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by Char LeMaire, Chief Learning Officer 

We caught up with Debbie Olsen-Busch, IT Trainer at Houston’s Bracewell & Giuliani, at the start of our ILTA Roadshow, Office 2010: Different. Better. Her passion for the business of learning became apparent as we talked over lunch.

“My biggest satisfaction comes when a class participant enters my training a “prisoner” or “vacationer” and leaves a “learner. I receive a sense of my life’s purpose when a class member discovers how they can do their job more efficiently from a tip or trick that I provided. That really gets me jazzed.”

Debbie nurtures her professional growth in a number of ways including her pursuit of a Masters degree in Instructional Design for Online Learning, peer discussions about the art and methodologies of training and development, and strategizing future training plans with the other Bracewell & Guiliani trainers.

Debbie also shared how our CLASSclub webinars contribute to her professional growth. “As an IT Trainer, it is easy to limit my professional development to simply learning new software to train to others. That's why I have been enjoying the Traveling Coaches Professional Development webinar series that focuses on developing fundamental training. I think the information presented in these courses is not only great for those who have transitioned from another role into a training role, but is also a wonderful refresher for veteran trainers. These webinars challenge me to resist becoming complacent with my current skill set and to continue to strive to be a better trainer.”

In her free time, Debbie plays handbells and is a board member and past president of the Greater Houston Handbell Association. I enjoyed my visit with Debbie and greatly appreciate her enthusiasm for training. She certainly has a “Spring in her Step”!

 

 

What fun it was to throw a birthday party for the residents at C.C. Young, Dallas' premiere retirement community! Our Traveling Coaches team proclaimed Ms. Birdie Thompson as the guest of honor. It's not often we get to celebrate someone's 103rd birthday! Sheri Martinez, Sr. Applications Consultant, researched events that happened the year Ms. Thompson was born and shared them with our party guests. Born in 1907, Ms. Thompson shares a birthday year with John Wayne, Orville Redenbacher and Katherine Hepburn. That year, Theodore Roosevelt was President and Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th state. New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii weren't even states yet! We had a great time honoring Ms. Thompson and visiting with the residents who are counting on Traveling Coaches to be there with cake, decorations and gifts when they celebrate their own 103rd birthdays! Hosting Ms. Thompson's party is just one example of how Traveling Coaches gives back to our community. We won't stop until we reach our 2010 goal of 1,500 hours!