Years ago we worked for a magazine publisher who told us if you want to become an expert on something, write a book about it. We would add, it doesn't have to be a book. Over the last 20 years we've researched, designed and implemented projects that stretched our capabilities at that point, but in the end, made us experts at cutting edge concepts and technologies. It's why, when many of our age cohorts fear and loath the current preoccupation with 'high-tech' solutions to what used to be 'simple problems,' we laugh and say, 'Hey, here's how you manage it.' And commence to develop what we call learning systems that give our clients the results they are looking for.

Project A: They Just Didn't Get It
Once upon a time Ron worked for the Office of Women in Development in the U.S. Agency for International Development. He was hired to develop and manage a new training program that would help Agency staff understand and include gender concerns in project design, implementation and evaluation. It was a mandate that many in the Agency found too foreign and bothersome to build into their already complicated development processes. Ron's challenge was to design a training program that would win over the doubting, and give them the skills and tools they needed to analyze their projects through a gender-specific lens. He gathered and led a team of trainers and technical people, some of whom were already expert in gender analysis. Together they created course content and process for modules that would be clearly relevant to the success of development projects. The result was a series of highly-praised workshops that first established the importance of gender sensitivity, then created a logical framework with which project managers could bring gender variables into their work, and finally, supported the project designers in finding and using best practices to incorporate into their projects. The team also produced training-of-trainers sessions in order to expand the cadre of capable and competent facilitators who could handle the critical and sometimes delicate issues of gender in development. The result was that gender as an issue was not only demystified and fully- accepted, it has become a respected and necessary component of current USAID development projects and programs.

Project B: Moving Volumes to the World Wide Web
Ron was asked by the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to join a team of WID experts working on a huge compendium of socioeconomic information and participatory research techniques on gender issues, projects that pertain to them, and tools for training in gender analysis. In addition to being a content expert, he was asked to make this massive amount of information easily accessible through a logical architecture on an electronic platform, either as an internet WEB site or on CD-ROM. Once the electronic version was complete, he helped to test the materials in workshops overseas.

Project C: I'm Affected So Help Me Be Involved!
Rural Development Economist for a regional planning commission in central Wisconsin, Ron had not only to analyze the current development situation and demographics in the service area. More critically, he had to create ways of bringing into play the ideas and opinions of all those who are ultimately affected by growth and development. Because he knows how important participation is to good project identification, design and implementation, he formed a citizen's advisory committee. He facilitated information gathering and strategic planning sessions to make sure people's views, opinions and expertise were added to the technical mix as program development proceeded.

Project D: Little Things Can Mean a Lot
Lynn was asked to create a new marketing function for a small training company. Her challenge was to expand their client base by developing a business development strategy that included direct mail promotion as well as the usual public-sector proposal writing. A part of her strategy was to buy a slightly larger listing in the Telephone Yellow Pages, something the company had never done before thinking it was not a likely means for gaining new business. A national association saw the listing and contacted Lynn to discuss their need to train several thousand managers. She sold them on the training company and the new client provided almost two million dollars worth of business in five years. Sometimes the simplest tactics are the best.

Project E: Building Trust through Communication
Lynn was called upon to design a nation-wide public affairs training program. The client was a large trade association for an industry that needed to improve its public image. The major association for the industry was following a strategy of using both an ad campaign aimed at changing opinion through a national TV blitz and a grassroots training approach aimed at changing the attitude and skills of local industry managers. The managers were not very enthused about 'training,' but once in the courses, came to realize the value of well-thought-out, one-on-one communications. Within two years, the training program was perceived to have had a greater impact on changing the opinion of the public than the national ad campaign. Going beyond the initial agreement of a three-year run, the Program trained 5000 managers over a period of six years. When dealing with a severe credibility issue, it was clear that one-on-one relationship building could be a more effective public affairs strategy than TV advertising. It also bears mentioning that the training program cost 1/10 the price of the ad campaign. The conclusion: sometimes the most expensive, flashiest communication solutions are not as effective as simple, positive human interaction.