Training Program Implementation

The No. 1 mistake early career researchers and academics make is focusing only on research, not building their network. As an early career researcher, getting out there and making connections is crucial. One of the most effective ways to build your network is by attending major conferences in your field. These events are unparalleled networking hubs where innovators converge to share ideas, and they provide a unique opportunity for you to connect with peers and potential collaborators. Deliver impactful poster presentations or talks to showcase your expertise and put your name out there. Engage, ask questions, exchange ideas, make substantive connections that could open collaborative doors. Don't just hide behind your laptop - take every opportunity to meet influential peers and mentors. Build relationships, gather feedback, and get advice from those with more experience. A solid professional network is invaluable for career growth, recognition and credibility. So get out from behind the lab bench, connect, engage and shine! #research #phd #science #university #networking

The first 5 minutes of your workshop decide everything. Most facilitators waste them. Here's what typically happens in the first 5 minutes: → "Let me tell you a bit about myself..." → A slide with the agenda → An icebreaker that has nothing to do with the work → "Let's go around and share your name, role, and a fun fact" By minute 5, your participants have already decided: → Is this going to be worth my time? → Will I have to sit and listen all day? → Is this person going to lecture me or let me work? And most facilitators have accidentally answered all three questions wrong. Here's what the best facilitators do instead: Move 1: State the outcome in one sentence. (30 seconds) Not your bio. Not the agenda. Not a welcome slide. One sentence that tells the room exactly what they'll walk out with. → Not: "Today we'll explore team dynamics and communication." → Instead: "By 4pm, your team will have a written conflict resolution process you'll use starting Monday." That sentence does more work than any introduction. It tells participants this session has a point and their time won't be wasted. Move 2: Set the rules of the room. (60 seconds) → "You'll do 95% of the talking today. I'm here to run the process." → "Phones away unless you're using them for the exercises." → "You can disagree with anyone, including me. That's encouraged." Three sentences. Now everyone knows how this room works. No one's spending mental energy guessing. Move 3: Get them working immediately. (3 minutes) Not talking about the work. Doing the work. → "Grab a pen. Write down the one team conflict that's cost you the most time in the last month. You have 90 seconds." → "Turn to the person next to you. Share what you wrote. You have 2 minutes." Within 3 minutes, every person in the room has done something. They've committed an opinion to paper. They've spoken out loud. The session is no longer something happening to them. They're in it. That's your first 5 minutes: → 30 seconds: the outcome → 60 seconds: the rules → 3 minutes: first activity No bio. No agenda slide. No fun facts. Why this works: The first 5 minutes set the pattern for the entire session. If you start by talking at people, they expect to be talked at for the rest of the day. If you start by getting them working, they expect to keep working. You're not just opening a workshop. You're training the room on how this session operates. The facilitators who lose the room in hour 2 almost always made the same mistake: they spent the first 5 minutes telling the room this was going to be another session where someone talks and everyone else listens. By the time they try to get participation, the pattern was already set. First 5 minutes. Outcome. Rules. Work. Everything else follows from there. ___ Save this for later (three dots, top right). Share with friends → ♻️ Repost. Get consultant-grade workshops every Sat → https://lnkd.in/eSfeUapJ

🌍 How do you keep a network of more than 150 partners alive? In short: through active exchange. By talking to each other. Listening. Sharing experiences. This is what we practice at Healthcare Shapers. Yesterday was a great example of this in action: Craig A. DeLarge, MPH, MBA, CPC, one of our partners from the US, was in Ingelheim for a workshop with his client. For me, coming from Eltville in the Rheingau region, that’s just around the corner. So we spontaneously organized a transatlantic, yet very local get-together. Together with Dr. Georg van Husen and Stefan Lorenz (both partners who also live in Eltville), I drove to Ingelheim and we enjoyed an evening full of lively conversations — and even made some new connections along the way. A highlight for me: I told Georg about my visit to Australia in October, where I met Shaun Jackson, founder of a ThromBio, company focused on stroke treatment. Georg himself founded tenac.io GmbH a digital health company specializing in the analysis and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The result? 👉 A message to both experts to continue the conversation. 💡 Networking means passing the ball forward. By the way: at least once a year we invite all German-speaking partners to meet in person. When we started back in 2013, we were 27. This March, we expect more than 50 participants for the first time! Anyone who hasn’t experienced one of these meetings will hardly feel the true power of this network. That’s where new interest groups emerge, continue working on shared topics — often closely linked to the development of new business. 🔑 My view on the key success factors of a strong network: • We are not a company, but a network of like-minded people • A network only works if everyone actively contributes • Active contribution requires commitment — driven by personal value • Value looks different for everyone: revenue, visibility, support, exchange, enjoyment • Set realistic expectations, communicate them, and hold each other accountable • Success must become visible within a reasonable timeframe — otherwise engagement fades • Don’t wait for others to pave the way. Take initiative and get started. 👉 Networking means creating opportunities for exchange, using them, listening — and enabling connections. #Networking #Partnership #Collaboration #Community #DigitalHealth #Leadership #KnowledgeSharing

