Greetings from SMR USA - by Jim Kirkpatrick

SMR and SMR USA had the privilege of co-hosting the first annual Kirkpatrick Evaluation Summit this past month in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Our official partner was Nielsen, Inc., a US-based company best known as the editors of Training Magazine. This 2-day Summit brought together an esteemed group of evaluation thought leaders and brilliant practitioners, the likes of which the learning community has never before seen.

This event not only helped to propel SMR to the forefront of the evaluation and learning community, but served to announce that we are ready, willing, and able to lead that same community in an even bigger and more urgent mission: providing them with the latest theories, methods, and techniques to bridge the gap between ‘us’ and the needs of the business. In short, this Summit was not about debating whether there are four levels (according to Don Kirkpatrick) or five (according to Jack Phillips), but to showcase what each and every presenter has to offer to help training and learning professionals earn the right to ‘sit at the table’ with its business stakeholders. Before undertaking this challenge, we had decided that we wanted to emphasize what we all have in common, not how we differ. Level 1 (reaction) data and information to the Summit indicate great appreciation for this cooperative effort.

SMR and SMR USA were well represented at this Summit. Dr. Palan, and Don and Jim Kirkpatrick were the hosts, and warmly welcomed the 80-some participants and set the expectations for cutting-edge learning, with the emphasis on bringing the Business Partnership Model to life in each organization represented. Don and Jim led the first day with a Certificate Program in four level evaluation. The second day featured such notable evaluation contributors as Patti Phillips and her ROI Model, Rob Brinkerhoff and his Success Case Method, and many in-the-field practitioners who clearly showed how each of the three major theories came to life in actual work situations.

The afternoon of the second day was highlighted by Dr. Palan talking about the role of competencies in tying together strategy, learning, and business needs, and by Diederick Stoel, SMR’s European partner who showed how training and business professionals need to negotiate value propositions in order to maximize the effectiveness of learning to the bottom line.

Many of the topics, and certainly the Business Partnership Model emphasis, will be woven into the Asia HRD Congress™ 2008 gathering that SMR is hosting in Jakarta during July of this year. For those of you who were unable to attend the Summit in Atlanta, our Asian event will help fill in what you missed, and provide an even broader and deeper look at the latest in learning’s cutting edge methodologies and best practices.

Of course, none of this is of any value to you unless you a) attend a conference where this information will be provided for you, and b) do something with it! I would like to offer you an opportunity to do just that - to do something with the great amount of knowledge and ideas you all have that will make your training more effective, and more valuable to the business. I am inviting you to contact me at jim.kirkpatrick@smr-usa.com to tell me about the biggest training challenge you are currently facing. I would like to know the context of it, and some of the efforts that you and others in your organization have made to attack it. In turn, I will provide you with some practical ideas that perhaps you haven’t thought of. And if I am not confident I have sufficient advice, I will contact one or more of my colleagues at SMR and beyond to tap into their expertise.

I look forward to hearing from many of you, and wish you enjoyment and success with your endeavors.