What if training wasn’t just a chore but something genuinely engaging? Maybe interactive, gamified content that actually gets people excited? It’s not just a nice idea; it’s backed by numbers. A 2019 study saw a whopping 89 percent of employees report feeling more productive at work when gamification is incorporated into their tasks, and 88 percent even say it makes them happier.

Even more important, one-third of respondents said they were keen on more game-like training features. But the real kicker? While 83 percent of those who experience gamified training said they’re more motivated and energized, 61 percent of respondents experiencing traditional, non-gamified version end up feeling bored. It’s clear: Making training interactive is not just a win; it’s a game-changer.

With this in mind, OpenSesame is thrilled to announce the addition of a new publisher to our OpenSesame Plus subscription: E-SEC, a pioneer in compliance and business skills training.

Essential training with an interactive twist

E-SEC stands out in the elearning landscape with over a decade of experience in crafting innovative 3D elearning and training products. Their courses are offered in multiple languages, including English, French, German, and Italian. These materials aren’t just informative, they’re also designed to be engaging and concise, with an average course length of just 15 minutes.

Here’s why we’re so excited about adding E-SEC to our marketplace. First, their use of 3D animations and simulations takes elearning to a new dimension. This immersive approach not only enhances engagement but also aids in better retention of complex concepts. E-SEC’s gamification with branching choices introduces a level of interactivity that’s rare in elearning—this method aligns with the evidence that gamified learning can boost motivation and enhance retention.

E-SEC also understands the importance of assessment and supplemental resources. Post-assessment tools check learner comprehension, while supplemental resources provide more avenues to explore topics in depth.

Among their top courses are timely and relevant subjects like:

• Cyber Security
• Working from Home: Digital Security
• Whistleblowing

These courses embody E-SEC’s belief that elearning experiences should be more than educational, they need to be engaging and relevant to today’s corporate landscape, too.

At OpenSesame, we share that belief whole-heartedly, and are so pleased to welcome E-SEC into the Plus subscription. Browse our catalog and preview the innovative and engaging courses from E-SEC—compliance and business skill training just got a whole lot more interesting.

The post Engaging Training Redefined: E-SEC’s Gamified Courses Now in OpenSesame Plus appeared first on OpenSesame.

Engaging content isn’t merely a trend; it’s a fundamental shift in how we approach education. The immersive nature of animation and gamification does more than just capture attention; it creates an environment where learners actively participate in their own knowledge acquisition, dramatically enhancing learner retention.

Studies consistently show that when learners are drawn into a narrative, or when they become protagonists in a gamified scenario, information isn’t just learned; it’s internalized. And in the realm of online training—where distractions are just a click or ping away—the power of engagement cannot be overstated. 

Engaging content doesn’t just compete for attention; it holds it, guiding learners through a seamless and memorable educational journey. It translates into improved information recall, ensuring that the knowledge gained becomes a lasting asset rather than a fleeting memory. This, in turn, has been shown to boost motivation, increase participation, and encourage active problem-solving.

Expanding our engaging offerings with Dracolex

Clearly, engaging content isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity for organizations committed to staying ahead. Which is why we’re thrilled to announce the latest addition to the OpenSesame Plus subscription: Dracolex! 

Dracolex is a pioneer in developing top-notch, interactive, animated content that seamlessly weaves together the worlds of storytelling, gaming, and elearning. Whether you’re looking to enhance adaptability, champion sustainability, or conquer stress management, this publisher has you covered.

Some notable aspects of their courses are:

• Comprehensive storytelling: Dracolex breathes life into characters, offering a storytelling approach that goes beyond the conventional. Each course is a narrative adventure, making learning an immersive experience.
• Award-winning courses: Dracolex has garnered accolades for its commitment to excellence. Their courses cover a wide array of topics, including leadership, sustainability, presentation skills, and much more.
• Bite-sized learning: Dracolex understands the value of time. While their average course length is around 20 minutes, shorter courses are also available to enable quick, digestible learning for those on a tight schedule.

Ready to send your learners on a transformative training journey? Get started with Dracolex’s captivating courses, available now as part of OpenSesame Plus.

The post From Boredom to Brilliance: Transform Online Training with Dracolex appeared first on OpenSesame.

• Enhanced Skill Sets: Mandatory training courses, when thoughtfully designed, offer employees valuable skill enhancements. For example, obligatory cybersecurity training not only safeguards data but also equips employees with crucial digital literacy skills that can be applied in their day-to-day tasks. The right format and style go a long way in driving completions and engagement.
• Consistent Knowledge Base: Standardized mandatory training ensures that all employees have a consistent knowledge base, where they can easily seek out additional, non-required training when desired. This can be especially crucial in industries where safety and compliance are paramount, as it minimizes errors and reduces risks.
• Employee Engagement: There is a  perception that mandatory training is tedious (it can be), but engaging and interactive sessions can actually make employees feel more valued and engaged. This can lead to higher morale and increased job satisfaction, which in turn lets L&D impact employee retention rate.
• Demonstrating Commitment: Adding modern Diversity, Equality and Inclusion content to required training sends a powerful message that the organization is committed to these principles. It promotes a respectful workplace and is increasingly a core tenet that employees expect from an employer.

Our customers are able to experience these benefits by implementing fresh, high-quality courses into their L&D programs. Our curation team can help build customized learning paths for compliance training, personalized to your learners, so they are enhancing their skill sets while meeting organizational requirements. 

Below are the most-completed compliance courses amongst our customers this year. Not surprising, Cybersecurity and Harassment training make the list. We expect to see an increase in cybersecurity training in 2024 due to the increase in data breaches this past year. 

OpenSesame Customer’s Top 10 Compliance Courses of 2023 (by completions):

1. Workplace Harassment (US – Office – Employee – 40-Minute) 
2. Workplace Harassment (US – Office – California – Employee)
3. Cybersecurity: 08. Email Phishing
4. Common Ground: Sexual Harassment and Abusive Conduct Prevention (Gated: for Employees in all US States Except CT) 
5. Cybersecurity: 11. Social Engineering
6. Preventing Discrimination and Harassment (US – Employee)
7. Security Awareness Essentials Challenge 
8. Sexual Harassment and Abusive Conduct Prevention (For Employees in all US States Except CA and CT)
9. Workplace Harassment (US – Office – New York – Employee)
10. Healthcare Fraud, Waste, and Abuse: An Introduction

Partnering with a content provider that offers a well-curated selection of courses is crucial. OpenSesame’s curation team can carefully select learning paths to help learners actually enhance their skill sets while meeting regulatory requirements. Mitigating risk through mandatory training is more than ticking boxes; it can help foster growth and a culture of continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Learn more about how OpenSesame can take the pressure off your learning and development team to meet Federal and State requirements (even in continuous change) in this Harassment Compliance Agility webinar, or start your free trial today to see the best compliance content yourself.

The post Compliance and Risk Management: Surprising Benefits Beyond ‘Required’ Training appeared first on OpenSesame.

This month, we’re delighted to introduce two distinguished publishers to the OpenSesame Plus subscription: Blanchard, a titan in the space of leadership training, and HowToo, a leader in science and evidence-based learning. Here’s a look at how they can help you round out and improve your learning initiatives.

Blanchard: Shaping the Future of Leadership Development

Blanchard stands as a global authority in leadership development, consulting, and coaching. With a remarkable 40-plus-year track record, they’ve collaborated with organizations worldwide, driving individual achievement and ushering in transformation at the organizational level. Notably, their SLII®️ model serves as the global gold standard in leadership, inspiring leaders in over 10,000 organizations. 

Blanchard’s expertise shines through impactful micro courses, tailored to meet the needs of organizations striving for fulfillment, service, and growth. And their commitment to empowering individuals and driving organizational success makes them a trusted partner in the learning and development industry. 

What Sets Blanchard Apart

• Relevant, Research-Backed Content: Their courses are founded on comprehensive research and real-world relevance.
• Accessible and Inclusive Learning: Inclusivity is a central tenet of their approach, ensuring every learner enjoys a productive learning experience.
• Proven Powerful Models: Blanchard’s models aren’t mere theories; they’re tried, tested, and proven to deliver results.

HowToo: Elevating Learning through Evidence-Based Excellence

HowToo is on a mission to expedite individual and organizational growth through data-driven learning. Plus, their courses are meticulously designed to provide each learner with a rewarding educational experience. With this approach, HowToo has earned over 60 awards, many of which recognize their content creation expertise. 

What distinguishes HowToo is their utilization of the Attention, Generation, Emotion, and Spacing (AGES) Model of learning. This neuroscience-based framework aids learners in focusing on content, engaging with it, experiencing positive emotions, and affording them time to process and absorb the material. This model helps organizations maximize their teams’ learning and fast-track those “aha!” moments. 

Some HowToo Highlights:

• Highly Interactive Experiential Learning: Their courses prioritize active engagement, featuring assessments, video, and audio components.
• Accessibility: They comply with WCAG 2.1 AA standards, ensuring inclusivity.
• Global content: Their courses cater to a diverse international audience.

In today’s fast-paced world, where learning is the linchpin of success, these two new publishers offer dynamic solutions to the daily challenges of developing effective leaders and ensuring training material makes an impact.

We hope you’re as excited as we are about these publishers being added to our marketplace. By folding them into your training initiatives, you’ll be that much more effective at creating a culture of learning and development that stands out in today’s competitive landscape.

The post Meeting Modern Challenges with Innovative Solutions: Blanchard and HowToo Join OpenSesame Plus appeared first on OpenSesame.

Last week at Workday Rising, we presented a session called “Boost Worker Productivity and Transform Training Strategy with Curated Learning Frameworks”. It was so well received we turned it into a blog post! 

When it comes to e-learning content, more options are not always better. Whenever possible, learners need to be directed to the best course for them, at the point of need. 

Most of us can relate to the experience of opening an entertainment or shopping site (think Netflix, Spotify, Amazon), and immediately finding something that piques your interest, without having to look for it. Those items were often curated for us, are the things we consume, and what keeps us coming back for more. We apply that same concept to your organization’s needs, in a way that customizes the experience for your learners. 

Curation is Key 

In today’s world, curation is the expectation, and it is no different in L&D. No matter the industry, the challenges and demands of today’s workforce demand that employee training is relevant, timely, and engaging. With over 30,000 courses in the OpenSesame catalog, finding those just right options for your learners can feel daunting (and it is, if you’re doing it alone). Because we know that investing the time to curate meaningful learning is one of the most powerful actions you can take to find long-term success, we offer several tools to make the process accessible (and hopefully, even enjoyable!) for your team.

Curation Alignment: The Framework 

Our curation alignment framework is based on four key building blocks:

Foundational: the essential elements of any curation exercise—the nonnegotiables. Foundational attributes ensure that your learning initiative meets basic needs and addresses regulatory requirements.

Preference-based: Content is selected with learner preferences

in mind. Style, format, modality, and length are all taken into consideration, as well as learner demographics.

Contextualized: Individual learning objects are part of a broader competency structure, curriculum, or skills taxonomy. Purpose and desired outcomes are clearly defined, providing a clear context for learning.

Adaptive: Learning programs adapt over time to meet changing needs, preferences, and goals. Learning becomes more tailored over time through regular evaluation and iteration.

Curation Alignment: The Process 

Our suggested process includes the four steps below, but this approach is not prescriptive for everyone, and should be modified to meet your needs. No matter the specific steps, the most important considerations are to engage multiple stakeholders and offer opportunities for continuous feedback, so your program improves over time. 

1. Gather Input
   There are many ways to solicit input from learners, both formal and informal. Many organizations offer regular engagement surveys, which can be a rich source of data for L&D. It may also make sense to design a survey specific for learning, or incorporate a feedback component into existing learning sessions, whether in person or online.

2. Aggregate Feedback
   Regardless of the source of the feedback, if it’s going to be useful, it must be aggregated in some way. Just like the previous phase, this can be formal (e.g., data visualization software), or informal (e.g. Excel or an internal or shared document). 

3. Curate
   This is where the fun begins! Once the feedback has been aggregated, L&D can use the themes that emerge (or share them with OpenSesame) to create competency frameworks, identify courses, and get courses in front of employees. 

4. Improve 
   In this phase, the cycle repeats. We know that learner needs change regularly, so while your process must be sustainable, it’s crucial to solicit feedback (and apply it to your program!) on a regular basis.  

Lighten the Load: Smartpath by OpenSesame

We know this work is challenging, so we’ve created tools to simplify the curation process, and maximize the return on investment. OpenSesame’s curation team is made up of a group of subject matter experts who will help you build the best curriculum for each part of your business. 

Our Curation Alignment Process (CAP) survey is a simple to complete, easy to administer tool that you can share widely to allow multiple stakeholders an opportunity to provide input. The survey includes questions to gather information on the topics that are most important to your team, but also on how people learn best (e.g., courses that are interactive, scenario-based, audio-only, instructor-led, etc.). The survey leverages the power of AI to make recommendations, which are interpreted and refined by our team.  

OpenSesame will use your CAP results to custom-create a curriculum for each part of your business, and we will share the results with you so you can continue to make data-informed decisions for employee learning. 

Collaboration and Support 

In addition to these tools, your OpenSesame Customer Success Manager is here to support you every step of the way, not just with the initial curation, but as a consistent source of support to help you keep your learning options fresh and engaging. Together, we can help you achieve your learning & development goals, optimize your budget and increase your return on investment with training. 

The post Boost Worker Productivity and Transform Training Strategy with Curated Learning Frameworks appeared first on OpenSesame.

Exciting news for organizations looking to supercharge their leadership training initiatives: We’ve just added the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) to our growing list of OpenSesame Plus publishers.

At OpenSesame, we’re all about empowering organizations of all sizes and industries to thrive through comprehensive online learning. Our goal is to ensure that you have the right courses at your fingertips, aligned perfectly with your core competencies and business goals. Now, with the inclusion of CCL in OpenSesame Plus, we’re taking your leadership training to a whole new level.

Comprehensive, trusted leadership development

For over five decades, the Center for Creative Leadership has stood at the forefront of leadership development, earning a reputation synonymous with excellence. Their courses are thoughtfully designed to address the unique challenges and skills required at every organizational level, delivering practical, real-world solutions to modern leadership challenges.

CCL has courses for managers just starting out, managing from the middle, or running the show. These trainings are packed with valuable resources, including animated videos, audio narration, inline activities, supplemental materials, and post-assessments. By incorporating CCL courses into your training regimen through OpenSesame Plus, you’re providing your managers with the tools they need to lead effectively in today’s complex environment.

Today, your leaders need your help

Leadership isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the glue that holds teams together and steers organizations toward success. Managers are tasked with fostering productivity, collaboration, engagement, and equity at the team level while embodying their company’s culture and values. In today’s working world, effective leadership is non-negotiable.

But consider this: Nearly 20 percent of emerging leaders’ direct reports have contemplated leaving their roles due to their leader’s ineffectiveness. And a staggering 42 percent of new leaders feel they’ve had inadequate professional development for their current positions. When you recognize how high the stakes are, there’s clearly a need for modernized leadership training. 

The challenges managers face today are intense; the pandemic, the shift to remote work, and the partial return to the office have placed unprecedented demands on them. They’ve become the translators and scapegoats, often having to navigate between a team that feels undervalued or unheard, and higher ups anxious about an uncertain economic outlook. To successfully chart a course forward, your leaders need support, guidance, and the right training to excel in their pivotal roles. 

That’s why we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome the Center for Creative Leadership to the OpenSesame Plus family. Leadership matters, and with OpenSesame Plus and CCL, you’re well-equipped to lead the way.

The post Elevate Your Leadership Training with OpenSesame Plus and the Center for Creative Leadership appeared first on OpenSesame.

“We are excited to deepen our collaboration with OpenSesame. Our existing partnership has already delivered exceptional learning opportunities for our customers. With the recent updates from OpenSesame, the integration process has become even more seamless and user-friendly, ensuring a smooth experience for our valued customers.”

Jonna Ward, CEO at Meridian

Expanded Content Library 

With the integration of OpenSesame and Meridian LMS, organizations gain access to an expanded course library. Customers can now explore thousands of high-quality courses available in OpenSesame’s marketplace. This includes courses on compliance, safety, leadership development, and business skills, catering to diverse training needs. 

Seamless Content Integration

The integration streamlines the process of sending OpenSesame courses to the Meridian LMS. Customers can browse the course library, select desired courses, and seamlessly deliver them to the Meridian platform with just a few clicks. This eliminates the need for manual content uploading and ensures a smooth training workflow. 

Automated Course Management

Automatic syncing of updates ensures that any improvements made to courses are reflected in the Meridian LMS within 24 hours. This includes completion reporting, course retirements, and metadata updates to allow admins to keep their training content up-to-date and relevant with minimal effort. 

Enhanced Reporting and Analytics

The integration provinces enhanced reporting and analytics capabilities through Meridian’s LMS. Admins can track learner progress, monitor completion rates, and gather valuable performance metrics. This data empowers organizations to make informed decisions, identify skill gaps, and optimize training programs for maximum impact. 

The integration between OpenSesame and Meridian empowers organizations to deliver enhanced training solutions. By combining OpenSesame’s expensive course library with Meridian’s powerful learning management capabilities, we provide a seamless and comprehensive training experience for organizations worldwide. Schedule a demo today to see how the OpenSesame and Meridian Knowledge Solutions integration can optimize your training program.

About OpenSesame

With a library of more than 30,000 courses, OpenSesame offers the world’s most comprehensive elearning catalog. Content from expert publishers is available in a variety of formats and languages, and is routinely updated to provide the best information possible across a broad range of categories and industries. But more than just a content provider, OpenSesame is your elearning partner and advisor. We’re a strategic addition to your team, providing hands-on curation that ensures the right courses are going to the right learners, and helping you reach your desired business outcomes. From aligning courses with core competencies, syncing content with your LMS, to increasing training completion, we’re here to help at every turn.

About Meridian LMS

Powering progress with compliance training, branded and blended learning environments, and eCommerce solutions, Meridian Learning Management System (LMS) addresses complex learning challenges for customers such as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Commonwealth of Virginia, Johnson Controls, Abbott and Auto Club Group.  Our award-winning enterprise-level learning management platform offers our proprietary Learning Record Store (LRS), Career Explorer, and content authoring tools, and it natively integrates content provided by our partner OpenSesame. The Meridian LMS is available in the cloud, on-premise, or as a private cloud. For more information, visit www.meridianks.com or follow @MeridianKS on Twitter. 

The post OpenSesame and Meridian LMS Combine Forces for Enhanced Training Capabilities appeared first on OpenSesame.

In today’s market and economy, cost-effective and impactful L&D that engages learners in our remote environment is more important than ever.

But when we’re asked to tighten the belt on our L&D efforts, we must find innovative ways to deliver impactful learning experiences that meet the needs of learners while still staying within our budget.

In our ‘What You Missed at ATD’ webinar (get your replay here), Paige Kracke, Senior Manager of Curation at OpenSesame, and Leslie Kelley, Chief Revenue Officer at 360Learning, discuss how through our partnership, we are collaborating with our customers to approach learning and development in a different but impactful way. 

Read on to hear how 360Learning and OpenSesame are working to help customers build a learning system that empowers L&D as a strategic business partner, plus five quick wins for making an impact, and the three pillars of a future-proof learning system. 

First, let’s explore the definition of a learning system, as explained by Paige and Leslie.

A future-proof learning system that makes an impact

As Paige explains, the exciting part of the discussion is that they are talking about learning systems—the real focus. 

When they talk about a learning system, Paige and Leslie mean a specific comprehensive system that empowers people to transition from being the typical L&D admin and content manager to a true strategic partner in your company.

“One of the key reasons why we are here together,” she says, “is that we have created this system and integration where you can bring this marriage between off-the-shelf eLearning content, which is the OpenSesame world, and this innovative platform for content delivery and content creation in the 360Learning space.”

And what Leslie loves about our partnership is we can dive deep into how we will build this learning system together. “When you start to build that system and adopt the mindset, you can take it anywhere you go in the future,” Leslie explains.

Step away from the ‘doing more with less’ conversation

In the past year, many learning and development professionals were asked to do more with less due to budget cuts, hiring freezes, and layoffs.

But the big question resonating with L&D leaders is how do you do more with less? Because you still need the resources and tools that the L&D function requires to fulfill your role within an organization: to make an impact and meet learners’ needs. 

“We have to stop talking about doing more with less and make it possible for L&D teams to be super effective no matter what,” Leslie explains. 

So, let’s discuss how you can be effective with five quick wins you can generate today.

5 quick wins for L&D teams for impactful learning

Leslie has five quick tips for generating more wins for your learning system in a cost-effective and impactful way.

First, your L&D practice must avoid long, complex projects to stay relevant and make a regular impact. 

1. Stay visible

When you commit to long and complex projects, you and your team can become hidden from the business. 

In today’s market, it’s super important that people know what you are working on and that you are making an impact regularly. Senior leaders and influential stakeholders need to see you every quarter, not once a year.

2. Don’t expect to achieve less

Learning and development teams can’t take a day off because they’ve been asked to do more with fewer resources and tools. 

Even with squeezed L&D budgets, employees will still expect to grow in their careers. Therefore, it’s crucial that you know what your employees want and need from you and your learning system.

3. Use data and evidence to prove value and improve performance

Gathering data and evidence helps you make the right decisions that are impactful for your people today.

When building your perspective on your employees’ learning needs, the data will help you stay visible within the organization and empower you to regularly discuss your impact on business goals.

4. Leverage subject-matter experts alongside content integrations

Our data shows that you only need 2% of your employee base to be willing participants to build a robust learning system.

Additionally, 64% of learners say that learning from their peers and colleagues is the most effective way for them to learn. Therefore, your SMEs will be your win-win way to make the biggest impact.

5. Free up your team to make time for high-value work

Keep your focus on high-value work like securing stakeholder buy-in and developing your internal mobility strategy, and don’t let resource loss distract you from those tasks.

“The administration of running an L&D function will never go away,” Leslie explains. “Especially when you have evergreen problems like compliance training and onboarding.” 

How you strategically leverage AI and automation to cover administrative processes to free up time for you and your team will make a measurable difference.

The 3 pillars to increase L&D impact

As Paige and Leslie explain, there are three pillars you can leverage to increase the impact of your learning interventions. 

First up, automate the low-value busywork of daily L&D. 

1. Automate the busywork

You should divide all the tasks your team is responsible for into high-value, low-value, easy-to-automate, and hard-to-automate quadrants.

For example, what you will find in the quadrant of high-value, hard-to-automate tasks are those we love to do. They are why we got into learning and development in the first place, such as developing your L&D roadmap and strategy.

Tasks like scheduled reporting and booking rooms will be in the low-value, easy-to-automate quadrant. There are no low-value tasks that can’t or shouldn’t be automated and don’t forget about the high-value and easy-to-automate tasks.

When looking at your learning platform, here is how you can leverage automation and AI:

• Administration: Automate reporting, reminders & manual tasks.
• Recommendations: Increase learner engagement with personalized and automated content recommendations.
• Content: Use Generative AI and integrated course catalogs to develop highly relevant SME-led courses and extensive learning resources.

2. Close skills gaps

With more and more L&D teams focusing on skills this year, we have to think about our employees and ensure we are engaging and upskilling them from within.

Upskilling from within means we are:

• Recognizing and rewarding existing staff rather than hiring internally.
• Creating upskilling opportunities with SME-driven learning experiences.
• Promoting internal mobility and reducing ‘brain drain.’

To get started closing your skills gaps, map out your company’s skills, identify those jobs that are becoming redundant, and foster internal mobility with reskilling programs, training recommendations, and other tailored learning experiences. 

You can also use course catalogs to curate learning experiences for different skills gaps and for levels by building role-specific learning journeys and making learning accessible in the flow of work. 

And you can tailor these learning paths to develop and nurture skills while leveraging AI curation tools to automate the content selection process.

3. Curate blended learning experiences

Finally, to drive impactful L&D and help build your learning system, you will need to curate impactful learning experiences that boost business outcomes.

The problems L&D faces include that skilled labor is scarce and resigning, skills are the number one bottleneck to innovation, and top-down learning won’t empower you and your team to upskill employees fast enough.

So, how do you create that fast and engaging environment or pass those skills to new employees?

The solution is a fundamental shift in mindset from top-down L&D to a collaborative learning approach where experts and learners shape the content and agenda, which ramps up engagement through tailored content and fast and continuous upskilling for the jobs of today and tomorrow. 

To make this happen, you will need your SMEs. Here are three quick tips for creating impactful learning in collaboration with SMEs:

1. Engage your subject-matter experts by showing them the data.
2. Make it easy for them to share their expertise.
3. Let them know the impact they helped to make and reward their contributions.

With a content integration like OpenSesame, you can also directly leverage curated off-the-shelf learning to quickly address skills gaps, curate learning pathways using AI tools and SME expertise, and reinforce instructor-led training sessions using off-the-shelf resources.

Quick recap: maximize L&D impact with 3 key pillars

Maximizing L&D impact through these three key pillars will help you build and ramp up your learning system. 

Once you have automation in your corner and put the repeatable actions on autopilot, you can focus your time and energy on closing skills gaps and internal mobility. You can also improve your company’s bottom line and create a learning culture in which employees are happy to participate.

And most importantly, you can build a system that secures your seat at the table at your current organization and at every company you will be at in the future.

Keen for a deeper dive into how to curate cost-effective and impactful L&D? Get your replay of Paige and Leslie’s discussion of what you missed at ATD today!

The post Curating A Future-Proof Learning System: 3 Pillars to Increase L&D Impact appeared first on OpenSesame.

Effective online courses do more than just present information. A good training is an experience that speaks to learners and fosters engagement; an experience that every learner can access, and that feels directly relevant to their day-to-day work. 

So, what should you think about when it comes to selecting quality content? Here are five essential aspects of well-designed courses that enhance learning outcomes and contribute to a culture of inclusivity at your organization:

1. Learners truly feel the course is relevant

Your content should hit home. Learners are much more likely to connect with courses showcasing examples that directly apply to their roles, or that have strong alignment with their career goals. Don’t underestimate how far real-world scenarios can go in building those connections.

2. The content is accessible for all

Accessibility matters—if your learners can’t fully experience the content in a course, how can you expect them to get the full value of the training? Look for courses that are colorblind-friendly and compatible with assistive technologies to ensure every learner has full access to the information being conveyed.

What’s more, everyone should be able to learn in their preferred language. This access increases learning comprehension and retention, which is why courses that offer the same content in multiple languages are more suited to the needs of diverse or globally distributed workforces.

3. The experience feels first class

Today, there’s no shortage of well-produced content. Online courses now have to compete for attention with streaming platforms and YouTube channels that have raised the collective bar on what’s considered high quality. Courses need to be wrapped in top-tier visual design or a cinematic experience if they’re going to stand out and stick in learners’ minds. 

4. The information is the latest and greatest

Nothing demotivates learners like the feeling that the information they’re being given is old, doesn’t teach them anything new, or is just plain inaccurate. The best courses are those that are regularly refreshed to incorporate the latest information and advances in learning technologies, so your learners never settle for stale content.

5. Learners can track their progress

A sense of accomplishment drives engagement. This is true at all levels, whether it’s progress indicators signaling how far a learner has made it through the training, a knowledge check that lets them demonstrate their new understanding, or courses that build on one another in a learning path. Giving individuals a sense of how far they’ve come is critical to maintaining motivation for continued skill building. 

Design your own inclusive training with Simon

When it comes to finding quality courses, we’re proud of the caliber we’ve established in the OpenSesame marketplace. The depth and breadth of our course library covers many, many bases for organizations of all kinds—both in terms of the training formats and topics their learners need. But there will always be subjects so niche to an organization that the best fit for them doesn’t exist yet. In these instances, learners shouldn’t have to settle for less, and L&D professionals shouldn’t have to become expert course designers, either. 

Enter Simon, our game-changing content creation platform. Simon caters to elearning publishers, L&D teams, and any subject matter experts seeking a user-friendly way to create visually appealing, responsive, accessible, and fully translated courses. 

Simon’s intuitive interface ensures a seamless experience for both course creators and learners. Quickly craft courses with text, images, audio, video, and even quizzes; the resulting course’s cinematic design mirrors popular streaming platforms, offering a familiar and engaging experience that sets the tone for impactful learning.

Next, say goodbye to the complexities of managing multiple translated versions. With its built-in translation capabilities, Simon ensures that all employees, regardless of their native language, can benefit from the same high-quality training content. In a matter of minutes, Simon will effortlessly translate courses into multiple languages—including text and narration—bridging language barriers and fostering a sense of belonging. And, of course, Simon is designed in accordance with WCAG and 508 accessibility standards, so your courses adhere to best practices for online content. 

Need to make an update? With Simon, modifying course content across languages is no longer a chore. Update course content once, and Simon automatically syncs changes across all language versions, ensuring everyone is always on the same page.

See Simon in action

Want to learn more about Simon? Recently, OpenSesame’s Chief Product Officer, Josh Blank, and several members of the Simon team were joined by Cody Winn, Director of Platform Experience for TED@Work. On their joint webinar, the group looked at how to create engaging courses effortlessly with Simon, and how TED has used the tool to really scale their learning program. 

It was a great discussion, and one not to be missed by anyone who’s invested in creating a culture of inclusive, impactful learning at their organization.

The post 5 Key Elements of Well-Designed Online Training appeared first on OpenSesame.

This month, we’re delighted to share that The Moxie Exchange is now an OpenSesame Plus publisher. With courses that can truly reshape your approach to workplace inclusivity, including The Moxie Exchange in the OpenSesame Plus catalog is a strong step forward in our shared commitment to fostering diverse and equitable workplaces.

The Moxie Exchange isn’t just another player in the training arena—they’re industry pioneers, recognized for their exceptional work in promoting inclusivity within professional environments. Their Everyday Inclusion App has earned well-deserved attention for its innovative approach to helping build workplace cultures that value and respect every individual.

But the true strength of The Moxie Exchange lies in their robust diversity, equity, and inclusion training content. This isn’t just about ticking boxes; it’s about equipping organizations with actionable tools to cultivate company cultures that celebrate diversity and prioritize equity. Now, as part of OpenSesame Plus, this impactful content is more easily available than ever.

“The collaboration with Moxie is really exciting for us. Their unwavering dedication to fostering inclusive workplaces perfectly aligns with OpenSesame’s goal of providing engaging content that spurs meaningful, positive growth across any organization.”

Spencer Thornton, SVP of Curation, OpenSesame

With over a decade of experience, The Moxie Exchange has dedicated themselves to creating workplaces that embrace understanding, respect, and belonging. The crux of their approach lies in acknowledging that people genuinely want to contribute positively, they simply need the proper tools. This is where Moxie and OpenSesame excel together. With Moxie as our newest Plus Publisher, Learning and Development leaders can more effectively deliver practical, actionable content that resonates with real-world challenges, and guides individuals towards meaningful change in the workplace.

The post OpenSesame Partners with The Moxie Exchange, Elevating Workplace Inclusivity Together appeared first on OpenSesame.

In a rapidly evolving world, the demand for power skills (also known as soft skills or interpersonal skills) is at an all-time high. Employers realize technical expertise alone won’t generate success in the modern workplace: You need skills like communication, collaboration, leadership, and empathy just as much. They’re what truly help move the needle on engagement, teamwork, and overall employee effectiveness. And, as we look to the future, virtual reality (VR) training is emerging as a groundbreaking tool to develop and refine these essential power skills.

The power of virtual reality training

VR training uses immersive and realistic simulations to mimic real-life scenarios. Unlike traditional training methods, VR gives learners an interactive and engaging way to develop their skills in a safe and controlled environment. This could revolutionize power skills development for a number of reasons:

• Realistic and immersive environments: Virtual reality provides access to diverse and challenging scenarios, helping learners experience a range of situations  and cultures. Employees can practice cross-cultural communication, for example, by interacting with photo realistic avatars from different backgrounds.  Immersive experiences like this help to bridge the gap between theory and practice, enhancing skill acquisition and retention.
• A safe and controlled learning experience: Virtual reality provides a low-risk setting for employees to experiment, make mistakes, and learn. Whether practicing public speaking, conflict resolution, or negotiation, individuals can refine their skills in situations that feel less intimidating, allowing them to focus on learning the basics first.. And VR simulations can provide immediate feedback, helping learners identify areas for improvement and iterate on their performance.
• Enhanced engagement and motivation: Traditional training methods can often be passive and uninspiring. Virtual reality, though, offers an interactive learning experience that’s more likely to keep learners engaged throughout the entire course. VR experiences are an exciting way to add new life and interest to your existing training toolbox.
• Scalability and cost-effectiveness: Virtual reality has the potential to reach a large number of learners simultaneously, regardless of their physical location. With a headsetor web-browser—and a wi-fi connection, your learners can access these learning experiences anywhere, any time. This makes VR training a cost-effective solution, reducing the need for expensive in-person workshops, travel expenses, location coordination, or hiring external trainers. Especially as VR headsets and hardware are becoming increasingly affordable, VR training is increasingly a scalable and affordable direction to go. 
• Data-driven insights and analytics: Virtual reality training platforms can gather valuable data and analytics on learner performance. By tracking individuals’ behavior, interactions, and decision-making patterns, organizations can gain actionable insights into individual and group skill development. This data-driven approach enables more personalized learning paths, maximizing the effectiveness of power skills training.

In short, virtual reality training holds tremendous potential for power skills development. By providing immersive, safe, and engaging learning experiences, VR enables individuals to better practice and refine their communication, collaboration, leadership, and other essential skills. And, as the technology evolves, virtual reality will only continue to transform how we develop and enhance these crucial skill sets.

Looking for immersive VR training? Browse these courses in our catalog.

The post The Future of Power Skills Development: Virtual Reality Training appeared first on OpenSesame.

“I am thrilled about the addition of 360 Immersive and The URL dr. to OpenSesame Plus. These esteemed publishers bring unique expertise and valuable content that will empower learners to explore new dimensions of learning and personal development.”

Spencer Thornton, SVP of Curation, OpenSesame

360 Immersive specializes in creating captivating VR training experiences. Through innovative VR technology, learners can engage in lifelike simulations and interactive environments. From technical skills to soft skill development, 360 Immersive courses offer a learning journey that goes beyond traditional methods that enhances engagement and knowledge retention.

The URL dr. focuses on holistic growth and development. Their course offerings cover a wide range of topics including soft skills, health and wellbeing, and self-development. Learners can explore courses on communication skills, stress management techniques, personal productivity, and much more. The URL dr.’s comprehensive content empowered individuals to thrive in various aspects of their personal and professional lives. 

With the addition of 360 Immersive and The URL dr. to OpenSesame Plus, organizations gain a diverse range of valuable learning resources. Unlock the power of VR training and holistic personal development. To learn more about OpenSesame Plus, schedule a demo and explore the extensive course library of courses from 360 Immersive, The URL Dr, and other world-class publishers.

The post July 2023 OpenSesame Plus Publishers appeared first on OpenSesame.

We won! For the second year in a row, OpenSesame has been honored as a recipient of one of Prosper Portland’s Inspiring Diversity Grants. 

There are many instances in life where people—especially members of historically marginalized communities—do not feel seen or heard. Since 2018, Prosper Portland, through the State of Oregon, has been awarding Inspiring Diversity Grants to organizations working to change that narrative. According to Prosper Portland, the purpose of these grants “is to inspire creative, equity-related best practices around the workforce and build new community partnerships with underrepresented populations.” They’ve given OpenSesame $10,000 to support this essential work, which will be dedicated to expanding the capacity of our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). 

Supporting ERG leaders with new initiatives

I joined OpenSesame’s People Team six months after they launched the ERGs in 2021. Currently, we have six: 

• Asian Pacific Islanders of OpenSesame
• Black Folx of OpenSesame
• Juntos of OpenSesame
• Neurodiversity at OpenSesame
• Queers of OpenSesame
• Women of OpenSesame

I’ve dedicated myself to supporting and empowering the leaders of these groups, and it has been the most rewarding work. The world was not built with their communities in mind, so overcoming obstacles and meeting the diverse needs of the ERGs on a daily basis is always a victory. But being acknowledged by Prosper Portland for the committed work towards positive changes in inclusion is as exciting as winning the lottery—as we continue to construct bridges towards a more psychologically safe and equitable workplace, the entire company will benefit.

When OpenSesame received our initial $10,000 Inspiring Diversity Grant in 2022, we used it to host our first-ever ERG leadership summit. The event included training workshops to empower ERG leaders with new skills and resources to support their communities. We also successfully launched ERG Week, a five-day event where the ERGs promote inclusive spaces by organizing activities for the entire company. The week builds on our previous Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) efforts by giving members of ERG communities dedicated space to share their unique and often-underrepresented insights and experiences with the rest of their colleagues.

DEI training driven by ERGs

For this year, we are using our Inspiring Diversity Grant to double down on training. While Learning & Development departments often develop DEI training, we believe it is essential to give the microphone to the communities most affected by DEI. During ERG Week 2024, our ERGs will invite speakers and organize events to reflect the perspectives of their respective communities. Each ERG will present a 45-minute workshop open to the entire company, addressing a topic they find important. And we’re encouraging collaboration among the ERGs as we strive to address the intersectionality of these communities and create even more inclusive and safe spaces.

It’s been an incredible experience witnessing OpenSesame’s journey toward fostering inclusion and diversity throughout the entire company culture. These Inspiring Diversity Grants go a long way in helping us empower our ERGs and amplify the voices of underrepresented communities. As we look ahead, my colleagues and I are committed to continuing this important work, building bridges, and creating even more inclusive and safe spaces within our company. Together, we’ll create a workplace where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. With each step we take, we move closer to a future where diversity is celebrated, equity is upheld, and positive change is embraced. I can’t wait to see where we end up.

Learn more about the role of ERGs in fostering culture and belonging in organizations in the recorded webinar ERGs for Culture and Belonging: Unpacking Employee Resource Groups.

The post Letting ERGs Lead at OpenSesame, Thanks to An Inspiring Diversity Grant appeared first on OpenSesame.

Portland, OR, July 11, 2023 – OpenSesame, the business training platform for L&D professionals seeking innovative solutions and world-class courses, is proud to announce the launch of Simon, a first-of-its-kind course creation and translation platform. The launch of Simon marks the beginning of a new chapter for the elearning industry. Organizations who do not have the time or money to invest in language translations for multilingual staff are now able to develop high-quality courses quickly and translate them just as easily with this powerful course creation platform.

“Simon represents a significant milestone in global workforce training and embodies our commitment to innovation. By integrating course creation, multilingual translations, and immersive learning experiences, Simon empowers organizations to deliver inclusive, impactful learning that transcends language and accessibility barriers. It’s a testament to our mission to help companies develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces.”

Josh Blank, President and Chief Product Officer at OpenSesame

Unlike any existing tool today, Simon offers a game-changing approach to course creation and translation. Leveraging its intuitive interface, L&D professionals and subject matter experts can easily create courses that are as enticing and engaging as the content learners interact with on social media and other parts of the web—with no extensive instructional design or technical expertise required. 

When a course is created, with just one click Simon will translate its text, audio, and video into multiple languages. As a cloud-based software tool, Simon can be accessed from any browser and changes to course content will be automatically updated for learners in any learning platform. This streamlines workflows, reduces costs, and enables organizations to quickly scale up the inclusivity of their training offerings. And, by offering more training in learners’ preferred languages, they increase the efficacy and relevancy of the material, too. 

Simon is already redefining elearning success. Publishers like TED@Work, Axonify, and ej4 have started using Simon to create, translate, and publish their courses in OpenSesame’s marketplace. In terms of course ratings, Simon courses consistently outperform those created using other publishing tools, reinforcing its effectiveness and quality. 

Simon will save organizations with diverse workforces—especially enterprise organizations—immense time and money, while also giving their learners more engaging and personally relevant training. You can learn more about Simon during the virtual launch event on Tuesday, July 18. 

About OpenSesame:

OpenSesame, the leading provider of online business training, is the choice for L&D professionals wanting to drive learning initiatives forward with innovation, agility, and care. We offer the world’s most comprehensive digital learning catalog, with regularly updated content from expert publishers in a variety of formats and languages. By providing comprehensive learning resources and innovative tools like Simon, OpenSesame empowers L&D professionals to exceed their goals and champion learning across their entire organization.

The post OpenSesame Revolutionizes Inclusive Learning at Scale for Global Workforces with the Launch of Simon appeared first on OpenSesame.

“We are honored to be recognized by Training Industry as a top online learning library company. This recognition reflects our commitment to excellence and motivates us to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in online learning. We are grateful for the continued support of our customers and partners, as well as the hard work and dedication of our team.”

Don Spear, CEO at OpenSesame

The selection process for this year’s top online learning library companies was based on several key criteria: These include: 

• Breadth and Quality of Courses, Features, and Capabilities: OpenSesame’s extensive library of courses covering a wide range of topics, from professional skills to compliance and safety training. Our commitment to providing high-quality content in various languages and formats ensures that learners have access to engaging and relevant training materials.
• Industry Visibility, Innovation, and Impact: OpenSesame’s continuous pursuit of innovation and staying at the forefront of technology ensures that our platform remains robust, secure, and user-friendly. Our newest product, Simon, a powerful content creation platform, showcases our dedication to innovation. Simon’s easy-to-use tools and robust translation capabilities empower organizations to create compelling learning experiences at scale, elevating the impact and effectiveness of online training.
• Client and User Representation: We take pride in the ability to understand and address the unique needs of our customers ensuring their success in delivering effective training solutions. We have consistently received high course ratings and maintained a 77 Net Promoter Score. Their satisfaction and success stories are a true testament to our commitment to delivering exceptional content and user experiences.
• Business Performance and Growth: Our strong business performance and consistent growth have been key factors in our recognition as one of the top online learning library companies. By aligning ourselves with industry-leading organizations through strategic partnerships, we have been able to leverage their expertise, expand our reach, and unlock new opportunities. Our partnerships with world-class publishers and learning platforms have enabled us to continuously enhance our content offerings, access new markets, and establish ourselves as a trusted name in the online learning industry. 

OpenSesame’s recognition as a top online learning library company by Training Industry is a testament to our commitment to delivering high-quality courses, innovative solutions, and exceptional learning experiences. We are proud to be at the forefront of the industry, consistently providing organizations and learners with the tools they need to succeed. Schedule a demo to explore the full potential of OpenSesame. Discover firsthand how our suite of online training solutions can meet your organization’s unique learning needs.

The post OpenSesame Earns Top Recognition as a 2023 Online Learning Library Leader appeared first on OpenSesame.

If you’re just learning about Simon, be sure to check out our previous posts that walk through Simon’s key features and why they matter for training a diverse workforce. If you have a specific question, keep on reading—we’ve answered the FAQs we’re hearing below. (Don’t see your question answered? Feel free to get in touch!)

About Simon & getting access

What is Simon?

Simon is a new platform from OpenSesame that enables easy course creation and translation into multiple languages. You can learn more about its powerful features in this article and on the platform website. 

Who is Simon for?

Simon caters to eLearning publishers, L&D teams, and subject matter experts seeking user-friendly tools to create visually appealing, responsive, accessible, and fully translated courses. 

While the OpenSesame course catalog has thousands of best-in-class trainings across industries and skillsets, we know there are some learning areas that are so specific to an individual organization, that the requisite content simply won’t exist elsewhere. With Simon, those teams can now quickly create that training themselves, and trust it will match—or exceed—the caliber of content their learners have come to expect.

How do I access Simon?

Simon is currently available through an early access program—you can sign up on this page. Later this summer, it will be available for purchase as an enhancement to the OpenSesame Plus subscription. 

About course creation

Does Simon adhere to accessibility standards and best practices?

Yes, Simon complies with WCAG and 508 requirements, ensuring that your courses meet accessibility standards.

Can I sync updates across multiple versions of the same course?

Absolutely! When authoring, as you make modifications to course content, you can automatically sync them across the different language versions of that course. Simon’s cloud-based technology enables instantaneous updates to courses in the background, so both you and learners always have the latest version available, even if the course has already been delivered to your Learning Management System.

Can I provide a SCORM/AICC file for a course?

Yes, you can download the AICC file directly from the Course Manager in the platform. For SCORM files, you can send them to OpenSesame and download them there, just like you would with any OpenSesame course.

Can I collaborate with other people? How many authors can I have?

Yes, collaboration is encouraged! Simon doesn’t have any limits on the number of authors within your organization. You can add as many colleagues as you want, granting them the ability to edit existing courses and create their own courses within your organization.

How do I get courses from Simon to my learning platform?

Courses created in Simon will be stored in a private “My Courses” section within the OpenSesame Catalog. To upload them to your LMS, follow your standard course upload procedure (e.g. SCORM package upload or integration).

About course translation

How does Simon’s translation feature work? Is it accurate?

With a single click, Simon leverages AI technology to translate all aspects of your course, including its text, interface, video, and audio assets. While neither human nor AI translators achieve 100 percent accuracy, Simon provides simple tools for proofreading and editing both human and AI-translated course content. We recommend having qualified fluent speakers review translated courses before publication. 

How long does it take to translate a course in Simon?

Asset translation usually takes as long as the assets’ duration. For instance, a 10-minute video will take approximately 10 minutes to process and translate per language. Once a course is translated and published, learners can seamlessly switch between languages, experiencing instantaneous language changes.

Can I use human translators to translate the courses?

Of course; Simon fully supports human translations. We follow industry-standard formats for uploading translated files, providing a template and an easy process for uploading it into the platform when completed. 

Want to learn more about Simon?

Great! Check out this webinar recording for an in-depth demonstration of Simon’s groundbreaking capabilities for course creation. Cody Winn, Director of Product Experiences from TED@Work, also shared how they’ve built hundreds of multilingual TED Talks for learners worldwide with Simon. It’s a great way to learn firsthand how Simon can revolutionize your learning development processes—give it a watch!

The post Frequently Asked Questions about Simon: Your Course Creation Companion appeared first on OpenSesame.

“Learnsoft is committed to meeting the needs of our clients and their learners. This partnership between Learnsoft and OpenSesame delivers on our commitment to help organizations drive growth and success through learning opportunities.”

Robbie Abt, CEO, Learnsoft

Expanded Content Library 

One of the most significant advantages of this integration is the expanded access to high-quality training content. OpenSesame’s vast content marketplace, offering a wide range of courses from award-winning publishers, is now seamlessly integrated into the Learnsoft platform. This means that admins can access a rich library of courses covering topics from compliance and leadership development to safety, business skills and so much more. The expanded content library ensures that Learnsoft customers can cater to their learners’ diverse needs and provide training to drive professional growth. 