Sharing an approach I’ll be using to kick off the facilitation of an HSE Leaders Forum tomorrow that I hope others might find valuable. Instead of starting with the usual introductions (name, job role etc), I want to focus on the reason we are there: discussing innovative ways to solve the challenges participants are facing in their workplaces or industries. Each participant will introduce themselves by sharing a challenge framed as a "How Might We?" (HMW) statement. This simple method encourages participants to: 1️⃣ Clarify the Challenge: Turning a health and safety challenge into an opportunity helps focus the conversation on possibility. 2️⃣ Spark Collaboration: Open-ended, opportunity-focused challenges invite diverse perspectives and ideas. 3️⃣ Create Immediate Value: Sharing key challenges helps everyone see where they can contribute and connect meaningfully - on the things that matter. "How might we better communicate critical risk management expectations with subcontractors?" "How might we reduce working at height activities in our business?" "How might we assure critical risk controls in real-time?" I’ve found this approach aligns discussions with what really matters, and leaves participants with actionable insights. If you’re planning a collaborative session, this could be a great way to shift from introductions to impactful conversations right from the start. Feel free to adapt this for your own forums or workshops; I’d love to hear how it works for you and if you have any other facilitation tips. #SafetyTech #SafetyInnovation #Facilitation #Learning

🤔 How might you infuse more experiential elements into even the most standard Q&A session? This was my question to myself when wrapping up a facilitation course for a client that included a Q&A session. I wanted to be sure it complemented the other experiential sessions and was aligned with the positive adjectives of how participants had already described the course. First and foremost - here is my issue with Q&As: 👎 They are only focused on knowledge transfer, but not not memory retention (the brain does not absorb like a sponge, it catches what it experiences!) 👎 They tend to favor extroverts willing to ask their questions out loud 👎 Only a small handful of people get their questions answered and they may not be relevant for everyone who attends So, here is how I used elements from my typical #experiencedesign process to make even a one-directional Q&A more interactive and engaging: 1️⃣ ENGAGE FROM THE GET-GO How we start a meeting sets the tone, so I always want to engage everyone on arrival. I opted for music and a connecting question in the chat connected to why we were there - facilitation! 2️⃣ CONNECTION BEFORE CONTENT Yes, people were there to have their questions answered, but I wanted to bring in their own life experience having applied their new found facilitation skills into practice. We kicked off with breakout rooms in small groups to share their own experiences- what had worked well and what was still challenging. This helped drive the questions afterwards. 3️⃣ MAKE THE ENGAGEMENT EXPLICIT Even if it was a Q&A, I wanted to be clear about how THIS one would be run. I set up some guidelines and also gave everyone time to individually think and reflect what questions they wanted to ask. We took time with music playing for the chat to fill up. 4️⃣ COLLABORATIVE LEARNING IS MOST IMPACTFUL Yes, they were hoping to get my insights and answers, however I never want to discredit the wisdom and lived experience in the room. As we walked through the questions, I invited others to also share their top tips and answers. Peer to peer learning is so rich in this way! 5️⃣ CLOSING WITH ACTIONS AND NEVER QUESTIONS The worst way to end any meeting? "Are there any more questions?" Yes, even in a Q & A! Once all questions were answered, I wanted to land the journey by asking everyone to reflect on what new insights or ideas emerged for them from the session and especially what they will act upon and apply forward in their work. Ending with actions helps to close one learning cycle and drive forward future experiences when they put it to the test! The session received great reviews and it got me thinking - we could really apply these principles to most informational sessions that tend to put content before connection (and miss the mark). 🤔 What do you think? Would you take this approach to a Q&A? Let me know in the comments below👇 #ExperienceLearningwithRomy

"More training" was the default for one client Then they discovered a better way - Asking more of the right questions. Cathy Moore's flowchart systematically determines whether training is the most effective solution for your organisational needs. It's a powerful tool that guides you through a series of critical questions to identify the root causes of performance gaps and determine the most appropriate interventions. Begin the process by: 1️⃣ Clearly defining your desired outcome 2️⃣ Identifying a specific, high-priority behaviour change that will drive results 3️⃣ Analysing the underlying reasons for the current lack of this behaviour: ➟ Environmental factors (e.g., management, culture, processes, systems) ➟ Knowledge gaps ➟ Skill deficiencies ➟ Motivational issues By following the branching paths of questions, you'll gain a nuanced understanding of your situation and arrive at a well-informed conclusion: Is training truly the best answer, or are other interventions more suitable? Let me know if you've used this in your L&D efforts or if you use something else. Was this helpful? Repost it! ♻ ______________________ Are you in L&D and seeking to evolve your role into that of a strategic partner? I’ve supported ~150 learning partners and I’m ready to support you too. Send me a DM! Or follow me, Lucy Philip, for more content like this

