TheLearningMaps.com

Types of maps for every learning occassion

FORWARD

By Dr. Axel Meierhoefer, PhD

A New Day on Learning Street

Axel Meierhoefer brings three decades of executive experience to his work as an international teacher, coach, author, lecturer, training facilitator and businessconsultant. He is founder of three thriving enterprises: Axel Meierhoefer ConsultingLLC, Innovision Global LLC and The Coaching Academy Europe. technique called "Innovation Mapping," a discovery learning approach that allows small teams to see interrelationships in complex systems and align around them.

Axel began his career as a �ghter pilot in the German Air Force and eventually was awarded the role as a senior �ying instructor. His �nal military assignment brought him to New Mexico as a manager, charged with creating a multi-national aviation training facility.

Axel holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Aviation & Management from Hamburg College, Germany, a Masters Degree in Organizational Management from Antioch University, Santa Barbara, and a PhD in Leadership from Antioch University, Ohio. He is a certi�ed Performance Coach and a License holder for the N.E.W.S organizational develop-ment system. He retains a number of certi�cates of accomplishment in learning, facilitation, and project management.Axel and his wife Heidi reside in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Visit Axel at www.axelmeierhoefer.com

In our modern, complex, quickly changing world, developing skills and behaviors is mandatory to be successful. A widening gap has evolved between what organizations need for their employees to succeed and what the school system produces. To close this gap powerful, memorable, impactful, and a�ordable approaches are needed. When the Gallup organization annually asks thousands of employees on all levels to answer the same 12 questioned as part of the Q12 study, they �nd that the level of engagement keeps going down. Currently less than 30% of respondents are engaged, aligned with the vision and strategies of their organization, and motivated to provide maximum energy to their employer.

The solutions is going back to our roots and update the oldest human form of knowl-edge transfer through visualization to the 21st century in one bold, optimistic step. Learning Maps represent this step.

It’s a new day on learning street, where leaders recognize that the best way for people to learn is to create powerful, memorable images that stay in their memory. Neil Fleming tells us that the path to knowledge leads through the combination of information with experiences. Ergo, it’s not enough to draw a picture, diagram, or provide a slide as part of a presentation. What modern business needs is a cohesive story that directly connects to the picture and relates to the daily circumstances of the employee. That’s what our learning maps achieve. We acknowledge the age old saying that a picture is worth 1000 words and have spent many years of research and application working with some of the largest and most successful companies in the world to re�ne the art of learning map development and facilitated delivery.

In close collaboration with the executive team of an organization, we create a visual journey that allows everybody to recognize what brought them from the past to the present and shows the path to a future that realizes the vision and strategies in combina-tion with the organizational values that bind everybody together and energizes participa-tion.

Storytelling is one of the oldest ways of knowledge transfer. We are all very familiar with it from the times when our parents told us the �rst stories, through the times when we told family members, friends, and coworkers about our experiences during a vacation, an adventure or a special event we participated in. It’s a proven way of human information exchange. Transforming this concept from the early days to modern business means turning pictures and drawings into digital learning maps that give pixels, dedicated to the circumstances, challenges and opportunities of your organization, a new home. The resulting learning map energizes employees to start on the track to the future and gives them and their leaders the strength to overcome obstacles that might appear. It gives a clear visual representation carved into our memory where we want to go together and how we want to shape our reality – a reality that represents and de�nes success for our products and services, for our customers, and the people we work with.

To help us stay on that track, refresh our memory when it fades, and remind ourselves what we committed to when we started the journey is what a learning map accomplishes. All you need to do is get in touch with the team at TheLearningMap.com to re-discover the power of visualizing stories and create your path down learning street on a direct line towards success for your organization.

Sante Fe, New Mexico, Jan, 2014.

1. Onboarding and InductionOnboarding and Induction

LEARNING OBJECTIVES IMPACT TO THE BUSINESS

The success of finding, keeping and growing a strategy is dependent on your employees getting the right start. Understanding their role, the contribution that they can make and exploring the synergies between divisions is critical to ensuring new recruits hit the ground running in their first days.

