Same but different
This new business needed to be in L&D again, because that’s where my heart is. But that’s the only similarity with my previous business. Now I had the challenge of a different country, a different language, and only with a small network to start with. In The Netherlands, I was designing, developing, and delivering training from my expertise, focused on the legal sector, with an extensive network that valued me and knew what I was capable of. So, although in the back of my mind for a while, it took some time to gain the confidence to start all over again here.What did I learn?
It’s been two years now since I registered the business. Time to reflect on what I’ve learnt.Instructional design and facilitation skills are universal
Now being back in Australia for seven years, I can say that I don’t see any differences between instructional design and facilitation in Europe and Australia. I remember a recruiter telling me in 2014: “If you haven’t got at least a year work of experience in Australia as a trainer, we can’t help you”. It felt like I didn’t have any skills, didn’t have 10 years of experience in instructional design and course facilitation. Now, I think ‘poor recruiter’. You are missing out on so many talented people with your rigid thinking. Luckily, a few people thought otherwise: thanks Shanelle, thanks Kerry,Still don’t like sales 😉
Sounds a bit weird when you run your own business, doesn’t it? Well, most of my work comes via my network and that works for me. That was the case in The Netherlands, and it’s the same here. Other people talking about me, recommending me for my work, is the best marketing and sales channel I can think of.Love my work
Over the last two years, I have worked on a range of projects with not-for-profits and companies. I designed and developed elearning courses as well as online courses, on my own and with a team. I had the opportunity to learn more about a range of topics, including firefighting, change management, online facilitation in Microsoft Teams, moulding, procurement, family violence, and suicide. I even worked on a Chinese onboarding project. I am also facilitating courses and workshops again, both online and face-to-face, and enjoy the interaction. Not to forget the Virtual Play group that we (Hanna and I) set up to encourage play in facilitation.
Share with blogs
I never thought I would write so many blogs, but I’ve always happily shared my experience with others. It took a bit of courage to start writing blogs, especially in another language. I didn’t blog before, only wrote news items for my Dutch website. But Grammarly is my best friend now, and more and more often I hear that peers are reading my blogs and think that they’re useful (not this one maybe). And that’s great!