Crop Insurance Today Third Quarter 2020 - 5

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2021 Fall Train-the-Trainer
Goes Virtual
By Alyssa Milliken, NCIS Intern

When I left Kansas State University for
spring break earlier this year, I thought that
I would return to school in a week. But, because of COVID-19, I haven't stepped foot
on campus since early March. I moved home
and finished the semester with online classes.
Upon my return to NCIS in late May (I was
an intern last year as well) things were beginning
to reopen, but there were still challenges to having large groups of people gather in one location,
and still are today. However, one of the primary
functions of NCIS is to ensure that Approved Insurance Providers (AIPs) have the most current
information on policy and procedural changes so
they, in turn, can train their agents and adjusters.
So, for the safety of all attendees, and the need to
complete the training, NCIS made the decision
that the Fall Train-the-Trainer conference would
be held virtually.
The Training Department at NCIS, along with
other staff members, worked diligently to adapt
to hosting the conference virtually. Early on this
entailed selecting the best platform for providing
the training and learning its capabilities. Zoom
was selected and then began the task of working
with presenters to ensure materials were suitable
for the format and planning detailed rehearsal
sessions.
In the final weeks leading up to the event the
main goal was to ensure that everything was in
place so the conference would provide the information in the best way possible. To achieve this,
staff created a show flow (a script-like document
listing the presenters' times, breaks, transitions,

NCIS training department staff Lynnette Dillon (left) and Mollie Dvorak (right) prepare for the
virtual Fall Train-the-Trainer Conference at the NCIS office. NCIS IT staff, Kevin Wilson, (behind
Lynnette) helped set up and test the technology used to host the Zoom conference.

etc.), held rehearsals, and implemented back-up
plans should there be any connectivity issues. Additionally, NCIS staff ensured that the computers,
keyboards, microphones, etc., used during the
conference were sanitized and that staff who were
in the NCIS office during the training were socially distanced.
While staff were in the NCIS office to make
their presentations, other guest speakers presented their materials from their homes. This could
have been a challenge, but all were well-prepared
to share policy and procedural changes as well as
provide updates on a variety of topics.
Tom Zacharias, President of NCIS, began

the conference by expressing his gratitude to
the AIPs for attending and their willingness to
adapt to a virtual environment. The virtual environment proved to be successful as a record 427
people attended the conference. In her opening
remarks, Lynnette Dillon, Director of Training
and Education at NCIS, acknowledged the necessity of the conference, stating it was essential
because the information shared ultimately gets
passed onto farmers who need it to make decisions about their risk management plans.
Mandy Welton, Risk Management Agency
(RMA), provided the first update with her presentation on the Hurricane Insurance Program.
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Crop Insurance Today Third Quarter 2020

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