Accelerated Content Curation 

OpenSesame’s pre-curated lists allow administrators to save time and effort in the course selection process having easy access to collections of courses for a particular theme or topic to meet specific training goals. Additionally, admins can create Smart Lists to gain instant, tailored recommendations that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to suggest courses based on their organization’s training preferences including languages, formats, publishers, and seat time. 

Automation for Efficiency 

At the heart of the OpenSesame and Learnsoft integration is automation to drive efficiency and time savings for L&D teams. Manual tasks such as downloading and uploading courses into Learnsoft, tracking and monitoring course updates and retirements are all automated, freeing up valuable time and resources. The integration’s automation capabilities eliminate administrative bottlenecks and enable L&D teams to focus on strategic initiatives and deliver impactful learning experiences. 

By driving automated and accelerated learning, the OpenSesame and Learnsoft integration empowers organizations to streamline their training processes, access a broader range of training content, and leverage automation for efficiency gains. As companies strive to develop a highly skilled workforce and stay ahead of the rapidly evolving business landscape, the integration is a powerful solution to meet their learning and development needs. To learn more about how the OpenSesame and Learnsoft integration can accelerate your organization’s training initiatives, schedule a demo today.

About OpenSesame

With a library of more than 30,000 courses, OpenSesame offers the world’s most comprehensive elearning catalog. Content from expert publishers is available in a variety of formats and languages, and is routinely updated to provide the best information possible across a broad range of categories and industries. But more than just a content provider, OpenSesame is your elearning partner and advisor. We’re a strategic addition to your team, providing hands-on curation that ensures the right courses are going to the right learners, and helping you reach your desired business outcomes. From aligning courses with core competencies, syncing content with your LMS, to increasing training completion, we’re here to help at every turn.

About Learnsoft

Learnsoft offers organizations in highly regulated industries comprehensive training technology solutions. Learnsoft delivers a fully configurable, SaaS-based enterprise learning technology platform encompassing LMS (Learning Management System) and TMS (Talent Management System) capabilities. Designed for ease of use, content integration, and intelligent reporting, Learnsoft provides a complete, integrated view of an organization’s learners and their learning progress.

The post OpenSesame and Learnsoft Unveil Integration to Drive Automated and Accelerated Learning appeared first on OpenSesame.

Emotional Storytelling and Engaging Interactions

mybreev offers a wide range of meticulously crafted courses that cover crucial topics in today’s professional world. Collaborating with subject matter experts and their elearning studio, mybreev ensures their courses are created with the highest level of expertise and relevance. What sets mybreev apart is their innovative use of emotional storytelling techniques, capturing learners’ attention and making the learning experience more relatable and memorable. Through interactive elements and engaging content, mybreev’s courses not only provide valuable knowledge but also equip learners with practical skills they can immediately apply to real-world scenarios. 

As an added bonus, each course includes downloadable resources such as interactive activities and key takeaways, enhancing the overall learning journey. With mybreev, you gain access to comprehensive coverage areas that address the key challenges professionals face in today’s ever-changing business landscape. From cybersecurity and sustainability to compliance, safety, and more.

Top courses by mybreev:

• Vishing (Voice Phishing)
• Human Rights
• Climate Clever at Work
• Anti-Corruption
• Information Security Basics

Practical Solutions for Everyday Challenges

IsEazy Skills is dedicated to delivering practical solutions for professional development, addressing everyday challenges faced by professionals. Each course is thoughtfully designed to offer actionable insights, enabling learners to quickly grasp key concepts and immediately implement them in their work. Additionally, IsEazy courses offer a wide variety of resources,  including video presenters, interactives, video templates, success stories, self-assessment games, tool kits, and more. This diverse range of resources encourage active learning and engagement, providing learners with multiple avenues to enhance their skills and knowledge. 

IsEazy’s courses cover a wide range of subjects relevant to professionals across industries, including business skills, leadership and management, customer service, project management, sales, marketing, and more. With IsEazy, professionals gain the tools and knowledge they need to excel in their respective field.

Top courses by IsEazy Skills: 

• Emotional Intelligence for Top Leadership
• Enhance Your Persuasive Communication Skills
• Promoting Gender Equality in Your Environment
• Do More in Less Time

“We are thrilled to welcome mybreev and IsEazy to OpenSesame Plus. Their courses bring fresh perspectives and practical problem-solving, meeting the evolving needs of our learners. We believe these additions will provide immense value and enhance the learning experience for everyone.”

Spencer Thornton, SVP of Curation, OpenSesame

OpenSesame Plus continues to expand its offerings with the addition of mybreev and IsEazy Skills as its newest publishers. Their courses provide invaluable insights, practical solutions, and engaging learning experiences that cater to professionals across various industries.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of elearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post June 2023 OpenSesame Plus Publishers appeared first on OpenSesame.

That’s not how learning should work. Which is why, at OpenSesame, we’re doing everything we can to eliminate those experiences entirely. Instead, we want to empower L&D teams everywhere to deliver relevant, effective, captivating courses to each and every one of their learners. And this starts with providing training that is inclusive for an internationally diverse workforce. 

Inclusive training is impactful training

The working world is more globally connected than ever. English may be the international common denominator of languages for conducting business, but that doesn’t make it the language of choice for all individual workers. For many, English is not their native language. 

But still, business training is predominantly available in only English today. That’s a problem. It increases the friction between a learner and the content they’re trying to absorb. It makes it harder to connect with the material. Ultimately, it leads to less success.

If organizations want to create a true culture of learning, where employees feel training opportunities are helpful and relevant, they’ll need to ensure the content they provide is inclusive and accessible to everyone. When they succeed, the results will speak for themselves.

In addition to being crucial for meeting compliance and accessibility standards, inclusive training is directly tied to enhanced learning outcomes: Giving learners access to training materials in their preferred languages increases comprehension and retention. 

It also fosters higher levels of employee engagement, helping individuals see their unique learning needs and preferences factored into their professional development plan. And when employees feel supported and included in the learning process, they develop a sense of belonging and value within their organization. This, in turn, positively impacts their overall job satisfaction.

So, clearly, accessible and inclusive training doesn’t just benefit individual employees—it has a significant impact on overall organizational performance, too. Taking it seriously is an investment not just in a company’s people, but in its whole future. 

Simon: course creation for a global audience

Given the importance of inclusive training—and considering OpenSesame’s vision of a world where everyone can easily access the training they need to advance their purpose—when we recognized a growing need for delivering effective training, we took action. We searched and explored various platforms and technologies, but we couldn’t find a solution that provided the reach and inclusivity that met our standards, so we decided to build our own.

Meet Simon, the simple solution that empowers anyone to create beautiful, engaging learning content, complete with videos, photos, narration, knowledge checks, surveys, and quizzes throughout. Even better, Simon lets you quickly translate your course’s text, audio, and video into multiple languages with machine or human powered translations. 

We’re incredibly excited about the doors this opens for L&D teams. The depth and breadth of the OpenSesame course library covers so many bases for organizations of all kinds in terms of the training formats and topics their learners need, but there will always be subjects so niche to an organization that the best fit for them doesn’t exist yet. In these instances, learners shouldn’t have to settle for less, but L&D professionals shouldn’t have to shoulder the extra burden of creating high-quality materials on top of all their other obligations, either. 

In fact, it shouldn’t be seen as a burden at all—and with Simon, it won’t. 

Even without any previous instructional design, you can create engaging, interactive courses thanks to Simon’s modern, intuitive interface. And maintaining your courses is easy, even with multiple languages, as changes made to the original course will automatically update in its translated versions. 

See Simon in action

You can sign up for access to Simon through its product page. Or, if you’d like to learn more, check out the recording of our webinar where OpenSesame’s Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder, Josh Blank, and several members of the Simon team showcase the tool in action and share best practices for creating courses. TED@Work’s Director of Product Experiences, Cody Winn, also joined to talk about how they’re using Simon to create hundreds of multilingual TED talks for learners across the globe. 

Through testing and early access, we’ve already seen tremendous adoption and success with Simon. Many of our publishers, like TED@Work, Axonify, and ej4 have already been using Simon to translate and publish their courses in our marketplace. And, in terms of course ratings, Simon courses rate higher than courses from other publishing tools.

That’s especially exciting to us, because it underscores what we’ve known all along: By offering courses that are tailored to different languages and abilities, we create an environment where all employees can fully participate and thrive.

The post Your Global Workforce Needs Accessible, Inclusive Training appeared first on OpenSesame.

Introducing Simon, the game-changing content creation platform that empowers you to create and translate courses into multiple languages effortlessly. We are beyond excited to introduce you to Simon, a groundbreaking solution that is set to transform the way we create and deliver training.

In this blog, we’ll dive into the incredible features and capabilities of Simon, and show you how it’s reshaping the world of online training. 

Elevating the Learning Experience

Simon fosters an environment where learners feel included, valued, and inspired to learn. By prioritizing the learner’s experience, we have built a platform that enhances the way knowledge is acquired. Let’s explore how Simon takes the learning experience to new heights

• Intuitive Interface: Simon’s interface is modern, clean, and easy to navigate. With its consistent design and user-friendly layout, learners can focus on the training without technical challenges and distractions. The cinematic feel resembles popular streaming services like Hulu and Netflix, providing a familiar and engaging experience.

• Seamless Navigation: The progress bar at the bottom of the screen allows learners to track how far they have gone through the course and can easily jump to specific sections to revisit those “Aha” moments. Additionally, the outline feature provides effortless navigation and quick access to course materials as well.

• Language Customization: Learners can select their preferred language. Simon then translates the course’s text, audio, and subtitles, ensuring they can learn in the language most comfortable for them.

• Fully Accessible: Simon goes the extra mile by making sure everyone feels included, with accessibility features that meet WCAG and 508 compliance standards. Plus, its responsive design ensures a consistent and enjoyable experience on any device.

Simplified Course Creation

We understand that not everyone is a seasoned instructional designer, and that’s where Simon comes in to make your life easier. With Simon, you don’t need to have specialized design skills to create engaging and impactful courses. Here’s how Simon simplifies the course creation process: 

• Cloud-based Technology: Simon’s cloud-based technology eliminates the need to install software or maintain software updates. Course updates are applied instantaneously in the background so that you and every learner has the latest version available at all times–even if the course has already been delivered to your learning platform.

• Intuitive and Modern Design: With Simon’s intuitive interface, creating beautiful and engaging courses become effortless, even for non-technical individuals. You can easily incorporate various multimedia elements into your courses including videos, photos, narrations, knowledge checks, surveys, and quizzes–without any hassle. 

• One Click Translations: Simon empowers you to effortlessly translate your course content into multiple languages with just a few clicks. Gone are the days of managing multiple translated versions and struggling to keep them in sync. With Simon’s built-in translation capabilities, you can save time and effort and deliver training in your employee’s language of choice.

• AI Voice Narration: Simply input your script, select your desired voice (male or female), and let Simon bring your content to life. No more recording sessions or tedious editing.

Many of our publishers, including TED, ej4, and Axonify, have been publishing their content with Simon, and now we’re making those same tools available to OpenSesame customers. You can sign up for access to Simon, or watch this recorded webinar to see Simon in action and discover how easy it is to create high-quality training that is accessible to everyone, regardless of language or ability.

The post Introducing Simon: The powerful content creation platform that helps you create and translate courses into multiple languages effortlessly appeared first on OpenSesame.

Superhero Booth Experience

Our booth was a vibrant epicenter of energy, drawing in people from all corners. Visitors were inspired to embrace their L&D superpower and were greeted by our enthusiastic team and publishers showcasing our latest advancements and sparking engaging conversations. Visitors were also given a chance to win incredible prizes through our hoodie giveaway, including Apple watches, iPads, and Starbucks gift cards. Congratulations to all the lucky winners!

Simon Product Announcement 

One of the biggest highlights of ATD 2023 was our session unveiling Simon, the course creation platform that lets you create and translate courses to reach diverse workforces.

Our Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder, Josh Blank took the stage alongside Cody Winn, Director of Product Experiences at TED@Work to explore the superpower of inclusive learning. The crowd was captivated by the live product demo by Peggy MacDonald, Senior Product Manager, who demonstrated how to easily create high-quality training that is accessible to everyone. Then Cody Winn shared how TED@Work turned hundreds of TED Talks into beautiful, translated, and localized courses that transcend language barriers and empower learners worldwide. 

If you couldn’t make the session, don’t worry! You can learn more about Simon and sign up for our exclusive early access program.

ATD Happy Hour and Dinner

We made sure to infuse some fun into ATD by hosting a happy hour and dinner. Both events brought together industry professionals, publishers, and partners for an evening of networking, laughter, and insightful conversations. 

ATD 2023 was an unforgettable experience that celebrated the spirit of innovation, connection, and learning. From the vibrant booth experience to the introduction of Simon, ATD left a lasting impression on all who attended. See you next year!

The post ATD 2023 Rewind: Unforgettable Highlights, Exciting Product Announcements, and More appeared first on OpenSesame.

With over 30,000 courses covering a wide range of topics in a variety of formats and languages, our extensive content library ensures that learners have access to the most relevant and engaging training content, tailored to their specific learning styles and needs. The integration makes it easy for customers to browse and send OpenSesame courses directly to Engagedly, providing learners with a convenient place to access training content.

“OpenSesame and Engagedly are empowering organizations to drive growth and success by providing a seamless, and effective solution for employee development. The integration is a game-changer for organizations looking to create a high-development culture for the future of work.”

Sri Chellappa, CEO, President & Co-Founder of Engagedly

During performance reviews, managers can seamlessly leverage OpenSesame courses to track their team’s performance and professional development, all in one place. Training recommendations are listed in the performance review area, making it easy for managers to assign relevant courses to their employees for targeted training needs and goals. This integrated approach to performance reviews simplifies the process of tracking employee growth and development, while also providing employees with personalized training opportunities that align with their career goals. 

Engagedly also offers activity badges that can be redeemed for points, providing an extra incentive for employees to complete their training. These points can then be used to purchase popular gift cards from leading brands. This gamification element adds an extra layer of engagement and motivation, keeping employees excited and committed to their professional development. 

Transparency and accountability are crucial components of any successful training program, and the integration delivers on both fronts. The tracking and reporting capabilities of this integrated solution allows administrators to access the complete learning histories of each employee, directly in the Engagedly platform. This allows them to view the status of each employee’s training from course completions, courses in progress, and courses that haven’t been started. These valuable insights empower administrators to demonstrate the ROI of their training program and identify areas for improvement to drive employee growth and performance. 

The OpenSesame and Engagedly integration is a seamless and effective solution for organizations. The integration gives employees the tools and resources they need to excel in their roles and empowers admins and managers to foster a thriving workplace that drives success. Schedule a demo to learn more and start building the high-performance culture at your organization.

About OpenSesame

With a library of more than 30,000 courses, OpenSesame offers the world’s most comprehensive elearning catalog. Content from expert publishers is available in a variety of formats and languages, and is routinely updated to provide the best information possible across a broad range of categories and industries. But more than just a content provider, OpenSesame is your elearning partner and advisor. We’re a strategic addition to your team, providing hands-on curation that ensures the right courses are going to the right learners, and helping you reach your desired business outcomes. From aligning courses with core competencies, syncing content with your LMS, to increasing training completion, we’re here to help at every turn.

About Engagedly

Engagedly is a fast-paced growth provider, and an award-winning talent management solution built for the future of work. Built upon best practices and decades of research, Engagedly’s People + Strategy platform is evolving performance management, development and engagement to drive successful organizational outcomes across the globe. Engagedly’s E3 unified platform combines the power of business strategy execution, talent enablement, and employee engagement into one easy-to-use software solution. To learn more about Engagedly, visit: https://engagedly.com/.

The post OpenSesame and Engagedly Integration Creates a Culture of High-Performance appeared first on OpenSesame.

“We are thrilled to partner with LIT Videobooks and offer their innovative and impactful format as a part of OpenSesame Plus. Our goal is to provide a wide range of learning content that meets the needs of every learner, and LIT Videobooks is an excellent addition to our library.”

Spencer Thornton, SVP of Curation, OpenSesame

Imagine learning about the latest leadership trends in leadership, marketing, productivity, or psychology while watching expert interviews, illustrations of key concepts, and hearing the author’s voice and perspective. With LIT VIdeobooks, your learners can enjoy a cinematic and thought-provoking experience that sparks curiosity and expands knowledge. 

Some of the most popular courses include:

• Radical Candor
• Your Next Five Moves: Master the Art of Business Strategy by Patrick Bet-David
• The Innovation Stack: Building an Unbeatable Business One Crazy Idea at a Time by Jim McKelvey 

If you have employees who love reading but sometimes struggle to find the time or motivation to dive into long-form books, or if you’re looking for a fresh and engaging way for your employees to learn, then LIT Videobooks is for you. LIT’s videobook format makes it easier for anyone to learn faster, retain more information, and have fun in the process.

If you’re already an OpenSesame Plus customer, you can start exploring LIT Videobooks today. If you’re not yet a customer, now is a great time to schedule a demo and discover how OpenSesame Plus and LIT Videobooks can help you achieve your organization’s learning goals.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of elearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post May 2023 OpenSesame Plus Publishers appeared first on OpenSesame.

“We’re so appreciative of everyone at OpenSesame, and are especially grateful for the strategic guidance of our success manager, Ashley Brown,” says Kelly Baker, Training & Development Manager at Toyota Material Handling. “This tremendous support has been invaluable in helping us fulfill our mission of delivering world-class training to our Associates. We can always count on Ashley and the team to go above and beyond, and I hope this award underscores just how valuable that extra effort is to all of us at Toyota.”

“Working with Toyota has been really inspiring,” adds Brown, Senior Customer Success Manager at OpenSesame. “When you have a group of folks who are so thoroughly committed to creating engaging and impactful learning opportunities for the whole organization, it’s kind of magical. And that’s exactly what the Toyota team is doing—I’m thrilled to be supporting them as we continue to scale and refine their learning program.”

The close collaboration between OpenSesame and Toyota Material Handling is part of a broader, encouraging trend, notes Marta Altree, Vice President of Customer Success at OpenSesame: “Especially in a time of economic uncertainty, we’re seeing the organizations that lean into learning and development—like Toyota—continue to come out on top. It’s rewarding to see our team bring solutions to the challenges these organizations are facing, but it’s even better to see the L&D teams take our solutions and run with them, really changing the game for their learners. Toyota has been a great example of this, and I look forward to all we’ll accomplish together in the year ahead.”

About OpenSesame

With a library of more than 30,000 courses, OpenSesame offers the world’s most comprehensive business training catalog. Content from expert publishers is available in a variety of formats and languages, and is routinely updated to provide the best information possible across a broad range of categories and industries. But more than just a content provider, OpenSesame is a strategic addition to any L&D team, helping plan, scale, and measure the impact these training efforts have on learners and overall company goals, too.

About Toyota Material Handling

 Toyota Material Handling offers material handling products and solutions, including forklifts, reach trucks, order pickers, pallet jacks, container handlers, automated guided vehicles, and tow tractors, along with aerial work platforms, fleet management services, and advanced automation engineering and design. Toyota’s commitment to quality, reliability and customer satisfaction, the hallmark of the Toyota Production System, extends throughout more than 230 locations across North America. With access to an industry-leading lineup of material handling products, Toyota dealers are uniquely positioned to help solve wide-ranging challenges in warehousing and distribution. Built for every application, Toyota can provide the most complete set of solutions for material handling, automation, energy, advanced logistics, and warehouse optimization. For more information or to learn more, visit ToyotaForklift.com.

The post OpenSesame Wins Toyota Material Handling’s 2023 Learning & Development Award appeared first on OpenSesame.

We thought it might be helpful to share how we’re ensuring OpenSesame is preparing for an unpredictable market. So, we sat down with Tina Jones, OpenSesame’s Talent Development and Learning Programs Manager, to chat about adjusting learning strategies, helping employees succeed in the unpredictable world of career navigation, and the impact skill-building efforts have had on the OpenSesame team. (The conversation below has been edited slightly for length and clarity.).

Tina! Thanks so much for your time, it’s exciting to get to learn more about how OpenSesame is adjusting to the circumstances of today. Let’s start with the big picture: How are we at OpenSesame helping our staff navigate the unpredictable world they face today?

Tina Jones: Hey, yeah, happy to be here! 

You know, navigating an unpredictable world is an interesting concept to me: Before the pandemic we believed that our world was predictable, but I don’t think it really was. We just let ourselves think that. And related to that, I think we often underestimate the power of self-awareness—how it’s a key part of our being able to navigate hard circumstances, and how crucial it is to the foundation of successful communication. 

When I think about how that relates to L&D at OpenSesame, it tells me I need to look for opportunities that help my colleagues pause and think about themselves differently. The better they understand themselves, the better they will be able to show up for whatever problem we are trying to solve, no matter the complexity level. 

This is a pretty essential part of our strategy, regardless of the economic outlook—it’s an effective message for getting leadership buy-in. But, today, self-reflection skills are more critical than ever. Across the company, we’re prioritizing skills that relate to building self-awareness and career advancement (think cross-skilling and reskilling). And we remain focused on the foundational courses that influence organizational culture, since our staff will lean on this culture to support them as things get more turbulent outside of the workplace. Our philosophy of care, communication, and collaboration needs to be really strongly felt right now. 

Whew, that seems like a tall order. How do you know where to start?

TJ: Great question. It starts with listening: When deciding what to prioritize and where the most impact can be made, I listen to those who will be affected at all levels of the organization, including managers, leadership and individual contributors. I ask managers what their teams need, I ask leadership what our organization needs to be successful in the future, and I ask everyone what they think would make them perform better in their roles. 

Now, listening is more than just having a conversation. To listen means to follow through and provide learners with the content that’s important to them. And to always be asking for feedback. The hardest part about my role is removing my own ego and bias on what I think is most important right now, and instead focusing on what I’m hearing is important to my colleagues. I rely on candid conversations and feedback to empower me to deliver material learners actually want to engage in. Because when the material matters to learners, that’s when you’ll see consistent engagement, even in uncertain economic times.  

Since you mentioned managers specifically, let’s dig in there a little.  What tools are you providing managers and leaders to help them set their teams up for success during these times? 

TJ: Oh, so we actually have a few different programs that help team leads develop the skills needed to be successful (even before taking on a management role). 

First, we have an Emerging Leaders Program designed to help those interested in leadership and management explore what those roles really mean. It’s also an opportunity to do some self-discovery—remember, I said that was important!—to ensure that the role is the right fit for them. And if it’s not, that’s ok! Management isn’t the right alignment of skills and interests for everyone; I think it’s so important for folks to be able to explore the technical and emotional requirements of leadership before a team is depending on them to do the work. 

Ok, so after completing the Emerging Leaders Program, the next opportunity is our Leadership Skills Development Program. This is the next step for those who decide they do want to lead a team, so it focuses on building skills related to managing people and applying those skills in practical situations. 

And, something I’m really excited about, our People Team is starting new, ongoing manager training, too. So, on a regular basis, we’re providing targeted training on the issues we hear our managers are facing right now. Again, this is where the listening piece comes in: Right now I need to be really, really listening to ensure managers feel equipped to help their teams navigate change.

The last thing I want to mention is our Career Ladders project, which aims to help managers develop their teams. We’ve broken down each role in each department and mapped out the trajectories to get there. Each individual team member’s career ladder goes over the key competencies for success in the role, as well as a transparent way those skills are measured and scored. 

Most importantly, though, the career ladder framework shows individuals future roles they can grow into, and the skills they’ll need to get there. This helps learners see potential areas where their skills would be transferable—so if they find themselves growing and loving a different area of their role than what they’re currently responsible for, career ladders can give them ideas of how to effectively transfer those skills to another department and succeed in a different role. 

This gives managers a clearer picture of the roles within their department and what their team members need to be successful. It also helps them work more effectively with individual team members on their long-term vision for their professional development. All of these things are tremendously important for employee engagement and retention, and we all know how crucial retaining your top talent is when times are tough.

Wow, we keep you pretty busy don’t we?

TJ: There’s never a dull moment, that’s for sure! 

Any tips for those wondering how you get it all done?

TJ: Well, as OpenSesame’s L&D Manager, I have the luxury of using our own product for employee development, and I’ve found we have a number of features and resources available that help me to get the most of our elearning catalog. One example is the Smart Lists feature, it saves me tons of time by narrowing down the content related to the learning objectives I’m trying to achieve. Then there are the pre-curated lists made by our Curation team, which they can turn around at incredible speed. Just like any OpenSesame customer, I can reach out to them directly when I need additional guidance or ideas on what content is the best fit for my learners, and their expertise is so helpful. 

These two things save me so much time. So rather than spending hours looking for quality content, I can focus on more specialized and strategic L&D work while having peace of mind that the foundational training we need across the organization is being delivered in an effective, timely way. Especially in these “do more with less” days, reclaiming your time like this is key.

Ok, so back to the big picture—what effects do you see these efforts having on the OpenSesame team?

TJ: The most important question of all, right? 

For me, it’s been encouraging to see how our investment in the longer-term picture is helping employees. As we give managers more clarity on the skills and expectations associated with each role, they’re better able to communicate those expectations to their teams. And their team members not only get to feel more secure in their current role, but can better envision what their future at OpenSesame looks like. 

Retention is such a critical part of organizational success, and we know managers have a huge impact on retention. That’s where I see us having one of our biggest impacts, especially as economic recession looms: We’re using L&D opportunities to help our staff not just feel supported here right now, but for the long haul. That ultimately helps us keep recruiting, hiring, and onboarding costs down. And it makes it a lot more enjoyable to come to work, too.  

Hey, who doesn’t want work to be more enjoyable, right? 

TJ: Exactly! Especially when the world can be stressful enough on its own. Helping people navigate those stressors here and see a bright future ahead—that’s really what Learning and Development is all about. 

So, is your L&D department ready for the economic uncertainty of today? We put together this free workbook to help you prepare, whether that’s making the case for preserving your budget, finding areas where you could save money without compromising quality, or prioritizing the activities that will make the biggest difference for your learners.

The post How OpenSesame is Recession-Proofing Our L&D Program appeared first on OpenSesame.

Ally Safety is an exclusive OpenSesame publisher who specializes in providing workplace safety training solutions and cover a range of topics, including OSHA compliance, hazard communication, and emergency response. Their training materials are designed to help organizations promote a culture of safety, reduce workplace accidents, and maintain regulatory compliance. With Ally Safety’s courses, learners can improve their knowledge and skills to work safely and efficiently in their jobs. 

Ally Safety’s most popular courses: 

• Driving Safety and Defensive Driving
• Hazard vs. Risk
• OSHA Competent and Qualified Roles
• Emergency Roles and Responsibilities
• Personal Protective Equipment

Simon Sez IT offers courses for a wide range of software programs and business skills. From Microsoft to project management, their courses are designed to help learners develop practical skills that can be applied to their work environments. Simon Sez IT courses are easy to follow and include step-by-step instructions, making them accessible to learners of all levels. Customers can now explore 70 courses covering topics ranging from Adobe, business skills, Microsoft Office to data analysis, project management, and QuickBooks.

Simon Sez IT’s most popular courses: 

• Microsoft Excel 2021/365 Advanced Training
• Microsoft Power BI for Beginners: Get Started with Power BI
• Master Microsoft PowerPoint 2021/365
• Microsoft Excel: Advanced Pivot Tables
• Microsoft Project 2021 for Beginners: Master the Essentials

“We’re excited to welcome Ally Safety and Simon Sez IT to the OpenSesame Plus family. Both companies have a strong reputation for creating high-quality courses that we know will help learners build critical skills needed in the workplace.”

Spencer Thornton, SVP of Curation, OpenSesame

With these new partnerships, OpenSesame Plus continues to grow and diversify, providing an even greater range of training solutions for our customers. Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of courses available from OpenSesame.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of elearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post April 2023 OpenSesame Plus Publishers appeared first on OpenSesame.

And these days, as Learning and Development professionals are asked to tackle increasingly complex challenges, finding ways to save time on routine tasks is critical. That’s where OpenSesame’s relationships with world class partners come into play. By integrating directly with many of the top learning platforms out there, we make it easier to find the right courses for your workforce, ensure a smooth delivery to your learners, and get regular, actionable reporting on how your training program is working. 

OpenSesame’s integration basics

Whether your organization uses a learning management system (LMS) or a learning experience platform (LXP), so long as it is standards-compliant, it’s compatible with OpenSesame courses. Course packages can be downloaded in the appropriate format and uploaded into those tools. 

But OpenSesame also integrates directly with many of the leading learning platforms, like Ceridian Dayforce, Docebo, Workday, and more. The complete list is available here, and it’s growing all the time—we added 20 new integrations in 2022 alone. 

This direct integration removes much of the manual work required to administer an L&D program, enabling a simpler, more convenient way to acquire and deliver new courses. Here are three ways OpenSesame and direct integration will make your L&D job easier:

Find relevant, quality courses faster

An L&D program is only as strong as the training it provides to learners. But creating high quality courses that are both accurate and engaging is no small task—it takes a lot of time and resources! 

When you pair OpenSesame with your learning platform, you have more than 30,000 courses from world class publishers available to choose from, so you can find the training that best aligns with your organization’s objectives. Our catalog categories span compliance, DEI, leadership and management, safety, technology, and more, with courses available in a variety of formats and languages to meet the needs of your learners. You can mix and match content from a variety of publishers, creating a curriculum that’s perfectly tailored to your organization.

And while you have access to all of this top-notch training, you don’t have to spend hours finding the material that’s right for your workforce. OpenSesame uses cutting-edge tech to create lists of recommended courses on critical topics, like how to foster inclusive leadership, OSHA 10 equivalencies, or preparing for project management certification. And our team of curators—each an expert in one of our catalog categories—is always standing by to recommend the best fit for your specific objectives.

Automate routine tasks

Finding quality training is one thing, but making it accessible to your learners and monitoring its utility long-term are their own distinct challenges. Typically, this can mean manually downloading and uploading course packages, or remembering to check the original sources regularly to see if any of the course metadata has been updated—or if the course itself is being retired! These are all critical tasks, but they can be time consuming and tedious. Not with OpenSesame, though.

When a learning platform partners with OpenSesame, that direct integration automates this routine maintenance work. Courses can be added to your training library in seconds with just a few clicks, no downloads required. And all the courses in your library are synced daily with the OpenSesame catalog, so any changes in course description or other metadata are reflected in your system. 

If a course is set to be retired, not only will you be alerted to this in advance, but our sophisticated AI will recommend appropriate replacements. You can easily view the status of all the courses in your learning platform through the My Courses dashboard, and archive, remove, or restore courses from this view, too. 

Easily monitor your program’s progress

When a learning platform is integrated with OpenSesame, the daily syncs that occur don’t just look at course information—they look at learner engagement too. This gives you detailed reporting into key metrics like course completions, ratings, and learner engagement. 

Having this data neatly presented in a dashboard makes it easy to identify trends and evaluate the effectiveness of your learning program. You’ll spend less time trying to interpret the data, so you’ll have more time to act on the patterns that data is communicating. 

In a nutshell, OpenSesame’s direct integration with many of the world’s top learning platforms is a critical time saver for anyone managing an L&D program. Take the hassle out of finding, managing, and tracking the completion of the right training for your team, and focus more on what really matters—making your L&D program that much more effective.

The post 3 Ways OpenSesame Integration Makes Your L&D Job Easier appeared first on OpenSesame.

OpenSesame is an elearning marketplace that provides companies with access to thousands of courses from renowned course providers like Harvard ManageMentor, TED@Work, FutureThink, Amplify Voices, and many more. Our platform allows companies to quickly find and curate courses for their employees and send it to their learning platform in just a few clicks. 

SparkLearn is a macro-adaptive learning experience platform (LXP) for businesses of all types and sizes. The platform enables companies to create impactful training programs by providing interactive, modern, and mobile-first learning experiences. It also provides robust analytics and insights so that companies can track learner engagement and performance on each course they offer.

“Partnering with OpenSesame has been great for us, as it opens our platform to an awesome library of curated content that’s seamlessly available to our customers. Their team has been great to work with and we look forward to improving employee learning outcomes for our customers by teaming up.”

Chad Udell, Chief Strategy Officer, SparkLearn

By joining forces with SparkLearn, OpenSesame now has the ability to offer customers even more value than before. With this integration, SparkLearn customers can access over 30,000 courses and add them directly into SparkLearn. Organizations can access diverse topics from subject matter experts on safety, business skills, leadership and management, and more or even curate their own courses and enhance it with their own custom content in SparkLearn.

With this integration, administrators can save time and effort with automatic course updates sent to SparkLearn daily to ensure courses are always up to date. The integration also ensures that organizations have full visibility into course completion data from both OpenSesame and SparkLearn courses in one centralized place. 

We are thrilled about our new partnership with SparkLearn because it gives us the opportunity to offer even more value to our customers. With this integration, companies can now source the highest quality of training content while taking advantage of all the features available through SparkLearn’s LXP—all in one place!

About OpenSesame

With a library of more than 30,000 courses, OpenSesame offers the world’s most comprehensive elearning catalog. Content from expert publishers is available in a variety of formats and languages, and is routinely updated to provide the best information possible across a broad range of categories and industries. But more than just a content provider, OpenSesame is your elearning partner and advisor. We’re a strategic addition to your team, providing hands-on curation that ensures the right courses are going to the right learners, and helping you reach your desired business outcomes. From aligning courses with core competencies, syncing content with your LMS, to increasing training completion, we’re here to help at every turn.

About SparkLearn

SparkLearn® is a core product offering from the great team at Float®. Float mobilizes people, processes, and software in high-performing organizations through custom apps, digital strategy, and human-centered design. Built on a foundation of integrity and passion for excellence, SparkLearn is powered by the collaboration of people who care about the quality and substance of what they deliver. These qualities have helped us become recognized experts in enterprise learning ecosystems. Learn more at https://www.sparklearn.com/.

The post OpenSesame and SparkLearn Partner to Transform Learning Experiences appeared first on OpenSesame.

The integration between OpenSesame and TalentQuest empowers organizations to seamlessly access a vast library of over 30,000 courses, available in multiple formats and languages. OpenSesame’s extensive catalog and TalentQuest’s focus on employee engagement through talent software, behavioral science, and personalization work together to offer a powerful tool for organizations seeking to enhance their learning and development programs. With this direct integration, organizations can easily incorporate OpenSesame’s course offerings into their TalentQuest platform, creating a comprehensive and customized approach to employee training and development.

The integration will allow organizations to:

• Easily choose courses, create lists, and deliver training to your employees – all within a single platform
• Daily syncs to TalentQuest that ensures completion reporting, course deactivations, removes courses, and maintains metadata updates
• Gain improved visibility into the status of your courses including when courses are sent to TalentQuest, removed, replaced or no longer available 
• Quickly identify and take action on retired course

Integrating OpenSesame with TalentQuest offers a powerful solution to automate manual tasks and create effective training programs that enhance employee performance that ultimately drive better business outcomes.

About OpenSesame

With a library of more than 30,000 courses, OpenSesame offers the world’s most comprehensive elearning catalog. Content from expert publishers is available in a variety of formats and languages, and is routinely updated to provide the best information possible across a broad range of categories and industries. But more than just a content provider, OpenSesame is your elearning partner and advisor. We’re a strategic addition to your team, providing hands-on curation that ensures the right courses are going to the right learners, and helping you reach your desired business outcomes. From aligning courses with core competencies, syncing content with your LMS, to increasing training completion, we’re here to help at every turn.

About TalentQuest

TalentQuest provides talent and learning management solutions, anchored in behavioral science, to inform and guide leaders as they hire, manage, coach, and develop their teams. The SaaS platform provides modular capabilities that can be added as business needs change and Ph.D. consultants work side-by-side with clients to address their biggest talent challenges.

The post OpenSesame and TalentQuest Integration Boosts Employee Training & Engagement appeared first on OpenSesame.

OpenSesame is a leading provider of elearning content, offering a diverse range of courses on topics such as leadership, safety, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and more. With its comprehensive library, OpenSesame provides organizations with the resources they need to train their employees and keep them up-to-date with the latest skills and knowledge.

Disprz, on the other hand, is an AI-powered learning experience and upskilling platform that streamlines the training process and helps organizations drive employee engagement and performance. 

With this integration, both platforms are now better positioned to deliver an end-to-end solution that covers all aspects of employee training and development.

“We are glad to integrate with a content powerhouse like OpenSesame. This association will help enterprises make learning and development all the more holistic for their organizations. From the ease of content curation to developing nuggets that support multi-lingual learning and keeping tabs on content analytics, the L&D teams can now manage it all seamlessly from one platform without any hassle.”

Pradeep Arora, VP of Corporate Developments and Partnerships, Disprz

The integration will allow customers to:

• Access OpenSesame’s catalog of thousands of courses from award-winning publishers
• Create a learning journey curated with OpenSesame courses that can be published on the Disprz platform
• View real-time content analytics and consummation reporting in Disprz
• Access multilingual courses that can be easily located in Disprz with catalog filters
• Use OpenSesame courses in the skill building quadrant of Disprz’s skilling lifecycle 

Whether you’re looking to train employees on new skills, upskill current employees, or meet compliance requirements, OpenSesame and Disprz have the technology, resources and expertise to help you achieve your learning goals.

About OpenSesame

With a library of more than 30,000 courses, OpenSesame offers the world’s most comprehensive elearning catalog. Content from expert publishers is available in a variety of formats and languages, and is routinely updated to provide the best information possible across a broad range of categories and industries. But more than just a content provider, OpenSesame is your elearning partner and advisor. We’re a strategic addition to your team, providing hands-on curation that ensures the right courses are going to the right learners, and helping you reach your desired business outcomes. From aligning courses with core competencies, syncing content with your LMS, to increasing training completion, we’re here to help at every turn.

About Disprz

Disprz is an AI-powered, mobile upskilling and reskilling suite, helping enterprises unlock business potential by enabling organization-wide skilling, while personalizing learning for the individual. 

Be it knowledge or frontline workers, Disprz identifies and benchmarks employees’ skills needed for different job roles, assesses their current levels, creates impactful learning pathways, drives hyper-personalized learning to bridge skill gaps and drives learning adoption. Disprz makes available insightful analytics that link back skilling to business performance.

Our goal is to empower organizations to drive the right skills to create immediate and sustained business impact – be it higher sales, better customer service, impactful leadership, or digital transformation.

In addition to Disprz’s LMS and LXP platforms, our unique frontline enablement solution (FLE) is a  mobile learning platform designed to address the unique needs of the distributed workforce. With multilingual options and a mobile-first approach, it helps keep the deskless workforce engaged & productive while learning. It includes features such as KPI-linked coaching, proctored assessments and on-the-job training workflows to enable them to be job-ready from Day 1.

Our capability-building platform powers 250+ leading organizations like Amazon, Uber, Airtel, Bajaj Allianz, and Tata Motors, to name a few. 1.8 million + learners across the United States, India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, leverage our skills enhancement platform.

The post OpenSesame and Disprz Partner to Offer a Unified Learning Experience appeared first on OpenSesame.

The My Courses Dashboard provides administrators with a clear view of the status of their courses to help them easily monitor and manage courses in their training program. This feature is now available to customers with the direct integration, as well integrations including CourseCloud, SuccessFactors and Degreed (legacy customers will not have access).

Improved visibility into the status of your courses

At a glance, admins can identify which courses have been downloaded or delivered to their LMS, remove unwanted courses, as well as easily replace courses that are up for retirement, and view courses that are no longer available, so that you can confidently take action as needed to manage your training program with efficiency.

Real-Time Course Status Tracking

Statuses on the My Courses Dashboard allows admins to quickly view the status of their courses, track their progress, and ensure that admins are up-to-date with any changes. Those statuses includes:

• Pending: The course has been selected by the learning admin but has not been added to their platform catalog yet
• Delivered: The selected course is now available for the learning admin to leverage in their platform catalog
• Retiring: The course is scheduled to be retired 
• Retired: The course has been retired
• Archived: The course has been archived by the customer
• Removed: The course has been removed by the customer
• Expired: The customer’s licenses are no longer active and their courses have moved to the archived tab

Quickly find and take action on retired courses

Admins don’t have to spend time searching through the entire catalog to replace retired courses. Admins will automatically receive a notification and be given suitable replacement courses based on recommendations from our expert curation team and artificial intelligence technology. This streamlines the process of finding suitable replacements, saving time and minimizing manual tasks.

Say goodbye to the time-consuming task of wondering about the status of your courses in your training program. With the My Courses Dashboard, you can easily view the status of each course, stay informed, and improve your overall efficiency and make the learning process smoother for everyone.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of elearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post Manage Your Courses with Higher Efficiency appeared first on OpenSesame.

Easy-to-understand compliance training from legal experts

lawpilots offers a variety of high-quality training including data protection, compliance, IT security, and occupational health and safety with more than 45 courses available in over 35 languages. Each course is led by esteemed legal experts and management consultants to ensure employees receive the most up-to-date information of laws and regulations. Their unique curriculum combines a mix of real-world scenarios, expert interviews, explanatory videos, infographics, storytelling and gamification to give learners a truly immersive experience that aids in fully understanding complex and abstract challenges. 

Stay ahead of compliance regulations with ease

American Medical Compliance’s comprehensive training programs can help organizations navigate the ever-changing healthcare and dental regulatory landscape through their expertise in various state-specific requirements including OSHA, HIPAA, infection control, waste management, and facility safety standards. With the use of interactive audio guides and interactive card games, learners can easily understand complex concepts and retain key information. AMC’s courses immediately correct answers to questions, ensuring that learners stay engaged and effectively retain the necessary information. 

Learn practical skills from experts in minutes

ORO is an OpenSesame exclusive publisher offering short, story-based lessons taught by experts across disciplines from business success, leadership and climate change. What sets ORO apart are their high-quality, interview-style formats to allow learners to engage with the material in a way that feels conversational and approachable, while still providing valuable bite-sized insights and information. In addition to the videos, each course is supplemented with downloadable resources to allow offline review and continued study.

Develop essential skills through microlearning courses

Sponge Learning provides a comprehensive microlearning program that allows organizations to invest in their employees’ professional development while simultaneously enhancing their overall skill set. Learners can tap into over 30 soft and business skills and equip themselves with the tools they need to succeed in the real world. Their courses are tailored to meet the needs of individuals from various backgrounds, sectors, locations, and levels of experience. The bite-sized nature of the video-centered courses makes it easy for employees to fit learning into their busy schedules without disrupting their workflow. This approach empowers learners to develop and grow at their own pace, in a way that best suits their learning style and needs.

A variety of training topics covering diverse needs

Access Learning, part of The Access Group, offers training solutions catering to the learning needs of organizations. As a trusted provider of managed, personalized, and self-directed learning programs, they have established a reputation of excellence in the industry. They offer a wide range of elearning content created by subject matter experts and accredited by the Continual Professional Development (CPD) and other leading industry bodies. Their courses cover a diverse range of topics from health, safety and compliance to personal and professional development to help businesses meet compliance requirements and drive professional development. 

“Cultivating a diverse and extensive library of high-quality content is at the heart of our mission at OpenSesame. We’re thrilled to welcome American Medical Compliance, lawpilots, Sponge Learning, ORO, and The Access Group as our newest OpenSesame Plus publishers, bringing their unique expertise and perspectives to our ever-expanding collection of courses. With their valuable contributions, we can continue to provide our customers with the most comprehensive and innovative elearning solutions on the market.”

Spencer Thornton, SVP of Curation, OpenSesame

With OpenSesame Plus, your organization can access a whole new world of learning and benefit from the knowledge our publishers bring to their courses. If you would like to learn more about how OpenSesame Plus can help your organization, schedule a demo today to discover how you can arm your employees with essential skills and the knowledge needed to reach their goals.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of elearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post March 2023 OpenSesame Plus Publishers appeared first on OpenSesame.

Now, we have a solution to those challenges. We’re excited to introduce the new OpenSesame and Workday integration!

With this new integration, we’re bringing together our world-class elearning marketplace with Workday’s cloud-based human resources and financial management platform to allow customers the ability to provide high-quality training content to their employees directly in Workday.

“We are thrilled to partner with Workday to provide customers with access to high-quality elearning courses directly in the Workday Learning ecosystem. Our customers can now seamlessly integrate their employee training and development programs into their existing Workday workflows, resulting in improved efficiencies and enhanced learning outcomes.”

Kelli De Los Rios, Senior Manager of Partnerships, OpenSesame

Improved Learning Experience

Employees no longer need to switch between platforms to access training content. Instead, they can access OpenSesame’s extensive library of courses directly from Workday Learning, making training more accessible than ever. Customers can easily send courses from the OpenSesame catalog directly to Workday to create tailored learning experiences for their employees through a wide range of topics, styles, languages, and formats.

Real-Time Reporting and Tracking

By integrating Workday and OpenSesame, customers can benefit from reporting and tracking through detailed analytics and reporting to view completion progress, course ratings, learner engagement and other key metrics. With this information, customers can identify trends, evaluate the effectiveness of their training programs, and make data-driven decisions to improve the learning experience for their employees.

Automatic Catalog Updates

Course updates are automatically synced to Workday on a daily basis, ensuring that courses in Workday are always accurate and up-to-date. This reduces the administrative burden by eliminating the need to search and apply course updates manually, and also reduces the chance of errors or confusion among employees. Customers can feel confident knowing that their employees are receiving the latest information and training, and ultimately improving their performance and productivity. 

Whether you need to upskill your workforce, onboard new employees or stay ahead of industry trends and compliance training, the OpenSesame and Workday integration offers a powerful solution that can help you achieve your goals.

If you’re already an OpenSesame customer, you can get started today by reaching out to your Customer Success Manager. If you’re ready to start benefiting from OpenSesame and Workday integration, schedule a demo today to see how it works.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of elearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post Announcing OpenSesame and Workday Integration: Bringing Employee Training to One Convenient Place appeared first on OpenSesame.

“This exciting opportunity increases our commitment to keep up with the ever-changing demands for skill development and gives our customers the most updated knowledge and tools they need to stay competitive in their respective industries.”

Spencer Thornton, SVP of Curation, OpenSesame

Increase IT knowledge and skills

Integrity Training delivers in-depth IT training with a strong emphasis on expert instructors and high quality teaching. With this new addition to OpenSesame Plus, customers gain access to a diverse selection of technical and IT certification preparation courses covering topics such as cyber security, cloud computing, networking, blockchain and more. What sets Integrity Training apart are its exceptional video quality, access to niche IT subjects, project-based programming courses and comprehensive practice exams and quizzes.

