Join me in removing LinkedIn's stupid 50 group limit

 *Ping*, another email arrives from somebody in my network, inviting me to join a seemingly interesting group on LinkedIn. I sigh... not because his message annoys me. On the contrary, I've found the discussion groups on LinkedIn very enlightening and enjoy browsing through the various discussions.

So what is the problem, you might ask... The problem is that somebody in LinkedIn's organization, in their infinite wisdom, has decides that LinkedIn users cannot handle being a member of more than 50 groups. So they put a limit on it... I cannot join any new groups until I've left some of the groups I'm currently a member of. This annoys me no end. To me, this comes across as very belittling. Why do they not let me decide how many groups I can handle? Or, for that matter, from how many groups I want to receive email digests (they turn these off automatically, if you don't actually visit the group on LinkedIn for a while).

The way I use the groups is by letting Outlook send all LinkedIn messages to a special folder. When I have some "in-between-time", I start browsing through the digest messages to see if any discussion piques my interest. If so, I click on it to read it. That way it's no big deal at all to be a member of 50+ groups.

I've already tried sending LinkedIn feedback about this. Never even got a reply. So it's time to try something new. Here's the plan:

1. Put as your LinkedIn Status: Please LinkedIn, let me decide how many groups I want to be a member of and remove the 50 group limit.
2. If you're on Twitter, ask @LinkedIn to remove the 50 group limit.
3. Share this blog with your network and ask them to do the same.

Let's see if together we can make a difference!

Opportunity: off-the-shelf business games

For a while now, I've been searching online and offline for off-the-shelf business games. And so far, I haven't found what I'm looking for... So it seems to be that there's an opportunity here for somebody!

Here's what I'm looking for:

• Game must be available in multiple languages (Dutch, English, French), or customizable so we can adapt it ourselves
• No requirement for an external facilitator
• Min. users = 6, Max. users = 14
• Game must address: Strategy, financial skills, management skills, customer orientation, leadership skills. creative entrepreneurship
• Duration between 3 - 6 hours.

So... who's willing to take on this challenge? :-)

5 tips to create enthusiasm for e-learning

Even though e-learning is used more and more in organizations, there often is a lot of resistance against it. Here are five tips that can help create enthusiasm:

1. Don't use it standalone, but make it part of a blended learning solution.
   This especially works well for soft skills training, like conflict management for example. Let learners complete an e-learning explaining the theory behind the topic, of course with a few interactive exercises. Then spend a day, or half day, in classroom training where learners can practice and receive feedback.
2. Make use of e-learning ambassadors by starting in small groups
   Find a select group of people and let them complete a new e-learning course first. Try to make it a mix of sceptical people and e-learning fans. Then, when they have completed the course and are (hopefully) happy with what they've seen and learned, ask them to spread the word!
3. Have a "The Voice of..." competition internally for voice-overs
   Who doesn't know the popular show "The Voice of..."? Make use of it by organising your own little in-house competition. Let employees record a specific piece of text and select good voices from within your own organizations. When you have recorded them as a voice-over, you have at the same time created ambassadors (see point 2)!
4. Keep your e-learning modules short
   My own rule is to make modules no longer than 30 minutes. If a course turns out to be longer than that, it is better to split it up into multiple modules. There is nothing like the satisfaction of having completed something, and if it takes too long, you may lose the participant...
5. Keep your e-learning as interactive and (if possible) as social as possible
   Always ask yourself how you can make your course more engaging. An e-learning should always have added benefits to just a PowerPoint presentation or reading a document. If your LMS and organization support social interaction, definitely make use of it. By making your course social, you also take away the complaint that classroom training is better because of the interaction with other participants.

These are just 5 tips out of many. They are the ones that have worked well for me and I hope they'll be of help to you. As usual, feel free to leave comments and feedback!

Icebreaker/Energizer: Tarzan & Jane

Often former colleagues and/or former participants contact me to ask me about the icebreaker/energizer "Tarzan & Jane".

This is a GREAT energizer, one that I've often used after the lunchbreak, or when I noticed that energy levels in the group were low. It wasn't invented by me, and I don't know who did, but here's a general description of the exercise:

First you, as the facilitator, will need to explain the following:

In this game there are 3 different positions you can take:

Tarzan

Jane

The Bear

The pictures show how I usually demonstrate them, but feel free to pick your own versions, as long as they're easy to distinguish.

Now the group forms pairs who stand back to back.
Count until 3, and at 3, each person turns around to face their partner in one of the three positions. Decide who's the winner of the round by applying these rules:
- Tarzan beats The Bear
- The Bear beats Jane
- And Jane - of course - beats Tarzan :-)

The person who has lost sits down. The winner seeks another partner for the next round.
If there's a draw (both partners have chosen the same position) they stay together and take part in the next round.

Continue until there is one pair left, and do the exercise one more time to determine the final "winner". Award him/her with a small prize or reward.

After this exercise the group is energized again! I've had people do this icebreaker again after class when we were waiting to be seated in a restaurant for a group dinner. It's great fun, try it sometime and let me know how it worked out!