I spoke with a new member ATD Dallas today who pinged me on LinkedIn and asked if we could chat. She had attended our New-To-Industry Meetup in May and enjoyed the hands-on problem-solving and connecting with others in the field. During our phone conversation, she asked some great questions about life as a performance consultant, what serving on the board of ATD Dallas was like and how I landed in this industry. I learned about her education and interests in organizational psychology and UX, so I connected her to some folks in ATD Dallas that could help her along in those fields. We commiserated with one another about the constant pressure on presenters to be "peppy." Yeah, that's just kinda hard for us. I encouraged her to know her audience, care about them and deliver her message in a way that is genuine to her and to compel her audience to offer insights and self-discover the solutions she is presenting. I can't wait to meet her...some day...in person!

 

It's these kinds of personal connections with fellow-professionals that members have expressed over and over, provide the deepest value to their membership. A $100 membership gives each member over 40 opportunities throughout the year to build their #expertise in sessions led by professionals, #recognizedfor their leadership in the field. And best of all, we get to do all of that with friends, because of #access.

 

During trying times like these, it's the network of caring professionals in our talent development community that make the value of belonging even sweeter. It's the commitment of every volunteer in ATD Dallas to make sure that during exceptionally difficult times, we provide exceptional ACCESS, RECOGNITION and EXPERTISE. 

 

This is who we A.R.E. no matter what. 

 

I'm proud of the creativity of our volunteer staff, offering meaningful and flexible programs that speak to the needs of our members and equips them with what they value most. Check out our events page and join us for a special interest group or our monthly chapter meeting. 

 

Southwest Learning Summit Update

"So...August will be here soon. What about our annual conference that has outperformed itself year over year? Are we still having it?"

Absolutely. Before I share the details of the conference, I'd like to share a testimonial from last year:

"I’m a former ATD Dallas member that relocated to New Orleans for the last 2 years. Upon returning to Dallas in August, I attended Southwest Learning Summit … even before I finished unpacking … because I wanted to see how the organization had morphed during my time away. My plan was to visit ATD as well as two other professional associations related to the work I do in my organization. As it turns out, my experience at SWLS sealed the deal and I plan to rejoin ATD Dallas without even visiting the other associations. I love that the chapter continues to embrace technology solutions supporting our members,  I love that sessions I attended were informational and engaging! And I love that there were multiple sessions offered on coaching! Way to go,  ATD Dallas! Glad to be back!" -Michele Newhouse

Welcome back Michele! A team within our volunteer community has been especially hard at work to make sure you, and all attendees, have an equally amazing experience...virtually. The board unanimously voted to make this year's Southwest Learning Summit (SWLS) a virtual two half-day conference for several reasons. The two most important reasons:

• COVID-19 may not have run its course by August, so we want our attendees to feel (and be) safe and healthy. 
• We are also mindful that many ATD Dallas members have had to look for work as a result of COVID-19 and we wanted to make sure the conference was affordable. So, we have decided to ask for a minimum donation of $35 from each attendee. If you are able, we hope you will decide to give more since all of the registration fees will go directly to City Square, a non-profit that shares our value of community, and our purpose to empower others. I hope you'll read more about their work with Dallas youth and their front-line role in combatting poverty and COVID-19. 

"But I've already been to a bajillion online conferences and it's just like a string of webinars with some chat interactions at the end!" 

 

I hear you. I've been to those conferences too. And they are good for building expertise, but they aren't as great for connecting people. But our conference will be different. Here's how:

1. It's Dallas-centric, so you'll mostly hear from Dallas-area experts and connect with Dallas-area professionals right here in the talent development capital of the world. 
2. You'll connect with fellow-attendees, speakers and sponsors before, during and after the conference through the conference app. 
3. Breakout sessions will not be your typical "sit-and-get". Expect short presentations with plenty of time to interact, ask questions and offer your own insights. 
4. The committee is popping with more innovative ideas than this blog has room for. Look for more details coming soon. 

Register now to reserve your virtual seat. 

 

Thanks again for all you do to empower others who are changing their organizations for good. You are needed now more than ever. 

 

#dallasknowstalent

 

Rance Greene

President, 2019-2020