Posted on No Comments on Tips for Publishing Your Extension Work – recording now available

Tips for Publishing Your Extension Work – recording now available

The National Association of Program and Staff Development Professionals recently hosted  Dr. Theresa Ferrari, a colleague from Ohio State,  to share tips on publishing Extension work.

Check out:  Who, Me, An Author?  Tips for Publishing Your Extension Work – recording now available

If this topic area is of interest or you have additional ideas for professional development for Extension Staff – let us know by completing our professional development survey.

Posted on No Comments on Professional Development Aids in Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention

Professional Development Aids in Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention

Many of you are familiar with the Journal of Extension – it is a peer-reviewed resource with research and extension articles written about the practice of doing our work by colleagues in Land Grants.  When I first started in Extension it would should up on my desk regularly and now it is of course online – searchable and at our fingertips all the time.

A quick search on “staff development” yielded today’s fun fact:

Onboarding & regular professional development aids in retention. Likely no surprise – but it might be helpful to know the research and writings about this topic.  In this article about the value of staff development University of Florida colleagues share a review of research (great reference list) that points to the value of onboarding and staff development and they share a method that they developed for articulating the return on investment for staff development for their funders.

The article reminds us that:

  • Employee satisfaction drives productivity and organizational health
  • Professional development increases employee satisfaction
  • Onboarding helps staff to have role clarity
  • Most staff decide whether to stay in a position within the first six months

So, what do you want professional development on?  Last week we piloted a professional development survey at Ag In-service to answer the question – “What professional development do (program staff) need?, In what form?  And how do we share information about opportunities?  This staff survey is now open to all – take a few minutes to let us know: What professional development opportunities are you interested in?  This short survey is anonymous…your candid responses are helpful.

Posted on No Comments on Tips for Increasing Impact with Tabling Events

Tips for Increasing Impact with Tabling Events

Fun Fact: CCE program reporting data indicates that Extension staff reach more indirects via “tabling” at events than other means of indirect education

Tabling is an effective way to educate and engage potential audiences. I’m reviewing data right now and can see…we use tabling a lot, reaching potentially millions each year.  While hard to evaluate the impact of such events, there are notable ways of making tabling activities more engaging for all (and fun for staff!).  A little googling on “driving traffic to exhibitors” will give you a sense of how to grow your audience in this way.  Below is a synopsis of ideas that you may find.  What other ideas do you have to share? Let us know @cceorgdev

  • Have Fun. When you are tabling, be enthusiastic and friendly. Be active in your outreach. Stand in front of your table and engage with passersby—don’t wait for people.
  • Choose a location. Where you table matters. If possible – pick the area where your audience is most likely to be – ask for an area with lots of foot traffic.
  • Recruit Volunteers. Effective tabling typically requires several people – at least two per shift…so that they will feel fresh and able to have more fun with the audience.
  • Promote. While your table will likely attract those already walking by, promoting in advance will help to draw additional visitors and supporters.  Social media posts before or during can help.  A study by Deloitte and Touche found that pre-show promotions can improve the quality of the audience attracted to exhibitors booths by 46%.   You may also want to e-mail those you know will be there and ask them to stop by as a booth with people stopping by will look more appealing to new audiences too.
  • Gather Materials. Think about what will attract people to your table and what visitors are likely to pick up once you have their attention.  Pay attention to what people are looking at the next time you are in a venue with booths…  Freebies & drawings are known methods for getting people to come closer for potential engagement.  A drawing can be a lower budget way to pull people in for a conversation starter.  A 2004 Georgia Southern University study found that coupling an invitation with the promise of a gift is more effective at driving traffic to exhibitor booths than an invitation without a freebie or discount.
  • Stay in Touch. Consider having a computer with a Google Form, a spreadsheet, or a sign-up sheet with pens to record the names and email addresses of interested students.
  • Include a Call to Action or an Action. Offer specific ways that your audience can be involved – an activity, photo booth, survey…citizen science…anything active.