Dr. Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan
Resident Mad Scientist
Workshops by Thiagi Inc.

PRE CONFERENCE WORKSHOP:
Faster, Cheaper, Better: Really Rapid (and Different) Instructional Design
Are you still using your grandparents’ instructional-design model?

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
Facing Dilemmas, Reconciling Differences, and Creating Synergies

PROFILE

Introduction
Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagarajan is an internationally recognised author, speaker, and facilitator who specialises in participatory approaches to improving human performance.

Work Experience
Thiagi is currently the CEO of the Thiagi Group, and organisation that specialises in improving human performance effectively, efficiently, and enjoyably. He works as a consultant to multinational organisations to create activities-based training systems. He has worked with clients in 25 different countries and has lived in three different continents.

Education
Thiagi has a Ph. D. from Indiana University majoring in instructional systems technology and psychology.

Recognition
Thiagi has been elected president of the International Society for Improving Performance (ISPI) twice—25 years apart. He has also been the president of the North American Simulation and Gaming Association (NASAGA) for five different terms. Both of these organisations have recognised Thiagi’s contributions to the field by presenting him with their highest awards: the Honorary Life Membership Award.

Style
Thiagi’s specialty is to provide highly engaging and interactive presentations.

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SYNOPSIS FOR PRE CONFERENCE WORKSHOP
Faster, Cheaper, Better: Really Rapid (and Different) Instructional Design
Are you still using your grandparents’ instructional-design model?

Fifteen years ago, Thiagi and Tracy stopped using the ADDIE model and started using a continuous, concurrent, creative, co-design approach. Thiagi’s associates and hundreds of trainees around the world have used this approach to design corporate training materials faster, cheaper, and better. In this walk-the-talk workshop learn when, why, and how to apply principles from chaos, creativity, and improv to develop instruction for the next generation.

Areas Covered in Session:

• Proven psychological principles for designing performance-based training materials and methods.
• Blending training design with other performance improvement strategies.
• Templates for structuring training content and activities.
• The changing role of learners and trainers.
• Using concurrent strategies for rapid design and delivery of training.
• Ignoring, combining, re-sequencing, and accelerating traditional steps in the instructional design process.

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SYNOPSIS FOR KEYNOTE
Facing Dilemmas, Reconciling Differences, and Creating Synergies

Overview
HR practitioners, performance consultants, and trainers face several dilemmas that are brought about by the increasing diversity in local and global organisations. For example, how do we work with someone twice our age – or half our age? How do we communicate effectively with a person of the other gender? How do racial, cultural, ethnic, and linguistic boundaries make our work less effective and efficient? How do our thinking styles, learning styles, teaching styles, and innovation styles separate us from one another?
In this keynote presentation, Thiagi demonstrates matrix model for discovering, reconciling, and leveraging apparent dilemmas and synthesising bold new strategies for the future.

Areas Covered in Session:
A new mandate for HR: Reconcile dilemmas instead of solving problems
Recognising 12 key differences and dilemmas
Using a 2 x 2 matrix to explore the positive and negative outcomes of the opposite sides of a dilemma
Identifying the context in which different sides of a dilemma are more effective
Using a 3 x 3 matrix to leverage the best aspects (and to remove the worst aspects) of a dilemma

Session Style
Presentation, demonstration, and application