Washington, D.C., 03/31/11 – The Knowland Group is sharing its expertise on how to develop and deliver effective professional development programs in the 21st century. Knowland University Chief Learning Officer Bill Cushard discussed how to use these techniques at the “Elevate 2011” conference hosted by the California Society of Association Executives at the Portola Hotel & Spa in Monterey Bay, California.
 
“In a world where change happens faster than ever, there is no going back to the traditional structure of creating professional development programs,” explained Cushard. “Learning and development organizations must rapidly evolve so that they can respond to ever changing learner and organizational needs.”
 
During the conference Cushard focused on three critical skills learning professionals need in today’s rapid business climate: social media, collaboration and rapid learning development. Session participants explored these new skills and the technologies required to apply them. Cushard used his work at Knowland University as successful examples of these techniques in action.
 
“Knowland is a perfect example of how to put these three skills into practice,” said Cushard. “We effectively use all of them to our advantage and to increase connections between people.”
 
Social Media 101:
 
Social media enables more rapid sharing of information. Vehicles such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blogs allow for instantaneous distribution of news, images, audio, and videos. The Knowland Group quickly recognized the importance of using social media. The company uses Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages to keep people connected and informed on how to use its’ products.

Use Collaboration Tools:
 
One of the goals at Knowland University is to encourage people to work together. Collaboration tools such as- Huddle, Yammer, Google Docs, and internally developed community tools promote teamwork. They allow people to work on documents together and brainstorm even while working in different offices.
 
Rapid Learning Development:
 
Instead of taking months to develop a training class that clients need now, Knowland University quickly designs job aids, help documents, and self-paced e-learning modules. The Knowland University team is able to speed up the learning design process and develop the same course in days or weeks, rather than months. Without losing training effectiveness clients get the training they need when they need it. Learner feedback is then incorporated into future courses to create an ever-evolving curriculum.
 
The CalSAE conference was held March 28-30.  
 
About The Knowland Group
The Knowland Group is a proven innovator, developing intuitive marketing products and services that streamline and support event and group sales in the hospitality industry. The company, headquartered in Washington, DC, serves over 3,000 hotel clients and 25,000 users globally. Knowland was ranked as the fifth fastest growing software company (public or private) in North America by Deloitte and the second fastest growing private company in the travel industry for both 2009 and 2010 by Inc. Magazine. For more information, visit www.KnowlandGroup.com, call 410-860-2270, or follow us on Twitter @knowlandgroup.