In business, it's easy to get caught up in the "what"—what features should we build, what software should we buy, what processes should we automate? But a great business analyst knows that starting with the "what" is often a path to a project's failure. The most crucial work happens in the needs assessment—the "why." This is where we uncover the true problem or opportunity driving the request. Are we solving a genuine pain point for customers, or are we just reacting to a competitor's new feature? Are we addressing a root cause of inefficiency, or just putting a bandage on a symptom? By focusing on the "why," we can challenge assumptions, identify hidden needs, and ensure that our solutions deliver real business value. A successful project isn't one that meets requirements; it's one that solves the right problem. Never start building until you're certain you understand the need behind the request.

Ever missed a turn on a road trip… just because your co-driver forgot to speak up? 🛣️🗺️ Now imagine that happening in a high-stakes project. One missed message. One delayed update. ➡️ And the whole team veers off course. That’s the danger of poor communication during change. In project execution—especially when stakes are high and stakeholders are many—communication isn’t a milestone. It’s a constant. 🔄 📊 According to the Project Management Institute, project managers spend 90% of their time communicating during the implementation phase. Why? Because change doesn’t succeed in silence. 🎯 Picture this: You’re a project manager at Google, leading a transition to a new cloud storage system. If communication isn’t clear, timely, and tailored to every stakeholder—from IT to finance to legal—confusion spreads fast. Deadlines slip. Trust erodes. ✅ Best practices for communicating change: Start early, update often Tailor messages for different audiences Create feedback loops to surface concerns Be transparent about risks and decisions 💡 Great execution isn’t just about what you do. It’s about what—and how—you communicate. #ProjectEconomy #ProjectManagement #ContinuousLearning 🎯💡

💡 Why networking is important for research projects and consortia? 💊 In our 10-year research project (now in year 6) and multi-country consortia (9 partners), we have a work package - Networking, which I am co-leading. The aim is to create an environment that enables knowledge sharing and fosters long-standing research partnerships. Our Networking initiative is two-fold: - Networking within the Network: focused on enhancing inter-institutional communication, organizing joint activities, and fostering knowledge sharing and partnerships among our consortium. - Networking outside the Network: collaborating with local and global research initiatives, experts, and communities to create visibility, reputation, and connectivity. Our activities include topic-specific symposia at the forefront conferences in the field; "coffee clubs" for junior-senior scientist exchange; writing of joint (expert) opinions and statements; joint funding applications and of course social gatherings. Often overlooked, networking activities are invaluable and deserve a spotlight. Honestly, I am grateful to the funding body for recognizing its significance as a separate work package and including the milestones to report on. Here's why: 🤝 Networking enables interdisciplinary approaches, breaking silos and enriching our research endeavors. 🔍 Networking provides a platform for researchers to exchange information, share insights, support each other, and stay updated on the latest developments in their respective fields. 🗺 Engaging with researchers worldwide broadens our horizons, fosters diversity in thinking, and elevates the global impact of our research. There are countless more benefits! Share your experiences and examples. P.S. We also have a Policy work package 😉 #Research #Networking #Collaboration #Innovation

Most strategies don’t fail because they’re wrong. They fail because no one understands them. ☑ Strategy without communication is just a plan on paper. ☑ Execution without clarity creates chaos. ☑ Teams can’t align to what they don’t understand. Here's how communication becomes the invisible engine of execution: ☑ Translate strategy at every level ↳ Use frameworks to cascade strategy from corporate to teams. ↳ Make roles and responsibilities crystal clear. ☑ Build buy-in during change ↳ Apply ADKAR: create awareness and desire through storytelling. ↳ Communicate the why, not just the what. ☑ Align messages with mission and values ↳ Use Balanced Scorecards and strategy maps to visualise strategy. ↳ Clarity reinforces trust and accelerates action. ☑ Enable strategic learning ↳ Conduct regular, data-driven reviews. ↳ Let your Office of Strategy Management lead the charge in keeping strategy alive. 3 things to remember: 1. Communication activates strategy. 2. Without clarity, even good plans stall. 3. Leaders must repeat the message until it becomes muscle memory. If your strategy gets stuck, you can start by trying to explain how you communicate it. Image credit: Henrik Kniberg P.S. If you like content like this, please follow me.