Just for You in 2009 - Fascinating Conversations and Networks

Traditionally and historically, December has been the blow-the-doors-off event for the Certification Network Group for two reasons.  We feature marketing issues and topics instead of the finer points of psychometric analysis and exam forms building in a software systems. In other words, we get down and dirty on who is going to take the blinking tests even if we build them to perfection?  The other reason we see the largest crowd of the year is it is the end of the year, in a great space (the new AARP Conference Center, within walking distance of three (3) Metro Stations in Washington, DC) and everyone is feeling like networking, connecting and wishing each other the best for the holidays and new year ahead.

We had a great meeting and more than 150 members signed up.  The membership continues to grow and we are at 500, exactly, today. That's 500 active, networking, deep-into-certification professionals.  (By the way, if you have not gone to the JOIN tab on the CNG web site lately, you need to do that now.  The information you put on the JOIN form overwrites the latest information we have from you. If we don't hear from you or see you at a meeting for 9 months, we assume you are not networking and that just quietly dissolves you from the group.)

Right before the December meeting, we have the annual gathering of the steering committee and all of the representatives from all of the CNG Sponsor companies and organizations to brainstorm and decide on the programs, priorities and new projects for the year ahead.

Our leader of certification leaders, Trish Serratore, moved the group through a great discussion of how will we make the CNG experience even better in 2009 for all members, new members, the growing numbers who are networking virtually from places far from Washington, DC, and for the increasing numbers of service providers, looking for ways to work their way into the credentialing industry.

The great news is we worked through the program topics, program leaders and ideas for the March, June, September and December events for 2009.  We brainstormed some special programs at other times of the year, such as the special symposium we conducted in 2007 at the AIA Conference Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., including the luncheon, which went over so well.  We hear the requests from our members in Chicago, Philadelphia, midwest and western cities to convene programs there.  We plan to do something special and new in those cities.  We hear the requests for going virtual with the programs, not just the networking, chatting and problem solving on our LinkedIn for Groups area and in this blog.

Add this to the top of your list for 2009, as well:  Click here to go to the CNG Group on Linked In and make sure you are active in that group.  You will know it the following ways.  Look at your profile on LinkedIn and make sure you see the CNG Group logo on your profile page.  If you clicked on that link and it says you are already in the group, then click on the MEMBERS tab and see if you are showing up along with the list of all the other members you can see when you click on that MEMBERS tab.  On the other hand, if you clicked on that link and it offered you the option to ask to join the group, then you just found out that you are not in the middle of the conversation and fun.  You need to correct that immediately by adding the CNG link to your profile.  

We have 500 members and about half of them have completed their LinkedIn connection.

We have an active chat area in LinkedIn and if you are not in the middle of the conversations, you are missing out on some interesting questions and responses from other CNG members. 

Final word on getting the most out of 2009:  Network

It's not called neteating or netsitting or netlurking.  It's called networking and that means getting off the bench and into the game.

Ahead:  More details about the programs and special task forces (you can sign up for any of them right here, right now) to make sure you are totally equipped to navigate the choppy waters of 2009 and have all the help and support you need from your colleagues in CNG.

Great Expectations

In the certification business there are more questions than answers.

One of the signature projects for 2007 will be the first ever, total census of Certification Needs and Knowledge.  Nobody has ever done this in a systematic, strategic, year long, 100% participation way.  That's why it's called a census, not a survey.  But more about that in another blog. 

The point today is we get new folks joining our group every day, who come in hoping all members will help them with their next report to their board. Is this expecting too much?  Or, do you think this is what the CNG ought to be doing--asking the the questions we all want answered and then finding a way to get everyone to provide that information, according to their situation?

Here's a story to illustrate the point.  Kimberley Ver Ploeg contacted us on a Tuesday to say she would like us to help her get a survey to members of the CNG and ask them to answer by the following Wednesday.   She really doesn't want all members of the group, just those of you who are certification program owners.  Not the consultants, test companies and others who know a lot about tests, just the certification agencies. 

Kimberly's request: "The purpose of this questionnaire is to allow me to benchmark how other certification agencies that administer paper and pencil exams handle remote exam administrations (that is, exams that are proctored by entities/individuals other than the certification agency itself).  I will use this information to ensure my certification rganization's protocol is up to industry standard for paper and pencil exams."

Here's what Kimberly wants you to tell her, in time for her deadline next week:

1. How many questions are on your exam? 
2. How many hours do you allow for completion of your exam? 
3. Do you mark your exams or answer sheets in any way for security purposes (e.g., with inventory control numbers that are the same for each examinee)?  If so, please explain. 
4. How do you request that proctors handle examinations upon receipt and prior to exam administration? 
5. Are examinees allowed to bring personal effects (e.g., purses, cell phones) into the examination room? 
6. How are the examinees monitored during the exam?  Does the proctor stay in the room with them for the duration of the exam? 
7. Do you allow a break(s) for the examinees during the exam administration?  If so, please answer the following questions:
8. How are exam materials handled during this break? 
9. Do examinees come back to the same section of the exam? 
10. Is your procedure different when the proctor is administering the exam to multiple examinees at the same time (as opposed to one examinee)?  If so, how is it different? 
11. Please describe any other significant aspects of your proctored exam administration procedure not mentioned above. 

The appeal for you to answers these 11 questions ends with "Please send your completed questionnaire to Kimberley Ver Ploeg at kverploeg@asmusa.org by Monday, March 12.  Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions."

What is your message to Kimberley?  Write to her directly or comment below to add your two cents to this blog.

Relief for the "Swamped"

Is it unique to the multi-tasking nature of certification organizations, which run very lean and fast most of the time, or is this happening to everyone?   Not too long ago when we asked, "How are you?" the response was "Fine." It is a neat, one syllable word that says a lot. 

Now the one syllable word is "Swamped" and we suppose it says a lot about how you really are doing. It's an honest response among friends and colleagues in the certification network.  Most likely, you are not going to say that to your best customer, prospective candidate or board member.  It might signal the wrong thing.  We heard it a lot at the last Quarterly Meeting and we hear it often in daily phone calls with certification folks.

One of the major benefits of your Certification Network Group is to provide some relief from "swamped" by connecting you to precise, relevant information that you would not find easily on Google or anywhere else.   The whole point of our group, our website, this blog and our quarterly gatherings is to help you find each other and help each other.

Hats off to everyone in the group who actually read the postcard we sent to all members and went to the website to update your contact information. You would be amazed at the movement of certification leaders, owners, managers in our industry.  It's a fast growing, rapidly developing business environment--this thing called certification and accreditation. 

Extra credit goes to Marlene Dakita at the Professional Truck Driver Institute who wants you to answer this question: Do you certify courses rather than people?  We certify courses at truck driving schools and can you tell us if you know of any other organizations that do this?

Comment here, please, so Marlene can benefit from your knowledge and experience--and so can the rest of the members of our group. Or comment here and click on the links in this blog to contact Marlene.