Author: Esther Matthews, M.Ed.

The late legendary designer, Milton Glaser, once said “There are threeresponses to a piece of design – yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.”

While Glaser was specifically referencing visual designers, I believe there’s a lesson in his statement for talent development professionals as well. We design employee experiences that transform others. Whether that’s through guiding or developing them along their career paths, laying out the framework for their progression, helping them develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities, or something else - our work is nothing short of transformative. Shouldn’t the transformative experiences that we design for our audiences “wow” them as well?

Designing to wow requires intention and skill on the part of the designer. Growing that skill is where ATD Greater Atlanta comes in. We provide our members with a forum for the exchange of professional development opportunities and resources as they strive to improve workplace learning and performance. In short, we’re responsible for leading the way to “wow!”

As the Vice President of our Communities of Practice, it is my personal commitment to provide you with spaces to develop in specific domains, along with opportunities to practice what you’ve learned. My goal for each of our Communities of Practice is that they lead the way to “wow” by designing experiences, aligned with the ATD Talent Capability model, that wow you - our members.

In 2021, you’ll leave each of our events with tangible takeaways. We’re bringing you extended access to our speakers so you can learn, practice, and grow with guidance.

Whether you attend CoP events on leadership training for the modern workplace, resume writing, interviewing skills, career changes and transitions, exposure to learning technologies, growing your brand as an independent, building your instructional design portfolio, getting published, or any other skill covered under our communities of practice - each of these opportunities will help you put your best foot forward and help you design to wow in your workplace.

The signature element of the Communities of Practice is the sense of community. Even with our current virtual environment, we’re challenging ourselves to provide you with a robust sense of community through thoughtfully designed networking events. These are networking events designed to allow you to share what you know and learn from others, all while building your network.

The Communities of Practice are about dedicated professionals coming together and learning from one another. I believe Milton Glaser was right -- “Wow is the one to aim for.” This year the Communities of Practice are preparing to do just that. We’re crafting learning experiences designed not only to wow you but to prepare you to wow others and leave you wanting more!