: Two efforts I'd have you review are the IMS (http://www.imsproject.org), and the ADL (http://www.adlnet.org). They are both defining specifications that are related to learning objects and how they can be shared between learning management systems. I spend a great deal of time staying in touch with the workgroups of both.

While these specification groups are defining some key elements, there are things that haven't yet been defined. For example, business processes around when to link to existing objects versus creating new objects, or how changes to linked objects get reported to other authors. We are on our own to define these processes and rules. Another missing element is what type of stuff, or content, goes inside the object. Within my group at Cisco we've adopted a modified form of Ruth Clark's templates, which I mentioned earlier. Neither IMS or ALD has defined what goes inside an object, so you are free to make up your own instructional templates.

I think we have been successful because of a great IT team, and support from our authors and upper management. We have also defined simple templates that work with or without the use of a database or authoring tool which have allowed authors to create good training that is chunked into objects by design. If you can design your content with small chunks and reuse when you develop content, the application of standards, selection of authoring tools, and delivery issues can be addressed separately.

* * * Chuck Barritt is the featured presenter for this month's Resuable Learning Objects Webinair, January 18, 12:30 PM Eastern Time, at http://www.centranow.com. * * *

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3. Prediction for 2001

Dudley Molina of ePath Learning, Inc., http://www.ePathLearning.com, predicts that in 2001 corporate trainers will begin widespread adoption of a new class of software tools offered by Application Service Providers (ASP), called "content engines." He writes "these new software tools empower corporate trainers to rapidly develop, distribute, and manage their content on the Web. Content engines are completely browser based, so there is no software to download, and no servers to buy and configure. Developers and learners can access the system from wherever they connect to the Internet."

Send in your comments about your plans to use content engines to Rosie Smith, email: rsmith@influent.com.

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4. The 2001 Learning Events Calendar

Here is your advanced Professional Education and Learning Events schedule for the first half of 2001. There's something for every IT professional!

The Executive Summit for IT Service & Support
January 29-30, 2001
Scottsdale, AZ
Register online NOW at http://www.infuent.com/itss2001!

Studio 2001: The Conference on Designing the User Experience
March 6-8, 2001
Seattle, WA
Register online now at http://www.infuent.com/studio2001!

WBT Producer 2001
Driving the Power of e-Learning
April 18-20, 2001
Anaheim, CA
Register now at http://www.infuent.com/wbt2001!

WBT Executive Summit
April 18-19, 2001
Anaheim, CA
Register online at http://www.infuent.com/wbtes2001!