Advance your organization’s DEI initiatives

The Nova Collective is dedicated to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace by providing elearning courses to help organizations of all sizes advance their DEI initiatives. Their courses and programs are designed to educate and empower employees and support DEI and People leaders in building sustainable DEI programs that create real and lasting change. Its most popular courses are Race & Ethnicity, What is Diversity & What is Inclusion, and Global Cultural Awareness.

Technology training that’s easy to understand  

Framework Tech Media is a leading developer of online courses specializing in technology, web development, and digital design. With a focus on practical exercises, interactive labs, and expert-led instructors, customers can expect a dynamic and enriching learning experience elevated by its high-quality broadcast video production. Its most popular courses include HTML5 Authoring, JavaScript Specialist, and Rock Out with Photoshop.

OpenSesame Plus, now equipped with Integrity Training, Framework Tech Media, and The Nova Collective, offers an unmatched elearning experience for skill development, staying up-to-date with industry standards, and deepening employee knowledge.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of elearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post February 2023 OpenSesame Plus Publishers appeared first on OpenSesame.

Make the most out of limited time

Soundview courses are designed to save you time by concisely providing key points from business books in 20 minutes or less through narrated audio summaries. As an added bonus, each course includes a 3-to-8-page downloadable PDF containing a summary of the book along with key takeaways that can be easily referenced later when needed. Soundview makes it easier than ever to expand your knowledge and grow as a professional. 

“We are delighted to have an opportunity to offer learners an engaging way to develop essential skills needed to be successful without sacrificing hours of their day with courses by Soundview.”

Mega Ysassi, Curation Specialist, OpenSesame

Explore books that have become staples in professional development: The First 90 Days, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Leadership Challenge, Crucial Conversations, and more.

Tackle workplace training and compliance with ease

Kineo helps you meet workplace compliance demands head-on with modern, innovative learning experiences that will engage learners with animation, audio narration, post-assessment quizzes, and inline activities with subject matter experts who are well acquainted in local legislation and industry standards.

“We are proud to offer courses by Kineo to help our customers confidently meet compliance standards and ultimately achieve success.”

Amanda Sessions, Enterprise Curator, OpenSesame

Improve employee safety by exploring Kineo’s most popular courses Bullying and Harassment, General Evacuation Training , and Fire Awareness and Extinguisher Training.

Strengthen employee cybersecurity knowledge 

The Security Company offers short, interactive training modules ranging from 5 to 10 minutes on topics on cybersecurity and data protection. Each module provides clear objectives and real-life situations, giving employees the tools they need to safeguard their organization’s reputation and information.  At the end of each course, there is a 5-question quiz designed to assess the learner’s understanding of the key points covered in the lesson.

“We are thrilled to provide our customers with training resources to deepen their knowledge in information security and awareness with interactive courses from The Security Company.”

Paige Kracke, Senior Manager of Curation, OpenSesame

Uncover the tools you need to keep your data safe and secure with these popular courses: Protect personal and company information , Identify risks and threats and Work securely wherever I am.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of elearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post January 2023 OpenSesame Plus Publishers appeared first on OpenSesame.

A new year and National Mentoring Month make it the perfect time to take stock: Are you helping employees see the possibilities for career growth at your organization?

Did you know January is National Mentoring Month? Celebrated annually, it underscores how influential interpersonal relationships are for fostering learning and skill building. 

When the month was first commemorated back in 2002, the spotlight was squarely on the importance of youth mentorship programs. Today, though, we know how important coaching and mentoring is at all levels of professional development, even for individuals who are well established in their careers. 

Why mentoring matters

Creating a mentoring program for your organization has a number of proven benefits. Matching new employees with a more veteran mentor during the onboarding process helps those newcomers get up to speed more quickly, and creates a space to ask questions that’s free of any of the pressures that might exist in a manager–report relationship. 

Beyond onboarding, a formal mentorship program is a powerful way to show your workforce that the organization values them and is invested in their growth. By creating—or even mandating—a mentoring program, you signal to your teams that making space to talk about career trajectories matters, and that empowering individuals with the skills they need is a priority to you. 

Ultimately, these investments in your organization’s people help them feel appreciated and valued, while also enabling them see what opportunities lie ahead in their careers. And that future vision is critical for employee retention: According to a recent report from OpenSesame and Lighthouse Research & Advisory, two in three workers have quit a job because of a lack of career growth, but 90% of them would have stayed if they’d seen opportunities ahead. 

Starting (or improving) your mentoring program

With the start of the new year and the national recognition of mentoring this month, now is the perfect time to take stock of the state of mentorship in your organization. If you have an existing program, consider taking a survey of the participating mentees to see what impact they think mentorship is having for them.

But don’t forget to check in with your mentors, too—these folks are stepping up and taking on important, but extra, work for your organization. Often, mentorship conversations require a lot of emotional intelligence, tact, and strategic thinking. Are your mentors getting the support they need in these areas? Is there training you can make available to better equip them for these responsibilities? Now is an opportune time to identify and prioritize those opportunities.

If your organization doesn’t have a coaching and mentoring program yet, well, make 2023 your year! We’ve put together a handy little guide to help you make the case for investing in mentorship for your employees, as well as some pointers for how to get started. With the right resources and training, you’ll have your program up and running in no time!

Interested in learning more on this topic? Check out these resources!

The post Why and How to Start a Mentoring Program appeared first on OpenSesame.

OpenSesame offers the most comprehensive catalog of over 30,000 high-quality elearning courses in a variety of formats and languages. Now, with our new direct integration with Accord LMS, learning administrators can automate manual tasks that would normally take hours out of their week. Course details and metadata sync automatically to Accord when updates have been made. Plus, you will know about scheduled course retirements and will be given recommendations so that you can replace the old course in just a few steps. That means no more spending time tracking course updates on your own.

“Accord has enjoyed a close relationship with OpenSesame for many years. This direct integration with OpenSesame’s vast library of quality content allows us to offer our clients even more opportunities to simplify and enhance their learning programs.“

Rick Bruce, Director of Product Development, Accord LMS

This partnership is part of our ongoing commitment to make it easier for administrators to find, deliver, and manage elearning courses from one centralized place. If you’re a learning administrator interested in simplifying elearning course management, contact us to learn more about our integration with Accord LMS.

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful workforce eLearning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of eLearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame’s learning experts guide global companies every step of the way. From finding the ideal courses to mapping them to core competencies, syncing them with an LMS to increasing utilization and improving L&D programs. OpenSesame provides the flexibility of multiple purchasing options with simple to use and administer eLearning courses. OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 brands in a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce. And with over 30,000 courses, the eLearning platform touches all industries in all markets. The company is defining a new era of engaging a people-first talent force. 

About Accord

Accord LMS, a Noggin Guru company, has been providing cost-effective enterprise class Learning Management to organizations of all sizes since 2009.  Accord’s unique hierarchical design and automation features provide the ideal solution for distributed learning environments.  The Accord Team values our clients as part of our business family and actively promotes and models open and respectful communications, honesty, and loyalty. Learn more at https://www.accordlms.com.

The post OpenSesame and Accord Partner Up to Automate and Simplify eLearning Course Management appeared first on OpenSesame.

OpenSesame, a market-leading SaaS global elearning innovator, announced a strategic integration with ExpertusONE LMS in furthering employee learning and training.

Together, OpenSesame and ExpertusONE make elearning a more focused and efficient process. This integration makes it possible to deploy training materials without the administrative drain of manually uploading courses and tracking the progress of those going through them. Administrators also now have the capabilities in sending OpenSesame coursework straight from their ExpertusONE Learning Management System and learners can launch the courses through Microsoft Teams or Slack as well.

Accessing OpenSesame publishers and courses through ExpertusONE’s LMS maximizes resources and provides learners with a variety of topics and styles. The elearning content library from OpenSesame is always fresh and current—courses are automatically updated.

ExpertusONE’s LMS maximizes access to OpenSesame’s wide range of coursework and publishers. Whatever the topic or format, OpenSesame’s elearning content is kept current and updated automatically with fresh and new educational offerings continually added.

“OpenSesame’s extensive elearning course library coupled with ExpertusONE’s adaptable, next-generation LMS platform yields better training outcomes for individuals and organizations alike. Benefits include increased engagement, trackable training data, streamlined learning, effective recruitment, and more. OpenSesame’s courses will be distributed through an LMS that offers extensible apps for learning flexibility, infrastructure for interactive learning, and robust data and reporting capabilities to reveal training effectiveness.“

Mohana Radhakrishnan, COO, ExpertusONE

OpenSesame’s library offers over 30,000 high-quality courses to assist enterprises worldwide in developing more analytical and actionable learning. With the combined power of ExpertusONE and OpenSesame, training utilization across entire global organizations can be boosted and enhanced. 

• Seamlessly gives teams access to relevant learning resources
• Helps organizations and individuals upskill, reskill, and stay future-ready
• Increases employee engagement and training utilization
• Strengthens employee retention and recruitment

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful workforce elearning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of eLearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame’s learning experts guide global companies every step of the way. From finding the ideal courses to mapping them to core competencies, syncing them with an LMS to increasing utilization and improving L&D programs. OpenSesame provides the flexibility of multiple purchasing options with simple-to-use and administer elearning courses. OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 brands in a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce. And with over 30,000+ courses, the elearning platform touches all industries in all markets. The company is defining a new era of engaging a people-first talent force.

About ExpertusONE

ExpertusONE is a leading cloud-based learning management platform designed to change how learning resources are found,  shared,  tracked, collaborated on and actually retained. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, ExpertusONE helps the world’s most innovative companies transform the way their employees, customers and partners learn using modern LMS technology. Our digital learning platform includes compliance, product training, sales enablement and employee development products that meet customers at any stage of growth. ExpertusONE’s powerful and easy-to-use tools drive learning and expand the experience into Salesforce, Slack and other systems to meet learners right where they are—resulting in increased training adoption and knowledge retention. Learn more at www.expertusone.com.

The post OpenSesame and ExpertusONE Integration Accelerates Learning and Heightens Engagement appeared first on OpenSesame.

“OpenSesame significantly improves the learning experience on the Blossom platform. With OpenSesame integrated into the system, Blossom users can access a huge amount of content and courses in one place. Blossom users have instant access to the best content and courses through OpenSesame, which also curates the content and courses. As a result of the integration with OpenSesame, the Blossom platform can now provide its customers with an improved level of service, which upgrades all of its capabilities.“

Tal Nevo, Chief Scientist, Blossom

Tailored content at your fingertips

With OpenSesame’s extensive catalog of online training content in a variety of formats and languages, this integration makes it easy for administrators to select courses, curate lists, and send courses to the Blossom LMS and straight to your learners–all in one place.

Reduce your administrative workload

Now with the help of our integration, course updates and metadata sync automatically to Blossom. That means, if any information related to your courses change, you won’t have to spend time manually tracking down and applying those changes in your LMS. 

No more outdated courses in your LMS

When a course is scheduled for retirement, you will be given replacement courses based on recommendations from our curation team and artificial intelligence technology to ensure your training content is always up to date. 

The integration between OpenSesame and Blossom helps streamline the elearning process so you can focus on what’s important: providing quality training for your employees to ensure they have the skills they need to be successful.

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful workforce eLearning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of eLearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame’s learning experts guide global companies every step of the way. From finding the ideal courses to mapping them to core competencies, syncing them with an LMS to increasing utilization and improving L&D programs. OpenSesame provides the flexibility of multiple purchasing options with simple to use and administer eLearning courses. OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 brands in a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce. And with over 30,000 courses, the eLearning platform touches all industries in all markets. The company is defining a new era of engaging a people-first talent force. 

About Blossom

Founded in 2007, Blossom is an Israeli software company. In the past 15 years, the company has developed a modular platform with an easy-to-use user interface to enable the creation, management, and control of knowledge, learning, training, collaboration, and organizational internal connections. In addition to being based on a solid academic research base, Blossom’s solutions are based on extensive experience gained from successful implementation projects in hundreds of organizations worldwide. With Blossom, organizations can get a comprehensive solution in one system for all aspects related to employee competency. 

Aside from the LMS capabilities, Blossom enables the computerization of a range of other processes, including employee evaluation, onboarding, coaching, on-the-job training, portal management, community engagement, blogs, project management, teamwork management, and regulatory compliance.

Blossom is a “no-code” system operated by the HR department and does not require IT assistance. It can be easily integrated to other organizational systems, and helps to better the efficiency of processes. Learn more at https://home.blossom-kc.com.

The post OpenSesame and Blossom Partner to Integrate Learning Technology and Advance Organizational Learning appeared first on OpenSesame.

“We are excited to offer this enhanced integration to our customers and believe it will provide a more seamless and efficient eLearning experience.“

Emily Clack, Product Manager, OpenSesame

The Degreed and OpenSesame integration uses the latest technology to provide customers with access to a refreshed Courses page that allows them to easily manage their content library. This integration will save customers valuable time and resources by automatically updating courses and their details to ensure that eLearning content from OpenSesame is always accurate and up to date.

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful workforce eLearning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of eLearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame’s learning experts guide global companies every step of the way. From finding the ideal courses to mapping them to core competencies, syncing them with an LMS to increasing utilization and improving L&D programs. OpenSesame provides the flexibility of multiple purchasing options with simple to use and administer eLearning courses. OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 brands in a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce. And with over 30,000+ courses, the eLearning platform touches all industries in all markets. The company is defining a new era of engaging a people-first talent force.

The post OpenSesame’s Updated Integration with Degreed Creates a Better Path to Employee Learning, Upskilling, and Training appeared first on OpenSesame.

“Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another“

Unknown

Growing up surrounded by my Venezuelan family, music and dancing were an integral part of our gatherings for birthdays, holidays, etc. I remember my Tia (“Aunt”) Dulce teaching me how to dance for the first time when I was young. “Look at my feet, and follow them” is what she would say, which helped because I have always been more of a visual learner. But what it took me a while to understand, was the reason she taught me in this manner versus more of a typical “1-2-3” style. It was because, for her, the music had to be felt in your heart and then translated down to the movement of your body.

Fast forward to my high-school years, where I joined and participated in a Venezuelan folk dancing group called “Venezuela en Danzas”. This group was created to share the universal language of dance and Venezuelan folklore with the surrounding communities. Unlike most typical high schoolers who spent the start of their weekends hanging out with friends, I spent every Friday night strapping on my tacones (“high heel shoes”) and falda (“skirt”) and practicing Joropo and Tambor (i.e traditional dances of Venezuela). We performed at many venues across Texas including state fairs, church bazaars, retirement homes, etc. Spreading the language of dance to all those that would watch and listen.

I was not born in Venezuela, but I come from a family of immigrant parents who came to the states to pursue higher education. My mother was born in Caracas, Venezuela and it is through her and her family that she brought to this country for a better life that I learned about my hispanic culture. Specifically, the culture of dance. Often called the “core of culture” and a “universal language,” dance illustrates cultural identity and keeps traditions alive through the ages. It is both a source and exhibition of national pride and reflects and creates cultural tradition. Hispanic culture dance is for social purposes that brings friends and family together in an emotional connection to the music and traditions of their ancestors.

So on this Hispanic Heritage Month, I look back on my culture with pride and remember how I am keeping it alive by helping celebrate it through the universal language of dance.

The post Celebrating Hispanic Culture Through the Universal Language of Dance appeared first on OpenSesame.

Gyrus, an award-winning LMS platform, has joined forces with OpenSesame to form a new learning technology integration that goes beyond SCORM/AICC.

Learning and development programs are often plagued with inefficient processes, including manually curating and distributing courses. These tedious processes give rise to liabilities that effect learning and performance, risking burnout of your L&D team and disengagement of learners. 

With their new integration, OpenSesame and Gyrus get rid of the manual work, driving better performance through easier course setup and activity reporting. The integration ensures that training materials are kept up to date and learners are able to access and engage with them in a way that’s immediate and easy.

Gyrus offers fully scalable cloud solutions for companies of any size and provide a variety of different formats of learning from online, webinars, instructor-led, and more. Gyrus’ LMS makes it possible for organizations to choose from a wide range of learning materials, and choose how they want people to learn.

“Gyrus Systems and OpenSesame have worked in close partnership for many years together. We’re thrilled that their content and our training platform are now closer than ever with this beautiful and seamless integration, allowing learners to access training more easily than ever before.“

Viren Kapadia, President and CEO

The post OpenSesame and Gyrus Come Together To Streamline Training and Compliance appeared first on OpenSesame.

The topic of Hispanic heritage is always a tough one for me to reflect on. I’m the first generation born here in the USA to two immigrant parents from Mexico. That gives me the honor of being Mexican American, but with that honor comes the fact that I don’t always feel I belong in either culture. Luckily, these days I’m much more confident in the amalgam that is me. It sure has been a journey, but one thing that always allowed me to feel connected to my Mexican roots has been music. 

There wasn’t a day growing up that music wasn’t blasting in the house. My parents were always putting on the jams, whether they be classic songs from their hometown or Spanish covers of American oldies. Hearing that music always allowed me to feel connected to a part of myself that I wasn’t confident was even there. When I would visit my extended family back in Mexico, music gave me common ground to speak with them and I didn’t feel as disconnected. 

Now this brings me to OpenSesame and when I knew this was the place to be for me. I had joined the Juntos! ERG and sure enough one of the events was tuning in to listen to some music during the workday. Never had I experienced a workplace where the music they played was the music that I listened to growing up. Yet, here I was listening to the same songs that were played at my sister’s quinceañera. It may have seemed like a small thing, but for me, it filled me with joy and optimism that this company was truly something special. 

These days I’m much more confident in the fact that I walk the line between both my Mexican and American heritage. If you ever hear me speak you know any Spanish word will be spoken with my Spanish accent. Now, I actually co-lead the Juntos! ERG and my goal is to make sure it’s a space where anyone can feel welcome to be who they are and know they are seen.

The post Music to My Ears appeared first on OpenSesame.

Twenty miles west of Corpus Christi, Texas, is the city of Robstown. It’s here that I learned what it meant to have pride. In Robstown, embracing the pain of your past is at the town’s core, and Robstownian’s showcase the history of its community members being cotton pickers. Driving into the city, you can see the roots and historical legacy that the town and its people were built upon. The cotton ball is a prominent symbol of pride—from the high school mascot to locally owned businesses, the cotton symbol acknowledges the history of many Hispanic migrant farm workers in the South Texas region who worked hard to make an honest living.

So what does it mean to be a cotton picker and have picker pride in Robstown Texas? For the Rodriguez family, it was a means to an end—the way to put food on the table and clothes on the backs of their 8 children. It also meant showing their daughter, Christy, what it means to make the impossible possible for a household. For the Ysassi Family, it was working the fields to provide for their children and give them a better future, but it also meant showing their son, Raymond, that there was no substitute for hard work. For Christy and Raymond, my parents, this meant showing their daughters that despite adversity, challenge, or lack of means, you can achieve anything you put your mind to. The sacrifices of those who picked and their tireless efforts make them my heroes and the reason why I choose to tell this story every year. 

In the time I have been at OpenSesame, I have been in a community that encourages me to reiterate to myself the core of embracing diversity. To me, this is realizing that your own thoughts, understandings, and experiences will not match with those around you and that is what makes the spaces we live in unique and beautiful. So today, as we continue to celebrate Hispanic heritage month, I say to you: be encouraged; stay curious about other narratives and other people’s lived experiences.

My family’s history as migrant workers was hard lived, but growing up in Robstown—where the community made the choice to view it as a legacy of pride and perseverance—taught me to value our past. Every one of us has a choice. We can curse the dark and hold on to the pains of the past or we can turn on the light. I’ve chosen to shed light, to celebrate our Hispanic history, culture, and the contributions of those who came before me to make it possible for me to be where I am and who I am today.

The post Picker Pride: How My Hometown Helps Celebrate My History appeared first on OpenSesame.

“We’re excited to offer courses by Assemble You to provide learners with a library of podcast-style courses to cater to various learning styles.”

Spencer Thornton, Vice President of Curation, OpenSesame

OpenSesame is also excited to bring you new courses by Dr. Roger Firestien who has taught more people to lead the creative process than anyone else in the world. All courses use real-life examples, backed by solid research and provide practical skills to become deliberately creative. Activities after the video lessons are designed to extend the viewers’ learning to help them apply their newly acquired Creative Problem-Solving skills in their professional or personal lives. His courses cover topics such as Innovation, Creative Problem-Solving, Leadership, Creativity, Business, & Education.

“At OpenSesame, we strive to constantly upgrade our OpenSesame Plus library with engaging content. Dr. Roger Firestien’s courses will give you practical methods to approach problems and unleash your creative powers”

Spencer Thornton, Vice President of Curation, OpenSesame

With the additions of Assemble You and Dr. Roger Firestien, OpenSesame has expanded our already wide range of courses and training, offering you and your team up-to-date eLearning in whatever you need to know.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of eLearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post September 2022 OpenSesame Plus Publishers appeared first on OpenSesame.

On the surface, Stephen D’Antonio had all of the markings of success. With a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College, an MBA from Harvard University, and a thirty-year career at Morgan Stanley, he had achieved much. But despite having what many would consider an ideal life, his family, like so many out there, was touched by the darkness of addiction.

His youngest son struggled with alcohol, almost losing his life four times. Stephen came to a critical juncture in his life. He could either continue his high-profile role at Morgan Stanley or dedicate himself to helping his son and others affected by addiction. He made the decision to leave his role and devote himself to helping his son and spreading awareness about the truths about drug and alcohol abuse.

He began by learning everything he could. He took graduate-level classes at Harvard in psychopharmacology, neuroscience, and public health. Stephen then launched a podcast in 2017 with the goal of supporting others whose families were also struggling with addiction.

The podcast series is really useful for parents that are actually in the middle of addiction and who are struggling to understand what’s going on with their child.

Stephen D’Antonio

Stephen’s path in learning about the science behind addiction, producing the podcast, and tending to his own family, lead him to his current role as Executive Vice President for Shatterproof. Shatterproof is focused on educating companies and communities about addiction, as well as the research-backed treatments that are available today. Shatterproof is also actively engaged in removing the stigma that comes from the misperceptions people have about those suffering from addiction. They deployed a program in Pennsylvania focused on changing how people think about addiction and those suffering from it. It has so far reached 4 million people, with plans to launch in more states.

Shatterproof’s reach also extends to online learning. Right now on OpenSesame you can find “Addiction: Six Essential Lessons” 20-30 minute long classes that cover the signs and symptoms, risk assessments, as well as how to prevent drug and alcohol abuse. This type of coursework is essential for any L&D program that wishes to help employees deal with issues of addiction in their own lives.

25% of families are dealing directly with addiction in their household. While it’s a niche topic, there’s really not great education that’s out there in a big way, hopefully, we’re changing that with OpenSesame and these lessons.

Stephen D’Antonio

Stephen’s drive, intellectual curiosity, and strategic thinking not only helped him in his career at Morgan Stanley, but also made him the perfect fit for his role as Executive Vice President for Shatterproof. He understands both the more analytical aspects of helping run a company and the human toll of addiction. With plans for Shatterproof to be the biggest presence in the non-profit space related to addiction, there’s no doubt that they will succeed.

Check out the interview we did with Stephen in episode #42 of the Learning Unlocked Podcast to hear more about his personal and professional journey or keep an eye out for Shatterproof’s upcoming webinar on 9/30, hosted by Stephen, that will further explore alcohol and drug abuse and how it impacts our lives.

The post Stephen D’Antonio of Shatterproof Draws From Personal Experience to Help Businesses and the Community Learn About Preventing Addiction appeared first on OpenSesame.

OpenSesame, leaders of the Saas eLearning industry, announced a strategic integration with 360Learning to improve how workers learn and train.

With a 91% average completion rate, a wide variety of use cases, and a focus on collaborative learning, 360Learning is a perfect fit with OpenSesame’s customized and comprehensive coursework. The integration of 360Learning with OpenSesame streamlines the learning process, removing the time spent on activities like constantly uploading materials, monitoring courses and students’ progress, and decreasing overall administrative time and effort.

Utilizing 360Learning’s LMS in accessing training as well as publishers offers learners a huge variety of topics and learning formats. With OpenSesame’s library of eLearning content being continually updated and refreshed, your company’s employees will always have up-to-date courses and training available to them. 

“Our joint clients seek the best collaborative learning experiences and high quality content. We are excited to be partnered with OpenSesame to deliver best-in-class content and curation directly through our 360Learning platform.“

Bruce Mazza, Senior Vice President of Global Alliances

With 25,000+ high quality courses, OpenSesame makes learning a more actionable and analytical process. Together, 360Learning and OpenSesame enhances and improves training across global organizations.

• Seamlessly gives teams access to  the learning resources they require
• Helps organizations and individuals upskill, reskill, and stay future-ready
• Increases employee engagement and training utilization
• Strengthens employee retention and recruitment

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful workforce eLearning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of eLearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame’s learning experts guide global companies every step of the way. From finding the ideal courses to mapping them to core competencies, syncing them with an LMS to increasing utilization and improving L&D programs. OpenSesame provides the flexibility of multiple purchasing options with simple to use and administer eLearning courses. OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 brands in a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce. And with over 25,000+ courses, the eLearning platform touches all industries in all markets. The company is defining a new era of engaging a people-first talent force. For more information, visit www.OpenSesame.com

About 360Learning 

360Learning empowers Learning and Development teams to drive culture and growth through Collaborative Learning. Our learning platform combines collaborative tools with the power of an LMS, enabling high-growth companies to unlock learning based on collective expertise instead of top-down knowledge. 360Learning is the easiest way to onboard new employees, train customer-facing teams, and develop professional skills–all from one place. To find out more, please visit 360learning.com.

The post OpenSesame and 360Learning join together in offering enhanced learning appeared first on OpenSesame.

Inclusiveness means recognizing that our workspaces are made of individuals and not of homogeneity. Diversity makes for better collaboration and problem solving, with our different perspectives offering a more robust process. Organizations need to make sure that every person who is a unique piece of a company’s collective strength, feels like they belong.

With Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) being fundamental to building better company culture, it’s important to acknowledge and celebrate the holidays and other significant dates in a way that makes everyone feel like they matter. Learning about these culturally important times of the year and why they’re important doesn’t have to be mysterious or difficult. Along with what your organization already has in place in building DEI, OpenSesame’s OpenDoors microlearning coursework is a powerful addition to expanding your organization’s cultural awareness. 

Show your dedication to multiculturalism

It’s true that specific holidays have traditionally gotten more attention. There’s nothing wrong with observing them, but there are so many other holidays and culturally significant times of the year. Acknowledging these dates, shows that your organization cares about everyone’s beliefs. Inclusiveness shouldn’t be a few paragraphs in an employee handbook or a mandatory video for employees to watch, but an ongoing process of company growth and development. 

Create cultural awareness

Give your employees opportunities to learn about and recognize holidays and observances throughout the year. 

A good first step is to put together a calendar dotted with holidays and dates significant to different cultures and marginalized groups. Awareness is the first step in understanding, and seeing that there are holidays beyond the scope of what we’re all familiar with opens our eyes to a broader perspective. 

Know your employees and what holidays or other important times of the year they observe. Do something special to acknowledge these dates. This could be anything from serving an appropriate holiday treat or sending out a company email talking about the significance of the day. 

Recognize holidays in a way that’s respectful and thoughtful

It’s one thing to know the name and date of a holiday or observance, but having a deeper understanding of its importance to a group of people demonstrates both consideration and respect. When team members know that others care and are invested in who they are, they won’t feel separate from their colleagues, but part of a greater whole. 

Build a more inclusive workspace through OpenDoors

OpenDoors enriches your company’s knowledge and awareness of holidays and observances through micro-learning modules. Each section focuses on a specific holiday, month of awareness, or other notable dates and gives employees deeper insights and knowledge into them

Some of the inclusive celebrations and observances OpenDoors offers education in include:

• Black History Month (U.S.)
• Pride Month (U.S.)
• National Women’s History Month
• Nation Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (U.S.)
• Hanukkah
• Arab American History Month (U.S.)

Commit your organization to diversity and inclusion

Your employees perform their roles better when they feel like they’re visible. Giving attention to different holidays, and other significant times of the year helps those who have been traditionally marginalized in feeling like they have found the right place with your company.

Though there can be challenges in applying new practices in expanding DEI, OpenDoors and its inclusive training should be a part of a company’s wider efforts in creating more inclusive spaces.

The post OpenDoors Helps Your Organization Strengthen Diversity and Inclusion appeared first on OpenSesame.

Healthy Minds was launched in 2014, by the esteemed neuroscientist Dr. Richard Davidson. Through training, mindfulness practices, and other guided activities Healthy Minds offers a variety of learning materials in helping employees improve how they feel. 

“Self-care and bettering well-being are so important and often get overlooked in the workplace. Healthy Minds’ training helps your team members to be healthier and happier.”

Spencer Thornton, Vice President of Curation, OpenSesame

Healthy Minds adds to OpenSesame Plus’ already wide range of courses and training, offering you and your team up-to-date wellness eLearning in whatever you need to know.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of eLearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post August 2022 OpenSesame Plus Publishers appeared first on OpenSesame.

• 74% less stress
• 106% more energy
• 50% higher productivity
• 13% fewer sick days
• 76% more engagement
• 29% more satisfaction with their lives
• 40% less burnout 

Conversely, a breakdown in trust can lead to conflict and keep employees from achieving their full potential. Without trust, the entire organization suffers. The amount of complaining rises and disengagement becomes a serious issue. Gallup estimates that employee disengagement costs the overall US economy as much as $350 billion every year, with each disengaged employee costing their employer up to $10,000 in lost productivity.

The takeaway? Trust is everything.

The Importance of Workplace Trust

As important as it is, trust is not something that we are born with or learn from our teachers at school. It does not come automatically with a job title or a position of authority. Sometimes, we don’t think about trust at all—until it is too late. As Warren Buffet noted, “Trust is like the air we breathe. When it is present, nobody really notices. But when it’s absent, everybody notices.”

So, what can an organization and its leaders do to nurture a culture of trust in which everyone thrives? It starts with a basic understanding of what trust in the workplace looks like.

When there is workplace trust, people feel valued, supported, and respected as individuals. In other words, they feel psychologically safe knowing that they can ask questions, make suggestions, offer feedback, take risks, and rely on their own judgment to make decisions and work uninterrupted without being monitored or micromanaged.

Of course, psychological safety doesn’t just happen—it requires careful thought and deliberate action, as well as an organizational-wide commitment to continuous learning. Below are three very specific ways to begin building an environment of trust where people feel more confident, creative, and productive.

1. Operate with full transparency. If you wonder how much information to share with employees, remember this: The human brain works overtime when it doesn’t have accurate or timely information. This can lead to false assumptions and misunderstandings. Be clear about expectations, deadlines, and job roles. Give people the information they need so there is no room for misinterpretation. Importantly, don’t have private conversations about issues that involve everyone. Instead, use open communication channels to make sure everyone feels included and informed. Transparent communication builds trust and leads to a more collaborative workplace.
2. Celebrate differences while looking for similarities. Inclusion is not about shying away from or ignoring differences. Rather, it is about acknowledging and accepting the fact that people bring diverse personalities, backgrounds, values, and traditions to the table. At the same time, people like and trust people who have similar interests and experiences. Look for opportunities to establish common ground around things such as shared values, goals, and hobbies as these are the foundations for close relationships. Similarly, focus on ways to create “win-win” situations. Working together for mutual benefit is a highly effective way to build trust.
3. Use respectful and responsible language. Show respect for people’s differences and use positive, inclusive language that makes everyone feel part of the team. Ask employees about their language preferences and encourage all team members to learn more about managing unintentional bias and issues related to diversity and inclusion (by offering them training, for example). Psychological safety is one of the most important conditions for open and honest communication.

For more ways to build workplace trust, visit our full catalog of courses which is available through OpenSesame Plus and covers topics such as building trust with remote teams, navigating difficult work situations to preserve trust, communicating to build trust with employees, and creating a culture of trust in a diverse and inclusive workplace.

More about Peter Galvin

Patrick Galvin is a TEDx speaker, author, and the chief galvanizer of The Galvanizing Group, an OpenSesame Plus publisher whose courses emphasize the importance of earning trust and building strong and meaningful business connections.

The post Build a Healthy Workplace Culture Based on Trust appeared first on OpenSesame.

Both executives bring decades of experience in technology, talent, finance, and governance to OpenSesame.

Dr. Elkeles has spent 30 years in the human capital space working with technology companies, including 25 years as the Chief Learning and Talent Officer at Qualcomm. She has held key positions in the tech industry, including Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Talent Executive, and Chief People Officer. In these roles, Dr. Elkeles has led global-scale human capital programs, including talent acquisition, talent development, compensation, benefits, HR systems, organization design, employee communications, DEI, and worldwide HR operations. She has authored four books on Human Capital and was named CLO of the Year by CLO Magazine. Tamar’s governance roles include Board Director for GP Strategies (NYSE: GPX) and G3 VRM (NASDAQ: GGGVU). She holds both an M.S. and PhD in Organizational Psychology.

“The workforce is in a state of transition. Companies are investing in their talent through training as a key differentiator for attraction and retention,” Ms. Elkeles said. “And OpenSesame is at the forefront, providing solutions to leverage learning and development in this new world of work.”

For the past 30 years, Ms. Rollins has guided companies through complex and challenging corporate governance, audit, and reporting processes, especially during periods of high growth. During her 28 years with Deloitte, Ms. Rollins held key leadership roles, including Audit and Assurance partner. Her experiences in innovative and cutting-edge companies prepared her well for corporate governance roles. She is currently a member of the boards of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB), Xometry, Inc. (Nasdaq: XMTR), Science 37 Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: SNCE), and Dwolla, Inc., as well as several non-profit entities, the Austin Healthcare Council, Great Austin Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Austin Chapter of Ascend.  Ms. Rollins holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics-Accounting and International Relations from Claremont McKenna College. 

“OpenSesame’s growth trajectory is remarkable,” Ms. Rollins said. “The company’s offerings are invaluable with a broad course catalog and ability to expand the elearning footprint to people not already exposed to online learning. Plus, the capacity to easily customize courses into native languages is a market differentiator for the company’s quality programming versus its competitors.”

In a short time, companies worldwide have reimagined how to develop their employees remotely. For global and remote workforces across all industries, OpenSesame is an  indispensable solution with a catalog of 25,000+ elearning courses in 19 languages and courses from world-class content partners such as TED and Harvard Business Publishing.

“The services and breadth of courses we offer are changing the way people learn and work throughout the world. It starts with the people and expertise we have attracted to build OpenSesame,” said Don Spear, CEO of OpenSesame. “Ms. Rollins and Dr. Elkeles bring  valuable practitioner perspectives and decades of experience in global growth, change, diversity, and scalability.”

To meet the unmet training needs of today’s virtual workforce, OpenSesame combines the best publishers and subject-matter experts with its own curation team. Learning administrators can easily customize and deploy specific learning paths across any organization. 

“OpenSesame continues to invest in partnerships, technology, and customization,” said Chris Bounds, Chairman of the Board at OpenSesame. “The modern workforce expects customized content that is easy to engage with—personalization is crucial to the future of learning.”

For more information about OpenSesame’s courses and DEI progress survey, visit https://www.opensesame.com.

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful online learning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame helps global companies every step of the way. With over 25,000+ courses, the platform serves all industries in all markets.

Media contact

Hallie Janssen
hallie.janssen@opensesame.com
(917) 253-7355

The post OpenSesame Appoints Tamar Elkeles, PhD, and Emily Rollins to its Board of Directors appeared first on OpenSesame.

Put together, they create a vivid digital footprint of who you are. Or, at least, who you are in the virtual world. Believe it or not, the virtual you can have a profound impact on the real you. A virtual mistake can still have very real consequences. And unlike footprints on a beach, a digital footprint can exist forever. 

Most people fly through their day without thinking twice about that footprint — what it says about them or its permanence. If they did, they probably would approach what they send, post or say in a more thoughtful, deliberate way.

Do you ever read your e-mails or texts and imagine how they would sound if read in public? Or if the person you were writing them to, or about, were sitting across the table from you? Do you consider the potential ramifications — on your family, friends or company — before posting on social media? Are you aware of how clients, colleagues and co-workers view you — literally and figuratively — based on your interaction with them via Zoom meetings and conference calls?  

On any given day you can find a story about an individual or large entity that is suffering unexpected, and sometimes dire, consequences from some form of digital communication. There are also daily examples of people who utilized their digital platforms to make a positive impact or create an impression or opportunity that reflects well on them and everyone associated with them. Of course, we all make mistakes, even with the best intentions. There are examples of smart and not-so-smart ways to deal with a digital communique gone wrong as well. 

Everything Is On The Record is dedicated to helping you and your company get the greatest benefit from digital platforms and virtual technology, navigate avoidable consequences and/or address them in an effective manner when they happen. We believe in crisis prevention rather than crisis management, but we also realize that the latter happens to all of us at one time or another; there’s a reason we all keep fire extinguishers in our homes even though we’re not purposely looking to set anything on fire. Whether it’s how to build a brand or industry-leading image via digital platforms, avoid virtual catastrophes or communicate more effectively as an employer or employee through virtual means, we offer tips, exercises and real-life examples to help anyone who wants to be seen in the best light possible, digitally or otherwise. Everything is on the record — but there is a way to decide what that record consists of and what part of that everything everyone sees. We look forward to showing you how.

More about Everything Is On The Record

Everything Is On The Record brings relevant and timely instruction about the power and hazards of social media use for individuals and organizations. Ric Bucher of Fox Sports, and Brian Berger, host of Sports Business Radio bring their years of experience working with professional athletes and sports teams to help leaders, managers, and employees understand social media.

Subjects include understanding the crossover between a corporate and personal brand, simple steps to help you post more effectively and safely, scrubbing your social media, controlling media interviews, presenting yourself in meetings, and handling inappropriate social media posts by employees.

The presenter-style videos provide engaging stories that draw cautionary tales from real-world social media events. The courses include quizzes, prompts and self-reflection activities to help learners engage and remember these valuable lessons.

The post Protecting The “Real” You From The “Virtual” You appeared first on OpenSesame.

Common communication errors – how important are they?

Grammar

Mistakes in grammar can be annoying but usually they can be understood – so should they be corrected or not? The answer lies in how much it impacts customers or reflects poorly on the business. A good strategy is to identify and address the most common grammatical errors. These include:

• Using definite and indefinite articles incorrectly: 
  • Meeting is tomorrow. We should not make the noise. 
• Not putting the “s” on plural count nouns: 
  • Give us five minute.
• Using plural ‘s’ for nouns that do not have a plural form (i.e. they do not add ‘s’):
  • We need more informations about the product?
  • Could you give us some advices?
• Using the wrong preposition:
  • It depends of the situation.

Rhythm and Intonation

Usually people from a non-English speaking background (NESB) use the rhythm and intonation patterns of their first language when they speak English. This can make their pronunciation difficult to understand, or it may sound too direct, rude or even aggressive to English speakers. Even advanced speakers of English may continue to make these mistakes and be misunderstood. 

Cultural differences 

What is considered polite and respectful language in one culture may not be seen the same way in another. Greetings are a good example. Who we greet, when we greet them, and the language we use is not standard across cultures. NESB employees can sound rude even when they believe they are showing respect. Linguistic mistakes are often cultural and they are not a reflection of intelligence!

Gestures, body language and silence are also very important in communication and these too are different in different cultures.

How can managers and team leaders help with communication problems or breakdowns?

• If communication errors are a serious issue in an organization, employers can provide help for NESB employees with coaching or online learning.

• Managers and team leaders can build communication bridges with NESB team members and create a workplace where employees communicate successfully, and misunderstandings are quickly identified and ‘repaired’. 

• Let NESB employees know if their language or cultural issues are causing problems with colleagues or customers, and talk about solutions. Make yourself available to discuss any problems they are having.

• Discuss cultural differences – what individuals think is respectful language, and how to ‘read’ gestures and body language. Compare what is common in your country with others, e.g. eye contact, hand gestures, head movements, facial expressions, sitting postures, physical contact and the distance we stand from someone we are talking to. These can have very different meanings in different cultures, and these differences are not always obvious or understood.

• Give feedback that identifies specific problems or situations rather than generalizations such as ‘You make mistakes in English.’ ‘People can’t understand you.’ ‘People think you’re rude.’

• NESB team members or even customers may ask very direct questions such as “Why did you…?”, “Why don’t you..?” or “Why aren’t you…?” English speakers are more likely to soften these questions with “I was wondering …?”, “Is there any reason …?”, or “Could you explain …?” Help NESB employees become aware of these nuances and, before you respond to the tone of a question or the exact words, clarify what the person intends.

• In your team, discuss silence. English speakers generally link silence with unwillingness to participate and/or lack of interest. In other cultures silence can have a different purpose. It may be a way of taking time to think and give a considered or a correct answer. It can be participating with respect by letting others speak first, e.g. those who are older or more experienced. 

• Be aware of and discuss linguistic politeness, i.e. saying you understand when you don’t. Under confident English speakers may do this as well as NESB team members. It is a form of politeness, to meet expectations, to avoid conflict or confrontation, to save face and avoid feeling stupid or embarrassed. It’s wanting not to let people down, trying to please the other person. 

• Recognize and acknowledge improvements: “I thought the email you sent was really well-written. It’s very clear – you are improving.”  Often people don’t recognize their own communication improvements but they will be motivated if they receive praise from managers, team leaders and co-workers.

Eve Ash is a psychologist and CEO of 7 Dimensions. She is the producer of hundreds of videos and online courses, available through OpenSesame. In recent years she has teamed up with linguistics specialist Dr Fran Byrnes to create 60 courses for workplaces with non-English native speakers – to help them and their supervisors develop skills to improve language and coaching.

The post Helping Employees Whose First Language is not English appeared first on OpenSesame.

As we live and breathe, the future of work is quickly taking a new shape. Globalization, remote teams, climate change, and resource scarcity are changing how people communicate, learn, and do their jobs. Delivering personalized learning, directly and efficiently to those who need it, is essential.

Tailored eLearning content is critical 

By simply glancing at our phones, we can see personalization at work in our streaming media, shopping, music, and entertainment lists. Behind the scenes, our preferences and behaviors assist brands in serving us better—and we expect more from these technologies every day.  

As media-savvy consumer behaviors shift, so should workforce training programs.  Companies offering personalized training and tech-forward eLearning provide learners with a higher purpose and boost critical business growth.

Easing the burden on learning & development teams

The new integration between Oracle Learning and OpenSesame meets companies and individuals where they are, with a turnkey learning and development (L&D) strategy focused on learning content and streamlined delivery. 

Traditionally, the process of manually researching, purchasing, deploying, and generating reports on corporate training courses took valuable time and resources from L&D administrators. Courses were delivered but often led to an unfocused performance, with learners feeling disconnected and discouraged by the educational materials.

No more manually uploading or downloading content 

Oracle’s new integration with OpenSesame offers L&D teams a time-saving tool for workforce training. This integration quickly finds and deploys the highest quality corporate training—freeing up costly resources. Plus, Oracle customers can access OpenSesame’s powerful content library faster and easier than before. 

Once your OpenSesame integration is active, you can select courses to add from Oracle Learning Cloud. Please visit www.opensesame.com and log in to the administrator account that contains your course licenses. 

If you’ve created a list or had any created for you, courses can be quickly accessed from this menu option. First, open your OpenSesame account menu and select Lists:

Open a list by clicking on its title. Next, select specific courses by clicking their checkboxes on the left. You may select all courses in a list, specific groups, or individual courses. Please note that only courses with an active license can be sent out.

As soon as at least one course is selected, a Send to Integration button will appear: 

Click this button when you’re ready to proceed. On the next screen that appears, click the Oracle Learning Cloud checkbox and then the Send Now button to add your selections to the set of courses that will be available from Oracle Learning Cloud:

You will then see a confirmation message:

The key to this integration’s success is an administrator-friendly approach. Downloads and uploads happen automatically, with courses instantly updated and retired. This process allows any business to connect its employees with the correct training, simplifying how course content gets distributed, and keeping track of employee progress. 

Oracle Learning Cloud will check and automatically update OpenSesame on a frequency you select (or once a day) to see if there have been any changes or additions to your selected courses. To review which courses you have selected or to remove them, visit the Courses dashboard via your OpenSesame account menu.

Next, locate the courses within Oracle Learning Cloud. 

“We’ve done away with downloading and uploading and sped up the implementation for the admin and end-users,” said Don Spear, CEO, and Co-Founder of OpenSesame. “It’s a seamless process that takes you from curating your collection straight to your learners in a shorter amount of time.”

Whatever someone’s learning objectives or goals, this eLearning integration delivers the exact course content they require, allowing learners to complete it on their schedule.

A History of Shared Customer Care and Growth

OpenSesame is continually expanding its massive course library with over 25,000 eLearning courses available in 18 languages, many of which are mobile-ready—with something to fit any learning style. Customers can choose from training content in various formats to fit how a workforce prefers to learn—short, microlearning, long, quizzes, certifications, simulation-based scenarios, worksheets, and more.

For more information, please visit: https://www.opensesame.com/site/lms-integration/oracle-lms

The post The Future of Work Depends on Specialized eLearning appeared first on OpenSesame.

LearnNowOnline is an award-winning technical learning company. They offer training in Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), programming, OWASP, cloud computing, project management, Microsoft Office, and other topics related to technology. With 1000+ courses they offer learning materials for ongoing training or upskilling of your team members. 

With this new partnership Spencer Thornton, Vice President of Curation says, “For teams of any size, LearnNowOnline provides technical training in the key technologies that help people expand their expertise and better succeed in their careers.”

OpenSesame is also excited to bring you new and exclusive e-learning courses by award-winning RW3 CultureWizard to help you and your team in having better relationships with your clients or colleagues wherever they may be across the globe. Whether you’re having an in-person meeting or over video, it’s important to have an understanding of the people you work with for better collaboration and communication. Since 2001, RW3 CultureWizard has helped over 1000 global companies and 5+ million employees around the world develop the type of inclusive and collaborative work environments that drive business success.

Spencer Thornton, Vice President of Curation adds, “We’re excited to offer RW3 CultureWizard’s e-learning courses in helping your team in gaining a greater appreciation and understanding of those from differing backgrounds, cultivate better collaboration and communication, and help you and your organization in achieving more.”

With the addition of LearnNowOnline and RW3 CultureWizard OpenSesame has expanded our already wide range of courses and training, offering you and you team up-to-date eLearning in whatever you need to know.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of eLearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post July 2022 OpenSesame Plus Publishers appeared first on OpenSesame.

