Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) January 9, 2008
This month, TBD Consulting helped launch the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) Valley of the Sun (VOS) chapter into a new trend in workplace learning: Second Life. This virtual world offers much more than 3D animation and interaction; it offers new ways to network, train and learn in the workplace.
On December 6, the ASTD VOS chapter simulcasted their end-of-year reception to both a physical and virtual audience utilizing Second Life. Patricia Galagan, Executive Editor for ASTD National, a worldwide professional organization whose members serve the workplace learning needs of individuals and organizations, spoke on how business leaders' view the impacts of employee learning on their organizations, how learning professionals are gaining relevance, and the trends that are changing the profession.
This event was streamed live into Second Life. Participants could sit at their PCs and watch Galagan's avatar (3D image of the speaker) present, view slides, and hear the live audio streamed from the physical venue. Mike Abrams, Vice President Business Development at TBD Consulting and President of ASTD VOS used his Second Life knowledge to boost ASTD into this new industry trend. Abrams designed the virtual building, avatars and necessary visuals to present the speaker in the Second Life world.
"We are the first ASTD chapter to simulcast a live member event into Second Life. We were able to provide a glimpse of the distance learning future to our workforce learning professionals," Abrams said.
The 3-hour event was attended by 40 people physically and 10 people virtually. Virtual audience members were able to ask questions of the physical presenter through the Second Life voice feature. Utilizing a monitor, the physical attendees were able to see the Second Life audience. This allowed a level of interaction between the physical and virtual audience, which the presenter facilitated. Both ASTD VOS and TBD Consulting plan on expanding the use of Second Life as a presentation channel.
About TBD Consulting, Inc.
TBD Consulting, Inc. is a full-service consulting firm specializing in employee performance improvement. As a national provider of services to industry-leading Fortune 500 companies, TBD Consulting creates solutions that drive tangible business impact, not just strategies. TBD Consulting is a certified woman-owned business, proudly headquartered in the Phoenix area for more than 15 years. For more information, call (602) 263-1961 or visit online at http://www.tbdconsulting.com
###