ISPI SoCal
ISPI SoCal Presents: First Tuesday Webinars
Diagnose First, Train Second
Mike Saunderson, Ph.D.
Title: Diagnose First, Train Second: Making Smarter Performance Decisions Before Building Training
Performance diagnosis, training decision-making, and organizational credibility in Learning & Development.
Session Description
Organizations continue to invest billions of dollars in training each year, yet many performance problems persist—or worsen—after training is delivered. The issue is not lack of instructional design capability; it is a lack of diagnostic discipline before prescribing training.
This session introduces Diagnose First, Train Second, a practical, evidence-based approach that helps learning and performance professionals distinguish true skill gaps from problems caused by unclear expectations, misaligned incentives, workflow constraints, leadership behaviors, or system design. Rather than defaulting to training as the solution, participants learn how to apply a structured diagnostic process that protects organizational resources, strengthens L&D credibility, and ensures training is used only when it has a realistic chance of improving performance.
Through realistic organizational scenarios, participants will practice diagnosing common performance requests—such as calls for coaching training, onboarding programs, or compliance refreshers—and learn how to identify when training will fail before it is ever built. The session also addresses a common real-world challenge: what to do when leadership requires training even after a precise diagnosis that it is not the primary solution. Participants will learn how to reframe these situations to protect credibility, clarify expectations, and design training that serves the appropriate organizational purpose under constraints.
This is an applied performance session, not a theory overview. Participants will leave with a repeatable diagnostic approach they can immediately use in stakeholder conversations, needs analysis, and program planning, reducing wasted training effort and increasing the likelihood that learning initiatives yield measurable results.
About the Speaker
Mike Saunderson, PhD, is a performance consultant and founder of Ethnopraxis, Inc., where he helps organizations stop training by default and start investing where performance actually changes. He is the creator of the Five Essential Questions Performance System, a practical decision framework used to diagnose performance problems, determine whether training is the right solution, and measure real-world business impact.
With over 14 years of experience supporting Fortune 500 companies, universities, and federal agencies, Mike specializes in aligning learning initiatives with operational priorities and evaluating results beyond completion and satisfaction metrics. His work helps leaders reduce wasted training spend, improve accountability, and demonstrate measurable performance outcomes.
#PerformanceImprovement #L&DandInstructionalDesign #ISPISoCal
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ISPI SoCal Presents: GEMS RoundTable
The Human Skills Advantage in an AI-Driven Workplace
Join us to discuss this month's article:
Facilitated by: Rita Crosby
The RoundTable is an exciting approach that stimulates incredible conversation and insight around the topics and trends impacting our discipline.
We read aloud the RoundTable Guidelines and this session's article for about 15 minutes. Then for the next 45 minutes, we offer everyone in attendance equal time to share their thoughts and experiences on or around the topic. Come explore with us!
NOTE! Please download and print the article, or view in browser, for your use during the session (link above).
To facilitate and/or propose an article for a future RoundTable, contact Laura Braeunig laura@nationalitc.com
#PerformanceImprovement #L&DandInstructionalDesign #GEMSRoundTable
The GEMS RoundTable format was provided by Sue Gabriele, President and Owner, Gabriele Educational Materials and Systems. Website: www.gemslearning.net Email: sgabriele@gemslearning.net
ISPI SoCal Presents: AI@Work Seminar 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM PST
AI Through a Systems Lens: Teaching AI to Think With You, Not For You
Rebecca H. Mott
Most people use AI like a search engine. One question, one answer, done. That's not how you work through complex problems. You iterate. You test assumptions. You apply frameworks. You dig deeper before synthesizing.
This session shows you how to train AI to work alongside your expertise and not replace it. You'll learn a systematic approach to prompting that gets AI to think through problems the way you already think through them, using the frameworks you already use.
We'll cover:
Rebecca H. Mott is the founder of ReThought LLC and spent 31 years at Tennessee Valley Authority leading continuous improvement, innovation, and technical training initiatives. She's certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, ASQ Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, and Certified Change Management Professional.
At TVA, Rebecca launched the organization's first Innovation Center and applied systems thinking frameworks to solve complex organizational challenges across utility operations, IT, technical training, and workforce development. She served as Chair of the ASQ Innovation Division and is the author of the Amazon #1 New Release book The Meeting Room (2025).
Accessibility
Live captions available. All registrants will receive the session recording and resources.
Beyond TNA: What 80 years of training needs analysis got wrong
George Limin Gu
For over 80 years, traditional Training Needs Analysis (TNA) has been asking the wrong question: “What training do people need?” In fact, training is often predetermined before any real investigation, diagnosis, or systematic analysis begins.
This approach has turned training into a vague and unmeasurable cost center. It focuses on activities instead of real business outcomes, leaving the true value of training uncalculated.
This presentation presents a more realistic approach to TNA: GPS-IE (Goals, Problem, Solution, Implementation, Evaluation), which is focused on business gaps and business results. Please join us to learn how to make the value of the training you are developing clear, logical, and fully calculable.
George has worked for over 30 years in both China and the United States, for companies including IBM, Ericsson, HayGroup, and Qwest.
He has led a variety of projects in the areas of management innovation, performance improvement, instructional system design, and organizational development.
In 2003, He was the main initiator of the ISPI Asia Pacific Center, and became the first Chinese to be recognized as a Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) jointly by ISPI and ASTD.
Has served on the ISPI board since 2017 and was president of ISPI in 2023-2025.
In 2011, he co-developed with Hui Ding the GPS-IE®, Management System, which takes a pragmatic, and systematic approach to delivering results-oriented, and sustainable solutions to business problems.