Through this integration, administrators are empowered with robust capabilities to effortlessly deliver OpenSesame’s content library directly through the SAP SuccessFactors Learning Management System. This seamless integration creates a powerful learning environment that enables learners to explore courses that include a diverse range of topics, languages, and formats, resulting in continuous growth and development. 

OpenSesame’s vast content library, consisting of over 30,000 high-quality courses, ensures that companies worldwide have access to relevant and up-to-date training and development content. By leveraging the combined strengths of SuccessFactors and OpenSesame, organizations can boost training utilization and equip their workforce with learning easily accessible opportunities.

“We are thrilled to empower administrators with seamless access to OpenSesame’s course marketplace through SuccessFactors. The integration with SuccessFactors signifies our commitment to maximizing the potential of organizations and enabling their workforce to thrive through continuous learning.”

Rebecca Mesa, VP of Partnerships at OpenSesame

The partnership between OpenSesame and SuccessFactors offers several key advantages for organizations:

• Seamless Access to Relevant Learning Resources: Teams gain effortless access to a comprehensive collection of learning resources through OpenSesame’s course marketplace, ensuring they have the information they need at their fingertips.
• Upskilling and Future-Readiness: Organizations and individuals can proactively upskill and reskill, staying ahead of industry trends and future demands with access to training topics from business skills, technology to safety, leadership and management and more. 
• Increased Employee Engagement and Training Utilization: By providing a wide range of engaging training content, employee engagement and the utilization of training programs are significantly enhanced. 
• Strengthened Employee Retention and Recruitment: Investing in comprehensive training opportunities demonstrate a commitment to employees’ growth, enhancing retention rates and attracting top talent. 

Together, OpenSesame and SuccessFactors establish a solid foundation for organizations to unlock the full potential of their workforce, providing them with the necessary tools to excel in today’s dynamic business landscape.

About OpenSesame

With a library of more than 30,000 courses, OpenSesame offers the world’s most comprehensive elearning catalog. Content from expert publishers is available in a variety of formats and languages, and is routinely updated to provide the best information possible across a broad range of categories and industries. But more than just a content provider, OpenSesame is your elearning partner and advisor. We’re a strategic addition to your team, providing hands-on curation that ensures the right courses are going to the right learners, and helping you reach your desired business outcomes. From aligning courses with core competencies, syncing content with your LMS, to increasing training completion, we’re here to help at every turn.

About SAP

SAP SuccessFactors is the global provider of cloud-based Human Experience Management (HXM) software. Our HR application suite integrates onboarding, social business and collaboration tools, a learning management system (LMS), performance management, recruiting software, applicant tracking software, succession planning, talent management, and HR analytics to deliver business strategy alignment, team execution, and maximum people performance to organizations of all sizes across more than 60 industries, in over 200 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

The post OpenSesame and SAP SuccessFactors Integration Creates a Better Path for the Future of Employee Learning appeared first on OpenSesame.

Can you describe your background and what drew you to your work?

I’ve been around this work for a long time. Both of my parents were very involved with DEI at their respective companies. I knew growing up that they were working to make the world a better place for folks who are often discriminated against. So I was always around the work, though I never intended to go into it, to be honest. But I ended up here.

I’ve always been passionate about equity and equality – about allowing space for underrepresented voices to shine and be heard. And so I’ve always had a passion for the work, which came through in different ways until my business partners and I started Nova. 

When we started Nova, we were all working together at another organization. And while that was a great company, the DEI work that we were doing didn’t align with how we believed it should be done – which led to us starting this business. So I’ve always been subconsciously absorbing the work, and here’s where I’ve landed, 20 years later.

What’s your role as The Nova Collective’s Head of Accounts?

Typically, my team and I are the first point of contact for folks. So when they reach out to us – whether through our website, cold emailing, or through a friend – they’ll connect with someone from my team. From there, we’ll explain who we are and what we stand for, and then we’ll engage in high-level strategy to determine the right solution for their needs. 

For example, someone may email us with potential solutions in mind – workshops, learning engagements, setting up a DEI committee – but as we continue to talk with them, we may recommend alternative solutions, based on the information they provide, that are a better fit for their needs. Then, if folks decide to work with us, we connect them with our Client Services team.

In your bio, you state your passion as “helping build brave spaces for underrepresented voices to shine.” Can you give a couple of examples of this in your work?

People often refer to these types of spaces as “safe spaces.” But in reality, you can’t guarantee safety to anyone. That’s why I say they’re brave spaces – because when someone comes into a room, a discussion, or a learning program of uncomfortable topics, a lot of folks are scared to have these conversations. Those who hold dominance and privilege don’t know what to say, or they fear they’ll say the wrong thing. 

On the other side, you have the people who’ve been marginalized. They’re thinking, “I’ve been dealing with this for so long. I’m tired of talking about this. And now I have to be vulnerable in front of people who may treat me like sh*t because of my identities.” So I say it’s a brave space because people are being brave when coming into this space and being vulnerable. 

I try to use my personal experiences in these conversations. I identify as a Black queer woman – and being Black, being queer, being a woman in America or in the world isn’t easy. I explain how I’ve created my own space; how I’ve created braveness for myself, and what my journey’s been like.

Using personal examples for folks gives them something to connect to. I say to them, “Whatever makes you stand out – that’s your superpower.” So if I’m the only Black person in a room, or the only queer person, or the only woman – that’s something I’m proud of – that I claim that nobody else has. I bring a perspective that others don’t. 

As another example, we have many clients who come to us as the only woman in an organization who don’t want to sit through a DEI program with all men. So we’ll create workarounds for that. 

Ultimately, I encourage people to understand that their identities make up who they are – and we’re beautiful beings. But this work is ongoing, and it isn’t easy. It takes time; it takes bravery. It takes folks in your corner encouraging you.

What are some examples of how your work with The Nova Collective has had a positive impact on organizations, particularly the LGBTQ community?

We have a retail client, and one of their employees recently transitioned and changed their name. They posted on social media that their organization invested so much in DEI, and this helped them feel comfortable making the transition. 

When companies invest in this work and care about it, their people can feel it. We have quite a few clients who go through our learning programs and experience tears – tears of joy; tears of recognition; of learning – of acknowledging that they were doing things that were harmful, and recognizing the need to make a change. 

This is what diversity means to us. It’s a lot of work; a lot of difficult conversations. But on the other side of that there’s joy. And sometimes you’ve gotta go through the pain to get to the joy. And when we do this work, we need to ensure that it’s having the right impact.

What would you share with folks who are considering taking your courses here on OpenSesame?

One thing that I’d love for people to know is that our approach isn’t cookie cutter – especially our VR and self-paced elearning. We’re not just throwing definitions at you; we immerse you in scenarios and help you dissect them. 

And the courses contain knowledge checks to reflect on your progress. In other words, we don’t see it as a pass-fail – taking our course is a part of your journey. It’s very impactful. 

A diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce has been shown to improve innovation, productivity, and wellbeing. To learn more about how you can incorporate DEI courses into your organization, book a demo.

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Almost immediately after volunteering to write my story, I began to question myself. Am I ready to ‘out’ myself at work? Will others see or think of me differently? What will my clients think when they read this article? While a few people at work knew of my identity, for those who didn’t, I could have easily passed as a straight woman; and I had for most of my career. At previous jobs, I would see coworkers be ‘out’ and receive backlash and scrutiny. It just seemed easier to stay in the closet.

These questions and concerns are what many in the LGBTQI+ community have to consider on a daily basis. 

Many people assume that coming out is a one time event, but it rarely is, and can be received with mixed responses. It happens with your family, your friends, when you’re getting to know new people, old classmates, coworkers, and in a variety of other situations. And for many people, they also have to define their identity, both gender identity and sexual orientation, and oftentimes more than once. 

I’ve taken a few pivots in my career and one of the main reasons that I was drawn to work at OpenSesame as a Customer Success Manager was their intentional and transparent commitment to an inclusive environment. From their statement on Racial Justice and their pledge of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at OpenSesame, I knew that I could be my true and authentic self. 

One quote that stood out to me and captured my attention was the following:

“We hold ourselves accountable to create more diverse, equitable, and inclusive communities through continuous learning, personal growth, and working to support our customers. We welcome you to bring your authentic self to our team and grow beyond your expectations.”

So with that in mind, I felt comfortable, confident, and compelled to bring my ‘authentic self’ into my new workplace.  On my 90th day at OpenSesame, I came out during my New Hire Presentation, and the support I received was staggeringly positive. My name is Kelly. I am a sister, daughter, auntie, and friend. I use the pronouns she/her and I am a queer woman. 

My story is unique to me and does not represent the opinions of all people in the LGBTQI+ community. There are many resources available to learn more about sexual orientation and gender identity. Take a look at the following to learn more:

LGBTQ in the Workplace: 04. Gender Identity vs. Sexual Orientation from HSI – ej4
Glossary of Terms from the Human Rights Campaign
How to talk (and listen) to transgender people from Jackson Bird | TED Talk

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Safety Instruct features actual employees in the spaces they do their jobs, using their knowledge and real-world experience in demonstrating essential safety skills. Training topics are brought to life by those who know them the best, resulting in workers comprehending the materials better and feeling better connected to the coursework.

Spencer Thornton, Senior Vice President of Curation, says “Safety Instruct helps employees not only learn how to be safer in what they’re doing now, but also sets them up for success in dealing with issues or challenges that may come up in the future.”

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of eLearning courses available from OpenSesame.

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OpenSesame, a market-leading SaaS global eLearning innovator, announced an integration with SumTotal—learning, talent, and workforce management company. 

The integration allows Learning & Development administrators to send OpenSesame content to their SumTotal LMS quickly and effortlessly. The collaboration removes the administrative burden of manually downloading and uploading courses. 

Together, the two companies have created a path to a better workplace training experience. With OpenSesame, the content is always fresh and current. The course is updated as soon as a course’s metadata is updated. Retired courses are automatically removed from the LMS.

OpenSesame content, accessed via SumTotal’s Learning Management System, maximizes resources and provides learners with a variety of topics and styles of content. The collaboration also saves valuable professional time and money for SumTotal customers.

“Our partnership with OpenSesame will enable us to provide important new training and personal development opportunities to our customers. Talent retention is at the forefront of our customer’s minds post-pandemic. Being able to offer world-class content to foster and support their employees, and provide new opportunities for advancement and growth is invaluable.”

Morne Swart, Vice President of Global Product Strategy & Transformation.

Without high-quality training content, a quality LMS is useless. Manually downloading and uploading courses makes upskilling and reskilling employees difficult. Integrations are increasingly a must-have for customers. The OpenSesame integration with SumTotal provides over 25,000 high-quality courses to assist enterprises worldwide in developing more analytical and actionable learning. 

About SumTotal

SumTotal goes beyond traditional talent management and HCM applications. We are the only HR software provider to deliver solutions that help organizations discover, develop, and unleash the hidden potential within their workforce and the entire business ecosystem. We offer contextual and pervasive HR solutions that actually help improve employee performance in real-time. Our solutions provide a unique ability to link performance management, compensation, and succession planning processes to learning management systems (LMS) and workforce management data to provide the HR metrics and workforce analytics they need. Visit https://www.sumtotalsystems.com/ for more information.

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OpenSesame, a market-leading SaaS global eLearning innovator, has announced a partnership with YOOBIC, a pioneering digital workplace provider trusted by 300+ global companies, to expand their eLearning offerings and provide frontline organizations with comprehensive, digitally-optimized communication and training.

Designed to give frontline teams seamless access to the performance tools they need to communicate, learn, and work, YOOBIC drives engagement and boosts performance for vital workers in retail, restaurant, fashion, luxury, grocery, beauty, pharmaceutical, and specialized retail. 

The OpenSesame collaboration with YOOBIC provides frontline teams with over 25,000+ courses to help organizations stay on top of vital workforce training topics. OpenSesame is known for its commitment to delivering job-specific training, education, and support around critical areas, including mental health, wellness, diversity, and inclusion.

YOOBIC customers will have direct access to the full range of OpenSesame training resources and access to rich, actionable eLearning and insights across business skills, mental health, workplace safety, wellness, and more.

Like OpenSesame, YOOBIC knows that frontline teams are essential to every company’s success, regardless of the industry. YOOBIC’s all-in-one digital workplace provides Communication, Learning and Development, Operations, and HR teams with the tools they need to drive operational excellence while drastically improving the frontline employee working experience. And now, OpenSesame’s content is at employees’ fingertips, allowing them to get the information and support they need to excel and thrive within today’s most challenging work environments.

“One-third of frontline workers in retail and hospitality do not feel their organization is investing enough in them,” said Fabrice Haiat, CEO at YOOBIC. “Onboarding and training are a crucial part of the frontline employee experience. This is why we think our partnership with OpenSesame brings significant value for our clients, enabling them to deliver superior learning to drive a better employee experience.”

“YOOBIC is the industry’s top provider of digital workplace solutions. This integration will make our digital content with a variety of styles and formats more easily accessible to a wide range of frontline teams across many different industries,” said Josh Blank, OpenSesame President, and Chief Product Officer. There has never been a greater need for skills and education in mental health, wellness, and safety. By partnering with YOOBIC, we’re delivering the flexible, in-workflow training that today’s workers need to succeed.”

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful workforce eLearning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of eLearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame’s learning experts guide global companies every step of the way. From finding the right courses to mapping them to core competencies, syncing them with an LMS to increasing utilization and improving L&D programs. OpenSesame provides the flexibility of multiple purchasing options with simple to use and administer eLearning courses. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 brands. And with over 25,000+ courses, the eLearning platform touches all industries in all markets. The company is defining a new era of engaging a people-first talent force. To learn more, visit www.opensesame.com.

About YOOBIC

YOOBIC is an all-in-one digital workplace for frontline teams. Our mobile app gives business leaders and frontline teams the performance tools they need to communicate, learn, and work – all in one place. With streamlined communications, mobile learning, and digitized task management, YOOBIC drives operational excellence while drastically improving the frontline employee working experience. 300+ companies around the world including Boots, BurgerFi, Lancôme, Lacoste, Logitech, Peloton, Puma, Vans, and Sanofi trust YOOBIC to improve operational consistency and agility, get real-time visibility into multi-location business execution and improve their customer experience. To learn more about YOOBIC visit www.yoobic.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

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“Have you eaten yet?” This is a question we get from our families as a form of greeting whenever we get together. The question is really asking if our health is good and if we are happy because they assume as long as we’ve been eating well, all must be fine. It’s a very special kind of love language. In Asian culture, food is what centers family and builds community.

In our Asian & Pacific Islander ERG at OpenSesame we open a lot of conversations inquiring what the other person ate or is planning to eat. Many of the events we throw tend to be focused on a dish we all love. For example, we’ve hosted dumpling folding classes and an okonomiyaki tutorial for OpenSesame. We’ve shared some of our favorite foods from our heritages below.

Charise Frias | Senior Curation Specialist, Wellness

One of my favorite sweet treats growing up in a Filipino family is Turon. Turon is traditionally a street food snack in the Philippines made of ripe plantain banana and jackfruit wrapped in lumpia (egg roll) wrapper then deep fried with latik (coconut milk). My dad has a big sweet tooth, so he would make it a lot for us when I was a kid. Now, Filipino food is starting to trend in my current city of Portland, Oregon and I’m always thrilled to see Turon included in menus of nearby Filipino pop-ups, carts, and restaurants. It’s the perfect way to give me a small taste of home.

Gavin Tsutsumi | Associate Product Support Engineer

There’s nothing quite like a nice, hot bowl of Japanese curry. Compared to other curries, this particular flavor of curry is typically mild with a touch of sweetness that pairs perfectly with fresh rice, but it is also very adaptable and can be found with tonkatsu and even in udon broth. Japanese curry is a quintessential comfort food, warming you from the inside out, leaving you full and satisfied (and in my case, ready for a nap). This is the sort of dish that reminds me of my grandma’s house, where she’d have a huge pot of curry on the stove and always wanted us to eat just one more bowl.

Ashley Lee | Product Support Team Lead

One of my earliest memories of riding in a car is when my Dad would make me ride with him to pick up Chinese take out. The smell of my favorite dish, chicken chow mein, would be wafting throughout the car and made the ride wonderful yet also miserable because I would be so hungry. Whenever I eat this dish, I think of the car rides home and how happy I was to be in a place that just smelled like crispy noodles covered in deliciousness.

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Amplify Voices As indicated by its title, this media company’s goal is to “amplify diverse points of view, with a focus on underrepresented voices that bridge people together through caring.” The first podcast provider in the OpenSesame catalog, Amplify Voices’ courses focus on leadership, personal development, mental health and wellness, DEI, and more.

Dave McFarland, Director of Content at OpenSesame adds, “With over 100 courses and more added each month, Amplify Voices provides insight into a wide range of topics that help people develop into more compassionate, thoughtful, and inclusive leaders.”

The Dagoba Group is an integrated global Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement consulting practice. They help leaders create inclusive teams by tapping into the knowledge that comes with a diverse workforce – a diverse team who provide unique perspectives and ideas that help transform leadership. Courses from the Dagoba Group include the Inclusion@Work series, which guides participants through a range of DEI-based topics – from the importance of having an inclusive workplace, to understanding unconscious bias, to creating a culture of ownership. 

OpenSesame’s Senior Curator of DEI, Liza Wisner, reflects that, “As the need for DEI training continues to grow, it requires us to think critically about existing workplace structures that promote continuous learning, but may perpetuate inequities. The Dagoba Group’s approach goes beyond DEI training and helps ensure that the structures within the system work for everyone.”

Skilla helps organizations adapt and thrive among increasing change and complexity. With over 20 years of experience across 50 countries, Skilla offers a variety of multimedia courses in several languages. These courses stimulate multiple intelligences in learners and enable them to interact via different learning styles.

Charise Frias, Senior Curation Specialist notes, “As OpenSesame serves more global enterprises, we strive to constantly upgrade our OpenSesame Plus library with engaging content across multiple languages. Skilla allows us to serve a broader audience with their wide language coverage and incredible course quality.”

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of eLearning courses available from OpenSesame.

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The trust and cutting edge course material of OpenSesame is now accessible via LinkedIn Learning Hub, allowing users to directly access OpenSesame content for elearning, upskilling and reskilling.

The LinkedIn Learning Hub integration with learning content providers such as OpenSesame allows customers to discover the right content in one place, easily access skills insights and measure engagement across content sources, and customize the learner experience with curated learning paths.

The LinkedIn Learning Hub integration with OpenSesame enables convenient, time-saving tools for adding new training. This integration provides courses and select metadata directly to LinkedIn Learning Hub—no need for manual downloads and uploads. With a few clicks, OpenSesame courses will be sent directly to LinkedIn Learning Hub where learners can quickly access training.

“LinkedIn Learning Hub’s content integrations are driven by our partner ecosystem and we are excited to launch this integration with OpenSesame,” says Raza Syed, Director, Business Development at LinkedIn. We will continue to work closely with OpenSesame to provide solutions that deliver even more value for both customers and members.”

Raza Syed, Director, Business Development at LinkedIn

LinkedIn Learning Hub draws on data and insights from the world’s largest professional network to uniquely deliver personalized content, community-based learning, and skill development insights to empower employees to develop the right skills any organization needs to succeed in the new world of work.

LinkedIn Learning Hub is more than a traditional Learning Experience Platform (LXP) — it empowers employees to develop the right skills and puts the power of training in the user’s hand.

Contact your customer success manager to get started with this integration or schedule a demo with our team.

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The integration maximizes resources using OpenSesame content via Knowledge Anywhere’s LMS and provides learners with a range of topics and styles of content. Learning and Development teams can quickly and effectively customize training programs with high-quality content that is both useful and engaging for learners—while saving both time and money.

“Knowledge Anywhere and OpenSesame has worked in close partnership for many years together. We’re thrilled that their content and our training platform are now closer than ever with this beautiful and seamless integration, allowing learners to access training easier than ever before.”

Jacqueline Holmes, Marketing Specialist for Knowledge Anywhere

A learning management system is useless without high-quality training content. Manually downloading and uploading courses makes workforce upskilling and reskilling challenging. Integrations are increasingly a must-have for customers. By leveraging leading industry technology, OpenSesame and Knowledge Anywhere can provide a new world of work strategy.

The OpenSesame integration with Knowledge Anywhere provides over 25,000 high-quality courses to assist enterprises worldwide in developing more analytical and actionable learning. Using the integration, L&D admins can easily send OpenSesame content to their Knowledge Anywhere LMS – removing the administrative burden of manually downloading and uploading courses. Additionally, OpenSesame content stays fresh, as retired courses are automatically removed, and course metadata updates are available in the LMS.

About Knowledge Anywhere

Knowledge Anywhere creates and deploys easy-to-use, performance-based elearning tools to make the transfer of knowledge more flexible, effective, and engaging across organizations large and small. Their Learning Management System, Virtual Reality Training, and Course Development services, combined with their experience and customer support, enable users to create a learning and development program that delights learners and drives company growth. Knowledge Anywhere is focused on a customer-centric approach. They strategize and assist organizations by utilizing elearning tools to engage, empower and inspire their workforce. Visit https://www.knowledgeanywhere.com/ for more information.

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When I was asked to share my story for the Asian American Heritage month, I caught a glimpse of myself frozen at a blank paper consumed by the feeling of guilt. As a 1st generation immigrant from Korea, I felt unworthy of writing about the culture that “I had left back home.”

This feeling of guilt—with a generous amount of “identity crisis” mixed in—is something most of us 1st generation immigrants are all too familiar with. There is a fine print in our pursuit of the American Dream. It reads, “Must relinquish your culture in order to fully acclimate to American culture. Possible side effects may include internal turmoil and a constant feeling of self-uncertainty.”

For a long time, I carried this with me. I even legally changed my name to something so simple that no one could ever mispronounce it. In order to “hide” my accent, I stopped speaking Korean completely—for so long now that I have to turn on the English subtitles to watch a Korean movie. To fully integrate with American culture, I thought I had to either erase or change certain parts of myself that made me who I was. In the process, I had lost myself somewhere in between a Korean boy and an American man.

Even through all of this, there was one thing I never gave up about my culture: food. Maybe because food is such a prominent part of Korean culture, or maybe because it has a way of healing one’s soul. Even in the most mind-bending times of identity crisis, a bowl of rice, some kimchi and Doenjang Guk could always remind me of who I was.

Enter the era of Postmates. I was suddenly given the power to summon any type of food with a push of a button. The kitchens of the world at my fingertips. Gradually, I let eating become a daily chore of decision-making. The very thing that kept me grounded and reminded me who I was had now become something I dreaded.

It was not until I joined OpenSesame that I was reminded of the relationship I had with food. One of the most exciting discoveries I made was the vivid celebration of food within the Asian & Pacific Islander ERG. I immediately felt right at home with folks of all Asian backgrounds coming together to, simply, appreciate food. Even further, OpenSesame not only provides space for this, but also celebrates it with us. I believe that this is why many of us feel such a strong sense of community here.

Now as I sit here at the entrance of the Asian Heritage Month, I am once again reminded of who I am and where I come from. No matter how far away I may be, Korean food has always been the compass for my soul to find its way back home. The smell of Gomguk as Omma (“mom” in Korean) dances her way about the kitchen on the first day of winter; the sound of freshly diced green onions mingling with salt and pepper as they burrow into the rich bone broth; the overwhelming sensation of being alive as each sip of warm, savory magic hugs you from the inside. These memories imprinted so viscerally into my core are the true treasure that no American Dream can promise, nor any amount of cultural acclimation can erase.

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Despite best efforts, people and organizations truly have a difficult time prioritizing learning. Employees report that less than an hour of their work week is spent on upskilling, reskilling, training and development. As a result, employee retention is declining. 

While organizations know they need to prioritize education, they struggle to effectively invest in learning and development that is utilized by everyone.

OpenSesame and EdCast have partnered to build a remarkable integration allowing organizations to easily and seamlessly curate content for their learners. 

By aligning OpenSesame with EdCast, organizations can bring OpenSesame’s content library – the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers – into EdCast. By eliminating more barriers, learners are able to engage with learning content more easily.

“We are pleased that OpenSesame is now integrated with EdCast’s Learning Experience Platform to seamlessly bring OpenSesame’s extensive library of learning content into the flow of work. The partnership gives businesses and learners the ability to rapidly connect to relevant content thereby supporting EdCast’s mission to democratize learning and skill building by bringing hyper personalized expert content in the context of work.”

Reena Chawla, Director of Product and Marketing, Spark by EdCast

With new quick launch links coupled with single sign-on (SSO), launching courses is faster and more efficient. For your employees, this results in eliminating friction accessing and engaging with the learning content they seek. And for your team, manual downloads and uploads disappear. Now courses and select metadata are automatically provided to your learning platform creating more time to focus on your strategy.

Together let’s empower your workforce to learn and grow.

The post EdCast + OpenSesame: New Learning Technology Integration Drives Organizational Performance  appeared first on OpenSesame.

A global provider of technology-enabled and personalized learning solutions, Oracle Learning, and OpenSesame, a leading global workforce elearning provider, are joining forces to automate learning workflows beyond AICC.

The direct integrations enable convenient, time-saving tools for adding new workforce training. Courses and select metadata are delivered directly to a partner learning platform—no need for manual downloads and uploads.

In the past, traditional Learning and Development programs were rife with manual processes prone to inefficiency. Courses that are manually curated and delivered lead to poor analytics and employee engagement. The result is ineffective learning and aimless performance, potentially leading to disengagement for both L&D teams and employees.

With the combined power of Oracle Learning + OpenSesame, training utilization across an entire organization is boosted and enhanced. 

• Seamlessly gives team access to relevant learning resources
• Helps organizations and individuals upskill, reskill, and stay future-ready
• Increases employee engagement and training utilization
• Strengthens employee retention and recruitment

Learn more about set-up and activity reporting to drive and promote organization-wide talent advancement. 

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Courses manually curated and administered give rise to inefficient processes and lackluster analytics. Why put employee engagement and performance at risk?

To help you meet your organization’s performance goals, Aura Talent – a competency-based talent management solution by Enovation – and OpenSesame have combined forces to automate your learning workflows with next-level technology that goes beyond SCORM or AICC.

We are delighted to partner with OpenSesame. OpenSesame combined with Aura Talent brings best-in-breed learning content with intelligent curation based on employee skill gaps and career ambitions. We are very excited to see how our customers use OpenSesame to grow their employees’ capability. At a time when companies are concerned with attrition, our partnership is the perfect way to invest in employees, boosting engagement and retention.

–Mark Melia, Chief Product Officer, Enovation

Together let’s power your course setup and reporting capabilities to better drive performance organization-wide.

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In recent years, there’s been a clear shift in focus to promoting wellbeing and diversity in the workplace. And while progress has certainly been made on both fronts, one type of diversity is often forgotten: neurodiversity. Neurodiversity is the idea that our brains function in a wide variety of different ways. Some people identify as neurodivergent; this means that their brain functions in a way that is different than what society typically deems to be ‘normal.’ Some examples of types of neurodivergence include autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Tourette syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder, amongst many others. Differences in functioning, thinking, or communication should never be viewed as negatives. 

Whether you’re aware of it or not, you’re surrounded by neurodiversity at work (and in life) every day. In addition to a lack of knowledge about the many ways our brains can function, many people don’t consider how unsupportive workplaces can have drastic negative impacts on the wellbeing of neurodivergent people. By providing education around the importance of neurodiversity in organisations and best practice suggestions for supporting neurodivergent people, workplaces can ensure their neurodivergent employees are thriving. Everyone deserves to have a happy, healthy and supportive working environment – and the entire team benefits from everyone feeling and working their best. 

When a group of neurodivergent adults were asked what they wished their employers knew about employing neurodivergent people, several responses appeared repeatedly. According to this group, the first step in supporting neurodivergent employees is to learn about small changes that all team members can make that will ensure the workplace environment is accessible and approachable for all. These include simple suggestions such as avoiding unnecessary repetitive or loud noises, minimising smells and asking others how best to communicate information to them. Additionally, it’s important to understand that individuals will have differing needs as far as working environments go. Hot desking, which has become very popular in recent years, can be helpful for those who love to work dynamically and really difficult for those who like consistency. Of course, the best way to learn about someone’s needs and preferences is to respectfully ask them.

The world of employment can be a chaotic and confusing place for neurodivergent people. By increasing knowledge of neurodiversity as well as how to best support neurodivergent employees, the workplace experience can become less stressful and, in turn, more approachable, productive and positive for all. 

To learn more about supporting neurodivergent employees, check out the engaging and informative ServiceSkills series, “Neurodiversity at Work”, available in the OpenSesame catalog and OpenSesame Plus subscription. 

About the Author: 

Samantha Friedman is a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge in the UK. Her research focuses on the use of nature to support wellbeing in autistic people. Samantha holds a BA in Special Education from Elon University and a Masters in Autism from the University of Strathclyde, funded by a Fulbright grant. Samantha writes about and studies topics related to neurodiversity, including reducing stigma and promoting wellbeing. She works with ServiceSkills to produce content about supporting neurodivergent employees.

About ServiceSkills: 

ServiceSkills offers the premier collection of customer service, team building, mentoring and respectful workplace training courses. ServiceSkills’ 300+ courses address the full spectrum of customer service, email etiquette, internal customer service, conflict resolution, mentoring and team building training. Additional topics include diversity, bullying, harassment and ethics. These micro learning courses offer diverse presentation styles ranging from subject matter expert, roundtable discussion, animation, and wrong-way/right-way vignettes.

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Mike Veny, Inc.’s mission is “to support you in receiving the gift of emotional wellness through unique learning experiences designed to empower your personal and professional growth.” The courses focus on mental health in the workplace – from how to start the conversation to tools and resources you can use to manage your own mental wellbeing.

“Mike Veny, Inc. is a training company that upskills the workforce with self-service learning that keeps them engaged, present and supported,” said Spencer Thornton, Senior Vice-President of Curation at OpenSesame. “We are excited for the partnership with Mike Veny learning experiences that offer employers solutions for addressing the daily stresses of work and life by prioritizing mental wellness.” 

Pronto Spanish Services helps businesses bridge the gap in communication with their native Spanish-speaking employees, patients, and clients. Their online courses include language content across 14 different industries – from healthcare, banking, and food services to construction, law enforcement, and more. The goal of these courses is to help employees and customers increase their Spanish and English proficiency and achieve greater understanding, resulting in client and customer trust and satisfaction, as well as improved employee productivity. 

“With more than 18,000 courses, OpenSesame constantly upgrades its OpenSesame Plus library. As we serve more global enterprises, the need for additional global communication courses has grown even more critical” said Thornton. 

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of eLearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post April 2022 OpenSesame Plus Publishers appeared first on OpenSesame.

Part I: Thinking I Was Broken

“Are you Emily’s little sister?” If you grew up attending the same school as your older sibling, you’ve probably been asked similar questions by teachers. My sibling and I got along well, but I always felt a level of competition. If Emily got straight A’s, I needed to as well. In the shadow of an intelligent sibling, I became a high-achieving student too. I loved learning, loved reading, and found school genuinely interesting. I signed up for nearly every advanced and AP class, and as my sibling headed off to an Ivy League college, I thought I just might follow in their footsteps.

But something else was happening at the same time. My brain was breaking – at least, that’s what it felt like. School was getting harder. Procrastination went from an occasional bad habit to my only way of functioning. In high school, I was experiencing crippling anxiety attacks and pervasive bouts of depression.

The problem with my brain felt like a slow paralysis. I would tell myself it was time to study, but the mental processes that used to involuntarily click into gear – feet carrying me over to my desk, hand reaching for a pencil – became less and less responsive. Eventually, I’d have to trick myself. One Sour Patch Kid per page of the textbook. Study for five minutes, and then you can have a YouTube break. Pretend there’s a timer counting down, and if you don’t unload the dishwasher before time runs out, a bomb will go off. 

Sometimes the tricks weren’t enough. The only trick that never failed was urgency. Headlights flashing through the front window meant my parents were home. I quickly learned exactly how fast I could work when properly motivated. Did you know that a dishwasher can be loaded in under 40 seconds flat? Just ask an anxious neurodiverse high-achiever. 

If you or a loved one has ADHD, you’ve probably figured out by this point that that’s what I have. The tricks I’m describing are actually pretty standard ways of overcoming a phenomenon known informally as “ADHD paralysis.” Unfortunately, I wouldn’t figure it out for years. Doctors and counselors only noticed my anxiety and depression. It’s hard to blame them – for years, ADHD was thought of as a problem for boys more than girls. ​​Hyperactivity is the easiest symptom to spot, and I was a quiet, anxious, polite kid. All I knew was that the competent image I presented to the world was starkly different from the unknowable chaos swirling inside of me.

Part II: Thinking I Was Superhuman

In college, my issues with focus and motivation worsened and my mental health challenges continued. But another dimension of my neurodiversity began to take shape. 

Her name was ÜberMissy.

Yeah – I named her. That’s because she didn’t feel like the same person as me. She was this distinct, separate entity. I couldn’t call her at will; she came when she wanted to. Like a superhero changing in a phone booth, she would swoop in at the last minute and save the day. ÜberMissy could write papers at lightning speeds, memorize flashcards for a test, and complete a week’s worth of classwork in one night. She didn’t need sleep or food. She was fueled by unsweetened black tea and the delicious certainty of a concrete deadline. She carried me through years of procrastination, academic imposter syndrome, and an all-or-nothing work ethic. 

We all have systems we use to be productive, but some systems are better than others. My system involved constant anxiety, never getting enough sleep, and always worrying that someone would uncover the mental chaos behind my polished exterior. It required constant “masking” – a term used by the neurodiversity community to mean “pretending to be neurotypical.” 

Part III – Community and Complexity

In 2020, I returned to therapy, hoping to figure out a better system. Instead, I got an ADHD diagnosis. Around the same time, a neurodiversity group began to form at OpenSesame. Not only did I suddenly have a name for my half-broken-half-superhuman brain, I now had a community of people with similar challenges. Joining the Neurodiversity ERG at OpenSesame while researching my own diagnosis meant I had an influx of new strategies to try out. But most importantly, it meant I could finally start the process of setting down the shame associated with hiding. Talking about my struggles in a space where people understood them made it easier for me to accept them.

I began to embrace the value of the word “and” in conversations about ADHD and neurodiversity. It’s not strictly a good thing or a bad thing. It’s a disorder and a strength. A disability and a valuable asset. The thing I experienced as being broken is known as executive dysfunction. It does mean that something in my brain doesn’t work in the typical way, and it requires a lot of work and creativity to complete tasks that might be incredibly easy for an average person. The part I experienced as a superpower is known as hyperfocus, and it really can be a secret weapon – but learning how to harness it correctly is going to take a long time.

Being neurodiverse has taught me that things aren’t as black-and-white as I once thought. And these valuable complexities are part of the diversity any team needs to be successful.

The post More Than Broken: A Neurodiverse Journey | Missy LeDoux appeared first on OpenSesame.

Learn from leaders at Lumofy how a strong learning culture and a feeling of inclusion through personalized learning paths can drive employee retention. 

Getting Clear on DEI

In order to build an organization based on diversity, equity and inclusion, organizations need to be clear on what it means. 

Diversity is the collective of different experiences that people bring to workplace culture. This includes not only race, gender, age, etc., but also personality characteristics such as introvert vs. extrovert, working styles, and more.

Inclusion means how we value people with their diversity – making sure they feel welcome and creating a culture of belonging where everyone can thrive.

Equity tends to be confused with equality. Equality means giving people the same tools and same rights – treating everyone the same, regardless of differences. Equity, on the other hand,  means considering each person’s unique characteristics and needs, and giving them personalized tools and resources based on these differences.

Once organizations are clear on the definition of DEI, they can begin incorporating it into their learning strategies.

How to Incorporate DEI into the Workplace Learning Culture

A common strategy regarding DEI is for organizations to start creating programs and strategies based on what they think they know about diversity, equity and inclusion. But unfortunately, this doesn’t always work out as intended. In fact, billions of dollars are spent on ineffective DEI-based programs. 

3 Common DEI Derailers 

Here are three common reasons why organizations fail to see results from their DEI efforts. 

DEI derailer #1: Creating initiatives based on assumptions

As previously mentioned, if organizations create DEI initiatives based on common assumptions of what DEI means, or what they think they understand about DEI, their efforts will fall short. 

DEI derailer #2: Focusing on standalone programs

It’s great to create programs based on diversity, but they shouldn’t be created just for the sake of checking a box – they need to be tied to corporate initiatives. 

Let’s take ERGs (employee resource groups) as an example. Many companies have various ERGs – popular ones include resource groups for the LGBTQ community, Black employees, and women. These groups provide a safe space where like folks can discuss issues specific to their identities and feel that sense of belonging needed to thrive at work. 

However, leadership should also work with these groups to move the needle forward with business goals: What recruitment practices can we put in place to attract members of the LGBTQ community? How can the organization be more inclusive of Black employees? What percentage of women in leadership do we currently have, and where does it need to be? These are the types of questions organizations should consider.

To be effective, DEI initiatives need to align with business objectives. 

DEI Derailer #3: Focusing on Behaviors

Focusing on changing behaviors isn’t enough for a strong DEI culture. Companies must incorporate a structural component to DEI initiatives that’s embedded across the organization.

The Impact of Solid DEI Initiatives and the Importance of Learning Cultures

On the positive side, organizations who effectively implement DEI into their cultures see strong benefits. Well-devised DEI initiatives maximize performance of individuals, teams, and the entire company. 

The organization is more likely to: 

• Capture new markets 

• See products become ideas

• Outperform on profitability

• Receive higher innovation revenue

In addition, diverse and inclusive teams make better decisions 87% of the time, and see the same percentage of effectiveness on the company’s business performance.

We see the same benefits from companies with strong learning cultures. Employees who work where there’s a strong workplace learning culture report being:

• More productive

• More likely to innovate

• More likely to stay at the company

• Part of a culture of belonging

Providing learning opportunities is part of an organization’s core DNA – and these opportunities should be essential, meaningful, and accessible…which is where DEI comes in.

Incorporate DEI Using the Four Core Methodology: Map, Assess, Learn, Measure

To incorporate DEI into learning culture and align both to strategic business objectives, Lumofy developed the Four Core Methodology outlined below. 

MAP

• Strategy: Map job competencies to the organization’s objectives and job requirements. 

• DEI element: Help organizations determine which DEI initiatives to prioritize and how to implement them. 

ASSESS

• Strategy: Assess the talent within your organization to determine strengths and gaps, and who fits best in which roles. Use psychometric analysis to determine learners’ aptitudes.

• DEI element: Determine where to focus your efforts to make the biggest impact on DEI initiatives. 

LEARN

• Strategy: Create customized, targeted learning paths based on assessments.

• DEI element: Develop inclusive people with an inclusive mindset. Be a role model and inspire others.

MEASURE

• Strategy: Measure progress and build an organization with potential to innovate. Provide targeted feedback in the form of coaching, webinars, and live sessions.

• DEI element: Leverage diversity within teams to achieve performance outcomes.

Using this methodology can help your employees to be more effective, help you attract the best talent, and build an inclusive and engaging culture where DEI is part of your core DNA. 

For a deeper dive into leveraging DEI for workplace learning, download the Lumofy webinar.

To learn more about incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion into your workplace, check out our DEI-based courses, or book a demo. 

Source

https://www.kornferry.com/insights/featured-topics/diversity-equity-inclusion/guide-to-dei-in-the-workplace/download-pdf

The post 3 DEI Derailers During the Great Resignation appeared first on OpenSesame.

Though the methodology of how people learn best remains the same over time, trends in learning techniques change based on the current cultural, social, and economic environment. 

So, just what are the current hottest trends in workplace learning?

We asked L&D expert Donald Taylor – Chairman of the Learning Technologies Conference and researcher and writer in workplace learning and performance technologies – to break it down for us. So, just what are the current hottest trends in workplace learning?

In the Global Sentiment Survey, we asked the global HR and L&D community – “What will be hot in workplace learning in 2022?” from the list of 15 options above, and they delivered! Here are the results.

Digital Learning Trends of 2022

For 2022, the top three workplace learning trends include reskilling/upskilling, collaborative or social learning, and personalization/adaptive delivery. Let’s examine each of these more closely. 

Learning Trend #1: Reskilling/Upskilling

The #1 learning trend for 2022 is reskilling and upskilling – in the same position as 2021, but not as “hot” – in other words, not as many people voted for this as they did the year before (down by 0.5%).  

Reskilling involves learning new skills to do a different job, or training employees to do a different job, while upskilling means learning additional skills to advance one’s skill set, close talent gaps, or move further along an employee’s career path. 

Learning Trend #2: Collaborative or Social Learning

Collaborative or social learning comes in at the #2 learning trend for this year (up by 0.2%). Just like it sounds, collaborative learning involves people working together to solve problems, learn new ideas and concepts, or complete specific tasks. Learning collaboratively means people can draw on each other’s skills and resources to reach outcomes. 

Learning Trend #3: Personalization/Adaptive Delivery 

The #3 learning trend for the year – personalized learning/adaptive delivery – involves customizing the training and delivery methods to the needs of the learner. It means tailoring the content and platforms to each person’s unique skills, abilities, and interests. 

Pushing content via adaptive delivery means moving away from the traditional, one-size-fits-all approach and instead creating pathways and feedback specific to each individual.

 The L&D Global Sentiment Survey takes the pulse of the L&D community worldwide, annually. The one-minute online poll asks L&D professionals internationally what they think will be hot in the following year. Each person votes for 3 of 15 options, presented in random order. These answers provide a fascinating look at trends in what people in L&D are thinking. Published each year in February and in its ninth year, the survey attracts responses from thousands of respondents in over 100 countries.

The One Pitfall to Avoid

For the first time this year, respondents could reply in free text to an optional question ‘What is your biggest L&D challenge in 2022?’  

Three categories accounted for almost half of the comments: learner engagement (17%), going hybrid (15%) and proving value to stakeholders (15%). These results show the impact of the last two years of pandemic. COVID-19 forced many to work online, and it reduced budgets and resources for L&D. 

Those in workplace L&D will turn to reskilling, upskilling, personalization and particularly on coaching and mentoring to avoid these challenges. Focusing on helping individuals build their skills for the future will certainly help with the issue of engagement. 

Regional Differences in Learning Trends

As you can see in the graph below, there are some key regional differences in how L&D professionals from around the world responded to what’s hot in learning. Although the results are subjective, we can do our best to interpret the data based on cultural and geographic information from each region. 

Key Observations

• In regions that favor individualism or have a strong culture of the self (such as North America and, to an extent, Europe) personalization and adaptive delivery is more valued. 

• In regions that favor a collective cultural mentality, such as South America and Africa, collaborative learning is valued over personalization.

• All regions value both social learning and personalization – perhaps indicating the intersection of technology with the need for human connection via learning. 

The Pandemic’s Affect on Learning Trends

COVID-19 has definitely had an impact on learning trends. 

A Google trends search for rescaling and upskilling shows that it became more popular in the latter part of 2019. The initial conversation around these topics was all about automation and AI – people needed new jobs for a new future of work. 

Then COVID hit, and companies were forced to adapt to virtual environments with new skills required to perform – or to new jobs altogether. Then, they were called back into the office and asked to learn new skills or perform different roles. Now, the current workplace environment is a mixture of the past and present – automation/AI and learning new skills – thus the need for both reskilling and upskilling.

In addition, the promotion of collaborative learning to the #2 spot could indicate that people are craving social interaction and human connection more than ever before. 

It should also be noted that collaborative learning (up 0.2%) and coaching and mentoring (up 0.6%) were the only options to rise last year. In fact, Donald predicts coaching and mentoring to rally for the next year at least (70% confidence). Backed by technology, it’s time has come. 

Finally, COVID required us to adapt to new solutions and environments, but now we have to decide whether to adopt these solutions moving forward. 

All of these factors likely played a role in determining the positions of learning trends on the survey.

As we move further into the second decade of the 21st century post-pandemic, it will be interesting to see if these learning trends remain the same or if others take their place.

For a deeper dive into the content within this article, access the webinar or download the 2022 Global Sentiment Survey Report

Do you have a need to reskill or upskill employees in your organization? Check out our catalog of curated courses or book a demo to learn how you can customize courses for your needs. 

The post 3 Key L&D Trends of 2022 and the 1 Pitfall to Avoid  appeared first on OpenSesame.

To reduce the risk of a cyberattack, organizations must confront the fact that humans are their biggest risk. With limited memories and susceptibility to emotional pressure, employees are prone to making mistakes that make companies vulnerable. The best way to protect your organization from cyberattacks is to train your employees regularly, so they have the relevant knowledge and skills to remember what to do if confronted with a potential attack.

Increasing costs of cyberattacks 

Cyberattacks are everywhere. The IBM/Ponemon Institute’s 2021 Cost of a Data Breach Report calculated the average data breach costs in 2021 to be $4.24 million, a 10% rise from 2020 findings. Moreover, costs were even higher when remote working was a factor in causing the breach, increasing to $4.96 million. The United States was the top country for average total cost of a data breach for the 11th year in a row. 

Business email compromise (BEC) was responsible for only 4% of breaches but had the highest average total cost of the 10 initial attack vectors in the 2021 study, at $5.01 million. The second costliest was phishing ($4.65 million), followed by malicious insiders ($4.61 million), social engineering ($4.47 million), and compromised credentials ($4.37 million). All of these statistics could be decreased with proper security awareness and anti-phishing training. 

What is security awareness training?

Security awareness training (SAT) is an indisputable need for any company with employees and an online presence. SAT programs play a significant role in creating a security culture by teaching all aspects of cybersecurity and regulatory compliance procedures that are crucial to protecting organizational computers and other devices, systems and data. Leading courses present best practices in an engaging and memorable way, so learners understand the methods and are motivated to carry them out daily. A comprehensive program should cover the following topics, including the whys and hows of:

• Basic security hygiene, including IT policies
• Remote workspace and home office security
• Business email compromise
• Mobile device security
• Cybersecurity while in public (proper use of VPN)
• Data privacy, classification, handling and protection
• Spotting and thwarting malware
• Passwords protection
• Social engineering scams
• Online security

Numerous laws and industry regulations require security awareness training to ensure that employees have been taught basic security practices that protect organizational data. For example, HIPAA and the Gramm Leach Bliley Act (GLBA) both have security awareness training requirements, as do PCI DSS and ISO/IEC 27002. In addition, employees of the federal government and many state governments are also required to take annual SAT.

What is anti-phishing training?

