Reflections of 2010

Welcome everyone. Just a few thoughts as we retire 2010.  How many times do you think you have heard the phrase "Economic Downturn" over the last 3 to 4 years?  How about, "Do more with less"?  Aren't you sick of it? 

In Iowa, our unemployment numbers have dropped this month below 6%.  The DesMoines newspaper put a little story on the bottom of the front page 2 columns wide and 3 inches high.  If that was a company laying off their workers it would have been front page lead story that would have taken up over half of the front page. They would have gone over every negative detail of the bad news. 

I say, let's focus on the positive. Why aren't we more thankful for the 94% of our workforce that still have their jobs. That is a good thing. Build on that! Oh, I know it is very bad for the people that are out of work and I am not wanting to make light of their difficulties but I am sure that they would agree that it is easier to find work when there is a more positive environment around them.

I feel that the press has caused a lot of fear in the US and I feel that they should have to write letters of apology to every person that has had a hard time.  If the press could learn to make a big deal out of good news we would all be a lot better off. 

Even the entertainment industry gets on this negative kick and you will hear that same line, "With the economy the way it is" coupled with some way that it has negatively affected some character in their show.  Please Stop!  Snap out of it America.  Let's start seeing the good!

What do you think?  Share your thoughts on this.

I know trainer's and Safety professionals are very optomistic as a rule.  If we could just get the bean counters to back away from the trumped up fears and let the trainer's do their jobs, their company's bottom line would be a lot better. It always pays off to train. Well trained workers are a lot safer on the job. They are also a lot happier.  

Whenever companies let it be known that they do not care about their workers as much as they care about their investors and their dollars, the economy as a whole suffers.
I see 2012 as a year when it all turns around.  The people at the top are going to see that they have to have their worker's needs first.

These are just a few thoughts I have on the past and a few hopes for the future. 

Let me know your thoughts.  I am here to listen.

Streaming videos online is a popular idea among trainers today. Is the supplyline keeping up with the demand?

With the internet becoming so popular. A lot of trainer's today are thinking in terms of using streaming videos online to train their employees.  Are the producer's able to keep up with this new demand?  The problem is that we have a lot of existing product that has to get used before we can start creating new training videos to hit new topics. 

At ICON, we are prepared to set you up with a cost-effective program using our existing videos so that we can prove a market for newly released training programs.  When you have a minute, why not brain storm with me to see what we can do together to help chart the course for tomorrows new videos.

I look forward to talkig with you.  We have others that are giving us a try. Why don't you?

Exciting times for the training profession!

We are truly living in exciting times for training professionals. The Supply line for training materials is expanding all the time.

The fastest growth is in delivery methods. With all the new technology, there are multitudes of ways to deliver your training message. Here, at ICON, we are staying abreast of all of these methods. We have the tried and true VHS tapes; DVDs; CD-Rom interactive; Streaming video files; Streaming files for smart phones; Video on Demand; Pay-Per-View; It is incredible.

We can even supply you with pieces of our proprietary videos for you to use in your own interactive courses. Do you need authoring software? No problem, We can help with that too. All you have to do is tell us how you are wanting to deliver your training. We can prepare a proposal for your project and are ready, right away, to go to work on your project.

If you are dreaming up your next Training course, call us today 800-609-04790, to see what we would recommend that will help. Let your creative juices flow!

ICON, we are ready with ideas, concepts, innovations and even, (on occasion) some Whitty inventions.   Have a great day!