Meet our October Member of the Month: Melissa Turner

Tell us about your experience in the Talent Development space including places you've worked, roles you've held, and organizations you're a part of. 

“Instructional Design” was not even on my radar 20 years ago. In 2007, I took my first step on the journey as a software/technical trainer. Shortly after, I joined ATD Nebraska. This one small step lit a spark. I joined ATD Nebraska because I wanted to learn from the experts, meet other newbies, and take ownership of my career. But I also gained lifelong friendships and mentors along the way. ATD Nebraska is where my journey began, and I would not be where I’m at if I had not gotten involved. If you’re new to the talent development world, take advantage of what this organization has to offer. Get involved. Volunteer. Be an active member.

I’m currently a Senior Instructional Designer at Kiewit. I’ve been here for 3 years, supporting districts and markets in the US and Canada, as well as Kiewit University’s management schools. Prior to that, I spent 9 years as an instructional designer at Home Instead Senior Care. It was an interesting transition to go from in-home senior care to construction! But no matter the industry, the fundamentals of creating effective learning experiences are the same.

What are some of your interests, strengths, and unique qualities that would help others get to know you better?

I used to think that my CliftonStrengths Top 5 were all too fluffy (Positivity, Harmony, Woo, Empathy, Developer), but I have learned over the years that these “fluffy” themes are huge drivers in my ability to connect and communicate effectively with SMEs and stakeholders. These strengths also make it easy for me to put myself in the learners’ shoes and view the training through their eyes to build better learning experiences.

My superpowers are making complex topics easy to understand and being a fierce advocate for the learner. I am able to do this successfully through building trust with SMEs and providing evidence-based reasoning for my learning recommendations. Many of the SMEs that I work with have a tendency to “info dump,” believing all of the information they provide is equally important to learners. The relationships that I build with SMEs opens the door for me to respectfully push back when necessary, explain ‘the what’ and ‘the why’ of building an effective learning strategy that drives on-the-job performance, and the pros and cons of different approaches.

What "work related" accomplishment(s) are you the most proud of?

One of the things I’m most proud of is the training program I developed to support an enterprise-wide deployment of Salesforce to 650 franchises in the US and Canada. It was a huge undertaking that involved close collaboration with product owners, software developers, and end-users. There were many challenges along the way and lots of learning and growth on my end. The end result was a multi-modal training solution with a structured onboarding strategy, virtual instructor-led classes focused on change management principles, interactive web-based modules, practice scenarios and exercises, job aids, and reference guides. This project was a beast, but something I am still proud of to this day.

Are there specific people in the Talent Development space you follow and why?  

One of my favorites is Cathy Moore. Years ago, Cathy Moore’s blog helped shift my focus from “what do learners need to know” to “what do learners need to do.” I use this concept frequently when working with SMEs and it helps us keep our training focused, concise, and easy for learners to follow. Cathy Moore has some great tools and resources on her page.

Do you have a lesson you've learned in your career you'd like to share with others?

My early years were my “order taker” years. It took me a while to really grasp the idea that SMEs are the content experts, but I am the learning design expert. It’s a partnership and the instructional designer is the voice of the learner. Even when I believe SMEs/stakeholders may not be receptive to my recommendations, I will still make the case for it by sharing 1) the issue, 2) the risk, and 3) the recommendation. Example: When I view this content from the seat of a learner, there is a lot of content and it feels overwhelming. There’s risk of cognitive overload and learners missing the most important takeaways and action items. What do you think about making this more concise, clearly stating what they need to do on the job, and then providing resources and job aids for the details.

Do you have any favorite books or resources that you think others would find helpful?

The Accidental Instructional Designer by Cammy Bean. I attended her session at the ATD International Conference and Expo and immediately bought her book. It was relatable, humorous, and provided practical down-to-earth tips.

LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissat990/

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