Anti-phishing training is another essential cybersecurity topic for employees. Phishing attacks have increased exponentially over the last decade and now can be quite sophisticated and difficult to detect. Targeted messages, known as spear phishing and business email compromise, deliberately use tactics that evade anti-phishing software filters and often come from hijacked legitimate business email accounts. They are commonly used for information gathering, and people share confidential details because there are so few indicators that the messages are illegitimate. 

While security awareness training usually touches on the risks of social engineering scams, the volume of learning material and practice opportunities in an SAT course focuses on protecting hardware, networks and data. In contrast, anti-phishing training is laser-focused on explaining the many common types of phishing messages, how to spot them and the actions to take to fend off their tricks and scams. This targeted attention is quite useful considering BEC scams caused the highest financial losses of all scams, as reported in the 2021 Cost of a Data Breach Report. 

Fortunately, research indicates that training employees to recognize and report phishing messages is an effective mitigation strategy, especially when repeated at regular intervals to keep it top of mind for all employees. 

Combining security awareness training and anti-phishing training

As we mentioned earlier, employee error is the most common cause of data breaches. People without IT expertise often don’t recognize threats when they occur, nor do they have a good understanding of the daily actions that leave a company vulnerable to an attack. Almost every list of data breach protections includes regular employee training – because it works. 

When considering security awareness training and anti-phishing training, recognize that it is not an either/or decision. Both types of courses are proven means of changing risky employee IT behaviors that can lead to security compromises. 

Use security awareness training to educate your staff about common dangers like unsecured networks and password reuse, while also demonstrating secure behaviors like using multi-factor authentication, regularly backing up data and avoiding printing sensitive data – especially when working from home. 

Meanwhile, anti-phishing training is decisive for focusing users on the various types of phishing messages and their risks (fraudulent links, malware, credential harvesting, etc.) and providing targeted practice in identifying these messages among the volumes of daily emails they regularly filter. 

All brains have an element of plasticity to them that allows us to learn by creating new neural pathways. As we age, our brains become less plastic, sometimes causing adult learners to require additional review to maintain new knowledge. Alternating courses so that employees receive training – ideally, in different formats – every few months is a practical means of addressing this fact of life while also reinforcing your organizational security culture and improving your company’s security posture.

For more information on Security Awareness Training and Anti-Phishing Training, check out available courses from Global Learning Systems in the OpenSesame course catalog.

Suzanne Gorman, CISSP, CRISC, is Vice President – Information Security and Risk Management Evangelist at Global Learning Systems, a leader in security awareness training and OpenSesame partner. 

Watch OpenSesame’s on-demand webinar with Susan Gorman to hear more from the cybersecurity expert

The post Winning Combo: Security Awareness Training & Anti-Phishing Training appeared first on OpenSesame.

Where It All Began

Like many children, I had a lot of questions about the world. I was fortunate to have a family who humored this interest of mine. 

At this time in my life, my family would often make trips to my grandparent’s cabin on the Washington coast. As we drove down highway 101 to Bay Center, my curiosity kicked into high gear. I inquired about everything I could see out the car window. (See Appendix: Photos)

What type of trees are those? Are they like the ones back home? What kind of cow is that? Do you think they also have goats on their farm? With each question asked, my mother would have an answer. 

Then on one of these trips I had a question that at the time seemed harmless, but turned into much more than just a question. Pointing out the car window at a sign, I asked my mother “what does that blue sign mean?”. My mother, being my mother, told me the truth; it was a Tsunami Hazard Zone sign. 

The line of questioning about tsunamis didn’t end for quite some time. I wanted to know everything I could about tsunamis. In particular, I was very interested in how to survive a tsunami.

Even though my family lived hundreds of miles away from the ocean – on the other side of the Cascade mountain range – my fear of tsunamis continued to grow once we got home. Eventually it became evident to my mother that not only was I a curious child, but one with anxiety as well.

Within a few weeks time, I was on a regular schedule seeing a therapist for my long list of “worries”. From my memory, this is the point in which I began my journey as a person who is neurodivergent.

Neurodivergent

What does it mean to be neurodivergent? Neurodivergence “describes someone who processes information in a different way” (Marc S. Lener, MD). A person who is neurodivergent often refers to person who experiences:

• Autism spectrum disorder
• ADHD
• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia
• Tourette’s syndrome
• Synesthesia
• Chronic mental health illnesses
• Other learning disabilities

Over the years of working with a therapist it became clear that I not only had anxiety, but also lived with other internal challenges. This includes depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 

Having a diagnosis that identifies you as different from the typical person can have the connotation that there may be something wrong with you. Being diagnosed as neurodivergent can be tough and can come with doubt of your ability. 

While the way I process the world has created challenges for myself, it has also been an opportunity to learn and grow. It would be remiss of me if I did not acknowledge that this opportunity has been a result of the people I have in my life, especially those I get to work with.

Lessons

At OpenSesame, I get to work with many amazing neurodivergent people and am supported every day by our Neurodiversity Employee Resource Group. 

According to ADHD Aware, “between 30% and 40% of the population are thought to be neurodiverse”. This means it is more than likely that you are or you work with someone who can identify as neurodivergent. 

As a neurodivergent person, there are a few lessons I have learned about how organizations can support neurodiverse people. These lessons include:

Encourage your employees to connect

As an employee, you should be reminded that you are not alone in this journey. There are many people in this world who also face similar challenges to you. 

Every person should feel comfortable in their workplace with who they are, even with a diagnosis of being different. To feel comfortable, it requires an environment where employees feel safe to express who they are inside and out. This is easier said than done, but it is possible to cultivate.

Organizations can bridge the gap through cultural initiatives. For example you can establish employee resource groups, conduct workshops, train people managers on how to best support neurodivergent persons, and start the conversation around mental health and neurodiversity. By normalizing neurodiversity, employees will feel more supported and capable in their roles. 

Facilitate learning new skill sets

Living with ADHD, depression, and anxiety has been a wild combination. I have to proactively remind myself that the thoughts of “I am not good enough” or “I could just be better if I was normal” are all wrong. Recognizing that my internal dialog can lie to me is a skill I have learned over time.

From access to mental health resources to courses on handling stress, there are endless possibilities for organizations to support their employees in learning skills to navigate being neurodivergent.

A benefit of working at OpenSesame is that I get access to various thought leaders. One such person is Wellness expert, Mike Veny. In his TEDxNormal presentation, he says that “if you choose to see mental illness as an asset, you open up a great opportunity to find happiness, more success, and serve the people in your life more effectively”. We can all agree that every organization desires each of these opportunities to become a reality. We can accomplish this by giving employees tools to overcome challenges and find their own success. For example, sharing ways to reframe one’s perceived weaknesses as strengths. 

Fill yourself and others up

Balance is key to everyone’s success. You can’t do great work if you aren’t in a good place. 

Just like being physically ill, facing the challenges of being neurodivergent can drain you as a person. That is why it is important to find ways to fill yourself up and recharge. 

Recharging can be different for everyone. It could mean just a simple break in the day to get fresh air or taking time off to do something that you love. What matters most is figuring out what helps you recharge and do it enough to be your best self in and out of work. 

I will be the first to admit that I am not always the best at taking time to recharge myself. However, when I do so I am reminded I can keep on going and there are many aspects of life to continue to look forward to.

As organizations we should celebrate when someone takes time for themselves. This is because it allows us to have the energy to do our best work in our best head space.

At the same time it is also important to fill others up in the process. When was the last time someone told you how much they appreciate you or that you are doing a good job? If you can’t recall the last time you heard something like that, there is a problem!

It is easy in the workplace to be transactional and forget to thank others for their work. However a moment of appreciation may help change the course for someone else who is having a terrible day.

Conclusion

To this day, I am still terrified of Tsunamis. But I have learned ways to navigate this aspect of who I am.

There have been many times in my life where I have wished I was not neurodivergent due to all the challenges that come with it. But in hindsight, being neurodivergent has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me.

I hope these lessons will help you and your organization find ways to embrace being neurodivergent. While we may process the world a little differently, we add a little bit of spice to life.

The post Lessons from a Neurodivergent | Peter Collier appeared first on OpenSesame.

I sit comfortably in my room on my MacBook Pro, proceeding to write what it means to me to be a woman of color in Marketing for a West-Coast based Tech company. As I reflect on the opportunities given to me, I can only think of my parents. They sacrificed an insurmountable amount for me to live this American dream. 

My dad spent 16 hours a day studying, without the help of Apple laptops and reliable electricity. This was all so he could earn acceptance into the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee to become an electrical engineer—an institution known to have a more fiercely competitive acceptance rate than that of MIT. It was one choice in a narrow pool of options (e.g. medicine) in India that allowed anyone to dream of settling in America.

Due to various constraints associated with the fact that she was a young woman in India, my mother did not have the opportunity to fulfill her dream to become a doctor. So instead, she spent countless hours tutoring me and instilling the value of hardwork and excellence within. All in hopes that when I grew up, I could limitlessly follow my passions, dreams, and the pursuit of financial independence. 

My parents left their entire families behind and came to a country they knew nothing about to actualize a legacy for their children. After years of my dad’s hard work, my family was finally granted a pathway to American citizenship. Through it all, they ensured that I was given the exposure and education to be anything I wanted to be. But above all else, they encouraged me to follow my passions and guided me accordingly, regardless of my gender. 

Today, both my parents have become successful business people through their perseverance and through their pursuit of the American dream. This has given me a strong blueprint as I’ve ventured out into the business world myself. My path hasn’t been linear and I’ve often found myself lost when it comes to career goals, passions, and ambitions. Yet, through some alchemy and through my parents’ survivor spirit within me, I ultimately landed in the field of my dreams – marketing. 

I’m grateful for my first manager, who took a chance on me with no marketing experience. He simply recognized and appreciated raw talent. I’m furthermore grateful to OpenSesame for the continued recognition and the space to feel celebrated and to develop my craft. Today, I work not only as an artist for myself, but also to venerate my parents and their struggles. Now, I represent Indian women in the marketing and tech worlds. Here’s to breaking barriers against all odds. 

The post Living The American Dream Through Tech Marketing  appeared first on OpenSesame.

People are finding it challenging to discover and prioritize learning.

People are finding it harder to identify and prioritize learning, and employee retention is decreasing as organizations struggle to invest in their employees’ learning and development. Despite the importance put on education, employees report that less than an hour of their work week is spent on training and development.

Viva Learning and OpenSesame are working together to tackle this issue.

By integrating OpenSesame with Viva Learning, organizations can bring OpenSesame’s content library – the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers – into the flow of work throughout Microsoft Teams and Microsoft 365. This eliminates barriers to accessing and engaging with learning content, and leverages Microsoft Teams collaboration features to make learning social – essential for people reaching their potential and for organizations achieving their goals.

“We are pleased that OpenSesame is now integrated with Microsoft Viva Learning to bring OpenSesame’s extensive library of learning content into the flow of work. The partnership helps eliminate barriers to employee growth and development, supporting Microsoft’s mission to help people and organizations achieve more.”

• Seth Patton, General Manager, Microsoft 365 Next Gen Productivity & Employee Experience

With new quick launch links coupled with single sign-on (SSO), launching courses is faster and more efficient. For your employees, this results in eliminating friction accessing and engaging with the learning content they seek. And for your team, manual downloads and uploads disappear. Now courses and select metadata are automatically provided to your learning platform creating more time to focus on your strategy.

Together let’s fuel the power your workforce needs to learn and grow.

The post Microsoft Viva Digital Integration appeared first on OpenSesame.

Each of these publishers offers engaging and impactful training. The topics covered address some of the biggest challenges global organizations are facing today. Be sure to take advantage of their quality content.

Shatterproof A national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the United States, Shatterproof’s Addiction Education series is an online learning tool for general addiction education. Anonymous, self-paced, and mobile enabled, it offers short lessons that can transform lives. Participants learn the risk factors for addiction, how to protect themselves and those they care about, and how to identify the signs of addiction and help those in need.

Lou Adler’s Performance-based Hiring provides a blueprint for sourcing, interviewing, hiring, and retaining top talent. This unique, six-step process is aimed at finding talent that has a demonstrated ability to perform the job you are hiring for. Unlike traditional approaches to hiring, which seek to match a set of skills to a person, Performance-based Hiring starts by defining the real work involved, not skills or experiences. This real work includes the challenges and critical deliverables expected of a top performer. 

Lumofy is an emerging leader in accelerating capability building initiatives in organizations. With +1700 bilingual (Arabic\English) learning items on core, cross-functional, and functional competencies aimed to implement the right interventions and build needed skills in learners. Lumofy’s unique competency-based learning offers organizations relevant, gamified and bite-sized learning items to develop and assess employees’ capabilities and minimize skills gap in organizations to grow together.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of eLearning courses available from OpenSesame.

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What does Women’s History Month mean to you? How do you recognize it?

Women’s History Month gives me an opportunity to pause and reflect on the accomplishments of so many women before me who have had to fight so hard for rights and respect. As frustrating as the persistent gender-based pay and opportunity gaps are today, things have come so far because of the hard work of women before me.

I wish we didn’t need a Women’s History Month, but it’s a good reminder to all of us that history and much of western society today are based on male-normed structures.

I participate in a number of women’s leadership events throughout Women’s History Month each year. This gives me the opportunity to engage with other leaders, as well as to share my story with as much authenticity and vulnerability as I can. I feel that senior women leaders like me have an opportunity and a responsibility to use our voices, share our stories, and open the doors for others.

This month is also an opportunity to take in the celebrations of women’s successes in business, education, science, and the arts. It allows us to intentionally have this celebration and acknowledge these contributions.

What successes and challenges have you faced as a woman and business owner?

This is such a hard question to answer! It’s all mixed in together.

I have to say that growing up and throughout high school and university, I didn’t feel like I bumped up against gender bias regularly. So it was interesting when I started my own business that I was not fully taken seriously. Many of the slights came in small ways that don’t seem significant on their own, but added up to a pattern over time. 

The family member who considered my business a short-term curiosity that would look good on my resume. The bank that didn’t reach out to me with business banking services, despite setting up a business account with them. The dozens of people along the way who have assumed that the business was founded by my husband. 

It was going to a business accelerator conference and seeing panel discussions full of white men talking about what it takes to be successful – with none of them addressing their privilege as part of their success. All these messages say, “You don’t belong here. We don’t expect you to do this. This isn’t what women do.”

At the same time, I’ve had such amazing support from leaders – both male and female – along the way who believed in me and what our team was doing. 

I’ve had the opportunity to work with mentors and be a mentor to others. I’ve seen the community of support that inclusive leaders can create and the innovation and creativity that can come from that. One of the things I love about my work so much is the opportunity to meet people, hear their story, and help them believe they can reach their goals.

I’ve also had the opportunity to coach girls’ ice hockey. I love seeing them explore their strength, their physical toughness, and their competitive edge, and watch them balance those with their support and friendship for each other.

And I facilitate courses in eCornell’s executive leadership program. That is such a gift to have the opportunity to work with women at a critical period in their careers as they advance into senior leadership positions.

What has surprised you along the course of your career?

The power of community and building a network is something that was not covered much in my university experience, yet it’s been so important in my career. 

Often girls and women are told to put our heads down and work hard in order to get ahead. But there’s a point at which simply working hard is not enough. That’s where the network that you create can be so powerful.

Years ago, a business owner friend of mine and I were lamenting the lack of a women’s leadership experience in which we could explore and reflect on a number of societal changes that we were seeing. We decided to create for ourselves the learning and networking experience that we were seeking. 

Over the next three months, we pulled together a dozen women from a variety of industries, walks of life, and career stages. We created topics, generated discussions, and held space for the group to discuss and learn together. Nearly a decade later, I still have connections to many of the women in that group, and it’s been so amazing to see their careers flourish! We draw on each other and give back to the network when we can.

Despite advances, men still dominate CEO and other leadership roles in business. What advancement have you seen for women in leadership? Where do we still need to improve, and how do we get there? 

While the number of women in the upper levels of leadership has grown, it’s still far less than 50%. What’s more, often women in senior leadership positions are in support functions, not the line functions that have the true decision making and budget power in most organizations.

What cannot be missed in any discussion of women in leadership is the intersection of gender race, age, LGBTQ status, ethnicity, and disability. When considering these dimensions of our identities, the fullness of women’s experience is not being realized.

As organizations grapple with a demand for talent, the ones who can tap into the intellect and expertise of the widest variety of humanity will succeed.

EleventureⓇ by TorranceLearning offers elearning courses that focus on racial equity and diversity in the workplace. How do these courses (and the work you do in general) help empower women and other underrepresented populations?

Our goal with our diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging courses within the Eleventure® series has always been to give people very practical tools in order to work with each other in collaborative and professional supportive ways every day. It’s one thing to have the best intentions in mind when interacting with others; it’s another to have the tools at your disposal to actually do so.

For example, while we may define microaggressions and discuss why they can be so harmful, we also offer strategies for preventing them and dealing with them in the moment they occur.

I’m a firm believer that to make advances in our equitable treatment of each other at work, we need to not only provide skills to women and other underrepresented populations, but we must also provide skills for the historically centered populations so that they can make the types of changes that build a more inclusive workplace.

A diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce has been shown to improve innovation, productivity, and wellbeing. To learn more about how you can incorporate DEI courses into your organization, book a demo.

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Senior Learning & Development Advisor

Las Vegas, NV

Pronouns: he/him

The expertise and coaching offered by Matt Bradley, Senior Learning and Development Advisor, is an invaluable resource for all OpenSesame customers. Matt identifies the most in-demand skills and training programs, leading global teams to sustainable L&D outcomes. He increases the value of existing learning programs and strengthens individuals while viewing every customer interaction as a learning opportunity. ”I’ve never been in that exact conversation before,” Matt said. “Understanding their situation helps me understand and help another company down the line.” What future trends does Matt see coming for L&D? “Employees don’t want to be treated like robots …. we will need more learning that addresses the human condition and what’s going on in the world,” Matt said. “The difference between telling your employee you care and showing them you care is huge. L&D plays a role in it by backing up what leadership is saying.”

Describe your role. 

Technology and entire industries are rapidly changing, and I help organizations adapt by reimagining a growth learning culture. I help OpenSesame customers identify the ideal training program or the next steps in their existing training program. I clarify what knowledge they’ll need to get there. Wherever they are in the process, I advise where there’s room for improvement or how to start from scratch. While I’m always available to talk to customers about their immediate needs, my real goal is to take the time to understand what they are trying to accomplish.

How does your expertise in Learning & Development help your customers? 

I’m always looking at everything from your users’ point of view. I encourage customers to ask questions, get feedback, make changes and flow with the data you’re getting from your learners to make sure it aligns with what they want. Also, when you build an L&D program, the people using it should have a hand in its design. One of the keys to making an employee feel welcome and valued is to ensure they can use their voice without repercussions. Every company should strive to empower employees without the need to hide behind confidentiality. Also, being able to help learners understand the “why” of what we’re going to accomplish, not just “what” we’re going to accomplish. Sometimes I hear people say, “we have to accomplish XYZ” but they’re not looking at the learner. 

How did you get into the field you’re in? 

My degree is in Behavioral Psychology, and I’ve always been passionate about adult learning. I started training as an Applied Behavior Analyst working with children and teens on the autism spectrum. Before working at OpenSesame, I worked for three years in customer support, onboarding and training. Now, with over seven years of employee training experience, my track record includes successful outcomes using revolutionary training and materials. I have consulted, advised, and coached in OpenSesame’s field service and sales through a new economic era, work-from-home onboarding, COVID-19, and social injustice. 

What has been the best part of working in your role? 

Having conversations where learning goes both ways is the best. I love knowledge and understanding exactly what any given L&D professional is going through. I’ve never been in that exact conversation before. Understanding their situation helps me understand and help another company down the line. If we’re not doing some kind of learning on both ends of the conversations we’re having, we’re doing something wrong. Everyone has something to learn from someone else. Also, OpenSesame’s leadership understands that we’re human beings and not just revenue generators behind a screen. Our senior team makes sure we know we’re all here for the same goal, and they tie it directly into what people do each day. 

How do you balance the needs of a customer’s organization and goals with the needs of an individual? 

You have to have a good level of empathy if you’re going to build something someone else will use. Part of the reason we’re currently seeing an issue with retention is that organizations aren’t providing clear avenues for growth. Transferable skills are key. The growth aspect is crucial in retaining employees. Most companies will say there are plenty of opportunities for you to grow – “here and here” – but we need to say, “here’s exactly what that looks like and a roadmap for how you’re going to get there. These are the skills you need to grow. Talk about the destination and the journey. 

What trends do you see in L&D over the next five years? 

I predict a transition away from the traditional focus of learning. A good example is a shift away from soft skills. A lot of customer feedback tells us we need to focus and address what’s going on in the real world. L&D has been a little hesitant to get into that. Mental well-being and psychological safety need to be priorities now; helping employees adjust to the new working world. We’re looking more at ergonomics, mental breaks, and meditation. Employees don’t want to be treated like robots. We will need more learning that addresses the human condition and what’s going on in the world. The difference between telling your employee you care and showing them you care is huge. L&D plays a role in it by backing up what leadership is saying.

How do you identify the in-demand skills? 

A lot of what I tend to focus on are the skills that transcend across industries. I look at everything from a design thinking approach and the learner population. I also help customers use data, but the best data we get is feedback from the learners and stakeholders. Asking for and being open to constructive feedback is essential to an L&D role. Make sure you’re asking the right questions. Instead of saying, “tell us what we’re doing well.”— you should be saying, “tell us where we can improve and make our program better.”

How do you shift a learning culture? 

First, make sure the employees/learners feel they have a voice. When they feel empowered, employees feel their ability to make changes is strong—demonstration of buy-in from the top-down needs to permeate all aspects of the business. Second, you need to actively demonstrate buy-in from leadership, marketing, and management. I always apply design thinking; a concept made popular by Tim Brown, the CEO of IDEO. Design thinking to look at things from your users’ perspectives. Ask yourself: “what is this going to look like from a learner’s point of view?” Let’s ask them what they think will be most effective for them, then ask them for feedback, analyze the data and adjust accordingly.  

How has your role and OpenSesame changed since you’ve joined?

I’ve transitioned from an in-person training/presenter to having a fundamental understanding of what successful training looks like when done right. I now share how practical training can improve employee retention. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were trying to make sure the training we were doing was applicable and relevant to the world at that moment. If L&D isn’t paying attention to the things going on in the news or society, it’s easy to disconnect with learners fast. Once you have two or three courses that have no relevance to the person taking them, you lose a lot of power as an L&D professional. 

What enneagram type are you?

3w2. The ability to connect with others is a natural strength of the 3w2. That’s one of the aspects I identify with the most. 

What advice would you give to new OS hires?

Seek wise counsel and always be willing to share and accept feedback.

What is your favorite course in the OS catalog?

 The Happy Secret to Happy Work by Shawn Anchor

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When I was asked to share my story in celebration of women’s history month, my initial feelings of honor gave way to a sense of hesitancy. Will others find it compelling? Do people care about my lived experience? I tend to undervalue my capabilities and minimize my accomplishments. This is not unique, as studies show women tend to consistently underestimate their capabilities and contributions. In my past, I’ve struggled with confidence and self-compassion as I strived to be the best version of myself. 

Then, I began to think about what Women’s History Month meant to me. It’s a time to celebrate incredible, hardworking, changemaker women and those who’ve advocated for women in our history. It gives me the space to celebrate the strong women in my life who have helped shape who I am and where I am today—family, friends, mentors, colleagues, customers, and my personal mentor and hero, my mother. Many of whom, like my mother, tend to be the glue of their family, organization, or team, who have sacrificed personal wants for others and worked hard at everything they put their mind to. After this consideration, I felt compelled to share my story. 

I’m honored to represent many other women who share my story. As I write this, I am 37 weeks pregnant, expecting our first little one to join our family in just a few short weeks. Two months ago, I was promoted to a Customer Success Manager and joined a new team. In this role, I have the privilege of working with customers daily to enhance the elearning opportunities at their organization to ensure their employees have access to the training they need to advance their purpose. 

When I started my journey at OpenSesame almost two years ago, I had these goals in mind. I had a desire to build relationships with our customers and have always dreamed of becoming a mother. Back then, I was hesitant to share my personal goals of starting a family in fear that others would think it would get in the way of my work or derail my career advancement potential. This fear is unfortunately something that many still experience today in the workplace. The hesitation to bring their full selves to work in fear of judgment. 

What I soon came to realize was that OpenSesame had a different culture, one that is open and accepting. A company that encourages authenticity, openness and bringing your whole self to work. Even a few months back when I was getting ready to share the news I was pregnant, that fear crept back in. Upon sharing the news, I received nothing but words of support and encouragement. I realized that the individuals that make up OpenSesame cared as much about my personal aspirations as they did about my professional ones. The fact that I would eventually be taking maternity leave didn’t interrupt my professional advancement either. I was transparent with all involved and was offered a promotion to a new team while 7 months pregnant. 

This experience taught me that in order to be your best self, it’s important to show up and be transparent about what makes you uniquely you. Find a company culture where that is celebrated and supported. Where you’re not afraid to have a voice, in fact you are encouraged to use it. This is true for all individuals; women, men, pregnant, not-pregnant. Every human should feel valued when they show up to work, be encouraged to share their voice and bring their whole selves to work. 

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate women’s history month and the unique position of working mothers than to welcome a new life into the world this month. I look forward to the opportunity to guide and teach them what it means to be a caring, confident and curious individual. To share the morals and values I’ve developed and the confidence to share their voice to add value to this world. Thank you to all of the women in my life, who have taught me so much about what it means to be a strong woman, in my personal and professional life. 

The post Celebrating women in the workplace: The balance of pregnancy and promotions | by Brenna Behnke appeared first on OpenSesame.

Hallie Janssen | Vice President of Marketing 

Deborah Dang | Vice President of Finance 

Ria Delamere | Vice President of Engineering 

Melanie Goldstein | Vice President of Product Development 

Marta Altree | Senior Director of Customer Success 

Abby Miles | Senior Director of People 

Kolene Hammer | Director of Sales, North America 

Katerina Maerefat | Director of Digital Marketing and Operations 

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

Hallie: International Women’s Day means two things to me. First, the day is to celebrate and acknowledge the sacrifices that women across the world have made to further women’s rights and equality. It also serves as a reminder that not all women are treated the same across the world. I think Americans can easily forget how hard it is for other women in other countries. 

Kolene:  It means thanking those that yesterday paved the path, supporting those that are continuing to do so, and encouraging those that are yet to find their path. The day to me is a reminder that I have had to prove myself in business at times, twice as hard as a male has had to.  But it also is a day to reflect on all the men that have supported women in our request for equality.   It is also a day to remember that I want to pave the path for others….with a chair at the table that was earned. 

Deborah: International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate and recognize all the advances made by women to achieve gender equality in this world and the amazing achievements of women.  But at the same time, there is still work to be done both in America and the rest of the world.

Katerina: I believe International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate the path that has been forged throughout history for the advancement of women. While we have made great strides to close the gender gap, there is still work to be done in other countries to ensure the same equality. 

Ria:  This day symbolizes the progress many women have made to allow us to have role models to look up to.  Even though we haven’t gotten to the end of the road it is important to recognize the struggles and triumphs many have gone through to make progress in gender equality, women’s empowerment.  This day reminds us that we still have hills and mountains to climb to gain a greater momentum towards gender equality worldwide.

What advice would you give to women who want to be future leaders?

Marta: practice self-confidence – know and trust your strengths, knowledge and experience. Tell imposter syndrome to beat it. 

Abby: That your work product, life experience and past challenges make you uniquely qualified to be a leader. Women at every level should know that there is always someone with less experience, confidence or ability than you. Seek them out and offer them support on their journey – coach a team, mentor an intern, take a new hire to coffee – there are little opportunities that allow you to strengthen your leadership muscles around every corner. 

Deborah: Don’t let imposter syndrome stop you from seizing opportunities or trying something new.  Stretch yourself – so you can grow and learn. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Celebrate the achievements of others and help others grow too. 

Katerina: You are more than capable of anything you set your mind to. Learn from others, learn from your own mistakes, and never stop growing and striving to be better for yourself and others. 

Ria:  You will get a lot of advice and some contradictory advice to help further your career.  Remember that being your authentic self is the most important.  You are like a magnet. The same traits that attract people to you and want to work with you are also the same traits that can repel others.  Do not lessen those traits just to attract more likes, because you are also weakening those traits that initially attracted people to you.

Melanie: You can succeed as a leader without changing your beliefs or your approach to working with others. Leadership can be more diverse, inclusive and collaborative than the models we have all seen on the world stage. You can contribute to that trend and bring others along with you. 

What characteristics do you feel make women great leaders?

Hallie: When I think of great women leaders that I’ve had the privilege to work for and with, they were humble, self-aware, empathetic, and focused on elevating others. They acknowledged their mistakes and were willing to change and had a learning mindset. They knew their limitations and weren’t overconfident or narcissistic. I saw them be kind and caring and effective at leading without carrots and sticks. And they were great mentors, quick to find motivations and goals in order to create career paths. 

Kolene:  I believe that what makes up the best women leaders is an ability to bring out the best in others. That can be done through empathy, through challenging others, for being the voice for those who aren’t confident in their own, and for being able to see the importance of work/life balance.  Great women leaders make others realize their strengths they may not know they have, and they take what others may see as a weakness and turn that into an asset.  I also believe that the absolute best women leaders are those that show vulnerability.  Vulnerability takes a great deal of strength and it also allows other women the space to realize that we are still in fact women! 

Ria:  When I think of great women leaders a common theme I see is she knows she is enough.  She doesn’t allow anyone to make her feel insufficient or insignificant.  She knows what she has to offer and what she is able to give.  She creates an environment of inclusion, encourages participation and shares information so others feel empowered to also take the lead.  She is a multiplier leading with empathy and encouragement.

Melanie: The great women leaders that I have seen are listeners, empathetic, driven, and highly collaborative. They are not trying to go it alone. They work hard alongside others and encourage their teams to challenge them with new ideas and approaches. The right answer doesn’t have to come from them for the team to succeed. 

What are the benefits to having women leaders in an organization?

Marta: Empowered women empower women – women in leadership roles serve not only as role models but also as advocates and sponsors who can champion other women wanting to pursue a leadership path. 

Abby: Women leaders add great value to organizations – the benefits that I see and appreciate in the women around me are that they lead with empathy and kindness while being some of the most intelligent and effective performers on the team. This is a powerful combination that leads to highly engaged teams to be led by smart people that also are aware of the more human feelings & elements of work. 

Ria:  The obvious answer would be for diversity in lived experience and thought, but I think it goes deeper than that.  History has shown that societies who valued a matriarchal society based their values and decisions on care-tracking, nurturing and creating a community with excellent support structures.  We know the value of team dynamics as a result this type of mindset that women leaders bring to the table 

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The truth is, to understand why almost half of employees are currently seeking new opportunities, we need to understand who’s leaving and why. 

Recent analysis has shown that the following groups of people are the most likely to leave their current roles: 

• Mid-career employees (ages 30-45)

• Women in general

• Those who work in the health care and technology industries 

The reasons cited for leaving include burnout, lifestyle reevaluation, and to seek remote opportunities and better work-life balance.

To combat this, it’s important to determine who’s most likely to leave. By identifying the root causes for these trends within your organization, you can build your recruitment and retention strategies around them.

How to retain employees during the Great Resignation

Conduct an initial data analysis

In order to effectively retain your workforce, you need to know where the issues lie and determine if your attrition trends follow the national patterns outlined above. The best way to understand this information is through conducting data analysis. Anonymous surveys, questionnaires, and focus groups can help you capture how employees are feeling about their jobs and unearth how likely they are to stay with you. From there, you can analyze these trends and develop strategies around it. 

As an example, let’s say you conduct a survey and the results show that a significant percentage of parents with children feel that their work schedules are too rigid and don’t allow flexibility for childcare needs. And when you dig deeper into the data, you discover that a large percentage of these parents are women who are strongly considering leaving the organization within the next six months. From these results, you could consider implementing a flex work arrangement option. 

Listen to your employees

After you’ve done your initial research, take it a step further and talk to your people one-on-one. Ask your top performers what they enjoy, what they think could be improved, or even what they would consider leaving the organization for. Ask your lower-level employees what they appreciate about their roles, how they’re feeling day to day, and what they’d like to see changed.

Develop a people-first approach

People need to know they matter, and sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference. 

Anything your organization can do to show daily appreciation can cause a huge boost in morale. This can range from thank-you cards to company-wide rewards or recognition programs. (After all, everyone is motivated by rewards!)

Call centers (or anyone working with the public) can reward points for excellent customer service – for example – which then go towards a charity donation of their choice or a small prize from the company store.

Boost your employee development opportunities

This strategy may be the most effective yet simplest one to implement. 

Regardless of the type of industry they work in, employees desire to improve their skills and follow a clear career roadmap.  

Self-paced, online training is a great way to provide various types of skill-building and career development opportunities that employees can complete at their own pace, on their own schedules. 

At OpenSesame, we help with this by offering curated elearning courses for all ages and demographics. Losing women to other opportunities? Or just lacking a diverse workforce in general? Try our DEI courses. Mostly Gen Z employees? Have fun while learning with some gamification courses.

Conduct exit interviews

Despite your best efforts, some employees will still leave. Capture their perceptions on their way out the door by conducting exit interviews. 

We know – it’s not always fun to do these. But think of it as a learning experience. You have a valuable opportunity to gain insight on what your people think of your organization that you can use to improve. After conducting enough of these interviews, you’ll start to notice trends and patterns emerge that you can use to improve your organization’s culture and offerings.

Learn how OpenSesame can help your specific organization achieve its training goals.

–

Sources:

Cook, Ian. “Who Is Driving the Great Resignation?” Harvard Business Review, 15 Sept. 2021, https://hbr.org/2021/09/who-is-driving-the-great-resignation. 

Derler, Andrea. “These Are the People Still Most Likely to Quit during the next Wave of the Great Resignation.” Fast Company, Fast Company, 2 Nov. 2021, https://www.fastcompany.com/90692090/these-are-the-people-still-most-likely-to-quit-during-the-next-wave-of-the-great-resignation. 

O’Connell, Brian. “How to Retain Employees during the Great Resignation.” SHRM, SHRM, 9 Feb. 2022, https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/people-managers/pages/great-resignation-and-retention-.aspx. 

Panel®, Expert. “13 Ways Managers Can Keep Valuable Employees during (and beyond) the ‘Great Resignation’.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 10 Dec. 2021, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2021/12/06/13-ways-managers-can-keep-valuable-employees-during-and-beyond-the-great-resignation/?sh=42ab16067eeb. 

The post The Great Resignation: Who is Leaving and Why  appeared first on OpenSesame.

Recently we profiled one of our publishers, Ryan Tillman of Breaking Barriers United, and highlighted his work via webinar and an introductory article about his accomplishments.

In this article, we’re expanding the conversation and diving deeper into Ryan’s mission, goals, and the meaning of empowerment in the Black community.

What does Black empowerment mean to you?

To me, Black empowerment means taking control of your life, despite being black – despite the color of your skin. 

This may sound contradictory to the idea of black empowerment. But here’s what I mean: 

I was raised to be proud of who I am – to be proud of being an African American male. I learned about my history growing up – about my culture and my roots. And I learned there was a lot of oppression towards Black people. When I learned that, it was hard – realizing that man, I can’t believe my ancestors had to go through that simply based on the color of their skin. But at the same time, it was inspirational, because I learned that no matter the color of your skin, you can rise and overcome. 

I love the fact that I’m Black because it makes me unique; it allows me to bring perspectives from another culture. I also think the empowerment part of it means we can go out there and be strong. We can be like Frederick Douglass or Harriet Tubman and other Black ancestors that went ahead of me to pave the way.

How does the work you do with Breaking Barriers United and with OpenSesame help to empower the Black community?

I think it helps empower the Black community because it gives them hope that they can do something that’s not within their realm. And what I mean by that is if you look at law enforcement right now, there’s not a lot of diversity within the profession. It’s more than what it used to be, but it’s not as diverse as it could be. 

It’s also about the Black community’s perception of how they view law enforcement. They see us as the enemy. They see us as the oppressors – as an extension of slavery, some might say, which isn’t true. The work that I do with OpenSesame and with the Black community allows people to change the way they see law enforcement – when they see a Black police officer and hear from my experiences, their perception shifts.

At the same time, I think that we can improve as a profession. By creating elearning courses through OpenSesame as a Black police officer, not only am I helping change the way people view law enforcement, I’m also able to educate people about it at the same time.

What’s an example of how you’ve changed the Black community’s perspective through your work as an officer?

I had an interesting conversation a few weeks ago with a guy who’s a convicted felon. We start talking, and he starts sharing about his life. He’d been in and out of the criminal justice system for years – been arrested, sent to prison. So we’re talking and like I said, he’s just spewing his heart out to me, telling me everything about himself. This is before he knew what I did. 

So we got to that part in the conversation where he asks what I do. I tell him I’m a cop and his eyes get huge. He’s like, “Man, I can’t believe I told all this information to a cop!” And then we continue the conversation. At the end, he says, “You know what, Ryan, one of the things that I respect about you is that you didn’t bat an eye when I was telling you everything. As a matter of fact, you didn’t cast any judgment. There was no shift in the conversation where I felt judgment coming from you.” And I just said, “Well, that’s because we’re all humans. Every one of us has made mistakes. Who am I to judge?”

I just go out there and try to be myself. I’m Ryan Tillman – Corporal Tillman, not Popo Tillman. In doing this I’ve been able to develop relationships with people and change their perspectives.

And this happens all the time. People approach me and tell me how I’ve changed their viewpoint – a side I hadn’t seen before. This is my ultimate goal.

How have you changed hearts and minds through the workshops you give in BBU? 

I’m always transparent. I talk about where I came from, why I became a police officer. And I always address the elephant in the room upfront. I start by asking, “Who doesn’t like police officers?” Not surprisingly, most or all hands go up. Then, throughout my presentation, I educate them about law enforcement: what it is, why we exist, what we do in our roles. 

And then we role-play. The students go through scenarios where they have to make decisions as a police officer in the field. It’s an eye-opening moment for all of them – they’re like, “Wow, this was very hard!” And that’s done in a static environment, where it’s not real. I ask them to imagine the decisions that real police officers make daily where it’s not static, where it’s not fun and games – where it’s life or death. 

By having these conversations and working through these scenarios non-judgmentally, we’re instrumental in challenging perceptions. 

Anything else you’d like others to know? 

You can accomplish whatever you want to accomplish. You may have to take risks, but there will be rewards. Get out of your comfort zones; explore the treacherous waters in order to get to the other side of that ocean. Because when you get there, there will be an abundance of whatever you want – success, or whatever it is – as long as you’re willing to take the plunge and swim through.

To learn more about Ryan and his work, check out our previous article, webinar, and OpenSesame’s Breaking Barriers United courses.

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The other day I was aimlessly scrolling LinkedIn and scrolled past a rare sighting. Actually who am I kidding? It wasn’t a rare sighting. It was something I’d actually never seen before, except for when I look at my own profile. I scrolled past a brown face with box braids wrapped up into a perfectly round top knot. I was less intrigued by her hair and more so by her headline–partnerships and alliances expert. There’s another Black person who works in partnerships. 

No way! 

Finding your way into the land of partnerships is already a mystery. No one wakes up wishing to work in the channel. Many of us just end up here and we love it so much that we stick around forever. But seeing someone whose skin and hair resembled mine who also had a similar role to me brought me some satisfaction I haven’t had in a while. I stared at her page for longer than I probably should have, but I was too nervous to hit the connect button. I didn’t want to seem like a weirdo. So I slowly backed away from her page and quietly wished her the best of luck in her channel career while praising her Black Girl Magic.

Just a few days later I came across ANOTHER face that stopped me in my tracks. I recently joined Partnership Leaders to connect with other channels and alliances leaders and as I was looking at their upcoming events I noticed one of the speakers was a Black man carrying the title of SVP, Global Strategic Alliances. Y’all, that makes three of us!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I never felt like I was the only Black person working in partnerships. I just haven’t had the opportunity to interact much with people in channel roles who look like me. I’ve never seen them. Seeing other faces that look like me, doing a role similar to mine, brought me so much pride but it also made me desire connection. I wanted to hear about their experiences. I wanted to learn about their journey. I wanted to share stories and laughs and eyerolls surrounding all the things. 

So this time I gathered my courage and I sent a LinkedIn message. I hated that I was crippled by fear a few days prior. I still felt very weird, and slightly stalkerish about reaching out to a total stranger on LinkedIn, but I did it anyway. I kept it super simple.

Me: Hi Todd. I saw you listed as a speaker for a Partnership Leaders event next week. I don’t know many Channel leaders that look like me, so I had to reach out to say hello.

I’m looking forward to your session on partnering with agencies.

Him: Thanks, Rasheité. And amen to that!

And I am proud to say my courage paid off. I’m now connected to another Black leader in Strategic Partnerships. That might seem pretty small to many folks, but it’s huge for me. Being the ‘“only” isn’t easy. It gets lonely and can be fairly isolating at times. That said, I think there’s plenty we can all take from my story of courage. 

I’ll leave you with two bits of encouragement. 

#1: if you’re in a position of leadership and you ever look up and there’s an “only” on your team, consider their experience and explore ways to make sure they feel supported and included. 

#2: If you’re an “only” on your team or in your company, don’t be afraid to seek out connections with folks outside of your company who share your same experience. It’s a good way to build community.

At OpenSesame we proudly promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The post Finding Connection as the ‘Only’ by Rasheité Calhoun appeared first on OpenSesame.

On behalf of Black Folx ERG, it is an honor to be featured this month. As one of the leaders and founding members of Black Folx ERG, it has been beneficial to have a space where black people can come together to talk about our experiences in life. We meet as a group every two weeks, have a private online Slack channel, and often feature guest speakers along with coordinating a virtual monthly cookout. 

The ERG gives me the opportunity to build positive relationships with colleagues in my community, but in some cases provides a safe space to talk about our true feelings of hurt and pain. 

I believe that America experienced a turning point on May 25, 2020—the day George Floyd was murdered. Ever since, I have seen more Americans try to understand the black experience through mediums like spoken word, movies, art, as well as having deeper conversations. Black History Month is one of the many ways that we can continue the conversation. By reflecting on our past (even one as recent as May 2020) we can come together to hopefully create a better future. 

Black History Month is not only a time to recognize the experience of black people, but also to reflect on the achievements of trailblazers who have forged a path of excellence before us. Recently, on Dr. Martin Luther King Day, I got an opportunity to volunteer at Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity (a historically black fraternity) by mentoring black boys on the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics careers. I was often asked if there are any people who look like me in those fields. I proudly tell them, “yes” and that they too can achieve their dream with hard work and dedication. Dedication, discipline, and determination are what are required. 

To me, OpenSesame has been a blessing where any employee can be their authentic selves. Having resources like the ERGs truly helps to build a culture of an inclusive workplace. I believe that great companies have not only great products but also great people that work there.  I take great pride in working at OpenSesame where I am given the opportunity to succeed and while doing so, be my own authentic black self.

My favorite quote by Dr. King is: “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”. Change takes a long time, but it does happen. 

At OpenSesame we proudly promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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Each of these publishers offers training on a broad range of topics, while addressing some of the biggest challenges global organizations are facing today. Here is a brief overview of each publisher:

Tortal Training is a superior source for captivating, high-quality courses that support Human Resources (HR) compliance (including 508 compliant multi-state harassment solutions in English and Spanish), professional development and leadership approaches to assist your organization in reaching business goals. In addition to their compliance and business skills offerings, Tortal Training brings industry specific topics, like franchise training for frontline employees, owners, managers and executives at the franchise headquarters; as well as hospitality training for food service and handlers (including OSHA compliance).  

THRIVE offers snappy, artful microlearnings that support all areas of a business; from business skills like leadership and customer service, to mental health and wellness. Not only are their courses Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accredited, they’re also AA accessible. Their growing library of global content also includes UK-specific courses, and even offers fully translated Italian options.

SimpliLearn provides rigorous online training in disciplines such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Cloud Computing, Project Management, Digital Marketing, and Data Science, among others. Their award-winning online bootcamps are designed and updated by 2000+ renowned industry and academic experts. Through individual courses, comprehensive certification programs, virtual live classes and practice labs, SimpliLearn provides millions of professionals and thousands of corporate training organizations with the work-ready skills they need to excel in their careers.

Schedule a demo to learn more about the thousands of eLearning courses available from OpenSesame.

The post February 2022 New Publishers Announcement Blog appeared first on OpenSesame.

Learning and development programs can be rife with manual processes that are prone to inefficiency. Courses manually curated and delivered give rise to lackluster analytics.

From these processes come liabilities to effective learning and performance, risking disengagement by L&D teams and the employees they serve.

To help you meet your organization’s performance goals, OnPoint Digital, a global provider of technology-enabled learning solutions, and OpenSesame have combined forces to automate your learning workflows with next level technology that goes beyond SCORM/AICC.

“We’re excited to offer our LMS customers an API connector to OpenSesame, a new strategic content partner. This end-to-end integration simplifies the process of connecting OnPoint’s customized learning portals with thousands of world class courses. OnPoint’s customers can now directly connect to curated OpenSesame libraries containing 25, 100 or unlimited titles that meet the evolving training needs of their audiences. This integration will greatly benefit organizations seeking a more complete learning experience.”

– Robert Gadd, President & Chief Strategist

Together let’s power your course setup and activity reporting to drive performance organization-wide.

The post New Learning Technology Integration From OnPoint Digital and OpenSesame appeared first on OpenSesame.

With your current employees leaving to pursue other opportunities, you may be concerned that the job applicant pool in your area is thinning. Don’t worry – we’ve got you covered! Read on for three ways you can expand your candidate pool and continue to attract those ideal employees. 

Look outside your usual geographic area for potential employees 

Doing so helps increase the diversity of your candidate pool to those with a variety of backgrounds, education, and experience. Doing this means you’ll need to allow the option to work remotely (at least for certain roles) if you haven’t done so already. Just keep the following in mind: 

Follow state recruiting and hiring regulations

Though your prospective employees will follow company policy once they’re hired, the recruiting and hiring laws vary by state. Make sure you’re aware of and follow all local and state hiring and compliance requirements. OpenSesame has several courses that can get you started on how to do this, in several different languages.

Hire for remote qualities

Understand that hiring employees to work remotely is different from hiring on-site employees. On-site employees have the benefit of easing into your company culture and learning from those around them, as well as being able to rely on others 24/7 for support. Virtual employees, however, should possess more of those desired cultural qualities up front. 

