Our next monthly meeting is Tuesday, January 30, 2007, at The Atlantis Casino Resort (3800 S. Virginia Street, Reno)

Time: 5:30 - 7:30pm

Cost: Full and Corporate members: No charge; ASTD Basic Members: $15.00; Quarterly Members: $20.00; Non-members: $25.00

This month's topic is Success Principles Workshop: Starting The Year Off Right presented by 2007 board member, Liz Christoffersen.

Get ready to transform yourself for success. In our first meeting of the year, we'll share highlights of the Success Principles that Jack Canfield, co-creator of the phenomenal besteslling Chicken Soup for the Soul series, studied, taught, and lived for more than 30 years. His inspiring guide will get you from where you are to where you want to be.

You learn how to increase your confidence, tackle daily challenges, live with passion and purpose, and realize all your ambitions. These fundamental principles have been used by successful men and women across the country regardless of profession or circumstances.

It doesn't matter if your goals are to be the top salesperson in your company, become a leading architect, score straight A's in school, lose weight, buy your dream home or make millions of dollars--the principles and strategies are the same.

First, you'll learn the basics of success and tackle the inner work needed to begin the transformation. Second, you'll get ready to build your success team and expand your most important relationships. And finally, because success always includes financial prosperity, you'll learn to develop a positive money consciousness along with habits that can ensure you'll be able to live the lifestyle you want.

The Success Principles will give you the courage and the heart to start living the principles of success today!

We're sure this program will give you a great foundation to Start Your Year Off Right. You won't want to miss it so be sure to RSVP today.

My name is Donna Chase and I have made the choice to serve as your Sierra Nevada Chapter ASTD President, 2007.

We all have the same 24 hours each day and sort out our priorities among obligations and pleasure – and some of us choose to be volunteers.

Who am I and why in the world would I choose to do this?

I have been a teacher (mostly dance classes) for the past 32 years; training and development have been a part of my life – for most of my life. A few years ago I had the good fortune to land a job as a casino resort training and development coordinator. That position turned out to be an incredible experience; it enabled me to make a living by connecting with people and imparting knowledge – all day long! Being relatively new to Reno (I’m a southern California transplant) and very new to the “official” training field, I sought resources and quickly found a friend in ASTD.

The quality of the meeting programs and networking opportunities became treasured assets which greatly enhanced my job performance.

Once I learned that ASTD is a national organization and found that there was a need for volunteers on their board of directors, I was hooked! I jumped in – feet first – and served for a year as the VP of Marketing and then (as a former president of an obscure little group called the PTA) decided it was time to “step up to the plate” and volunteer for the president position. This is yet another fabulous life opportunity, as I am honored to work with an incredible board of directors; each and every one is a talented and dedicated individual who has volunteered their time to make our ASTD chapter the very best that it can be.

Our first meeting will feature Liz Christofferson, presenting “The Success Principles.” Liz will share highlights from the principles that Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul) studied, taught and lived for more than 30 years. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain inspiration for the coming year and meet and greet fellow members of the training and development community!

Regards,
Donna Chase
ASTD Sierra Nevada Chapter President, 2007

Reno, NV January 17, 2007 - The International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) announced today that Learning Tree International’s Reality Plus product line has won its prestigious Award of Excellence for Outstanding Human Performance Intervention. The lead designer of Reality Plus is Reno-based marketing and training consultant (and Sierra Nevada ASTD member) Peter C. Honebein, Ph.D.

ISPI’s Award of Excellence designation recognizes significant contributions to the science and profession of human performance improvement. This award is considered the most prestigious award in the field of Human Performance Technology.

Honebein was part of a consulting team that included California-based Darryl L. Sink and Indiana-based Sivasailam (Thiagi) Thiagarajan. Their efforts focused on creating a new branded learning experience for Learning Tree’s management courses. The new design, launched in January 2006, has won over customers. Customer satisfaction in U.S. markets increased from 91% to 94.3%, and in Canadian markets from 92.5% to 96.8%.

“Learning Tree’s management believes that product innovation and enhanced learning experiences is a significant competitive advantage for them,” says Honebein. “The ISPI award recognizes the importance of our ideas in helping businesses like Learning Tree increase customer satisfaction, trust, loyalty, and lifetime value through innovative approaches for designing learning experiences.”

Honebein is president of the Customer Performance Group, a Reno-based marketing and management strategy consulting firm. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Business and Indiana University School of Education. In 2006, Honebein won ISPI’s Award of Excellence for this book, Creating Do-It-Yourself Customers.

Los Angeles-based Learning Tree International (NASDAQ: LTRE) is a world leader in hands-on training for management and IT professionals. Since 1974, over 1,700,000 course participants from over 20,000 organizations around the world have enhanced their skills through intensive hands-on exercises under the guidance of expert instructors with real-world experience.

Founded in 1962, the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) is the leading international association dedicated to improving productivity and performance in the workplace. ISPI represents more than 10,000 international and chapter members throughout the United States, Canada, and 40 other countries. ISPI's mission is to develop and recognize the proficiency of our members and advocate the use of Human Performance Technology.

Information about the Customer Performance Group may be found at www.d oityourselfcustomers.com.

Click HERE to join/renew!