In May, we traveled to Dallas, TX for the ASTD International Conference & Expo (ICE). We joined some 9,000 attendees from over 70 countries for a week of learning, idea sharing, barbecue eating, and line dancing (this is Texas, after all).
We exhibited for three days (that's us in our booth, below!), meeting trainers and instructional designers from all over the world. Representatives from 28 countries stopped by our booth -- including Portugal, Nigeria, Egypt, Korea, India, Australia, Venezuela, and Costa Rica.
We met industry leaders, paragons of our profession, and up-and-coming stars . . . the leaders of tomorrow. We were delighted to meet an existing customer, John, whom we only knew from email but who traveled all the way from Singapore for the conference!
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Reinventing RolePlay
On the last morning of the conference, we offered a breakout session entitled "Reinventing RolePlay", with about 220 people in attendance! The energy level was great, with lots of interaction and insights from the participants.
In the session, participants shared their frustrations or challenges with the technique of RolePlay. We then attempted to redeem this tried-and-true technique by offering a structured process for deciding when and how to use it, as well as a foolproof method for debriefing. The room got a little rowdy with 200+ people all practicing at one time -- but the reports from the crowd indicated that the practice was helpful and provided new insights for how to use this technique in their work.
We said it then, and we'll say it now. We needn't give up on RolePlay just because it's been around a long time and is low-tech. Indeed, it has stood the test of time because it's built on a solid foundation. People still learn skills through practice. And interpersonal skills are still best taught interpersonally. Join us in the revolution!
Finally, many thanks to our fellow ASTD chapter member, Jennifer Rogers, who ably handled our booth while we were speaking. Jenn, you are a rock star!
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Our Take-Aways
We left the conference simultaneously exhausted and energized, our brains swirling with ideas. You know how it is . . . when the "follow-up" list you make on the airplane would take you a whole year to implement . . . !
We also walked away with a very strong sense of the new energy pouring into this profession from around the world, particularly from South America and Asia. We have begun some conversations already about translating our product into Spanish and Mandarin Chinese in response to the interest we saw at the conference.
Stay tuned for more info on what's next for CaseCards!
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