Consider adding additional behavioral questions to your initial interview process to screen out candidates who may not have the skills you’re looking for – as well as those who may not work as well in a remote environment. You’ll want to look for candidates who are disciplined, self-directed, and willing to seek solutions without a lot of support and supervision.

Move to virtual recruiting – and not just through LinkedIn

If you’ve focused mainly on recruiting locally and in-person, consider changing your strategy. 

Target your job postings to specific cities

On hiring sites like LinkedIn and Indeed, target your job postings for cities outside your main metropolitan area (making sure these posts include the regional requirements, and that you’re allowed to hire in that region). And don’t forget to include the flyover states of the Midwest and mountain regions. These often-overlooked areas are full of untapped potential. You may just find that treasured employee you’re looking for!

Host virtual hiring and networking events 

Don’t just throw up a post on the usual job sites and call it a day. Take it a step further and host virtual hiring and networking events! 

A virtual hiring event is just what it sounds like: a job fair but online instead of in-person. Advertise for the roles you’re looking for, bring in potential candidates, and even conduct on-the-spot interviews. Since you’ve now reached out to a larger geographic area, you should have plenty of great prospects to choose from.

Virtual networking events include hiring a VIP speaker, hosting discussions, and allowing professionals in similar industries to gather, meet new people, and potentially find new opportunities.

Expand other pools

In addition to expanding your geographic pool of potential candidates, consider broadening the pools for candidate type, role, and skillset.

Hire for as-needed or part-time positions

Shift from the full-time employee mindset and consider hiring employees that fill immediate or short-term project needs, such as contractors, freelancers and temporary or part-time workers. These employees are often efficient and reliable, as they’re used to working quickly to get the job done. They also may be less expensive to hire in the long run, as you can pay them per project or based on the number of hours worked.

Broaden your desired applicant skillset

As mentioned above, it’s important that virtual employees possess a certain set of skills that aren’t as important for on-site workers. Capitalize on this need by adding the types of skills you’re seeking to a particular role to attract the best applicants. In addition, you could consider applicants that may not have the experience in the field, but have the skills that could apply to the role. 

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Recruiting and hiring during this uncertain economic time may seem scary, but it doesn’t have to be! Follow the tips above and you’ll go from Great Resignation to great employees in no time.

The post 3 Ways to Expand Your Pool of Potential Job Candidates During the Great Resignation appeared first on OpenSesame.

Addressing misconceptions between law enforcement and communities

Ryan Tillman, police officer with the Chino Police Department, started Breaking Barriers United (BBU) as a way to address current issues and repair misconceptions between the police and the communities they serve.

Growing up, Ryan had negative experiences with law enforcement. But after becoming an officer and completing the field training program in 2013, he experienced things from the other side. It’s from this experience that he realized an opportunity to spread awareness, and BBU was born.

At BBU, Ryan and his team recognize that true social change lies in America’s youth. He and his team work with community leaders, educators, parents, and students to conduct workshops on different topics within schools. These include expressing honest opinions about law enforcement, working together across diverse backgrounds, and building confidence in oneself in order to better manage the impact of bullying. Ultimately, the goal is to be transparent and work to unite instead of divide – while hopefully building new community leaders.

In addition to his advocacy work, Ryan and BBU have partnered with OpenSesame to create several courses for officers and other leaders on addressing unconscious bias, racial profiling, and more. 

To learn more about Ryan and BBU – join us for our upcoming webinar, Bridging the Gap Between Law Enforcement and the Community. 

***
A large part of reconciling differences – in any community –  is having a strong foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion. To learn more about how you can improve the DEI messaging within your organization, we encourage you to check out our curated list of courses.

The post Breaking Barriers United with Ryan Tillman appeared first on OpenSesame.

#1: Address retention head-on.

As I shared last month, retention is the name of the game for everyone. I can bet it’s as important to you as it is to me. Partnering with OpenSesame helps you strengthen your retention play, particularly with your existing customers. Content gives you a reason to go in with a new offering. You can bring it up on a monthly call or in a QBR. One of the easiest ways to retain customers in your learning platform is to give them a reason to keep coming back. Off-the-shelf content is the gift that keeps on giving. 

#2: Solve an important challenge for your customers.

Every organization has some employee challenge they are itching to solve. No one is exempt from this. Some organizations want to improve their wellness initiatives to better support their team members. Others might be leaning into DEI. And still, others might be trying to find ways to build a pipeline of future leaders. No matter the challenge, more often than not, off-the-shelf content can play an integral role in addressing the challenge head-on. When you leverage content in your sale, you can easily become a more consultative, trusted advisor to your clients. 

#3: Sell the fridge, fully stocked.

If you’ve ever been in a conversation with me or anyone from my team, you’ve likely heard the fridge analogy. If you haven’t heard it yet, humor me for a bit. Imagine strolling through your local hardware in search

 of a fridge. You get to pick the fridge you want. Maybe you’re going for something simple and you go for something plain and white. It gets the job done. Or maybe you want to get a little fancy and you get the fridge with every bell and whistle imaginable. It even sends a text to your phone to tell you you’re low on milk. Whichever fridge you choose to purchase, it’s still showing up to your house empty. And an empty fridge does you no good. 

When you bring an OpenSesame content specialist alongside you, you’re going to market with a fully stocked fridge. Off-the-shelf content is a powerful tool for you and your customers, and our team would love to come alongside you as a key piece of your go-to-market strategy. We are better together, and we can’t wait to share in some wins!

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful workforce eLearning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of eLearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame’s learning experts guide global companies every step of the way. From finding the course to mapping them to core competencies, syncing them with an LMS to increasing utilization and improving L&D programs. OpenSesame provides the flexibility of multiple purchasing options with simple to use and administer eLearning courses. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 brands. And with over 25,000+ OpenSesame catalog courses, the eLearning platform touches all industries in all markets. The company is defining a new era of engaging a people-first talent force. To learn more, visit www.opensesame.com

About the Author

Rasheité Calhoun is the Manager of Strategic Partnerships with OpenSesame. She prides herself on bringing a fresh approach to client solutions, convinced that we are always on the cusp of something new and great. With over a decade of experience in higher ed publishing, Rasheité brings a distinct niche of problem-solving and a proven track record of driving results to the eLearning world. Rasheité holds both a bachelor’s degree in technical writing as well as a Master of Arts in English, which both contribute to her creative approach to strategy and solutions. Above all, Rasheité believes that we are living through a massive disruption that will transform learning into something we have all yet to see or experience. She is excited to play a role in such pivotal moments where digital, learning, and imagination collide.

The post 3 Ways to Leverage Off-the-shelf Content in Your LMS Sale appeared first on OpenSesame.

Each of these publishers offers training on a broad range of topics, while addressing some of the biggest challenges global organizations are facing today. Here is a brief overview of each publisher that has been added to the catalog.

Intuition Know-How has been trusted by the world’s largest investment and commercial banks, insurance firms, regulatory bodies and professional services firms for more than 35 years. Their content library, which boasts nearly 100 courses, delivers learning for 1.5 million financial services professionals on topics that range from risk management to compliance to fintech. Intuition’s content is written by subject-matter experts before being adapted by learning specialists with a deep understanding of adult learning methodologies. 

For the fast-moving world of culinary arts, Pineapple Academy is an online training resource for advancing the skills of your frontline culinary and service staff. The Pineapple Academy team provides best-in-class training videos taught by industry experts that are always delivered in increments of five minutes or less. 

Channel 1 Creative Media boasts a suite of more than 300 training videos surrounding health and safety, wellbeing and customer service. The publisher develops high-quality, interactive, and engaging courses that utilize professional video production in Australian compliance and regulations. Channel 1 might be new to OpenSesame but they aren’t new to the industry. For more than 30 years, they’ve been the preferred eLearning choice for many large and small Australian organizations.

When it was established in 2017, Coaching Culture had a simple mission: Make coaching more affordable and accessible to all. Coaching Culture develops, designs and delivers tailor-made content meant to foster a stronger learning culture in organizations. Not only that, they’ve built a vibrant community of L&D professionals with their namesake magazine.

Breaking Barriers United, led by police officer Ryan Tillman, provides training based on years of frontline experience in law enforcement. These lessons for law enforcement and others who work with the public provide advice for de-escalating tense situations, working effectively with the public, reducing bias, and other techniques for building and maintaining positive relationships. The courses will be exclusively at OpenSesame.

Another addition to OpenSesame Exclusive, On This Topic brings stories of leadership, teamwork, motivation, and performance from the world of sports. Story-driven micro-lessons told by athletes and sports professionals embed real-world themes in dramatic tales of teamwork, perseverance and victory. These high-quality, video-based, interview-style courses are presented in short three-to-five-minute stories.

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful online learning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame helps global companies every step of the way. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 companies to its customer base. With over 20,000+ courses, the platform touches all industries in all markets.

To learn more about OpenSesame, visit www.opensesame.com.

Media contact:
Hallie Janssen
Vice President of Marketing
(503) 808-1268
Hallie.Janssen@opensesame.com

The post OpenSesame announces expansion of Plus subscription with new global partnerships appeared first on OpenSesame.

HolonIQ is one of the world’s leading platforms for market intelligence, and it powers governments, technology companies and investment firms around the world with their innovative data on the global economy.

The 2021 Middle East and North Africa EdTech 50 is an annual award, and the goal of it is to showcase the most promising educational technology startups from the region by identifying ones that are innovative and fast-growing. MENA is an overwhelmingly diverse and expansive region that connects 600 million people across three continents. 

The 50 awardees were chosen out of more than 700 edtech startups in MENA and were graded based on a criteria of acquired capital and product momentum. 

“We achieved this remarkable milestone because of our team’s dedication, the tireless commitment towards our vision and the clients who trusted and believed in us,” says Mahmood Malik, Head of Experience at Lumofy. 

Started in 2020, Lumofy is a data-backed, automated learning experience platform that organizations can deploy to map competencies, measure skills and accelerate personal development. Operating out of Bahrain, it offers more than 1700 learning items in both Arabic and English. Its mission is to change the way people learn. 

You can check out their courses in the OpenSesame catalog. 

The post OpenSesame Publisher Lumofy Wins “Middle East and North Africa EdTech 50” Industry Award appeared first on OpenSesame.

But they won’t be doing it alone. The eLearning framework can provide a model of how these organizations can thrive. “Blended” is not a new term to those in the learning and development industry, and blended learning has been around long before office life was reimagined. 

What is blended learning?

Hybrid learning, also known as blended learning, combines in-person teaching with online learning. In this approach, eLearning does not replace face-to-face learning. Instead it simply reduces the amount of time spent in a traditional classroom environment.

Taking a blended approach to learning combines the strengths of each approach. In-person training typically requires everyone to be in one place, at one time, and to all learn at the same pace, whereas online training provides more flexibility for workers to take courses at their own pace. Combining online training with the occasional in-person class accounts for different schedules, while still encouraging interaction and holding learners accountable for their online lessons. This combination of the small and the large setting increases the likelihood of learner success, as we all thrive in different environments. 

What does blended learning mean for the workplace?  

The pandemic accelerated the already increasing trend of companies adopting eLearning for the workplace. Online training is ideal for large companies spread out over many cities, states or even countries. The courses can be accessed from anywhere, provide consistent material, and feed data back to supervisors and managers to evaluate. Implementing a blended learning solution can maximize your L&D investment by providing real-world experience and discussion.

Let’s explore “just-in-time” training—the idea that employees need access to specific information immediately in order to complete a task. Online training is great for meeting these needs, as employees can take courses on the topics they need right away. Bringing that knowledge back to a larger group setting for discussion will increase the value of the knowledge and the impact of the training. A quick online course on handling an angry customer is great for an immediate need that can then be brought back to the customer service team to receive real-time feedback.

Blended learning seeks to address the challenges of a company with dispersed staff by combining the benefits of both face-to-face and online learning. As organizations continue to mix office interactions with digital ones, the ways in which they train and develop their staff will need to keep up. Embracing a blended model for both working and learning will modernize culture while keeping all your employees connected. 

The post Why Blended Learning Is the Future of Business appeared first on OpenSesame.

Cybersecurity awareness is such an integral component in keeping organizations secure, yet awareness training is something that many organizations fail to prioritize. Even companies that implement security awareness training sometimes don’t get the expected results because the training is not engaging and memorable.

Register for our cybersecurity webinar with expert Suzanne Gorman of Global Learning Systems.

Organizations are increasingly at risk for cyberattacks

Social engineering, phishing and ransomware attacks are on the rise around the world. Globally, ransomware attacks increased by 151% in the first six months of 2021 compared to the first six months of 2020.

The bad guys only need to get one of your employees to click on a malicious link, and your systems and data are exposed. Not only do you risk financial and legal consequences as well as damage to your organization’s reputation, but recent cyberattacks have even caused human casualties. Gartner predicts that bad actors will move to weaponize operational technology environments for this very purpose in the next few years.

Your employees are the last line of defense in preventing a cyber breach, yet many workers don’t have the slightest idea how to recognize a threat. 

Do phish testing to gauge security awareness

According to Cisco’s analysis of more than 620 billion internet requests from 190 countries, 86% of organizations had at least one user try to connect to a phishing site.

Simulated phish tests enable you to test employees’ security awareness and provide real-time remedial training when an employee falls for a phishing attempt. Implementing phish testing every month or so – and in different formats and languages – will keep employees vigilant and shore up your company’s defenses.

Review access protocols to prevent accounts from being compromised

Users love the freedom of having administrative rights on their local workstations. It lets them add or remove programs without reaching out to their IT department for assistance. This convenience also comes as a risk if their user accounts become compromised. Hackers could then:

• Install malicious software
• Move laterally around your network
• Disable antivirus protection
• Encrypt data that causes a ransomware event

Evaluate your company’s protocols for user access to proprietary systems and platforms. Be very selective in allowing administrative privileges on a workstation, and make sure employees understand the risks and their role in preventing attacks.

Secure privileged access to protect against cybercriminals

In an IT environment, “privileged access” – also referred to as “God-like privileges” – is a term used to designate special access or abilities above and beyond that of a regular user. Privileged access can be associated with human users as well as non-human users such as applications and machine identities. Protecting high-level admin accounts is a crucial component of a robust security strategy against external cyber threats, no matter the organization’s size or industry. Cybercriminals are looking for the big catch, and these accounts provide big wins for the bad guys. 

As a best practice, privileged-access accounts should be reviewed to justify each user’s need. The accounts that remain should be closely audited to ensure proper use.

Don’t let your C-level officers fall victim to cyberattacks  

Another major target is your C-level officers, who are 12 times more likely to fall victim to a cyberattack than other employees.⁴ They have the keys to the kingdom, and unfortunately, access to their accounts can provide an immersive amount of insight into the workings of an organization. Furthermore, C-level executives usually allow their administrators to access their passwords and many of their accounts. So, when a “whale phish” is presented to either party, are they trained to identify the threat and act accordingly?

Role-based training for organization leaders will educate the C-suite about their unique vulnerabilities and how to avoid compromising sensitive data. 

Recognize and report security issues quickly

The longer a security incident goes unreported and not investigated, the greater the potential consequences. Employees need explicit instructions on how to report security incidents and suspicious behavior, and they need to know that they will not face ramifications for doing so.

Set up a phone hotline or email address to report security concerns and unusual behavior. Promote the hotline and keep it top-of-mind by placing stickers on every employee’s and consultant’s laptop or issuing mouse pads with security messages and hotline information. 

Investigate suspicious behavior and malicious acts 

Many organizations have had to deal with malicious acts caused by insiders, whether employees or consultants. As you train your employees to be security-aware, you also need to train them to be aware of their surroundings and report individuals who exhibit suspicious behavior. 

Consider this actual security breach: An employee reported suspicious behavior of a co-worker who was sending out disparaging emails about the company. The legal team and HR decided that the event did not warrant a security investigation, but the offending employee was terminated. Months later, it was discovered that this individual was still sending disparaging emails but with information he would only know about if he still had access to the data center. This revelation prompted a forensic investigation. It turns out the employee had installed a keyboard capture program on each machine within the data center, and files were being sent to him remotely. The United States Secret Service was notified, investigated and an arrest was made. 

Having an incident response plan in place will give your organization the framework to properly and thoroughly investigate reported incidents, including malicious acts.  

Take these steps to remedy human error in cybersecurity 

Security infrastructure and software controls are only part of the solution to protect your organization from cyberattacks. Your workforce is your last line of defense against hackers and should be your strongest. Therefore, training employees about their role in cybersecurity is key to changing behavior and creating a security-minded culture. Security awareness training is never a one-and-done training event; it is a journey with no destination, and it must be continuous to be effective.

Make sure your training addresses incident response and the responsibilities of participants in all departments and at all levels. Take participants through the process of dealing with a simulated incident scenario and provide hands-on training that will highlight flaws in your incident response plan.

Is it time for your organization to get started with security awareness training or elevate the effectiveness of your existing program? 

Keep your data safe by checking out cybersecurity training from Global Learning Systems.

Suzanne Gorman, CISSP, CRISC, is Vice President and Information Security and Risk Management Evangelist at Global Learning Systems, a leader in security awareness training and OpenSesame partner. 

^{Photo by Muhannad Ajjan on Unsplash}

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To build effective hiring practices, human resources staff should have a big picture vision for the process and avoiding focusing on particular area, such as recruitment or onboarding. Great companies like Disney and Zappos create experiences for applicants that are not only consistent with their brand but involve the future employees in the company culture throughout the entire hiring process.

If you are just beginning to build your recruitment program or are looking for ways to update your procedures, we’ve broken down the hiring process into 4 key steps, with courses to help you improve your hiring practices at each step.

Step 1: Search and Screening

Harness the power of the Internet to expand your search and simply the screening process. It has never been easier to post and apply for jobs online. Social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are also ways in which to connect and interact with candidates. With this influx of connectivity, however, it’s easy to get bogged down by an overload of applications or lose focus in your social media recruitment and screening. As a remedy, data analysis tools and social media analytics can go a long way in judging how effective your efforts are and what your reach is.

Try these courses to get a handle on using the internet for screening and recruiting:

• The “How To’s” of Using Social Networking in Recruitment (1 hour 40 min, $12)
• Improving the Quality of Applicants (45 min, $10)
• Empowering Success with Big Data-Driven Talent (45 min, $45)

Step 2: Interview and Evaluation

Why is a manhole cover round? How many golf balls can you fit in an airplane? These are just a few of the infamous interview questions used by Fortune 500 companies such as Google and Microsoft. While these unique questions may work for them, be careful to choose interview questions that prompt relevant answers by which to frame your hiring decision. Creative questions such as the previous examples can be great to show you how a candidate’s improvising skills or ability to think outside the box, but don’t provide much information on experience. No matter the questions, the end goal is the same–you want to identify qualified people who will mesh well with your company.

Try these courses to conduct a more effective interview:

• Interviewing and Hiring Skills (35 mins, $29.99)
• Evaluating for Capability, Commitment, and Chemistry (30 mins, $17.99)
• Employee Engagement Soars When you Find the Right fit (45 mins, $45)

Step 3: Hiring and Onboarding

When you finally take the metaphorical plunge and hire that standout, ideal candidate, the hiring process is still far from over. Onboarding a candidate and getting them up to speed is one of the most critical stages. Excellent onboarding programs educate and train new employees on company policies, values, culture, job expectations, and evaluation metrics. By hammering employee development home on the front end you improve the adjustment time it takes to get real contributions and kickstart employee growth in the long term. Online training options, workplace training exercises, and social activities can go a long way in helping with this process.

Try these courses to aid in your onboarding process:

• Onboarding Toolkit (50 mins, $110)
• Building a Business Case for Online Onboarding (45 mins, $10)

Step 4: Retention and Development

At the end of the day, you want to be happy with the work coming from your new employees, as well as know the employee is equally happy with their acceptance of the position. Overall, you want to ensure your employees understand their responsibilities and their competencies match their job description. Moving forward, you should be providing development and advancement opportunities to engage your employees and get great contributions from them.

Try theses courses to engage your new employees:

• Employee Engagement Bundle (39 mins, $9.99)
• The Working Well with Everyone Bundle (50 mins, $10)

Hiring new employees is an important yet complicated process for any company. The people you hire are the very people responsible for contributing to and advancing the future of your company. With a solid understanding of the resources at your disposal and a focused agenda, the hiring process can become more rewarding than challenging.

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

The post The Four Stages of an Effective Hiring Process appeared first on OpenSesame.

As we continue to navigate the complexities of our modern world, it’s time to focus on taking the conversation further and dive deeper into what building an inclusive culture means. More importantly, how do we get beyond just conversations, how do we turn awareness into action?

Our ongoing DEI webinar series at OpenSesame assembles some of the brightest minds in DEI for discussions around how organizations can level up their workforces and build psychologically safe environments.

Are you measuring DEI progress with the right metrics? Take our DEI survey to find out.

Define your DEI anchor. 

“When it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion, it’s not something where you can fly in an expert for two hours, do one training and then you’re done,” said Tara Cooper, DEI consultant at OpenSesame. 

Achieving a true commitment to DEI takes time and practice. It’s okay if you don’t get it right on the first few tries. In order to hone in on an effective DEI strategy, it helps to define what your DEI anchor is as an initial step. An anchor for DEI is a key area or mission that you wish to focus your organization’s time and resources on. It helps you to set priorities and align on goals. The anchor can be socioeconomic, political or cultural in nature, but it gives you a lens through which to start building an action plan.

So leaders should take some time to self-reflect at both the professional and personal level. 

What should be the DEI vision for your organization?

Ensure you have support from leadership. 

The responsibility of promoting DEI within an organization cannot be assigned to just one person or consultant. In order to succeed, you need buy-in from leadership. Senior Leadership  buy-in is essential for the success of any DEI program. What is happening at the bottom typically won’t change if nothing is changing at the top. For organizations that are serious about improving the experience of underrepresented employees, senior leadership needs to take charge and drive the conversation. 

“Much of this work is pulling the wool back from peoples eyes and showing how insidious unconscious bias can be and how socialized we are to be discriminatory. We want people to slow down on their reactions to others and think about how they treat people,” says Cooper.

Start your organization’s DEI journey by accessing our DEI toolkit.

And it can’t be reduced to a mere, simple checklist. It is the responsibility of leadership to determine how deep the organization is willing to go and what they’re willing to invest in DEI. And that will look different for each organization. It depends where an organization is in its DEI journey. Are you at the level where you’re hoping to improve hiring practices? Or at a level where you’re requiring learning opportunities like unconscious bias training for all employees?

“There are trainings that aren’t super deep but their purpose is to just get conversations started. But if you’re wanting true transformational change, you’re using outside consultants, you’re taking those extra steps to ensure psychological safety and build that proper scaffolding,” says Cooper.

In addition to inclusive leadership training for managers, it’s important to seek advice from outside consultants and DEI subject matter experts. Bringing in a third-party helps to catch problems that leadership may not see and to execute a roadmap for the future.

Foster employee engagement and commitment. 

To effectively promote awareness and sensitivity towards DEI, organizations need to successfully harness the energy and curiosity of their employees in order to drive momentum. However, depending on where your workforce is in the DEI progress index some conversations with employees might feel new or uncomfortable. 

DEI should be a leadership directive, but says Cooper, it’s crucial that individuals are doing the work at every level of the organization. She also stresses the importance of affinity groups, also known as employee resource groups, for workers of marginalized identities. 

“I’m all about self-care. So if you need to have an affinity space to discuss the issues you need to discuss and build yourself up so you can be more productive in the workspace, then that’s what they need to be able to do.”

Affinity spaces sometimes come under fire for being “divisive” or a form of “self-segregation,” but Cooper encourages leaders who feel that way to look at the larger picture. The concept of affinity spaces are not new, as they tend to form organically and frequently occur in various settings.

“Think of all the instances where employees may separate into subgroups in an organization, the gatherings where it’s only men or only white people. If you only get nervous when the subset is around a certain race or gender, then you should question that.”

As organizations continue to embrace DEI initiatives in ever-increasing numbers, it is critical that employees fully comprehend their role in achieving DEI goals. To achieve this, dig deeper into what an inclusive workplace entails and the transformative impact it can have on your organization. In essence, your “why” must move beyond surface-level understanding and into a more profound exploration of the power of inclusivity, towards belonging.

The post How to Find Your Organization’s DEI Anchor appeared first on OpenSesame.

Deborah Dang arrived at OpenSesame with deep tech industry accounting experience and a passion for developing lifelong learning opportunities. After leading accounting for several major public technology companies, Deborah was ready to grow something fundamentally powerful in the world of education. Heading finance at OpenSesame allowed her to combine her tech industry knowledge with the background she had also gained in founding and opening a public Chinese Charter School from the ground up. “I was excited to join a company that promoted learning,” Deborah said. “We genuinely believe in giving people the opportunity to learn and grow through programs like our Leadership Skills Development Program.”

Briefly describe your role.
I lead both the finance and people teams. This includes the finance and accounting and the people team, which includes recruiting, training, HR, and benefits.

How did you get into your field? 
I had a hard time deciding which area to specialize in when I was in business school. I loved HR and marketing, but accounting came easily to me. After I graduated from undergrad, I tried many different business areas, helping me realize accounting was right for me. Throughout my career, I’ve always worked in public technology companies. OpenSesame is the first private technology company I’ve worked for. I had planned to stay in public tech, but those companies move in quarterly cycles, and I missed building and working on something new. OpenSesame allowed me to do that.  Also, I have always believed in the importance of lifelong learning. I was part of a group that founded the Hope Chinese Charter School, a public charter school providing Mandarin Chinese immersion education to elementary and middle school students. So when the OpenSesame opportunity came up, I was excited to join a company that promoted learning.

What OpenSesame ERGs are you a part of?
Asian, Pacific Islander, and the Women’s ERG

What has been the best part of working in your role? 
The People: I love seeing great people join OpenSesame and then grow, learn, and get promoted or move into other areas of this company.

How has OpenSesame changed since you’ve joined? 
When I joined, we had 40 employees. The finance team was just two of us, we didn’t have a people team, and many of our processes were very manual. In just five short years, we’ve doubled the finance team, created a people team, upgraded our payroll system and ERP, and added many other integrations. We’ve put together very robust recruiting processes and introduced the OpenSesame qualified training program, and we’re now at over 150 employees. 

How has your OpenSesame team maintained a sense of community through the pandemic era?
I love our Friday full team meetings and the fun event once a month. It gives me a chance to see other people outside of my teams. I’m also enjoying participating in virtual coffees and the ERGs. I do miss the in-person interactions — the hallway conversations and the Friday full team lunches. I felt more in touch when we were onsite, but I am now active in Slack’s various social channels. It’s so nice to see pictures of everyone’s kids and dogs and to talk about non-work things. We even have a Peloton slack channel with monthly team challenges. 

What is your favorite TED course?
Either Drew Dudley “Everyday Leadership” or Brene Brown “The Power of Vulnerability.” Both shake up your idea of what leadership should be.

What is the Best ProDev you’ve taken?
I have to take 40 hours of CPE a year for my CPA license, so, unfortunately, most of my pro dev is accounting/finance-oriented. I went to a great conference in Orlando before COVID, which featured a good mix of leadership sessions and “future of accounting” sessions. And in the evening, discounted tickets to theme parks.

If you feel comfortable, give a glimpse of life outside of work; where do you get your energy, or what do you enjoy? 
I have two almost teenagers, so I’m doing whatever I can to keep them engaged and off their screens. We like to stay active — everyone in our family either walks or runs every day. Recently, I’ve gotten swept up in the Peloton craze and have been known to use much-needed sleep time to plan out my workouts for the next day. We ski in the winter and kayak, SUP, mountain bike, and hike in the summer. We also love playing board games. SkipBo has turned into a very competitive game of parents vs. kids. My kids go all out when they win — screaming and victory dancing. 

What makes working with OpenSesame rewarding?
OpenSesame’s emphasis on learning and growth. We genuinely believe in giving people opportunities to learn and grow through programs like our Leadership Skills Development Program. 

What enneagram type are you? And what part speaks most strongly to you?
I’m a 1W2. I get a sense of comfort from making sure the t’s are crossed, the i’s are dotted, and the numbers tie.

What advice would you give to new OS hires?
Learn what other departments do and how it relates to what you do. Look for opportunities to meet up with people through either the formal virtual coffee program or by just asking someone for coffee/lunch. Attend a leadership lunch/happy hour where you can meet various members of the leadership team.

What makes a team member successful at OpenSesame?
Caring equals success. Those who genuinely care about doing their job well, about the team around them, about their customers, about their own growth, and are continually improving each day — are the ones who see success. 

What is your favorite course in the OS catalog?The Gold Deck presentation, which is an internal OpenSesame course. It felt like I was sitting in on a sales call. It was so valuable to see how we sell the product. 

Do you have a motto or personal mantra?
There’s a Japanese phrase: Fall down seven times, get up eight. It’s a phrase about resilience. For me, whenever I’ve faced difficulties, the important thing is to get back up again. I particularly love that the phrase talks about falling down seven times and getting up eight, not seven. That extra digit represents to me not only getting back up again but taking a step forward. 

The post Employee Spotlight: Deborah Dang appeared first on OpenSesame.

Now, as a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professional, one of my main goals is to teach or remind others to empathize. You don’t have to wear the same shoe size or like the same shoe style. However, what it does require is that you try your best to slip on their shoes and, for a moment, walk in them to the best of your ability. They might feel too loose or too tight, but that’s all part of the experience. 

Empathy makes us ask ourselves:

1. How would I feel if this happened to me if I were in a similar situation?
2. How would I want to be treated if I were them?
3. Have I ever experienced a similar emotion that can help me better show support through my actions?

As empathy guru, Brené Brown says in her book Daring Greatly, “Empathy doesn’t require that we have the exact same experience as the person sharing their story with us… Empathy is connecting with the emotion that someone is experiencing, not the event or the circumstance.” 

Now more than ever, we need people to practice connecting with others’ emotions. For example, according to a 2021 Gallup poll, even with the ongoing racial tensions in the United States, 42% of U.S. adults rated race relations between Black and White Americans positively. Moreover, due to the pandemic, women are leaving the workforce in droves. 80% of the women surveyed in a Deloitte Global report stated that their organizations have not provided work-life balance during a time of increased pressure, workloads, and responsibility. 

These examples highlight how some people are still unaware of others’ experiences, while others have no desire to put themselves in someone else’s position to connect with and understand their feelings. When there is a lack of empathy, it can usually be attributed to the fallacy that our separate existences do not impact each other. However, the truth is that we depend on each other’s existences daily, especially on our jobs and livelihoods. In fact, independent studies show that organizations are more successful and teams perform better in more diverse and inclusive work environments. Some results are higher profits, higher revenue, and higher retention. 

As a DEI professional, I often encounter people who fear that they will be made to feel ashamed of their identity, especially when being part of the dominant culture. Empathy does the exact opposite. It maintains the story of the realities some people are facing while reducing shame. Shame does not effectively change hearts and actions, but relating to and understanding others does. Shame also paralyzes, whereas understanding moves people to make changes in how they lead, how they make decisions, and how they create policies. Most importantly, they become aware of how their decisions and behaviors impact people differently. 

Empathy does not necessarily mean we agree on every point as we make organizational decisions. It does mean, however, we will have more inclusive and equitable workplaces because we have truly put ourselves in someone else’s shoes.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

DEI Resources

To learn more about topics to foster empathy, we recommend the DEI courses in OpenDoors: What Is DEI?, the Microaggression courses, and the Allyship courses.

April Allen is the Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at PeaceHealth and has acted as a consultant and trainer to executive and senior management on various DEI programs. She is also the best-selling author of the children’s books entitled, I Love Being Me and It’s Nice to be Nice, which helps children focus on embracing racial and ethnic diversity. April’s unique background includes a Juris doctorate degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law, a Bachelor of Arts Degree in American Ethnic Studies and Political Science, and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Washington.

The post The Power of Empathy in DEI appeared first on OpenSesame.

Now that 68 percent of companies expect remote work to be part of their new reality, that means your learners might live on opposite sides of the country or oceans apart. And the coming of age of Generation Z means for the first time ever, there are now five generations in the workforce, each of which relate to the Digital Age differently. This leads to people arriving to elearning from countless avenues with wide-ranging expectations and varying capabilities. How do we make learning and development accessible for everyone?

1. Our workforce is forever in flux, so the ways we learn must be also.

It can be a challenge to know the best approach to learning and development for the world we inhabit now. No two brains are exactly the same. So why should learning ever be one size fits all? We process new information differently  and have different experiences and skills. How we learn should be adaptable to those differences.

There’s no right way to learn. It’s however you learn. By having a diversity of materials that embrace all types of learning styles, you can make sure you’re engaging everyone. That means more opportunities to upskill, reskill and cross-skill—no matter where your employees happen to be in their career development journey.

2. Different learning styles mean we need more ways to capture attention.

The advantages of a wide catalog is you never have to choose between quality and quantity. You can have both. A marketplace like OpenSesame with tens of thousands of courses from many publishers allows you to match the type of content to the type of learner. Instead of elearning content that’s made in identical styles and treatments, you have modalities that are as diverse as your workforce.

It’s commonly understood that there are at least four learning styles: visual, auditory, reading/writing and kinesthetic. This is known as the VARK Model and was popularized by education researcher Neil Flemming in 1987. 

Read six tips and strategies for cementing engagement in your training initiatives.

Visual learners best process information by seeing it graphically represented. So think of charts, diagrams, animations and sketches. Visual aids for these types of learners can be useful in helping them remember what they’ve learned. 

Auditory learners need to listen to someone explain a concept before they can fully digest it. Hearing information out loud or having key takeaways repeated during a course can improve retention. These folks might enjoy podcasts and audiobooks.

Reading/writing learners love the power of the written text. Reading ebooks and pamphlets allows them to really sit with new information or just quickly skim it for what they need. 

Kinesthetic learners might enjoy interaction and gamification. So courses where they take quizzes and collect points throughout would better motivate them to complete each module. 

3. Individualized learning paths help to democratize career development.  

The various learning styles go beyond just what’s above. Someone who has a short attention span might enjoy bite-sized micro-learning that they can do in 10-minute bursts. Someone who is a tactile learner likely would appreciate workbooks and handouts to accompany lessons. Learners don’t always neatly fall into just one column but may be a combination of several modes. 

So it’s important to find a course vendor that can deliver courses in every format you can think of. With a variety of options, you can personalize a learning path for each individual. And with a feature like SmartPath, elearning experts at OpenSesame can curate the perfect blend of courses and styles relevant to each learner at your company. These customized curriculums are based on your specific goals and tailored to your specific learners.

Every mode of learning has a part to play when it comes to unlocking human potential, and utilizing different types of elearning content is what keeps learning interesting. Flexible learning that varies in style, format and even language has the power to bridge the gap between diverse learning needs. By catering to our learning differences, we ensure that elearning can truly be for everyone. 

Book a demo to see how SmartPath can match the needs of every learner!

Spencer Thornton is the Senior Vice President of Curation at OpenSesame. He has more than 20 years of learning and development expertise. Before joining OpenSesame, Spencer served in leadership positions with several global HCM organizations, including SumTotal Systems (SkillSoft), GeoLearning and Dice.

The post Why Elearning Can’t Be One Size Fits All appeared first on OpenSesame.

Portland OR– 23 October 2021– OpenSesame, a market-leading SaaS global eLearning innovator, announced a partnership with KochaSoft to expand their IT-focused offerings to provide enterprise organizations with mission-critical cloud and SAP training.

KochaSoft, a cloud training and education company that formerly delivered customized courses to global cloud leaders and IT consultants, is rapidly expanding its topic library to include topics other than SAP and the cloud. This library will feature Office 365, Cybersecurity, Web Development, Machine Learning, and several other IT disciplines. These courses are critical for IT-focused organizations to succeed in the future, and they will teach skills in high demand.

“In the workplace, we are always on the lookout for new ideas. KochaSoft is one of the best IT-focused learning management systems on the market, and they are transforming the way employees train. Their strategic partnership will expand our IT course offerings via their LMS, allowing businesses to manage corporate training and assess the commercial impact of their IT training programs. We could not have asked for better collaboration.” -Tom Turnbull, VP of Partnerships. 

Employee training has changed and will continue to change. People are working remotely and remaining active members of their teams regardless of their location. Traditional, or only in-person training, is no longer enough in light of this change. It is not only inflexible and expensive, but it is also ineffective for modern organizations, forcing employees and leaders who are well-versed in enterprise technology to be in great demand.

“As organizations grow and evolve their workforces, IT skills are more and more in-demand. It’s becoming increasingly less economical for large organizations to recruit this talent, so learning and development have become a necessity,” said Bruce Chen, Director of Marketing at KochaSoft. “OpenSesame is the perfect partner to help us offer new courses to serve other areas of their IT education needs in a scalable, synchronous fashion.” 

The OpenSesame collaboration with KochaSoft provides over 25,000 courses to assist enterprises in Canada and around the world in developing more analytical and actionable learning.

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful workforce eLearning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of eLearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame’s learning experts guide global companies every step of the way. From finding the course to mapping them to core competencies, syncing them with an LMS to increasing utilization and improving L&D programs. OpenSesame provides the flexibility of multiple purchasing options with simple to use and administer eLearning courses. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 brands. And with over 25,000+ OpenSesame catalog courses, the eLearning platform touches all industries in all markets. The company is defining a new era of engaging a people-first talent force. To learn more, visit www.opensesame.com

About KochaSoft

KochaSoft specializes in IT-focused training solutions through its flagship cloud-based learning management system (LMS) and Cloud Experience Center. The training was specifically designed to develop leaders, upskill large enterprises and normalize their competency with previously complex IT and cloud systems. To learn more, visit www.kochasoft.com/lms. 

Media Contact

Hallie Janssen

Vice President of Marketing

hallie.janssen@opensesame.com

(917) 253-7355

The post OpenSesame Announces Partnership with KochaSoft to Expand IT and Cloud Services Training Software appeared first on OpenSesame.

Most business leaders know that effective training builds more consistent performance among employees, improves customer service, reduces the amount of time that managers spend training new employees, and provides other benefits that impact the bottom line.

But do those same businesspeople also understand just how much a company’s overall profitability will grow when a comprehensive program of training is put into action? In many cases, they don’t. Here’s a case study that gives some food for thought for companies that would like to quickly realize significant improvements in their bottom line.

Case Study: A Restaurant Chain You Know

Tortal designed and implemented a comprehensive eLearning program. One year after the program began, profits had already increased in dramatic ways:

• At restaurants where 80% of employees had completed the eLearning training, overall business had increased by 4%.
• At restaurants where 50% or fewer of the employees had completed the training, business had increased too, but by 1.4%.

Now let’s crunch some numbers. Each of those restaurants do about $2 million of business every year. So using that as a baseline, we see that restaurants that had generated 4% more business had made $16,000 more in just one year. In contrast, the restaurants that had achieved 1.4% growth had generated $2,800 in more business.

If you roll out those numbers further, you will see that over a five-year period, the restaurants that trained 80% of their employees would see an increase of $80,000 in new business, compared to $14,000 in companies that had trained 50% their workers. But in reality, the revised training will generate even a bigger ROI, because:

• Business growth is cumulative. Even if a business grows at a rate of 4% every year, that percentage is built on a bigger profit base. So even if the growth rate holds steady, the number of new dollars earned each year will increase.
• More efficient operations lead to greater profits and growth. In a restaurant setting, managers who are freed from training responsibilities can invest more of their time running their restaurants. The same principle applies in most businesses. And as we know, better-trained employees are more efficient, sell more, and generate increased profits.
• Retention rates among well-trained employees have been proven to be higher than for employees who are not well-trained. And as every company executive knows, the cost of hiring and training new employees is very high.

To learn more about providing training that produces results, be sure to check out the course Customer Service Success. 

About Evan Hackel

Evan Hackel, a 35-year franchising veteran is a nationally recognized expert and speaker on franchising. Evan is founder and CEO of Ingage Consulting, and CEO of Tortal Training, a leading training development company. Evan is an active advisor in the C-Suite Network. He is also author of Ingaging Leadership, and host of “Training Unleashed,” a podcast covering training for business. Contact him here, follow him at @ehackel, or call 781-820-7609.

The post How to Create Training that Boosts the Bottom Line appeared first on OpenSesame.

Senior Curation Specialist – Wellness 

She/Her

Portland, Oregon

When the value of Wellness in the workplace began gaining momentum across corporate and learner requests, Charise Frias had been at the forefront of the industry for many years. She lives and breathes Wellness training in her own life and applies her knowledge to her customer requests. OpenSesame added Wellness to its core course offerings due to its critical role in workforces everywhere. Charise offers OpenSesame customers individualized solutions for employee Wellness programs through her expertise in course curation. As a Senior Curation Specialist, she hears what customers and their learners need and can make direct requests to publishers around nutrition, mental health, sleep, work/life balance, and much more. 

Describe your role.

My role on the Curation team is to grow and promote our content and support in Wellness. I support customers with engaging online courses focused on Wellness in the workplace. My goal is to help our customers realize the importance of wellbeing and implement some level of employee Wellness training. The topics of mental health, nutrition, stress management, and lifestyle are so universally important. As our mission states, we want to help companies develop the most productive and admired workforces. Wellness is an essential part of that mission.

How do you curate the best possible course lists for your customers? 

I have a strong connection to the topic of Wellness. I’m a certified yoga teacher; I’ve studied meditation, mindfulness, and ayurvedic medicine in India. Along with that, I meet with customers and listen to what’s important to their organizational goals. Our curation is primarily based on customer requests and specific needs. We also rely on the Curation Alignment Process (CAP) survey, creating lists with exact results. I’m also in the catalog all day long, and I work with the publishers directly to make sure they’re creating the content our customers require.

How has Wellness changed in the past few years, and where is it going? 

Companies of all types and sizes are seeing the value of implementing an entire Wellness program. I love working with organizations that don’t already have any Wellness strategy in place. OpenSesame has so many tools to support the whole process. One way to get started is a simple survey to gauge employee stress levels. It can provide a lot of insight. 

What topics do you hear requests for most? 

Before the pandemic, stress and mindfulness were prevalent topics, so we introduced Wellness as its own category. There is so much new content and demand.  Mental health awareness has gained attention everywhere — not just in the workplace. We get a lot of requests for courses on how to help your colleagues if you notice they’re struggling. Everyone wants ways to tackle stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep. How to take care of yourself seems to be a lot more important to people in recent years. Resocialization has been an ask from a few customers. It takes a lot more energy to socialize in a big group, and many people suffer from social anxiety. “Work-from-home and coping with stress at home are topics we hear about a lot. 

What trends do you see coming for the future of elearning? 

I see shorter microlearning sessions being more popular. Younger generations are all about social media style, super quick lessons in 5-10 minutes or much less. Also trending right now is stress management, mindfulness, and meditation. Further in the future, I see virtual reality gaining more traction. 

What is your favorite course in the OS catalog?

I like “Reduce Implicit Bias with Mindful Meditation” by Ideas for Leaders because it touches on improving both Wellness and DE&I in the workplace.

Learn more about personal curation →

Access curated wellness course list →

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A Senior Curation Specialist specializing in Safety and Compliance, Amanda Sessions assists publishers and customers in complying with regulations and mandates and taking new courses to the next level for learners. Amanda relies on OpenSesame’s exhaustive data and her deep knowledge of the 25,000 courses available. Her curated course lists are custom-created for the exact moment in an organization’s Safety and Compliance initiatives. She’s a futurist in many ways — always staying one step ahead of her customers’ needs and regulatory changes. 

Describe your role.

As a Senior Curation Specialist, I work with publishers to help them succeed and ensure we have the latest and greatest safety and compliance content. When I’m not working with publishers, I’m helping recommend the course lists for customers to meet their very specific requirements and preferences.

What makes your role unique at OpenSesame?

Custom curation feels like power when there are 25,000 opportunities to help improve and inspire learning in a workforce

How did the move to a work-from-home economy affect your work? 

As workforces have been transitioning from live training to online training, the first thing they needed was Safety and Compliance training. In the peak of 2020, customers were turning to us as the experts of what they should be ready for next. The essential topics needed to be deployed right away, and that included COVID safety and workplace guidelines. It felt good to be a trusted guide and have a solid roadmap for our customers and our publishers in such a historic time. The publishers wanted to know what they ought to create, and the customers wanted to know what they needed to be trained on. It was all easily prescribed by OpenSesame. And, while being compliant with COVID safety became a priority, something that has not gone away has been sexual harassment training. The #MeToo movement began right before I started, and the demand for this important content has not slowed down. 

How do you curate the best possible course lists for your customers? 

By leveraging all our data—and we have so much. I use our CAP and our comprehensive data to compare it to the personal data and the customer’s requirements. Then I add in language and accessibility requirements and make sure we’re hitting all those. I put all of it together and make the perfect cake. I’m very comfortable as a Safety and Compliance expert. I came from a background of Safety and Compliance in healthcare, and my time at OpenSesame has only helped me establish myself as a specialist in that role. 

What does a typical day look like for you?  

Our team receives such a wide range of questions, and each one is a challenge and an opportunity to learn. I’ll have a call or two a day with publishers. The other half of the day is spent building customized curated course lists for customers. Much of my work involves supporting customers internally. I love supporting my team in helping our customers. Turning in a curated list to a customer success manager and hearing how I could help the customer is great. Getting to review new publisher content is a delight, and I use my attention to detail to spot opportunities for improvement. I give very specific feedback on details, including terminology and audio/video quality.  Previewing a wide range of topics enriches my understanding of professional development. 

What is your favorite TED course?

10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation by Celeste Headlee.

How has your role grown since starting at OpenSesame?

I have experienced relationship building and account management on a whole new level in daily work with our publishers and customers. The autonomy we have in our roles allows us to customize our customers’ experience.  Not only have I become exposed to a broader range of training content, I feel I have a greater understanding of how a highly successful customer and employee-focused company operates.

Want to know more about how Amanda can curate for you? Check out Amanda’s pre-curated list of courses on Promoting a Culture of Ethics.

To get a better idea of how OpenSesame’s curation team can work with you to help you get the most out of your budget and accelerate engagement, connect with one of our experts for a personalized, guided demo.

Get a Personalized Demo →

Access The Pre-Curated List →

Avoid Overpaying on Employee Training – webinar →

The post Employee Spotlight: Curation appeared first on OpenSesame.

In her role as Business Development Manager Team Lead on OpenSesame’s Curation team, Abbie Paul follows a demanding 39-point quality checklist to assess every single new publisher that crosses her desk.

Stringent content standards at OpenSesame maximize learner engagement and drive the best possible customer results. With these standards in mind, Abbie seeks out the globe’s top publishers in each of OpenSesame’s core categories. And, finding the exact content her customers need – as it is needed – has become a priority over the past few unprecedented years.

