How Will the Present Economy Affect Employee Certification Training

Desperate times normally bring out the creativity in the human person. Poverty is said to be the mother of all invention. The present economic imbroglio is unnerving to the IT professional. The signs are blatantly displayed that there is a uneasiness in the technology world. I’ve had the opportunity to interact with a group of workers who are currently in limbo after learning that their company was bought out by a corporate giant. Oh yes, the days of being secure in your IT job are gone. The professional has to make himself or herself valuable to the stakeholder. That acronym rings through, ROI. Being an active observer for the past eleven years, I fully understand and support the posture of the decision makers as regards maximizing their training dollar. I have witnessed abuse by a minority of employees who viewed training as a day off. Just a way to be off the job. I have seen the majority of employees really working to achieve professional advancement and then not rewarded for their effort. In some cases it was just wastage of training dollars, the money had to be used up before the next year or the department would lose it. Goodbye to those days.

The days of the easy release of training dollars for employees by employers are over. No longer will employees be allowed to peruse the corridors of training institutions with impunity. The present economic turmoil has sealed that door. The need for certified employees is still a high priority but with the uncertainty of the business environment, these dollars are not going to be wasted. The big words, RETURN ON INVESTMENT! The adult/learner/employee has to evaluate the needs of the organization to which they are affiliated and go for it.

Every business enterprise that is connected to the internet has one major concern, SECURITY! Not only are these organizations tightening their approach to information security but they are, in some cases, mandated to display to stakeholders, their security posture. Compliance laws, directives and regulations like HIPAA, SOX,and Gramm-Leach-Bliley has made it a matter of successful or failing business ventures. Today the average network employee is being exposed to a whole new daily jargon. Privacy, confidentiality, integrity, availability, due care, due diligence, prudent person and on and on. The well-known network compromises of the last decade has created an environment that defines territory. Networks are already in place. They have been designed with speed and availability as the priority service. Not security. The old 80/20 rule of networking no longer applies. The evolution of communication from closed to open has redefined networks. A few years ago, you would see a few network security books on the shelves. Today there are books on Security+; Certified Ethical Hacking; Data Forensics, CISSP just to mention a few. The employee/stakeholder has finally accepted the fact that network staff is in a battle for control. The bad dudes are out there. Networks devices, applications, processes are all vulnerable ( check the SANS.org vulnerability list).

Most students I’ve met, have the needed knowledge of IT. The deviation is moving into the security field. What I love about it is that it is dynamic. There is a new challenge everyday. The Security + certification ( Comptia) is a phenomenal start. This program introduces the student to basic concepts of information security. Cisco has recently created the CCNA Security specialization. SANS has some great classes, so does Planet 3 for the WiFi heads. The need for qualified security personnel is overwhelming, this presents an opportunity for the serious networker to advance his/her career and be rewarded for it.

Professors – Using Student-Driven Learning Methods – Strategic Use of Student Presentations

Students master and retain learning more effectively (than many other methods) when they present their work to others. Essentially all of us (no matter our age) can remember details of a school presentation we made long ago. Regardless of the discipline area, your students will likely benefit from making presentations also – that is, as long as you follow sound practices.

First, remember that the number one fear of adults is public speaking, so your students, regardless of whether they are 18-year-old freshmen or 68-year-old graduate students, are likely to need a fair amount of reassurance. One key form of the reassurance that will support them (but that many professors overlook) is providing students with an adequate overview of the assignment. When students don’t have the ‘big picture” they need, they are likely to make unfocused, disjointed presentations – which contribute to their feelings of inadequacy the next time around. Therefore, students should be provided – in writing and well in advance – the goals and objectives of the presentation, as well as a detailed scoring rubric.

In a large course or when building teamwork is an especially desirable goal, you might consider having students make presentations in a group setting, for example, as a member of a forum or panel discussion. Presenting to a small group is less frightening than presenting to a large group, particularly if the chosen subset of the class has been working together on various projects through the semester.

If yours is an introductory course and/or students voice considerable anxiety, provide individual coaching or model presentation skills, showing students how to gain viewers’ attention, use visual aids, form a powerful conclusion, and so on. You can also have a student with a proven track record in another professor’s class demonstrate effective presentation skills. Videos (off or on-line) on how to develop an excellent presentation are another possibility. A final, but far less desirable, option is to deliver a full presentation yourself, emphasizing in advance the key techniques students should look for. Some students are likely to have difficulty separating such a presentation from regular lecture or demonstration, while others might view such a presentation as *the* model and work so hard to duplicate it that they appear unnatural. Note: This is, of course, assuming that you are a model presenter.