WHAT IS AN ONBOARDING AND INDUCTION MAP?

An Onboarding and Induction Map is typically an environment map. This map could show businesses, business units, departments, functional areas, customer types and even competitors in a ‘town’ type setting. In addition to this structural representation of a business, one can introduce characters and roles and show them interacting in accordance with the company and the accepted norms of the organisation or vice versa. The learning experience is about making links and seeing how everything �ts together. For example, demonstrating the biggest buildings as the biggest company or department in the business group, following the purchase to payment cycle through the ‘world’ of the client, looking at process steps or the relationship between any entities or characters.

Always consider what you would like to achieve using a map. Typically, such a map would include the following learning objectives:

• Link to individual behavioursIntroduce ‘what we do’• Understand history and brand•Understand corporate structure• Understand enterprise language• Identify roles and responsibilities

• Reduce employee turnover• Improve employee survey results• Reduce on-boarding cost• Optimise individual performance faster

The impact that this type of learning map can make on a business is valuable. Here are some

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Improved brand alignment

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IMPACT TO THE BUSINESS

A Brand Engagement Map will assist the business in achieving:

Improved brand compliance

• Living the brandImproved brand value

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

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Identify brand values

•Link brand values to personal values

•Identify brand elements

Again, consider what the business would like to achieve by using this type of map. Some learning objectives could include:

Link brand values to roles and behaviours

WHAT IS A BRAND ENGAGEMENT MAP?

2. Brand EngagementBrand Engagement

This is an environment map that focuses on the business brand values. These values will typically be expressed as a list of words. The challenge is to turn these words into competencies that people are prepared to deliver on. The

company and brand has values too. The second step is to identify types of employees in an organisation and group the job functions into a range of functional categories. For example one would not put drivers in the same group as call center agents. The next step would be to look at each functional group and unpack how they can deliver on the values relative to their role.

Brand engagement grows profitability. An external brand image is vital to deliver on customer experiences and exceed expectations, each employee needs to engage with and commit to your brand.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND BUSINESS IMPACT

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Learning objectives of this map, as well as the impact that it has on a business, could include:

why it is a good thing

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rather than obstructionSupport open conversations about change

WHAT IS A CHANGE MANAGEMENT MAP?

3. Change ManagementChange Management

A Change Management Map will compare contrasting states. This means that a Change Management Map will depict how things are at present and highlight the aspects that are causing the downfall (pain) on one side and on the other side it will show the future state where all the challenges are solved (gain). Therefore, two opposing views are shown side by side. The key would be to link the two sides by a ‘bridge’. This represents the journey of change. When

challenge of change.

Not may employees embrace change, purely because staying in ones comfort zone feels a lot safer and easier. In order to motivate and sustain a productive work environment, employees need to understand and picture the change process and the benefits thereof.

IMPACT TO THE BUSINESS

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Increase customer satisfaction

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Employees that understand their role and the value they add at each customer touchpoint, could have the following impact on the business:

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Reduce returns, complaintsIncrease revenueIncrease brand value

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

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Identify touchpoints

•Identify customer segment or types

•Match touchpoints and values

Establish learning objectives for your Customer Service Touchpoint Map. Some of the objectives could be:

•Evaluate positive and negative scenariosIdentify relationship make or break scenarios

WHAT IS A CUSTOMER SERVICE TOUCHPOINT MAP?

4.Touchpoints

Customer Service

Customer Service TouchpointsEvery business has its own set of customer touchpoints. A business should understand the needs of the customer at each touchpoint in order to deliver value.

time. For example, a company website may be seen as a touchpoint and visiting a store may be seen as another. For each moment in time your brand/business can add value to the customer and identify what will make the customers experience better or worse. The business therefore needs to know what the customer will value at each touchpoint.

insight into adding the right value at the right time.

IMPACT TO THE BUSINESS

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Save lives

•Reduce incidents

•Reduce claims

employees clearly understand and be able to identify health and safety risks, could include:

•Reduce premiums

•Improve Pubic RelationsIncrease compliance ratings

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

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Identify risks

•Link to individual behaviour

Some of the learning objectives that can be achieved by a health and safety map include:

•Evaluate precautions and preparations

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Identify critical pointsIdentify correct process and procedures

Improve decision making

WHAT IS A HEALTH AND SAFETY HAZARDS MAP?