New workplace topics such as “wellness” and “fully remote workforces” peaked in demand during the pandemic. If a course doesn’t exist, Abbie works directly with trusted publishers to build new content and vet it against OpenSesame’s unrelenting standards.

Describe your role.

My role is to find ideal new publishing partners and bring them into the OpenSesame marketplace. I evaluate training courses, determine if they will be a good fit, and consult with our existing publishing partners to help them improve and expand their offerings to our customers. Every week, we have several publishing organizations reach out to work with us. They range from small independent shops to well-known publishers like TED. All are vetted against the same strict standards and demanding OpenSesame quality checklist. My job is to oversee the quality control of every course we make available to our customers.

What makes your role unique at OpenSesame?

I have to keep pushing the envelope to find unique and engaging courses for our customers. Sometimes it feels like mining for a diamond in the rough.  We’ve built a stringent checklist of Course Quality Standards in the form of an assessment for evaluating each new publisher, and we’re constantly taking in feedback. This allows us to review content in a nonsubjective manner. The OpenSesame checklist tells us what works and what doesn’t work for our customers. Every publisher must meet the same guiding principles: be reputable, innovative, flexible, diverse and inclusive, global, and provide unparalleled support. Our goal is to ensure every learner has a smooth and engaging learning experience.

If a customer needs training on a topic we don’t have courses for; I first reach out to our existing publishing partners. We’ve built a network of strong relationships, and if we don’t have a publisher with expertise in a particular subject, we look to either expand that network, or partner with subject matter experts to create the content in-house. We are fortunate to work with high-quality publishing partners ready to work with us and ultimately help our customers see engagement and results. 

How did hybrid work-from-home workforce models change your offerings and your role?

We strengthened our relationships with our publishers and asked for timely courses — like “virtual onboarding,” “remote employees,” and “mask conflict de-escalation.” Those courses simply didn’t exist before. Believe it or not, a course called “Proper Handwashing” became one of the most popular COVID mitigation courses we offer. As we saw demand change, we reached out to all our publishers, and they were able to jump right in. Wellness continues to be a valuable and critical topic and is produced by many publishers — but finding the most effective wellness content is what we strive for. Within other topics, business skills are forever popular, compliance is critical, and sexual harassment courses are in constant demand. We have all of those courses, and now we also have specialists focused on securing the best courses in DEI, Business Skills, Technology, Wellness, Safety, Compliance. 

What is your favorite TED course?

The Power of Believing You Can Improve by Carol Dweck and The Power of Vulnerability by Brene Brown.

What is your favorite course in the OS catalog?

Choosing one course would be like picking a favorite child. It’s impossible. I prefer scenario-based courses where videos show the right and wrong way to address a situation. I enjoy humor, so when a course plays like a television show, I stay engaged. 

How has your role grown since starting at the company?

My first role at OpenSesame was as a Senior Curation Specialist. At the time, our team was small, and we wore a lot of hats. Since then, the hats have become roles and teams. In 2019, I started the Business Development team, where the focus was to build-out a process for evaluating prospective publishers in a nonsubjective manner; to ensure a strong partnership with successful onboarding. Since then, we have put several processes into place and expanded the team. Our ratings have improved, and our relationships are stronger than ever. 

To get a better idea of how OpenSesame’s curation team can work with you to help you get the most out of your budget and accelerate engagement, connect with one of our experts for a personalized, guided demo. 

Get a Personalized Demo →

Access The 39 point Quality checklist →

Avoid Overpaying on Employee Training – webinar →

The post Employee Spotlight: Curation appeared first on OpenSesame.

New courses for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Blinkist, Mind Channel, SAP Litmos, Skill Boosters, and Sollah Interactive all have new content to expand your DEI course offerings to your workforce and to add to your training program. 

• Blinkist
  • The Inclusion Dividend: Why Investing in Diversity and Inclusion Pays Off 
• Mind Channel
  • Inclusive Language and Communication
• SAP Litmos
  • Leveraging Diversity and Strengths in the Workplace
• Skill Boosters
  • Inclusive Leadership: Инклюзивное лидерство (Russian)
• Sollah Interactive
  • ALL IN! Tackling Tough Diversity Dynamics (Advantage Program)
  • TrainingBriefs® Gender Respect (Latin American Spanish)
  • TrainingBriefs® Understanding Microaggressions (Latin American Spanish)
  • TrainingBriefs® Understanding Racism (Key Terms) (Latin American Spanish)

MyStory as a Manager by Cegos is now available in European Portuguese

The MyStory by Cegos courses are full-screen, interactive videos that present real-life situations in a day in the life of a manager. These 10-minute videos are presented like a television series where you will follow the office characters while they learn how to tackle the early steps in a new role. Check out the new courses available now in European Portuguese! 

EJ4 adds critical topics in manipulative communication and psychological safety 

EJ4’s newest courses are designed to help you recognize manipulative communication when it’s happening and identify the various forms of manipulation that are commonly used. You can browse all of EJ4’s offerings in OpenSesame Plus here, including new courses on psychological safety that can help your workplace be productive, safe and happy. 

Management Pocketbooks releases four new popular courses for developing leaders

Management Pocketbooks delivers bite-sized learning on a wide variety of topics that are relevant to managers, leaders and employees in every industry. Their highly-visual approach combines presenter-style videos with informative graphics. In addition, downloadable resources help the learner as well as facilitators continue their education offline—individually, in groups, or as part of virtual or in-person instructor-lead training. 

New this month from Management Pocketbooks are four new courses on:

• Being in Control When Collaborating
• Evaluating Poor Competency Frameworks
• Making Competencies Work
• Systematic Approach to Continuous Improvement

Get started by clicking here to see and demo the Management Pocketbooks courses in the OpenSesame Plus catalog. 

Coming to OpenSesame Plus in November: Emberin!

Emberin’s founder, Maureen Frank, is a bestselling author and award-winning diversity and inclusion expert. Maureen pioneered engaging men in the diversity and inclusion conversation globally and supported the founding of Male Champions of Change. Emberin has over 20 courses in the catalog that discuss inclusion, mentorship, and generational style differences. 

You can find Emerin courses in the catalog by clicking here. 

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most admired and productive workforces with a comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers.

The post What’s New and Trending in OpenSesame’s Course Catalog in the Month of October appeared first on OpenSesame.

Portland, OR – 21 September 2021 – OpenSesame, a market-leading SaaS global elearning innovator, today announced the addition of Eleventure to its popular OpenSesame Plus subscription. With this announcement, OpenSesame is adding significant expertise to its robust catalog that will boost on-the-job skills in a variety of subject areas. 

Eleventure provides high-quality, microlearning courses designed to help learners enhance the skills they use on a daily basis from communicating with others, setting goals, or managing their time effectively. 

The learner-centered microlearning approach that Eleventure takes enables the learner to retain knowledge, while addressing critical topics like Resocialization after Covid-19 and Creating Racial Equity in the Workplace (CREW). These courses dive beyond the surface to provide true value for learners and their organizations. Some of Eleventure’s most popular courses center around reducing workplace anxiety and conflict management, critical topics that can shape an organization’s environment and culture.

“We are excited to welcome Eleventure and their 50+ courses to the OpenSesame Plus catalog. Their fast, action-focused courses fill critical gaps in our ever evolving workplaces,” said Spencer Thornton, Senior Vice President of Curation at OpenSesame. “In addition the need for learner-centered microlearning courses has grown even more critical.” 

“Eleventure helps people learn and apply new skills quickly, offering high quality content in a casual, refreshing micro format that learners love,” said Megan Torrance, CEO of TorranceLearning. “We’re thrilled to make these courses available to OpenSesame’s customers.” 

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful online learning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame helps global companies every step of the way. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 companies to its customer base. With over 20,000+ courses, the platform touches all industries in all markets. For more information, visit opensesame.com

About Eleventure

Eleventure® takes a learner-centered microlearning approach, addressing critical topics that learners need now. From courses on Covid-19, Resocialization after Covid-19, and Virtual Selling to Creating Racial Equity in the Workplace (CREW), Eleventure courses dive beyond the surface level to provide true value for learners and their organizations. In addition, the courses on reducing workplace anxiety, workplace communication and conflict management, and coaching are time-tested popular offerings. Eleventure teaches critical, on-the-job skills people need. It’s fast. It’s fresh. It’s action based. And it’s designed and developed by the award-winning team at TorranceLearning.

To learn more about Eleventure’s training, visit www.opensesame.com/s/eleventure

Media contact:

Hallie Janssen

hallie.janssen@opensesame.com

(917) 253-7355

The post OpenSesame announces expansion of OpenSesame Plus subscription with Eleventure partnership appeared first on OpenSesame.

Voices of OpenSesame Juntos Employee Resource Group (ERG): 

I spent most of my childhood summers visiting my abuela who lived in the foothills of a mountain in the southwestern part of the United States. I loved to run through the arroyos, eat from her apricot trees, and catch lizards who became my summer companions. Whenever I went inside her house, I was met with love from her big, warm hugs, her large plates of food with her homemade tortillas, and her affectionate “mijita.” Outside of her affectionate address, I was rarely met with one thing: Spanish. 

Even though my abuela was bilingual in Spanish and English, she never spoke Spanish with me. This was the same at home; my mom never spoke Spanish with me either. There are many contributing factors, with one being that I lived in a multicultural home, and my dad didn’t speak the language, nor was he Hispanic. Thus, our language at home was only English with a sprinkle of Spanish words and phrases. However, the main reason I never grew up speaking Spanish was because of the generation I was born into. 

My mom’s family is part of the Hispanic community in the U.S. who predates the United States itself. They lived on the land in the southwest that eventually became a state. My family never immigrated to the U.S., but were instead living in areas where “the border crossed us.” For my mom, she faced discrimination for speaking Spanish, especially in school, and was faced with all aspects of assimilation. My mom’s perspectives on Spanish grew from this experience and impacted how my sister and I would grow up without it. 

I went through my childhood never questioning my lack of Spanish and thought of it as something fun to listen to when overhearing my mom on the phone, for example. I even took high school Spanish because I thought, “Mom speaks it. It should be an easy class.” It wasn’t until I was older and when my abuela passed away that I began to truly contemplate the important relationship between language and cultural identity. Whenever I asked my mom why my sister and I never learned Spanish, she would always respond by saying, “I felt English was more important because I wanted you to have opportunities.”

Into my adulthood, I began to feel like something was missing, like I wasn’t a “real” Hispanic because I couldn’t speak the language. And from interactions with some Spanish-speaking Hispanics, that became more obvious as they would usually shame my mom for not teaching me our cultural language. But they didn’t understand what contributed to my mom’s decision. My generation didn’t grow up speaking Spanish. My sister didn’t. My first cousins didn’t. We were the result of the effects of discrimination and assimilation that our parents grew up with, where English trumped Spanish at every turn. 

Now, as an adult, I’ve been trying to learn my cultural language with the disheartening fact that I’ll never be a fluent Spanish speaker like my abuela’s generation or even my mom’s — as she jokingly calls it — “Spanglish” generation. I still question if I’m Hispanic enough. But with that comes an additional question: How do I self-identify now?

Latinx is one option.

The term Latinx is something I see and hear all the time. It’s in the news, in textbooks, on social media, and even in our company’s courses. However, I don’t use the term. Honestly, I don’t even like it. If there is one way I would not self-identify, it’s as Latinx. 

According to Pew Research, most Latinos don’t use the term. And for someone like my mom, along with 76% of the adult Latino population, they haven’t even heard of it. The term is more commonly known among young adults and college graduates. 

I can understand how adding an “x” is trying to make the term gender-inclusive. However, the “x” represents another form of erasure to me. My cultural language was taken from me because of the assimilation that tried to erase the language from my mom and her generation, and that assimilation met its goal with many in my generation. The addition of the “x” is just another reminder of that. 

The “x” doesn’t follow the grammatical conventions of the Spanish language, and that is the very reason for its use. The “x” attempts to erase the gendered conventions of a language spoken by over 550 million people — in the name of inclusion. However, there are other inclusive equivalents that I believe are more respectful to the Spanish language. There is a term that already exists in English: Latin, as in Latin music and Latin America. There’s even a Spanish version that fits its grammatical conventions, Latine. It uses –e instead of –o or –a. These are more favorable options that don’t try to erase the Spanish language. The “x” seems like a way to fix something that isn’t even broken. 

What’s truly broken is the continued prejudice and discrimination against Spanish speakers and the idea that if they don’t speak English in the U.S., they should go back “home.” But that ignores the reality of the U.S. having “the second largest population of Spanish speakers in the world,” and for people like my family, we are home. We’ve been home for generations. We’ve never left.

For various reasons — with some being very personal ones — not all of us may agree with or even like the term Latinx, while some do. This is because the Hispanic and Latino population is not monolithic. We all don’t identify in the same way, and that includes the terms we choose for ourselves and for being more inclusive.

So, how do I choose to self-identify? For me, it’s complicated, but I’ll always be my abuela’s mijita.

By a Member of Juntos ERG

To learn more about how you can propel your DEI initiatives, use the resources below:

Essential DEI Resources →

DEI Progress Survey →

ERG Curated Course List →

The post Why Some of Us Don’t Use the Term “Latinx” appeared first on OpenSesame.

For many leaders and training professionals, building and launching a successful learning and development strategy is an arduous journey, filled with essential elements and components that demand consideration during the purchasing and planning process. Will my learners engage in the content? Will my program solve the challenges my team is facing? Will I see a return on my investment? There are many ways you can measure the effectiveness of your program, but how do you know if you’re overpaying for it? To help answer that question, let’s examine the biggest antagonist to ROI and a damaging, but sometimes, silent adversary to L&D success: rogue spending, and what areas are affected by it and steps that can be taken to avoid or fix it.

What is rogue spending? And how does it happen?

Rogue spending, also referred to as “maverick or tail end spending,” refers to the unexpected and unpredictable spending that can happen outside of negotiated contracts. With learning and development having such a direct correlation and impact on business success, and with elearning becoming an essential method to drive L&D programs, there are many ways you or your company can easily become rogue spenders. The popularity of elearning reached an all-time high this past year, increasing the accessibility to elearning content while presenting many opportunities to find the right provider and many opportunities to become a rogue spender. One of the main reasons L&D professionals fall into this trap is the lack of time they have to research the value of what some publishers are providing, and how the materials will meet the needs of their team. In many cases, leaders are stuck in the present, focused on immediate needs and trying to find a quick remedy, rather than searching for a solution that can be used to meet both the current and future needs of the organization. 

Perhaps the most common reason for rogue spending is lack of communication and coordination between teams. With HR, I.T., and other essential departments scrambling and searching through the many choices to find training that they believe are specifically related to their different focus areas, it’s easy for a company to purchase multiple learning solutions, including different LMS’, to cover them. The training areas that are typically the root of this problem are usually ones that are used across multiple departments and are intended for a broader audience like business skill development or leadership training. 

The consequences of rogue spending

Companies taking the time and effort to invest in training their greatest asset (their workforce) should be cause for celebration, but no matter how positive the intention might be, taking an unfocused approach could have damaging effects with immediate impact to the learning and development budget. When departments spend various amounts on different providers and systems, it’s difficult to measure the quality of each training. And if the training is in a broad topical area, like sexual harassment prevention, for example, the organization may end up becoming misaligned due to the differences in what is being taught, and how it is being taught. This could not only increase the likelihood that an organization’s compliance would be at risk, but will almost certainly have a direct, negative impact on the learners themselves, restricting both their growth and the growth of the organization.

Three steps to prevent rogue spending

So how can you prevent rogue spending? The experts at McKinsey cite one comprehensive way of solving this problem by recommending that L&D leaders take on a broader role within their organization and establish their vision around a holistic, coordinated L&D strategy that engages the organization and encourages collaboration. But in order to solve the problem, you have to first know where the problem is occurring in the first place. Conduct an audit and uncover what training programs each department is using and for what purposes. If there are similarities in the topical areas, you can choose one based on cost-value or user feedback. 

Speaking of feedback, perhaps the most effective tool is having regular, informative communication between your teams and stakeholders. Building awareness and understanding around each team’s needs, both present and in the future, can help create a strategic approach behind the learning and development program. 

With this knowledge, you can work with your procurement team and leaders to evaluate training technology and content and see if what you currently have matches everyone’s needs. After following these steps, you’ll be positioned to formulate a learning and development strategy that will drive meaningful conversations, build engagement, keep everyone safe and compliant, and above all, keep your budget spending manageable.

What’s next? 

So what steps can you immediately take to get started? OpenSesame’s learning experts are ready to do the work for you by providing a no-cost assessment. Our team speaks with learning managers from different departments on a daily basis, partnering with them to identify where duplicate purchasing is happening, while sharing our customer’s best practices on where our all-encompassing, singular catalog of elearning content can help. 

OpenSesame is ready to do all of the coordinating for you, bringing in all relevant stakeholders, including your procurement team, to evaluate your needs and provide you with a strategic solution that is designed for employees in specific roles, departments, locations, and industries. Above all, OpenSesame works to make sure that our customers are maximizing their budget, mitigating rogue spending, and obtaining ROI by getting everything they need from one source.

Schedule your no-cost Assessment of your Training →

The post Are you overpaying for employee training? appeared first on OpenSesame.

OpenSesame Plus welcomes four new, global publishers this month

Axonify’s interactive, micro-courses have been built for key verticals such as Retail, Grocery, Contact Centers, Financial Services, and Distribution. With a growing library of courses on subjects such as: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Business Skills, Effective Communication, Leadership, Sales, Harassment Prevention, and Safety, Axonify’s library helps keep learners engaged and performing at their best. Some courses that can help you immediately include Employee Health: Am I Healthy Enough to Go to Work?: Identifying Possible Symptoms of COVID-19 and New Leader: Change Management: Implementing Change.

Global eTraining offers a wide range of Autodesk and other BIM software and skills training for managers, leaders, and employees in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) industries. Their award-winning course creation tool, ‘The Generator,’ was built to support all combinations of learning styles and learning cycles, and places focus on subject matter experts needing to convey knowledge quickly and efficiently. If this is relevant to your industry and role, one course you should check out is Autodesk AutoCAD: Civil 3D – The Complete Guide which is available as part of the exclusive GeT Everything Library.

Pink University’s 130+ eurocentric business skills, leadership, communication, and sales courses, offered in both German and English, expertly uses live actors to drive narratives forward, while incorporating blended learning materials, such as reflection beats and downloadable resources into each course. If you’re looking to strengthen your team’s communication skills, take a look at the course around Giving Feedback.

OpenDoors provides expert knowledge and dynamic content featuring descriptive scenarios, performed by actors, to display vivid examples of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) issues in the workplace. Covering critical topics from microaggressions, to allyship, to hiring for DEI, to measuring success of DEI programs, these courses will inspire meaningful conversations and bolster DEI initiatives. Some game-changing courses include Defining Your “Why” in DEI and Measuring DEI Impact.

Additional highlights from the newest courses added to OpenSesame’s course catalog

Mind Channel continues to build on their hybrid working course library with a new course that provides managers with the tools needed to effectively lead a hybrid team.

Intellezy has come out with a course to help learners get an introductory overview about Virtual Training. During this course, they will discover the tools necessary for interactive design, how to structure their courses, matching methods with content, using voice and visuals to engage their learners, dealing with questions, difficult situations, and overall time management and preparation tips.

Our publisher, Real Projects, has produced a series of courses focused around preparation and safety for work travel, while one of our top publishers for customer service, ServiceSkills, has released a series of courses around Neurodiversity at work. These courses can help your team members learn how to be a more mindful and supportive ally in a way that benefits everyone.

Access the OpenSesame course catalog to check out every course offered and make sure to register for our monthly OpenSesame Customer Conversation series, if you would like to receive further insights from our team.

To get a better idea of how you can incorporate all of OpenSesame’s innovative tools and features into your L&D experience, connect with one of our experts for a personalized, guided demo.

ACCESS THE COURSE CATALOG →

Register for Customer Conversation Series →

Get a Personalized Demo →

The post What’s New and Trending in OpenSesame’s Course Catalog in the Month of August appeared first on OpenSesame.

Portland, OR – 1 September 2021 – OpenSesame, a market-leading SaaS global elearning innovator, today announced the addition of multiple new global publishers to its popular OpenSesame Plus subscription. With this announcement, OpenSesame is further diversifying its product offerings to ensure employees in all roles, locations, and industry verticals have equitable access to learning. 

Each of these publishers offer training and courses covering a wide range of topics, while addressing some of the biggest challenges global organizations are facing today. Here is a brief overview of each publisher that has been added to the catalog.

Axonify’s interactive, micro-courses have been built for key verticals such as Retail, Grocery, Contact Centers, Financial Services, and Distribution. With a growing library of over 300 courses on subjects such as: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Business Skills, Effective Communication, Leadership, Sales, Harassment Prevention, and Safety, Axonify’s library helps keep learners engaged and performing at their best.

Global eTraining offers a wide range of Autodesk and other BIM software and skills training for managers, leaders, and employees in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) industries. Their award-winning course creation tool, ‘The Generator,’ was built to support all combinations of learning styles and learning cycles, and places focus on subject matter experts needing to convey knowledge quickly and efficiently.

Working exclusively with OpenSesame, FutureThink provides short-form videos and powerful job-aids designed to accelerate training programs on key power skills for the new world of work. Offered in 7 languages, these courses focus on driving productivity, growth and innovation, change management, culture building, and collaboration.

Pink University’s 130+ eurocentric business skills, leadership, communication, and sales courses, offered in both German and English, expertly uses live actors to drive narratives forward, while incorporating blended learning materials, such as reflection beats and downloadable resources into each course. 

OpenDoors’ provides expert knowledge and dynamic content featuring descriptive scenarios, performed by actors, to display vivid examples of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) issues in the workplace. Covering critical topics from microaggressions, to allyship, to hiring for DEI, to measuring success of DEI programs, these courses will inspire meaningful conversations and bolster DEI initiatives. 

“We are constantly seeking innovative ways to help learners acquire knowledge and adopt new behaviors,” said Spencer Thornton, Senior Vice President of Curation at OpenSesame. “This is why we are excited to partner with publishers, like these, that are trusted by organizations across the globe to produce engaging and thoughtful content, setting the stage for sustainable, life-long learning.”

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful online learning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame helps global companies every step of the way. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 companies to its customer base. With over 20,000+ courses, the platform touches all industries in all markets.

To learn more about OpenSesame, visit www.opensesame.com

About Axonify

Axonify gets frontline employees ready for anything with a training and communications solution that actually works. Why does it work so well? Because the experience is fun, fast, personalized, and designed to make critical information stick. And employees love it—83% of users log in 2-3 times a week, which translates into meaningful behavior change that drives business results. 

More than 160 customers in 150+ countries around the world, including Walmart, Kroger, Levi’s, and Merck, trust Axonify to fuel their people’s performance to keep pace with their business.

Founded in 2011, Axonify is headquartered in Waterloo, ON Canada. 

To learn more about Axonify’s training, visit www.opensesame.com/s/axonify.

About Global eTraining

Global eTraining is the most comprehensive online training solution in the architecture, engineering, construction, and manufacturing industries. With revolutionary tools and technology, we help people learn faster, retain more, and save time… so you can GeT What Matters. 

To learn more about Global eTraining’s courses, visit www.opensesame.com/s/Global-eTraining

About OpenDoors

OpenDoors brings expertise from Corporate DEI practitioners who consult, teach, and speak on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the workplace. The cinematic courses include speaker-lead instruction, as well as descriptive scenarios performed by actors to provide vivid example DEI issues in the workplace. Covering topics from microaggressions, to allyship, to hiring for DEI, to measuring success of DEI programs, these courses apply to a wide audience from the C-Suite to the frontline. 

To learn more about OpenDoors’ training, visit www.opensesame.com/s/opendoors

About FutureThink

FutureThink is an award-winning, accelerated learning company. They transform how teams work in organizations such as Pfizer, Google, Merck, and Airbnb. Their accelerated, flexible learning solutions build power skills that drive growth and innovation, boost productivity, and create a culture of collaboration. Live or on-demand, FutureThink provides actionable and implementable tools, tips, and techniques, and shows employees how to immediately apply them to unique business challenges. They quickly upskill teams so they can stop doing unnecessary things and get to the work that matters.

To learn more about FutureThink’s training, visit www.opensesame.com/s/futurethink

About Pink University

Pink University is one of the leading providers of e-learning and web-based training for effective and sustainable personnel development in companies. The international award-winning e-library includes over 130 video-based, interactive e-learnings. In addition, Pink University develops and offers modular learning paths for targeted competence development, also as blended learning, in order to integrate learning sustainably and purposefully into everyday working life and to activate self-learning motivation.

Pink University was founded in 2010 by Britta Kroker and the publisher Dr. Sven Murmann. In 2019, PAWLIK Consultants GmbH acquired a majority stake in Pink University.

To learn more about Pink University’s training, visit www.opensesame.com/s/Pink-University

Media contact:

Hallie Janssen

Vice President of Marketing

(503) 808-1268

Hallie.Janssen@opensesame.com

The post OpenSesame adds new global publisher partnerships, further expanding OpenSesame Plus subscription variety appeared first on OpenSesame.

Global eTraining develops the entirety of its training content within its own award-winning course creation tool, ‘The Generator’. ‘The Generator’ was built to support all combinations of learning styles and learning cycles and places focus on subject matter experts needing to convey knowledge quickly and efficiently. 

“Architectural and engineering softwares, such as AutoCAD Civil 3D, are often complex and have steep learning curves,” said Spencer Thornton, Senior Vice President of Curation at OpenSesame. “In using ‘VARK’ learning methodology and offering content in multiple languages, Global eTraining’s interactive courses turn these complex concepts into simple functions. Global eTraining is a truly global organization and we are excited to welcome them into the OpenSesame family.”

“We are thrilled to be partnering with OpenSesame!” says William Myers, Director of Operations with Global eTraining. “Like GeT, OpenSesame recognizes that the need for mobile, asynchronous, and ‘just in time’ learning has never been greater.”   

“OpenSesame has a demonstrated commitment to curating quality skills training in a format that accommodates the modern lifelong learner in all walks of life.  Further, their culture of collaboration, caring, and growth shows an understanding of the people who need training – rather than simply the employees or learners.”

About OpenSesame
OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces. With the most comprehensive catalog of eLearning courses from the world’s top publishers, we are here to help you every step of the way, from finding courses, mapping them to your core competencies, syncing them with your LMS, to increasing utilization and improving your L&D programs. Not only will you have the flexibility of multiple purchasing options from OpenSesame, you’ll find it simple to use and administer your eLearning courses. To learn more, visit www.opensesame.com

About Global eTraining

Global eTraining is the most comprehensive online training solution in the architecture, engineering, construction, and manufacturing industries. With revolutionary tools and technology, we help people learn faster, retain more, and save time… so you can GeT What Matters. www.opensesame.com/s/Global-eTraining

Media contact:

Hallie Janssen

hallie.janssen@opensesame.com

(917) 253-7355

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Portland, OR – 30 August, 2021 – OpenSesame, a market-leading SaaS global elearning innovator, today announced the addition of Pink University to its popular OpenSesame Plus subscription, adding over 130 eurocentric business skills, leadership, communication, and sales courses in German and English. 

Pink University’s focus is to provide learners with a positive learning experience. They use live actors to drive narratives forward and incorporate blended learning materials, such as reflection beats and downloadable resources, into each course. Additionally, Pink University expertly uses multiple elements, such as graphics, enacted scenes, screencasts, text, and more, to create didactically engaging courses. 

“We are constantly seeking innovative ways to help learners acquire knowledge and adopt new behaviors.” said Spencer Thornton, Senior Vice President of Curation at OpenSesame. “This is why we are excited to partner with Pink University, who is internationally recognized for its holistic approach to learning. By incorporating blended learning methodology into each course, Pink University produces engaging and thoughtful content that sets the stage for sustainable, life-long learning.”

“OpenSesame’s dedication to deliver innovative online learning experiences aligns perfectly with Pink’s mission to bring more enthusiasm and sustainability into the world of digital training. We are excited to be an ever-growing part of this comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers. Our partnership with OpenSesame enables our elearning courses to reach an even broader audience and deliver our training on any platform, allowing us to reach more leaders around the world, regardless of which technology platform they use,“ said Philipp Mehrtens, Managing Director, Pink University. 

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful online learning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame helps global companies every step of the way. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 companies to its customer base. With over 20,000+ courses, the platform touches all industries in all markets.

About Pink University

Pink University is one of the leading providers of e-learning and web-based training for effective and sustainable personnel development in companies. The international award-winning e-library includes over 130 video-based, interactive e-learnings. In addition, Pink University develops and offers modular learning paths for targeted competence development, also as blended learning, in order to integrate learning sustainably and purposefully into everyday working life and to activate self-learning motivation.

Pink University was founded in 2010 by Britta Kroker and the publisher Dr. Sven Murmann. In 2019, PAWLIK Consultants GmbH acquired a majority stake in Pink University.

To learn more about Pink University’s training, visit www.opensesame.com/s/Pink-University

Media contact:

Hallie Janssen

hallie.janssen@opensesame.com

(917) 253-7355

The post OpenSesame welcomes internationally award-winning German publisher, Pink University, to OpenSesame Plus appeared first on OpenSesame.

Portland, OR – 31 August 2021 – OpenSesame, a market-leading SaaS global elearning innovator, today announced the addition of Axonify to its popular OpenSesame Plus subscription to bring microlearning courses to frontline employees and beyond. With this announcement, OpenSesame continues to expand on its mission of offering training for all employees in every role, organization, and industry vertical. 

Axonify is a modern training and communications solution that offers high-quality, interactive, micro-courses that fit into the flow of work and drive knowledge retention. Delivering knowledge in smaller bites more often helps learners easily recall information when they need it on the job.

The comprehensive library of micro-courses from Axonify has been built for key verticals such as Retail, Grocery, Contact Centers, Financial Services, and Distribution. With a growing library of over 300 courses on subjects such as: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Business Skills, Effective Communication, Leadership, Sales, Harassment Prevention, and Safety, Axonify’s library helps keep learners engaged and performing at their best.

“Axonify is creating unique content designed for frontline and industry specific roles. By adding their content library of over 200 microlearning courses, we will be able to fill critical training needs for our customers,” said Spencer Thornton, Vice President of Curation at OpenSesame. 

“Axonify is pleased to partner with OpenSesame to offer our robust library of hundreds of micro-courses to the thousands of global enterprises that use OpenSesame’s Content Marketplace,” said Carol Leaman, CEO of Axonify. “Our customers experience high employee engagement with our content, which drives continuous growth in their knowledge and confidence. We’re thrilled that this expanded access to our content will give more employees easy access to the learning they need to improve their on-the-job performance and overall wellbeing.” 

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful online learning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame helps global companies every step of the way. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 companies to its customer base. With over 20,000+ courses, the platform touches all industries in all markets.

About Axonify

Axonify gets frontline employees ready for anything with a training and communications solution that actually works. Why does it work so well? Because the experience is fun, fast, personalized, and designed to make critical information stick. And employees love it—83% of users log in 2-3 times a week, which translates into meaningful behavior change that drives business results. 

More than 160 customers in 150+ countries around the world, including Walmart, Kroger, Levi’s, and Merck, trust Axonify to fuel their people’s performance to keep pace with their business.

Founded in 2011, Axonify is headquartered in Waterloo, ON Canada. 

To learn more about Axonify’s training, visit www.opensesame.com/s/axonify

Media contact:

Hallie Janssen

Vice President of Marketing

(503) 808-1268

Hallie.Janssen@opensesame.com

The post OpenSesame announces expansion of OpenSesame Plus subscription with Axonify micro-content appeared first on OpenSesame.

Portland, OR – 26 August, 2021– OpenSesame, a market-leading SaaS global elearning innovator, today announced the addition of FutureThink to its popular OpenSesame Plus subscription with micro-courses on productivity, growth and innovation, change management, culture building, and collaboration. 

FutureThink has inspired and transformed innovative organizations like Google, Accenture, Pfizer, and Cargill with accelerated training programs on key power skills for the new world of work. Working with OpenSesame, they’ve brought their short-form videos and powerful job-aids to the elearning world in 7 languages: Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, English, French, German, and Simplified Chinese. Downloadable tools and tip sheets help individuals and teams apply the lessons taught in each course.

“Employees have more demands on their time today than ever before, so employers are looking for content that allows learners to quickly consume information and immediately apply it to their roles,” said Spencer Thornton, Senior Vice President of Curation at OpenSesame. “FutureThink’s focus on short training modules, with detailed, downloadable tools and tips, help change behavior and improve business outcomes.”

“Employees today are time-starved and need to get things done quickly, so their learning has to be accelerated and actionable,” said Lisa Bodell, CEO of FutureThink. 

“OpenSesame’s learning platform delivers on this and more. The courses we’ve built together are immediately impactful, highly engaging, and easily fit into the busy schedules of today’s learners. Plus, this partnership enabled us to scale learning globally with top-quality translations in multiple languages. We’re looking forward to building more of these game-changing experiences with OpenSesame.”

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful online learning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame helps global companies every step of the way. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 companies to its customer base. With over 20,000+ courses, the platform touches all industries in all markets. To learn more, visit www.opensesame.com 

About FutureThink

FutureThink is an award-winning, accelerated learning company. They transform how teams work in organizations such as Pfizer, Google, Merck, and Airbnb. Their accelerated, flexible learning solutions build power skills that drive growth and innovation, boost productivity, and create a culture of collaboration. Live or on-demand, FutureThink provides actionable and implementable tools, tips, and techniques, and shows employees how to immediately apply them to unique business challenges. They quickly upskill teams so they can stop doing unnecessary things and get to the work that matters.

To learn more about FutureThink’s training, visit www.opensesame.com/s/futurethink

Media contact:

Hallie Janssen

Vice President of Marketing

hallie.janssen@opensesame.com

(917) 253-7355

The post OpenSesame announces exclusive partnership with New York innovation consultancy FutureThink appeared first on OpenSesame.

You’ve probably heard of the term ‘socialization,’ maybe in reference to school-age children learning how to play with others outside of their home, or even household pets that are aggressive towards new people. Socialization is a journey of learning the values and norms of a group, organization, community, or society as a whole. Resocialization occurs when a massive change, like a global pandemic, forces you to establish new values and norms about socializing that are different from what you are already accustomed to. We adjusted these norms during periods of shutdown, and now we are re-adjusting those norms again as we find ways to come together safely.

Resocialization is more difficult for people than initial socialization because it adds an uncontrollable stress factor to life and can seep into other areas like personal relationships. When re-acclimating to socializing in your community and work environment, you will likely experience a wide range of emotions. This is normal and it is important to stay in touch with your emotional and physical reactions during stressful times, addressing those stressors and your reactions in a healthy way. It’s also important to support your family members, neighbors, and coworkers as they experience these challenges and emotions too.

Many of us have been working remotely since the first quarter of 2020, and returning to the office environment  – and other everyday social activities – will require some readjusting. You may be reintroducing a commute to your routine or readapting to a less flexible schedule as you transition away from working from home. You may have anxiety when attending social gatherings, or getting on a plane. But the good news is that there are strategies we can use to help ourselves and each other as we readjust to another “new normal”.

To be most successful, you need to prepare for, recognize, address, and adapt to changes in the workplace and in every-day social interactions. Make plans, ask questions, and make sure you feel prepared for social situations you will be engaging with. The more prepared you are, the less anticipatory stress you will feel. Also be clear about setting expectations before everyone is together. It’s far easier if everyone knows how many people can be in the conference room, and if masks are required, before everyone is gathering for an in-person meeting. 

When you’re adapting to change, it’s also important to be aware of how you’re feeling. Everyone is at a different comfort level with resocialization, and that’s ok. A useful phrase to keep in mind is to “meet yourself where you are.” This means acknowledging how you feel about something, recognizing how it may affect you, and taking the necessary steps to get to where you need to be. It also entails recognizing and accepting others who aren’t in the same place as you, mentally or emotionally. With the right support, resocialization can be a positive opportunity to get to know ourselves and each other better, and for personal growth.

By Carolyn Callery and Carla Torgerson at TorranceLearning

For more, check out the Eleventure course from TorranceLearning, “Resocializing after Covid-19.”

Carolyn Callery is a Learning Experience Designer at TorranceLearning. Her customer service experience and education in the social work field provides her with a skillset to meet the client “where they are” and work to provide excellent customer interactions and results. She loves to get people excited about learning.

Carla Torgerson is the Head of Learning Experience Strategy at TorranceLearning. She dives deep into complex client projects, helping to deliver performance solutions that both consider the learner’s needs and meet business objectives. Carla and the team at TorranceLearning help a variety of organizations connect learning strategy to design, development, data, and ultimately performance. In addition to strategic consulting and design, Carla is the product manager for TorranceLearning’s Eleventure® course series and the ID Ways of Working (WoW!) professional development community.

The post Resocialization: What is it and how can I support myself and others on their resocialization journey? appeared first on OpenSesame.

Five essential takeaways:

1. Anchor DEI conversations with individual, human stories

In tackling bias and fostering inclusion, it’s important to enable meaningful conversations that encourage team members to share their stories and learn from one another. Learn more from TED@Work through these courses published by TED on igniting critical DEI conversations in the workplace. 

2. Build an environment for authentic exchanges

Creating space for authentic conversations can help relieve burnout, according to TED speaker Liz Fosslien. Kayla suggested providing opportunities for teams to “build muscle” at having open, honest conversations about topics that matter to teamwork, individual well-being, and business challenges. TED@Work courses each come with tools to help your team use TED Talks to spark exchanges.

3. Create opportunities to spark connections at scale in a hybrid workplace

Most companies we talk to are looking to continue to build a culture of learning at all levels, but may lack a large L&D team. TED offers a solution that encourages discussion-based learning at scale, called Meetings-in-a-Box. Meetings-in-a-Box, offered through TED@Work and OpenSesame, powers dedicated learning sessions (60- or 90-minutes) inspired by TED Talks. With these turnkey toolkits, discussion leaders of all levels are empowered and equipped to organize and lead their sessions: making sure everyone’s voice is heard.

4. Equip managers with the right tools to make them partners in learning

It is important that managers are just as involved in the learning process as your end-learners. If they show a desire to improve and allot time for learning, it encourages and inspires the entire team to take your L&D program seriously as well. There are many great elearning courses through TED@Work your managers can take to help improve skills on important topics, such as giving feedback, establishing trust or managing for learning versus performance.

5. Build confidence about spreading your ideas through public speaking

Speaking in front of your peers can be incredibly nerve-wracking when you don’t feel prepared or confident in the way you communicate. TED’s official public speaking course, TED Masterclass offered through OpenSesame, helps learners explore how to more effectively use storytelling, persuasion, and data to move their colleagues to action. This self-paced course, guided by TED’s Head Curator, Chris Anderson, will help you craft your best ideas into compelling narratives to share with others and the world.

To learn more about TED@Work and leading meaningful meetings the TED way with Kayla Nalven, check out our dedicated TED page, watch the webinar recording at the link below, and get started today.

And to get a better idea of how you can incorporate TED and all of OpenSesame’s innovative tools and features into your L&D experience, connect with one of our experts for a personalized, guided demo.

Watch the webinar →

Get a guided demo →

The post Leading Meetings the TED Way: 5 Takeaways appeared first on OpenSesame.

By Teagan Carlson

In Part 1, I gave a brief overview of blended learning, discussed some blended learning models, and explained what makes blended learning so effective. In Part 2, we talked about some of the publishers in OpenSesame’s catalog that offer blended learning materials or additional resources that can be adapted into instructor-led training. In this article, I’ll address some of the challenges of building a blended learning program on your own. Then, I’ll provide three strategies to help you overcome those challenges, using OpenSesame courses and resources.

When elearning courses don’t include blended learning materials, you need to create them yourself. This may not be as challenging for industry-specific courses in which you have expertise or experts on hand, but what if you have a robust L&D program, one in which you’re trying to provide a flexible learning experience that meets differing learner preferences and needs? You can’t be expected to create blended materials for every learning pathway or for course subjects outside your wheelhouse. It takes time and effort to develop a blended learning experience. It also takes a lot of time to train your team or leadership to facilitate these experiences. 

If the courses in your elearning program don’t contain blended learning materials, there are plenty of ways you can create a blended learning experience without exhausting your resources. I find that creating a do-it-yourself (DIY) blended learning program works best with courses that encourage active learning. 

Strategy 1: Use the OpenSesame Catalog to Supplement Workshops or Seminars

If the members of your organization are attending a seminar, workshop, or presentation, you can blend their learning with elearning courses from our catalog. This works well with many topics, such as power skills, DEI, and management training. For example, let’s say you bring in a speaker to discuss identity issues in the workplace. Give your people agency over their learning with a guided SDL assignment that asks them to select a course from a list of courses you curate with the help of our Curation Specialists and your Customer Success Manager. 

Strategy 2: Use Reflection Questions to Build Team Discussion

Many of the courses in our catalog include in-course reflection questions or learner guides. You can have employees take the elearning courses on their own, giving them time to process and reflect on the content independently. Then, have teams meet in person or virtually to discuss the reflection questions and learn from each other’s experiences. Alternatively, you can promote remote discussion by posting these questions to an online discussion board. This works as a blended learning experience if you or the team lead monitors and guides the discussion to provide feedback.  

Strategy 3: Create Peer Teaching Opportunities

My favorite blended experiences involve peer teaching. Done well, peer teaching can be an invaluable experience for managers, leads, and team members. Like it sounds, peer teaching turns the team member into a facilitator. There are many options for peer teaching. The team member can take an elearning course or courses and discuss what they’ve learned during a Lunch and Learn, or the entire team can take the coursework and the peer teacher acts as a facilitator, creating activities and guiding the team’s discussion (the latter being the blended learning approach). Peer teaching is a powerful learning experience because it gives the peer teacher ownership of their learning, especially if there’s an SDL component to the assignment. It also fosters critical thinking, provides an opportunity to practice leadership and presentation skills, and results in improved learning outcomes because we learn more when we teach something.

For more information on blended learning, see the resources below. To get a better idea of how you can incorporate a blended learning strategy into your talent development programs using OpenSesame’s innovative tools and features, or for general inquiries, connect with one of our experts for a personalized, guided demo.

Watch the webinar →

Get a guided demo →

About Teagan Carlson

Teagan is an eLearning Development Specialist with OpenSesame. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology and has worked in education for over fifteen years. 

Teagan presented this information to the OpenSesame Customer Feedback Group in June with Senior Curation Specialist Molly Broder. The Customer Feedback Group will be hosting a follow-up meeting in September, where a panel of OpenSesame customers will share how they incorporate blending learning into their L&D programs

The post DIY Blended Learning: 3 Strategies to transform this challenge into an opportunity appeared first on OpenSesame.

By Teagan Carlson

In Part 1, I gave a brief overview of blended learning, discussed some blended learning models, and explained what makes blended learning so effective. 

Blended learning works because it combines all the benefits of elearning and facilitated or instructor-led training. A variety of our publishers offer blended learning materials in their courses. Let’s take a look at some: 

FutureThink

Provides accelerated, flexible learning solutions to build business power skills. These bite-sized courses combine presenter-style videos of industry experts with action plans, worksheets, and facilitation guides for team discussion.

Management Pocketbooks

Offers presenter-style, video-based courses on business skills that can be consumed in about twelve minutes. All courses include a learner and facilitator guide. Newer courses provide comprehensive active learning experiences that ask learners to access prior knowledge and experience, perform self-evaluations, and complete guided activities and practice exercises. 

Harvard Business Publishing

Courses include downloadable discussion guides with materials to support guided discussions, including invitations, a facilitator guide, slides, and notes. Harvard ManageMentor lessons include worksheets and handouts to use on the job. During the course, learners complete practice exercises and reflection activities that can be downloaded as part of the end-of-course “Lesson Kit.” The lesson kits can be used during one-on-ones with managers or during team meetings to promote discussion. 

These publishers do not have fully dedicated blended learning materials, but they do offer resources that can be adapted for instructor-led training or facilitated discussion in teams: 

TED

Courses include in-course prompts and a downloadable “Idea Log” with a reflection question, go-dos, and a prompt for team discussion. Each of these can be used to facilitate an in-person or virtual team discussion.  

Vado

Vado markets itself as the only off-the-shelf elearning courseware provider that helps learners apply learning on-the-job with job aids, reflections, and performance exercises. Courses contain on-the-job exercises and job aids as well as in-course instructions for how to discuss course content and on-the-job exercises with your team. 

Skillshub 

Courses include a three-part action plan that enables learners to apply what they’ve learned. A “Coaching Blueprint” provides a series of questions designed to help managers and team leads guide a discussion during one-on-ones or with the team. There are no dedicated blended materials, but the exercises completed in-course can be printed for review during team meetings.

For more information on blended learning, see the resources below. To get a better idea of how you can incorporate a blended learning strategy into your talent development programs using OpenSesame’s innovative tools and features, or for general inquiries, connect with one of our experts for a personalized, guided demo.

Watch the webinar →

Get a guided demo →

About Teagan Carlson

Teagan is an eLearning Development Specialist with OpenSesame. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology and has worked in education for over fifteen years. 

Teagan presented this information to the OpenSesame Customer Feedback Group in June with Senior Curation Specialist Molly Broder. The Customer Feedback Group will be hosting a follow-up meeting in September, where a panel of OpenSesame customers will share how they incorporate blending learning into their L&D programs

The post Blended Learning in the OpenSesame Catalog appeared first on OpenSesame.

by Teagan Carlson

There’s ample research in support of blended learning. It has been linked to a host of positive results, including increases in learning outcomes and achievement, course completion, and learner satisfaction. The U.S. Department of Education’s oft-cited report noted students in blended learning classes outperformed those in fully online or fully in-person classes. Unfortunately, one of the biggest challenges in creating a blended learning program is that it isn’t always easy.

Blended Learning Defined

Blended learning is defined as a learning program that combines online and instructor-led training (ILT). This may take many different forms; online could include elearning courses or self-guided research, for instance. The instructor-led training could be in a traditional classroom setting or a virtual tutoring session.

Blended Learning Models 

There are a variety of ways to format a blended learning program, especially as meeting remotely becomes easier and more accepted, but schools and organizations typically use one of three.

• Flipped instruction

The most common is called flipped instruction or the flipped classroom. This model is called flipped because it’s the opposite of what we think of when we think of traditional classroom instruction. In the traditional K-12 or higher ed learning environment, the student receives an in-class lecture and then practices the lectured content independently as homework. 