Viewers and speakers can derive full value from presentations only when feedback is plentiful, objective, and consistent. We recommend allowing viewers to contribute to the evaluation of their peers. One frequently used method is to give viewers index cards on which they are asked to do a “three by three”; that is, they are to write down three strong points and three suggested improvements for each presentation. These are turned in at the end of the presentation and then attached to the evaluation form completed by the instructor.

The student who makes the presentation is not the only one who is learning. Therefore, you should measure the learning that occurs among the audience. This helps to indicate to the student presenters that the effectiveness of their efforts matters – not only to them but to their classmates. It is sometimes worthwhile to base at least a portion of the presenter’s grade on how much the other students learned. Remember, what gets measured gets done, and students value those measurements (i.e., grades) highly.

Deliver specific praise for student presentations in public, and give constructive criticism in private. This way of delivering feedback is part of creating a supportive environment. Keep in mind that such an environment increases students’ retention of the material that they have already presented, as well as what they have heard their fellow students present. It also contributes to the enhancement of student efficacy and self-esteem.

Finally, remember that nearly any good idea can be overdone. Unless yours is a public speaking course, resist the increasingly common tendency, especially in graduate courses, to have students learn the majority of the course content through various types of presentations. Consumer-oriented students are likely to perceive that such an arrangement denies them access to the expertise of a professor for whom they invested considerable financial resources.

Effective Presentations – Paying Attention to The 4 Elements of Body Language

Body language is a non-verbal technique that can be used to enhance your presentations. Body language includes gestures, movements and mannerisms that people use to communicate. As with the use of vocal techniques, body language comes more easily to some than to others. Again, body language is something that can be learned.

There are 4 elements of body language that you must pay attention to as you practice or make your presentation. They are:

1) Eye contact

Look your audience in the eyes. The number one reason to use good eye contact is it involves your audience in your presentation. If you look directly at a member of the audience, they are likely to return your gaze, and keep looking at you rather than looking at a paper on the table, staring out the window, or daydreaming.

The second reason to use good eye contact is it leads people to trust you. Studies show that when people are lying, they tend to look up or look down. Looking people in the eyes demonstrates that you’re being sincere. The third reason to use good eye contact is that it shows confidence. Think about it. Who are you more likely to follow? Someone who looks you in the eyes or someone who talks to their shoes? Listeners are more likely to believe you and trust you if you seem confident in yourself and your position on your topic. When speaking to a room full of people, you must speak to the whole room, not just one person. Thus, you must engage in eye contact with the whole audience, as well. Rather than staring down one audience member, scan the room, and be sure to include people sitting to your far right and far left who are often neglected.

2) Gestures

It is the movement of your body or limbs to illuminate and emphasize the meaning of your words. Simple hand movements such as holding up the number one with your fingers when you say “my first point is,” are appropriate. Gesture can be used to demonstrate how something looks or acts, as well. Some people naturally talk with their hands. Nervousness can accentuate this characteristic. Beware of gesturing too much as it can be distracting. On the other side, please use some gestures. I’ve seen presenters give thirty minute long speeches, desperately grasping the podium throughout. It is also important to vary your gestures.

3) Posture

Posture is the bearing of your body, your stance. When speaking to an audience, stand straight with your shoulders back, your head centered above your body and your feet shoulder-width apart. Don’t slump. Don’t lean against the wall. If the situation absolutely calls for it (for example, you’re asked to give an impromptu presentation during a business meeting), you may sit ­ but sit up straight.

4) Movement in the speaking-space

When you are provided with a podium or lectern, the tendency is to remain directly behind the lectern for the entire presentation. This can be appropriate. However, do not be afraid to walk around a bit to get closer to the audience. If you’re speaking to a particularly large audience, it may be appropriate to mingle with the audience talk-host style during your presentation. Your movement or lack of movement will help set the tone of your presentation. If you stand behind the podium, you’ll be perceived as more formal, and possibly somewhat removed from the audience. If you move around the front or place the lectern off to one side rather than standing behind it, you’ll be perceived as less formal, and probably more accessible to the audience members.

If you are concerned with your ability to integrate body language into your presentations, plan and practice gesture, eye contact and movement as you prepare for your speech. Gestures should look natural, not contrived, and should mirror or help explicate the words of your message. If you’re not sure whether you’re using body language during your presentation, practice in front of a friend or family member and have them give you a critique. Better yet, have someone video tape a practice presentation. Watching yourself on tape can be painful, yet very illuminating. If all else fails, practice in front of a mirror.