5. Health and Safety HazardsHealth and Safety Harzards

This would be an environment map that focuses on health and safety aspects. This map demonstrates and highlights the various health and safety aspects of a business in a ‘town’ type setting. Learners will be able to identify points of health and safety risks, the necessary precautions that need to be taken and the impact that it may have on the

A ‘zero tolerance’ world is non-negotiable. Workplace accidents and injuries impact individuals, families and the bottom line of a business. Failure to understand the consequences of non-compliance impacts on productivity, profitability and lives.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND TBUSINESS IMPAC

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Learning objectives of such maps, as well as the impact that it has on a business, could include:

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Clear strategy informs the behaviour of the teamEverybody is on the same page

• When people know the strategy they are inclinedto focus on the right activities

WHAT IS A STRATEGY VISUALIZATION MAP?

6. Strategy VisualizationStrategy Visualization

Strategy Visual izat ion is a journey map that will normally show the past (where the business has come from), the present (where the business stands today) and the future (where the business wants to be in the future). The content

demonstrate what happens along the journey/timeline of the business. Each side of the road can be utlised to depict the strategy building aspects as well as the breaking aspects.

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Strategies can be considered as journeys. Employees should understand the direction of where the business is currently headed and the vision for the future of the business in order to share, live and achieve the business strategy and contribute to the achievement of strategic goals.

3

IMPACT TO THE BUSINESS

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Reduce standard deviations

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understanding and following process in the following ways:

•Break down silosIncrease the impact of process objectives

•Reduce costs and increase availability

•Improve reliabilityIncrease agility

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

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Identify process components

•Identify roles in process

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Learners will gain a thorough understanding of the elements listed below from the Process Improvement Map:

Understand impact of process non compliance

• Identify risksLink process to business strategy and objectives

WHAT IS A PROCESS IMPROVEMENT MAP?

7.Process Improvement

Process ImprovementValue chains, process, procedures and continuous improvements can seem very dry. Delving into the implications of non-adherence to process and exploring the benefits of compliance can bring an entirely new insight and perspective.

This map is typically written and laid out in a particular rule based fashion. The most common layout is ’swim lane’. This

Good process has syntax. Therefore, it is important to make sure that a) process has syntax and b) that the learners are taught to recognise this syntax. The next step is to link the process to the business environment.

Copyright © 2012, Trainiac

IMPACT TO THE BUSINESS

8.Graphic Recordingand Graphic Facilitation

Graphic recording and facilitation

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WHAT IS A GRAPHIC RECORDING AND HOW IS IT USED?

We help clients make sense of complex information before it's presented or consumed. We also create animated videos from drawings and can even turn real-time drawings into engag-ing, informative animated videos. These are called White-board Videos, and are an animat-ed versioed verion of a graphic recording, with audio and music.

Considering that we think in pictures, not just words, consider these amazing facts:.• An estimated 80% of all people are visual learners.• One fourth of our brain is devoted to processing

visual information.• Combining images with text or speech increases

retention by over 40 %.

By harnessing our innate visual literacy, graphic recording and graphic facilitation-- either in a meeting or at an event-- generates and creates an active atmosphere participant excitement and curiosity. Audiences sense instantly that something di�erent and fun is about to happen that's worth paying attention to. People become receptive to new information, and they retain what they learn.

HOW DOES IT WORK?Recorders listen and synthesize main ideas and themes into drawings using a combination of images and words. • For conferences• Trade shows • Meetings,

We almost always work large-scale at the front of the room, so everyone present can engage with the content of the drawing as it unfolds.

Graphic Recording and Graphic Facilitation can enhance meeting, increase participant engagement and create concise and beautiful summaries and take aways. At The LearningMap we support live meetings of all kinds, as well as use our skills as visual thinkers to help clients create original and creative videos, illustrations, and workshops.

Copyright © 2012, TheLearningMap.com