With flipped instruction, the learner takes an elearning course, doing the learning upfront and independently, and then that learning is reinforced later through activities and discussions guided by a facilitator. The facilitation can be one-on-one, but I recommend group facilitation to maximize the benefits of social learning.  

• Flex learning

In a flex learning model, learners take elearning courses independently, and during this learning experience, a facilitator is available to answer questions and assist, either in-person or virtually.

• Self-blended learning

And finally, “self-blended” or personalized learning usually starts as a traditional learning model, with the learner receiving instruction in a traditional, classroom-like setting. Then, they supplement this instruction with online, self-directed learning (SDL) where they conduct research or select and take their own elearning courses, for instance.

What Makes Blended Learning So Effective

Blended learning works because it combines all the benefits of elearning and facilitated or instructor-led training. Review just some of the benefits in the following chart:

                                                           Benefits

For more information on blended learning, see the resources below. To get a better idea of how you can incorporate a blended learning strategy into your talent development programs using OpenSesame’s innovative tools and features, or for general inquiries, connect with one of our experts for a personalized, guided demo.

Watch the webinar →

Get a guided demo →

About Teagan Carlson

Teagan is an eLearning Development Specialist with OpenSesame. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology and has worked in education for over fifteen years. 

Teagan presented this information to the OpenSesame Customer Feedback Group in June with Senior Curation Specialist Molly Broder. The Customer Feedback Group will be hosting a follow-up meeting in September, where a panel of OpenSesame customers will share how they incorporate blending learning into their L&D programs

The post What is Blended Learning? appeared first on OpenSesame.

Tragically, addiction education has been slow to be included. Nearly 10% of adults have a substance use disorder (addiction) and another 15% have an immediate family member with the disease. Overdoses have reached record levels in the United States. The impact on families and the country is enormous. Addiction education is vital for improved public health outcomes.

What’s in the program?

The program includes six essential lessons around addiction.

The Science of Addiction – Addiction is not a choice, or a character flaw. It is a medical condition that changes the brain.

Are You at Risk? – Vulnerability for addiction varies from person to person. Science points to three key risk factors: genetics, age of first use, and environment.

The Dangers of Opioids – Everyone needs to understand the basics of what opioids are, how they work, and the risks of use.

Signs, Symptoms & Treatment – Take the 1-minute gold standard quiz to determine if you or a loved one has a substance use issue.

How You Can Help – It can be overwhelming to know how to help and where to start when someone you care about is struggling with addiction.

The Gift of Recovery – Recovery from addiction transforms one’s life and the lives of those around them.

Return on Investment

The Addiction Education series has shown statistically significant impact in changes for learners in understanding the most important addiction concepts. There is a 41% improvement in learners knowing how to help, a 32% change in confidence in recognizing the signs and symptoms, a 30% increase in knowledge about how to reduce the risks and a 20% reduction in stigma related measures.

As an example, an organization working in the Education, Health or Social Services area with 500 employees would see an annual impact of substance misuse of $350,000 in lost time, job turnover/retraining and healthcare costs. Nearly 20% of their employees are impacted with either an addiction problem themselves or worried about dependents or another family member. Promoting education promotes recovery. Each employee who recovers from a substance use disorder saves a company over $8500 on average a year.

Tackle the basics of addiction education with the Addiction: Six Essential Lessons series

The Addiction Education: Six Essential Lessons series from Shatterproof is a 6-course curriculum that focuses on increasing awareness, reducing stigma, and sharing critical information about addiction and prevention. We seek to capture a learners’ attention to foster changes in attitudes and awareness around addiction. Each lesson provides a few action items and printable job aides so it’s easier than ever for learner to absorb and apply the information contained.

About the Author

Shatterproof is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the addiction crisis in the United States. Shatterproof harnesses the models of business, the rigor of science and the power of a national movement to create change and save lives through three pillars of work: revolutionizing the addiction treatment system, breaking down addiction-related stigmas and supporting and empowering our communities. To learn more visit www.Shatterproof.org.

The post Addiction Education: Essential to Improving Health Outcomes appeared first on OpenSesame.

Here are three critical solutions to keep your organization protected:

Phishing

Phishing attacks are the most common security breach within organizations. While it may seem that most IT teams are aware of phishing, they are actually occurring due to the lack of awareness on the employee level. Prevent phishing attacks from occurring within your organization by checking out these courses.

Password protection

Passwords are the easiest way to protect someone from accessing information. However, this often makes them the quickest to hack. There are a variety of password protocols to follow in order to protect your employees from being vulnerable to malicious actors, many of which are shared and explained through interactive experiences.

Hybrid & Remote working

As companies have continued to hire remote workers, there are additional threats to security to look out for. It is important for organizations to inform their employees on the best antivirus software to ensure protection of their personal devices. Make sure your hybrid or remote workforce is aligned on the specific protocols you have in place by showing them the value of understanding cybersecurity.

To learn more about cybersecurity awareness and training courses OpenSesame offers, follow this link. To get a better idea of how you can incorporate all of OpenSesame’s innovative tools and features into your L&D experience, connect with one of our experts for a personalized, guided demo.

The post Cybersecurity Training to Protect Your Employees appeared first on OpenSesame.

Remote working has had a significant impact on employee wellbeing. A 2020 survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of communications platform Front, found that more than 60% of workers have negative feelings about remote working. Many respondents also felt that their employers had not done enough to mitigate the wellbeing impact of home-working arrangements. As a result, more than 1 in 3 have considered leaving their jobs.

Remote working impacts wellbeing for a number of reasons, but the two biggest culprits are fairly consistent across different roles and organisations: social isolation, and struggling to communicate effectively with colleagues. In the 2019 State of Remote Work report published by social media innovator Buffer, these issues were tied as the top two challenges remote workers reported facing.

Nevertheless, there are many organisations which succeed in creating sustainable long-term remote working arrangements. At Real Projects we’ve been fully remote for ten years. Our own experience and our research into other organizations’ success point to the same conclusion. Remote working can actually enhance employee wellbeing, but only if the two major challenges are addressed at the level of culture as well as processes.

In practice, this doesn’t have to be a difficult transition. The right training can rapidly shift company culture and processes in a positive direction. Each of the major challenges can be overcome with just four key changes in approach.

Social Isolation

• Planned socializing compensates for the absence of casual interactions around the office. Successful remote organisations encourage employees to build social time into their work-day.
• Online events offer great opportunities to connect, and they have become increasingly interactive, as well as easier to stage, as technology has improved. Conferences, networking events and training courses provide the opportunity to gain skills while meeting new people.
• Reaching out to colleagues allows workers to both give and receive support. Encouraging empathetic and supportive interaction is probably the single most important thing remote employers can do to improve wellbeing.
• Expert support is sometimes necessary to facilitate positive changes in lifestyle or mindset. Many companies offer their employees everything from counselling to mindfulness meditation. Equally important is to create a culture which removes any stigma associated with seeking help.

Communication Struggles

• Agreeing on a communication etiquette can go a long way towards reducing communication frustrations. Many companies have developed detailed etiquette over time. Medical giant Merck use a system of tags for emails including “Four Hour Response (4HR)” and “No Need to Respond (NNTR)”
• Choosing calls over text-based communication wherever possible is an easy way to improve team communication. Email and messaging offer greater ease, but are more likely to result in misunderstandings.
• Communicating more, in the form of more detailed emails and messages, reduces the need for follow-ups and limits communication-related anxiety. At first this approach can feel like “over-communicating,” so training and support may be required to make it stick.
• Scheduled catch-ups are not only good for reducing feelings of isolation. They also help team-members to stay informed about their colleagues’ challenges and achievements. This in turn provides useful context for team communication.

Together, these relatively small changes can achieve a significant cultural shift, turning remote working from a source of stress into a major perk.

Take a look at the remote working wellness courses available from Real Projects.

About the author

Rory is the Head of Content at Real Projects. He strives to place employee wellbeing at the heart of the company’s elearning offering.

The post Achieving Employee Wellness as a Remote Organization appeared first on OpenSesame.

OpenSesame Plus has gained not only one, but two new exciting publishers this month. 

Blinkist transforms the key insights from some of the best nonfiction novels into short, engaging summaries that take no longer than 15-minutes to listen to or read. OpenSesame has added 150 of these 15-minute reading sessions from Blinkist to the OpenSesame Plus subscription. Within these selections are courses that cover a variety of topics to effectively teach your workforce and lead them to become better and more successful individuals. Some of these titles include Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and 5 Levels of Leadership: Proven Steps to Maximize Your Potential by John C. Maxwell.

FutureThink is the second newest publisher now a part of OpenSesame’s library of courses. All 31 of their courses can help you to create a culture of collaboration and transform how teams work within your workplace. Create a Culture of Simplicity, Kill a Stupid Rule, and many more of their courses are led by their founder and CEO, Lisa Bodell, who is ranked as one of the top 50 speakers worldwide.

Check out some highlights from the newest courses added to OpenSesame’s course catalog.

Mind Channel has come out with new courses that provide helpful insights and tips on how to create an effective hybrid workplace. Their 7-minute courses are engaging and focus on 1-2 key objectives to prevent information overload.

We have gained more courses from our publisher Trüpp, a top HR provider. These courses can teach your team the best hiring and recruiting practices to successfully expand your workforce and curate the best team.

Finally, OpenSesame has added additional courses from Ej4 on the topic of project management microlearnings created to increase the intellectual value of your organization. Some of these courses include Scrum Framework Basics, Waterfall Model Basics, and Critical Path Method (CPM) Basics. 

Access the OpenSesame course catalog to check out every course offered. Register for our monthly OpenSesame Customer Conversation series, if you would like to receive further insights from our team.

To get a better idea of how you can incorporate all of OpenSesame’s innovative tools and features into your L&D experience, connect with one of our experts for a personalized, guided demo.

The post What’s New and Trending in OpenSesame’s Course Catalog in the Month of July appeared first on OpenSesame.

Portland, OR – 29 July 2021 – OpenSesame, the elearning innovator, today announced the launch of the original podcast, Learning Unlocked. This new weekly series brings listeners inspirational stories and bold ideas about learning from leading brands and the people who make them work.  

Each episode of Learning Unlocked features a conversation with a leader or changemaker from the global world of learning and development. These thought-provoking speakers discuss their greatest accomplishments and challenges, like driving dialogue around racial insensitivity or cultivating meaningful connections in the digital age, and how organizations can use learning to unlock the potential of their workforces.

Learning Unlocked was first launched in October 2020 as a multi-week online conference representing diverse perspectives on workplace learning and organizational development. As a podcast, Learning Unlocked gives listeners additional exclusive access to familiar faces from the event series as well as other influential industry insiders. 

“At OpenSesame, we harness the power of technology to help organizations of all sizes deliver impactful and engaging training to their workforces,” said Joshua Blank, President and Chief Product Officer of OpenSesame. “We are excited to hear from the world’s top influencers and experts who are driving discussions about the most pressing challenges employers are facing today. The Learning Unlocked podcast allows listeners to join these conversations and get insights on unlocking the potential of their people through learning and development.” 

Learning Unlocked: The Podcast is hosted by longtime podcaster Brian Berger, the founder of award-winning media brand Sports Business Radio and training company Everything Is On The Record, whose elearning content is exclusively available from OpenSesame. 

“The pandemic really changed the way we learn – both professionally and personally,” said Berger. “More people are working and communicating virtually, bringing elearning to a pivotal point. Elearning is now more relevant and critical than ever before. The conversations we’re having on Learning Unlocked offer tangible takeaways on the new formula for workplace learning.”

Notable guests sitting down with Berger on Learning Unlocked include Emmanuel Acho, New York Times best-selling author of “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man”; Elliott Masie, President and CEO of The MASIE Center and leader of the Learning COLLABORATIVE; Kara Lynn Joyce, three-time USA Olympic swimmer and founder of the Lead Sports Co. for teenage female athletes; Nigel Travis, Chairman and Co-Owner of Leyton Orient FC, a professional football club based in London, and a former top executive at Dunkin’ Brands, Papa John’s and Blockbuster; Tamar Elkeles, Chief Human Resources Officer at XCOM Labs; Kevin Oakes, CEO of The Institute for Corporate Productivity and author of “Culture Renovation – 18 Leadership Actions to Build an Unshakable Company”; Kayla Nalven, Director of Content Experience for TED@Work at TED; and Rob Lauber, Founder of XLO Global LLC and former Senior VP and Global Chief Learning Officer for McDonald’s Corporation.

Learning Unlocked: The Podcast launches 29 July 2021 on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with new episodes available every Thursday. Click here to subscribe today.

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful online learning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame helps global companies every step of the way. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 companies to its customer base. With over 20,000+ courses, the platform touches all industries in all markets.

The post Learning Unlocked: The Podcast reveals transformative learning insights from global experts appeared first on OpenSesame.

Portland, Oregon – July 22, 2021 – OpenSesame, a market-leading SaaS global elearning innovator, today announced a $50 million investment led by JMI Equity, a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading software companies, with participation from existing investors FTV Capital and Altos Ventures. This growth investment will strengthen OpenSesame’s ability to accelerate its global expansion, extend its technology platform through product-led M&A, and continue adding value for its global customers.

As a result of COVID-19 and the dawn of the work from home era, companies around the world were forced to rethink the way they train and develop their organizations. With remote workforces, organizations accelerated their adoption of online learning and employee development programs, with a particular surge in demand for more training on topics such as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), leadership development, enabling a safe working environment, and wellness in the workplace. OpenSesame’s comprehensive catalog of 20,000+ elearning courses, in over 19 languages, and new courses from world-class content partners such as TED and Harvard Business Publishing, is the most complete and indispensable solution for global and remote workforces across all industries. 

“OpenSesame has seen unprecedented growth over the past few years, driven by the demand for people-first online learning,” said Don Spear, CEO of OpenSesame. “Not only are we serving new customers through innovative virtual technologies, but we are also expanding our reach with current customers by serving many new and multi-language courses. As we considered accelerating our growth, it became clear that we should add another proven financial partner to help us optimize our business for further success. We found that partner in JMI. With its 30-year track record and unmatched commitment to working with high-growth software businesses, we will accelerate investment in AI-powered course curation and expand our lead in serving the elearning market.”

OpenSesame will accelerate its investment in partnerships and technology to provide customers access to even more high-quality courses. The company adds exclusive courses by connecting the world’s best content developers and top subject-matter experts with its own curation team to produce courses that address the unmet training needs of today’s virtual and diverse workforces. OpenSesame has developed technology allowing learning administrators to create custom learning paths for each learner with AI-curated course lists. OpenSesame’s SimonTM platform allows learning professionals to create engaging online training courses in multiple languages that integrate with any learning management platform. 

“As corporate training and business learning have evolved over the past several years, OpenSesame has emerged as the leader in delivering innovative virtual learning experiences and best-in-class content to a quickly growing, global customer base,” said Peter Arrowsmith, Managing General Partner at JMI Equity, who will join the OpenSesame Board of Directors.

Added Sureel Sheth, Principal at JMI, “COVID-19, the increased need for learning resources around important DEI-related topics, and a growing commitment by global organizations to invest in continuous learning have all accelerated demand for OpenSesame’s technology, curation expertise, and content marketplace. We look forward to partnering with Don and the entire OpenSesame team as the company meets this growing demand and develops new products and partnerships to reach a wider global audience.”

For more information about OpenSesame’s courses and DEI progress survey, visit: https://www.opensesame.com.

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful online learning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame helps global companies every step of the way. In a moment of an increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 companies to its customer base. With over 20,000+ courses, the platform touches all industries in all markets. 

About JMI Equity

JMI Equity is a growth equity firm focused on investing in leading software companies. Founded in 1992, JMI has invested in over 155 businesses in its target markets, successfully completed over 105 exits, and raised more than $6 billion of committed capital. JMI partners with exceptional management teams to help build their companies into industry leaders.

Media Contacts

For OpenSesame:

Hallie Janssen

hallie.janssen@opensesame.com

(917) 253-7355

For JMI:

Will Braun / Brandon Jiang

Abernathy MacGregor

whb@abmac.com / bxj@abmac.com

(212) 371-5999

The post Global eLearning Innovator OpenSesame Receives $50 Million Strategic Growth Investment from JMI Equity and Existing Investors  appeared first on OpenSesame.

When a project doesn’t perform well, typically, a retrospective analysis is conducted to understand what went wrong and why. The idea behind this action is a universal one, it’s one that is shared by companies, countries, governments, and individuals. It’s the idea that we can learn from our past, in order to better our future. Reflection isn’t an easy task. There’s no one right way to follow. More often than not, the action and the exercise have uneven beginnings and uncomfortable moments. But the end result is always the same, communal growth now and going-forward. 

And it is that very result that is driving nearly 90% of companies around the country and across the globe to take time to reflect. To reflect on the way people inside and outside organizations have been underrepresented and undervalued, to acknowledge that there has been unequal treatment, whether that be conscious or unconscious, to provide resources and create initiatives in order to change the behaviors that drive that sort of treatment, and in doing so, to build a culture that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion.

However, the difference between you and your team reflecting on a project and reflecting on unequal treatment is that the latter requires complete buy-in from all individuals, at all different positions & levels. Everyone must be willing to go on a personal journey that will ultimately enhance their individual experience, their colleague’s experience, as well as improve the company’s bottom line. So how do we promote this journey? How can you be an advocate for organizational change?

• First, take a minute to understand your company’s progress on DEI.
• Next, identify the areas you want to prioritize.
• Finally, leverage tools & resources in order to build a strategy that promotes conversation and action.

Here are some resources that will elevate your ideas, boost your initiatives, and help you drive meaningful impact. As part of our free DEI webinar series, we sat down with some of the biggest global change makers and experts, for a series of conversations around navigating and exploring the difficult discussions and emotions people go through in order to push positive changes.

The post Advocating for DEI to Unlock Collective Growth appeared first on OpenSesame.

For the longest time, it seemed that whenever wellness was brought up or discussed, the primary topic was focused around your physical health – getting annual exams, offering-up fitness solutions, pushing people to get some sleep. But as wellness has grown in popularity and as people have grown more comfortable discussing their wellness, so have the areas that exist within wellness expanded. Now, when companies put together wellness programs, they are looking far beyond their workforce’s physical health, and finding ways to boost wellness in all aspects of their lifestyle.

In doing so, today’s wellness programs have become vital parts of an organization’s benefits, and are widely seen as a top way to attract and retain talent. Not every employee is necessarily going to embrace every aspect of wellness, but most will embrace some, and by doing so, you’ll not only put them on a path for professional success, but you will also see an increase in company-wide productivity. So how can you help? It all starts by identifying the key factor in wellness prevention: stress. Stress is the biggest cause of common illness, and unfortunately, the biggest cause of stress is work. But if this fact reveals anything, it’s that you and your leadership have the ability to control the situation. 

Here are some key next steps:

• Invest in employee’s long and short term health by building a culture that promotes openness and support around an individual’s wellness needs.
• Develop a wellness program that can be personalized to individuals within your workforce.
• Offer up wellness programs that promote both activity and discussion.
• Don’t try to be a superhero. Encourage and empower others to build wellness initiatives.

Wellness empowerment can come from anywhere inside or outside the organization. The long term benefits of wellness programs show that it’s an investment worth making. And, with everyone still feeling the effects of the pandemic, now is the best time to start building a robust wellness program. To help you get started, we sat down and had discussions with wellness experts, as part of our free webinar series, Learning Unlocked. These conversations are sure to get your employees moving and thinking, while offering up creative ideas for you to help them continue their journey.

The post How prioritizing personal wellness can boost organizational productivity appeared first on OpenSesame.

At some point, you’ve heard it: Digital transformation is changing the way we work. Maybe action steps have been delayed due to other competing priorities. Maybe small changes have been made by leadership, but have not been fully developed. Or, maybe embracing digital transformation has more to do with money, time, resistance to change, or lack of knowledge around how it can work for you. Let’s take a minute to examine each of these factors.

When it comes to money, yes, digital technologies tend to come with a hefty price tag. However, studies show that investing in digital technologies actually ends up producing cost savings in the end. Don’t have the time? Technology is continuing to evolve and with this change, so are the necessary skills required to take advantage of it, so the longer you wait, the bigger the skills gap will grow within your workforce. Don’t take it from me though, experts have been addressing the rapid technology shift via TED talks for years. Don’t worry, it’s not too late, at least 90% of companies believe they are going to have a meaningful skills gap in the coming years, and only 16% believe they are actually prepared to meet those skills gaps.

So what does digital transformation mean? To put it simply, “it’s the creation, implementation, and operation of new best practices and business models, enabled by digital technologies.” Does that mean that you only need to address your technology? Well, yes and no. Making adjustments to your technology is always important and something every organization has done since we transitioned away from abacuses and typewriters. Adjustments are helpful actions that work in the moment, but what we’re talking about is going further, we’re talking about committing to transformation, which is more about embracing possibilities and creating a culture that is open to change in order to help your organization have a sustainable future.

What are some ways you can embrace change? It starts with strong leadership driving impactful initiatives:

• Develop plans and lean on strategic partners to mitigate disruption
• Build support for sustainability
• Make a commitment to engage in everyone’s potential

Change isn’t easy. But even though we are creatures of habit, we have made, even recently, dramatic adaptations in order to thrive. 

But our recent experiences make now the perfect time to embrace new digital technologies and take action. It showed us that it is more effective to prepare rather than being in a reactive position. Digital transformation is not only a way to boost your company’s bottom line, it’s a way to empower your workforce to try new things and work in new ways. But don’t just take it from me, hear from some of the top experts. As part of our Learning Unlocked webinar series, we sat down with Abbey Lewis and Ryan Kehr from Harvard Business Publishing, as well as Pam Conway and Davis Smith from Intellezy for in-depth conversations around best practices and strategies to help you and your organization embrace and utilize digital transformation in order to achieve organizational growth.

The post How embracing digital transformation is an opportunity for organizational growth appeared first on OpenSesame.

Diversity matters for evolution and adaptation, not to mention profitability purposes, yet in the US, 85% of senior company positions are still held by whites, while black and Latinx workers respectively comprise only 10.0% and 9.8% of the professional workforce. Black and Hispanic people are also underrepresented in STEM professions (science, technology, engineering and math), with pay gaps tied to gender, race and ethnicity. Overall, people of color and gender minorities seeking promotion to the C-suite consistently face bias.r

Companies making big strides with diversity

So, which companies are making big strides towards diversity recruitment and inclusivity? Australian software giant Atlassian has developed a free Balanced Teams Diversity Assessment Tool. Microsoft is now emphasizing hiring people with disabilities, and making conscious provision for staff mental health. The Propel Center, sponsored by Apple, is a global HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) initiative specializing in mentorship, learning support, internship and career opportunities for students of diverse ethnic backgrounds. 

Conscious diversity pays

Organizations that “walk their talk” are demonstrating that conscious diversity pays nicely. In a 2019 survey of more than 1000 companies in 15 countries, McKinsey found that organizations in the top quartile for gender diversity in executive teams were 25% more likely to have above-average profitability. Outperformance was higher for diversity in ethnicity than gender, with 36% in profitability. 

Diversity gaps and shortfalls

Despite these gains, McKinsey discovered lags in equality, openness and belonging. Half the survey’s respondents, irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity, identity or sexual orientation, reported systemic barriers to a sense of inclusion. 43% of LGBTQIA people (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual and/or Ally) remain uncomfortable to reveal their full selves at work. 

Psychologically safe workplaces 

What this all points to is the importance of evolving psychologically safe workplaces. Ongoing effort is required to adapt organizational training, decision-making and awareness. It means confronting our (frequently unconscious) prejudices and stereotypes when it comes to recruitment, qualifications, promotion and general inclusivity. As long as you think someone on the autism spectrum is only good for an IT role, then you’re overlooking that person’s potential for other roles. “Ok, boomer” remarks devalue a colleague’s years of experience. Jokes about unisex toilets and same sex preferences belong to 1970s sitcoms.

Looking back and looking forward

Consider James Bond’s first meeting with his new quartermaster Q where the two spar over “age is no guarantee of efficiency” versus “youth is no guarantee of innovation”. Their wry mutual detente is a lesson in overcoming bias but illustrates how far we have to go in terms of accepting the many tints and shades that make up a rainbow world.

Diversity matters for the broadening of understanding and knowledge, but inclusivity is what counts for maximum contribution. Activist Verna Myers beautifully summarizes the distinction: “diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance”. Humans still tread on each other’s toes, but mingling, movement and warm conviviality improve coordination while generating real safety and belonging.

—

EVE ASH Founder and Producer, Seven Dimensions

Eve Ash is a filmmaker and psychologist who has produced TV series, documentaries and over 300 eLearning courses, with an emphasis on wellbeing and mental health, management, communication and business skills. As an Australian, she knows the importance of appealing to a global audience and creates a powerful blend of psychology, drama, experts, animation, comedy and instructional design across her programs.

The post Time for a healthy perspective on diversity appeared first on OpenSesame.

Portland, OR – 14 July 2021 – OpenSesame, a global elearning innovator, today announced an integration with Microsoft Viva, Microsoft’s new Employee Experience Platform (EXP). OpenSesame’s extensive catalog of 20,000+ elearning courses will be available through Microsoft Viva, bringing learning into the flow of work. 

OpenSesame’s extensive catalog of 20,000+ elearning courses, in over 19 languages, is the complete and indispensable solution for global and remote workforces across all industries. OpenSesame continues to add top course publishers around key learning categories such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Safety and Compliance, Business Skills, and Workplace Wellness. And with OpenSesame’s technology around course curation, learning administrators don’t have to worry about choosing the right courses for their organization or learners.  

“Our partnership with Microsoft Viva Learning allows companies to curate the perfect list of courses for every learner, all while in the flow of their work. This gives more organizations seamless access to our catalogue to enable them to further strengthen their talent development programs.” said Don Spear, CEO & Co-Founder of OpenSesame.

Microsoft Viva is an EXP that brings together communications, knowledge, learning, resources, and insights. Powered by Microsoft 365 and experienced primarily through Microsoft Teams, Viva fosters a culture where people and teams are empowered to be their best from anywhere. Employees have access to formal and informal learning when and where it’s needed, making it easier for people to learn while working. 

“We are excited to partner with OpenSesame by bringing their diverse learning content library into the flow of work with Viva Learning,” said Seth Patton, General Manager, Microsoft 365 Next Gen Productivity and Employee Experience. “OpenSesame’s specialized collection of industry courses and resources reflect an important category of learning in high demand. With Viva Learning we’re making this content easily accessible and shareable within the apps and tools people already use during their workday, and together we’re empowering people to advance their purpose and organizations to develop productive and admired workforces.”

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces through powerful workforce elearning in every industry. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, OpenSesame’s learning experts guide global companies every step of the way. From finding courses, to mapping them to core competencies, to syncing them with an LMS to increasing utilization and improving L&D programs. OpenSesame provides flexibility of multiple purchasing options with simple to use and administer elearning courses. In a moment of increasingly virtual workforce, OpenSesame has added even more Global 2000 brands. And with over 20,000+ OpenSesame catalog courses, the elearning platform touches all industries in all markets. The company is defining a new era of engaging a people-first talent force. To learn more, visit www.opensesame.com.

Media contact:

OpenSesame

Hallie Janssen

Vice President of Marketing

hallie.janssen@opensesame.com

(917) 253-7355

The post OpenSesame Integrates with Microsoft Viva to Bring Learning into the Flow of Work appeared first on OpenSesame.

Management Pocketbooks, a publisher that creates courses tailored towards managers, leaders, and employees in every industry has just released a variety of courses covering the topics of communication, decision making, and virtual presentation/webinar courses. 

Packt, a go-to resource for developer learning, has updated a few of their courses that are now ready to prepare your teams for the rest of this year. The courses now include AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C02) Exam Prep, Data Science and Machine Learning with R, and their React courses.

SAP Litmos, a publisher that specializes in content to fuel your business and beyond, has come out with two new series. The first series provides the necessary expertise for your team to become confident and efficient interviewers. The second series focuses on accelerating and improving mentorship skills.

OpenSesame Plus’ newest addition, Symmetra, has come out with a new course called Disability Inclusion. This is a 15-minute module that examines the unconscious bias that surrounds people with disabilities and provides tools to help overcome this stigma.

The Expert Academy, which includes a library of 70 courses, has just added a new course titled Remote Working and Virtual Management. As organizations enter a hybrid environment with a dispersed workforce, these courses are crucial for helping employees adapt to these constant changes.

Trüpp, an HR service provider, has contributed an exciting course to our DEI category. This course, Eliminating Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace, is a foundational session for building a more respectful and safe workplace.

Access the full OpenSesame course catalog to check out every course we offer and if you would like to receive further insights from our team, register for our monthly OpenSesame Customer Conversation series.

The post What’s New and Trending in OpenSesame’s Course Catalog in the Month of June appeared first on OpenSesame.

Portland, OR – July 8, 2021 – OpenSesame, the elearning innovator, announced a partnership with Blinkist to bring 150 business and nonfiction book summaries to its popular OpenSesame Plus subscription. 

Blinkist transforms the key insights from the world’s best nonfiction books into powerful summaries that you can read or listen to in just 15 minutes. Notable titles include “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell; “Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones” by James Clear; “Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by Jim Collins; and “Hyperfocus: How to Work Less to Achieve More” by Chris Bailey.

“So many of us want to read more but have a hard time finding the time to sit down and do it,” said Spencer Thornton, Senior VP of Curation at OpenSesame. “Blinkist’s book summaries fit learning seamlessly into a busy schedule, allowing leaders to read or listen to the key ideas from bestselling nonfiction books in 15 minutes or less. We are excited to welcome Blinkist to the OpenSesame catalog and enable our customers to deliver book summaries directly to learners in their LMS.”

”At Blinkist our purpose is to inspire people to learn and grow by making it easy to discover and understand big ideas,” said Tobias Balling, Co-founder of Blinkist. “With OpenSesame’s strong commitment to its content partners and high quality learning resources, we believe we’ve found a like-minded partner to help take our modern approach to microlearning to a wide variety of high impact learning organizations.”

Click here to view Blinkist courses now available from OpenSesame.

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame helps develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces. With the most comprehensive catalog of elearning courses from the world’s top publishers, we are here to help you every step of the way, from finding courses, mapping them to your core competencies, syncing them with your LMS to increasing utilization and improving your L&D programs. Not only will you have the flexibility of multiple purchasing options from OpenSesame, you’ll find it simple to use and administer your elearning courses. To learn more, visit www.opensesame.com.

About Blinkist

Founded in Berlin in 2012, Blinkist now helps 19-million people worldwide to read or listen to the key ideas from the world’s best nonfiction books, in just 15-minutes. From leadership to productivity to communication, our category expert readers, writers, editors, narrators, producers and curators combine forces to distill and communicate the core concepts from bestselling nonfiction to some of the busiest people on the planet.

The post OpenSesame partners with Blinkist to add summaries from top business titles to its elearning catalog appeared first on OpenSesame.

Businesses and individuals across the globe are facing unprecedented challenges, while feeling the pressure of continuous high performance expectations. Here are just some of the topics that are top-of-mind for our customers lately:

• Upskilling or reskilling workers.
• Adapting and embracing digital trends.
• Address rapidly developing cultural shifts.
• Creating health & wellness initiatives.

It can feel overwhelming thinking about all of them. Heck, just writing them out feels overwhelming right now.

Believe it or not, there’s a solution that’s been staring us in the face: education. Learning and development programs have been around for what seems like ages, but companies, no matter what shape, size, or location have struggled utilizing them in an effective way to achieve their goals and objectives. According to a Brandon Hall study, only 40% of organizations have L&D programs that are even aligned with their business goals. And since we know that goals and priorities are shifting all of the time, even organizations who have found success, find themselves making adjustments on the fly.

So how can the other 60% obtain that alignment? It all starts with building a culture of learning. From there, you can establish objectives around your challenges, develop a strategy, and then create a program that is both easy to administer and use, can be personalized to engage your learners, and is equitably accessible to everyone.

Sounds easy, right? Here are some quick tips to help you get started:

• Choose your learning environment. Examine the type of workforce you have and see if they would benefit from a blended or hybrid learning environment or one that is completely virtual.
• Understand what works and what doesn’t. Take a minute to learn more about the cutting-edge best practices that positively impact corporate culture and why most organizations fail in their efforts to change culture.
• Lean on the experts. There are so many knowledgeable people available to help you and your learners thrive – with resources that help put together programs in a snap.

And with that in mind, here are two such experts who can provide critical insight on how you can build or strengthen your learning and development programs and initiatives. Former Senior Vice President and Global Chief Learning Officer for McDonald’s Corporation, Rob Lauber, And author, i4cp CEO and co-founder Kevin Oakes. We sat down with each of them for in-depth conversations, as part of our Learning Unlocked webinar series.

The post How learning & development programs are the secret sauce to business & company-wide success appeared first on OpenSesame.

Holidays serve as markers of the progress of the year and the passage of time, and we’ve all struggled during the pandemic to keep up traditions and find safe ways to celebrate with our family and friends. Celebrating Pride Month is no exception, and community-specific holidays feel especially precious after a year and a half of physical separation.

In years past, the LGBTQIA+ community at OpenSesame centered around a private Slack channel, which was an invite-only group that one might not know about unless they came out to a coworker. We hung up rainbow flags in the office windows and a few of us went out to lunch together, but that was the extent of it. Little did we know that the recent pandemic hardships would bring our community closer together. It felt especially important during Pride 2021 to find ways to connect with each other, to celebrate our community, to increase awareness and knowledge among our allies, and to bring everyone in the workplace closer in order to build and maintain a culture of belonging.

As someone who is comfortably gender non-conforming but very ambivalent about how I’m perceived by others, I didn’t realize the opportunities I have to be a better representative of gender diversity. Recently, Deanna Cor, a Portland State University Professor and licensed counselor focused on the LGBTQIA+ community, led an informative and compassionate talk for OpenSesame employees around gender identity, discussing how gender is rooted in our society from early childhood, providing context from both her academic work as well as her personal experience as a queer parent of young children. We had an interesting dialogue around the various terminologies used to discuss gender, especially outside of the male/female binary, and then closed out with a thought-provoking question and answer session. 

The questions and perspectives of cis-gender (people who identify with the gender assigned to them at birth) allies during our discussion gave me a new perspective on how I can be a better representative of gender diversity. While most gender diverse and trans folks have strong feelings about pronouns and the terms used to describe their gender, I’ve always been an “all of the above” person – both in how I describe my own gender as well as the genders of people I’ve dated in the past. 

But being silent on the topic – unless directly asked – means that I can pass as a cis-gendered and heterosexual tomboy, but that isn’t being true to my identity and robs me of the opportunity to set an example for other people who identify similarly, but aren’t sure about being out at work. I have the huge privilege of having grown up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where sexual and gender diversity were positively represented all around me, and I had the support of a mother who, despite being otherwise socially conservative, also bucked gender roles and was happy for me to do the same. 

I am truly so happy to have landed at a workplace where I can be my authentic self, not just in the presence of other members of the LGBTQIA+ community, but with my cis-gendered, heterosexual coworkers as well. The curiosity and support of allies at OpenSesame, especially during Pride 2021, has been amazing, and our guided conversation with Professor Deanna Cor really brought this point home to my heart. As Pride Month comes to a close, there continue to be opportunities for self-exploration, learning, and conversations to encourage understanding.

If you’re looking to start a conversation at your own workplace, I recommend starting with TED’s course “The danger of hiding who you are | Morgana Bailey,” available as part of the OpenSesame Plus library. Following Morgana Bailey’s talk, the course includes questions for personal reflection and group discussion to get the conversation started on how we all can bring our authentic selves to work and celebrate one another’s unique experiences and identities. 

Support Pride Month with our LGBTQIA+ focused courses

For ideas on how to support your co-workers and assess, accelerate, and amplify your DEI programs and initiatives, visit our array of LGBTQIA+ focused courses that help you on your company’s inclusive journey. From foundation principles, to specifics about gender identity and sexual orientation, OpenSesame has resources that help you support your LGBTQIA+ employees and the greater LGBTQIA+ community.

About the Author: Jenny Mundy is the Catalog Manager for OpenSesame, working to ensure that our library of over 20,000 courses is up-to-date and easy to search. Besides nerding out on metadata and building insightful data visualizations, you’ll find Jenny out in the garden, practicing deadlifts, or nose deep in a book.

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OpenSesame ensures that you are provided with the most up to date catalog of courses and publishers to choose from for your organization’s learning needs. In just the month of May, 175 new courses were added to our OpenSesame Plus subscription. This includes courses from top publishers such as AMA (American Management Association), Cegos, iAM Learning, Intellezy, and TED. 

There are a few highlights to look out for in our 175+ additions from the month of May.

OpenSesame Plus gained a new publisher, Symmetra, contributing 21 courses to our catalog. They specialize in DEI training, inclusive leadership and building diverse teams. Their courses deliver a unique gamified approach, consisting of short 10-15 minute modules that keep your learners engaged.

Management Pocketbooks has added 360-Degree Feedback courses to their library. This series focuses on helping leaders provide constructive feedback for employee development through the 360-degree feedback process.

Real Projects released a new series titled Becoming a Manager which prepares incoming managers with preliminary training to ease into their new role. This series consists of short modules lasting no longer than 8 minutes that create empowering learning experiences through interactive exercises, animations, and quizzes.

In addition, UL EHS Sustainability, which offers 1300+ courses in workplace safety, manufacturing and construction, health and safety management and in up to 19 languages, has localized 20 of their courses in Turkish.

The 4 latest trending courses in our catalog include:

• Developing Your Culture: Cross-Cultural Considerations – 01. What is Culture? by Ej4
• Communicating Effectively by SAP Litmos
• Best Practices for Returning to Work for Employees by Vubiz
• Find Your Strengths by Mindscaling

Access the OpenSesame course catalog to check out every course offered and if you would like to receive further insights from our team, register for our monthly OpenSesame Customer Conversation series.

The post What’s New and Trending in OpenSesame’s Course Catalog in the Month of May appeared first on OpenSesame.

With the transition from in-office to remote working, it can be difficult to get yourself out of bed and feel productive. This is why infusing mindfulness, meditation and/or physical activity into employees’ daily schedules is so crucial. In the webinar, Charise explained that it is preventative of burnout and fatigue. It encourages employees to look forward to going or logging into work. A workplace culture that is focused on wellness ultimately creates a comfortable and healthy environment for all employees.

Charise had listed three different tips on how to incorporate wellness content into a company’s culture that are currently being implemented into OpenSesame’s daily calendar:

– Meditation breaks

– Stretch breaks

– Team incentives

Meditation breaks as well as stretch breaks are highly encouraged to be daily, recurring activities in a company’s schedule. While they are optional, this provides employees who are feeling unmotivated or unproductive an opportunity to focus on mindfulness and take a break from their screen. These breaks don’t need to involve much more than a couple stretches sitting in your desk chair. It is most important for you and your employees to focus on relaxation instead of the constant demands of your jobs. An additional component of creating this culture is team incentives where a team must work together doing a physical activity. This creates a game for the employees which is an effective way to increase engagement. 

OpenSesame offers an extensive list of courses covering topics such as mindfulness and meditation, mental health awareness, nutrition and fitness, remote work best practices and resilience. Resilience has been a key topic for the pandemic as many employees have been under additional stress and had to overcome an increasing amount of hardships. 

Within these categories, our course publisher OpenMind are an in-house publisher that produces high-quality videos on the topic of mindfulness to check out. TED and iAM Learning also feature videos and courses regarding the topics of sleep, isolation, mental health, and stress. For more ideas on content, check out our curated lists for easy access to wellness training and courses. Some of these topics include:

– Get Started: Mental Health Training

– 7 Wellness Training Topics

– Mindfulness and Intention at Work

– Wellness Tips- Guided Movement and Exercise Breaks

– Everyday Wellbeing Series by Maestro

Finding ways to incorporate these wellness strategies as well as courses into your daily workplace culture will allow for an all around happier, healthier and more productive workforce. To learn more, watch the webinar here. 

With courses offered in multiple languages, and available on multiple devices we help companies like yours evolve the world’s most developed and admired global workforces. For more information on how OpenSesame can save you time and money by curating the right courses for your organization, contact us at info@opensesame.com today.

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Coming out of the closet, or coming out, implies that it’s a one-time event, but in reality every LGBTQIA+ person knows it’s a process, a struggle, a celebration, a journey, that never ends. It’s often overlooked that an LGBTQIA+ person has to come out all of the time—in some cases every day—at work.

As a Customer Success Manager, it’s my job to ensure our customers find success in our solutions by guiding them, as much as possible, to a result. I do this by fostering a relationship with them through conversations, sometimes around transactional items, but mostly around the challenges they’re facing with their L&D Program. 

If there is any silver lining to the past 16 months, it’s how the conversations with my customers have evolved into an opportunity to become something more real, more personal. Early into the pandemic, I started getting (and giving) very candid and honest answers to simple questions like “How are you?”. Together we shared our struggles and anxieties about the state of the world and opened up about our personal lives. The honesty has been refreshing and has resulted in more meaningful conversations and relationships.

However wonderful those conversations are, I still find myself hesitating every single time I’m about to mention “my wife” in a story. I question whether or not I should “out” myself. Coming out is vulnerable, sometimes exhausting, and every time you do it you’re putting trust in the other person. Fear creeps in and tells me it’s not safe; that it’s putting my job at risk if something goes wrong. To this day, fear wins more often than I would like. Part of me thinks that writing this now is my chance to make up for that.

I’m fortunate to be able to work at a company like OpenSesame. That I know I can show up each day as me. 30 days after I started, I felt so comfortable that I disclosed my queerness during my New Hire Presentation. To my surprise and elation, I was invited to our private “Queers of OpenSesame” Slack channel which has since become a formal Employee Resource Group. Words can’t describe the relief and happiness I felt knowing that not only were there other queers at work; they were banded together in a fun and supportive community. 

I recognize this isn’t the case for many LGBTQIA+ folks, and am hopeful that corporate DEI initiatives will prove to be more deliberate than performative and make real change for anyone who might previously be made to feel “other.”

If you are queer at a workplace that doesn’t feel safe, put yourself first. You are in no way inauthentic or “unproud” for protecting your personal life from your professional one. 

If you are queer and looking to make others feel more comfortable, consider starting a Slack channel or an affinity group. 

Straight and looking to be an ally? Cultivate learning within your organization and propose such affinity groups exist in your workplace. Then, move aside for those who identify to step up and lead.

We live in a time when coming out might not seem like that big of a deal anymore, until you have to do it yourself, every day. I would encourage our straight allies to remember that everyone’s journey is different, and homophobia is still very much alive today. If a co-worker chooses to openly share who they are with you, thank you for building an inclusive workplace and making your organization a better place for them to be their authentic selves. Now, I encourage you to continue pushing for more innovative progress. Honor their act of bravery by remembering that like you, they are so much more than their sexual orientation. Keep asking them about initiatives, keep working with them to promote inclusivity, keep celebrating what makes them, “them.”

Support Pride Month with our LGBTQIA+ focused courses

For ideas on how to support your co-workers and assess, accelerate, and amplify your DEI programs and initiatives, visit our array of LGBTQIA+ focused courses that help you on your company’s inclusive journey. From foundation principles, to specifics about gender identity and sexual orientation, OpenSesame has resources that help you support your LGBTQIA+ employees and the greater LGBTQIA+ community.

About the Author: Alexa Morales is a Customer Success Manager for OpenSesame and fosters meaningful and lasting relationships with honesty and humor. She calls Portland, Oregon home – and when not at work supporting customers, you can find her out on the trails in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

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Imagine being free but not actually knowing it, operating in bondage that is technically no longer holding you. And before you write this off as something you can’t exactly relate to, let me remind you that the concept of freedom isn’t one only reserved for Blacks. We all, at some point in our lives, have desired freedom. Many of us are still on the quest for liberation from something – a toxic relationship, a heart-breaking illness, a dead-end career, or mountains upon mountains of debt. Raise your hand if you wish you could be free from debt. I’m raising my hand with you. 

So indulge me for a bit. Pause for a second and choose your thing, whatever thing it is you wish you were free from. Now, lose yourself in the thought of someone telling you that you are unquestionably free from that thing – and you’ve been free for quite some time. 

How loud would you scream? How high would you jump?

For the first time ever, I’m a part of an organization who is acknowledging and celebrating Juneteenth. This isn’t a knock to any of the previous companies I’ve worked for. Full transparency, I only recently began celebrating the holiday. There is just something about Freedom Day that doesn’t always feel unquestionably or authentically free. Although I’m not physically in chains, it’s hard for my mind to accept freedom when I reflect on what it means to be Black in America. I often get lost in the fact that there are entire communities of people who still aren’t exactly free and that as a nation, as a world, as a society, we still have a long road ahead to learn and correct past and current inequities within our complex systems. 

But I stop myself from wallowing in the complexity of defining freedom – not because we don’t need the work. I stop myself because you don’t have to wait until a project is finished to take pride in positive milestones. You can celebrate at every stage while working towards completion. On Juneteenth, we recognize the end of slavery. We honor the achievements and culture of African Americans. We take a moment to celebrate hope and wrap ourselves in the delight of what it means to be Black and free. We invite our allies to continue to learn from the past, work to make changes for the future, and join us – not only in the fight but also in the celebration. 

Freedom is power, and there is triumph in being able to walk in the knowledge of freedom. While there is still more work and learning to be done, may we all find joy in the celebration of freedom for Black people across America. 

Support Juneteenth by continuing your learning journey with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) focused courses

There’s never been a more critical time to build learning and development programs that will drive your organization’s DEI progress. If you are looking for ways to amplify your organization’s DEI learning initiatives, visit our array of DEI-focused courses that help you on your company’s inclusive journey. Our seven-part DEI white paper series includes how recognizing and celebrating DEI progress can help you achieve your goals, and you can find more in our free, comprehensive DEI Toolkit full of resources to help you create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

About the Author: Rasheité Calhoun is a Strategic Partner Manager with OpenSesame. She prides herself on bringing a fresh approach to client solutions, convinced that we are always on the cusp of something new and great. With over a decade of experience in higher ed publishing, Rasheité brings a distinct niche of problem solving and a proven track record of driving results to the elearning world. Rasheité holds both a bachelor’s degree in technical writing as well as a Master of Arts in English, which both contribute to her creative approach to strategy and solutions. Above all, Rasheité believes that we are living through a massive disruption that will transform learning into something we have all yet to see or experience. She is excited to play a role in such pivotal moments where digital, learning and imagination collide.

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