Trust Changers®
Training and engagement to foster high-trust online environments.
Are you engaged online and getting the most out of collaborative technologies?
Collaborative tools can increase organizational speed, agility, and innovation, but people will always drive value, and they will not change the way they work without (1) a high level of trust and (2) training and engagement activities that align organization-wide expectations about how to use technology. As a result, organizations waste millions on applications that are never fully leveraged or integrated into workflows.
A 2018 Pew Research survey of 10,618 U.S. adults showed that Americans are worried about the declining level of trust citizens have in each other.
- 79% believe Americans have “far too little” or “too little” confidence in each other
- 70% believe Americans’ low trust in each other makes it harder to solve the country’s problems
- 64% believe Americans’ level of trust in each other has been shrinking
Whenever collaborative applications and online communities are underutilized, low trust is a likely issue.
- People don’t trust their own ability or knowledge about how to use technology.
- Team members don’t trust each other to not change, lose, criticize, or expose work developed in collaborative tools.
- Employees don’t trust company culture or leadership to not be hypercritical of work and conversations that occur in open forums and intranets.
- And plenty of folks don’t trust technology to make work easier.
Trust Changers’ mission is to build trust, improve online communications and collaborations, speed up work, and reduce operational/technology costs.
With Trust Changers, an organization suffering from low trust and poor technology integration can change its trajectory. The more Trust Changers skills are consistently applied at all levels of the organization, the more trust will be created overall. And because it’s an investment in people, it adds value to any collaborative technology, across the entire organization.
Collaborative tools can increase organizational speed, agility, and innovation, but people will always drive value, and they will not change the way they work without (1) a high level of trust and (2) training and engagement activities that align organization-wide expectations about how to use technology. As a result, organizations waste millions on applications that are never fully leveraged or integrated into workflows.
A 2018 Pew Research survey of 10,618 U.S. adults showed that Americans are worried about the declining level of trust citizens have in each other.
- 79% believe Americans have “far too little” or “too little” confidence in each other
- 70% believe Americans’ low trust in each other makes it harder to solve the country’s problems
- 64% believe Americans’ level of trust in each other has been shrinking
Whenever collaborative applications and online communities are underutilized, low trust is a likely issue.
- People don’t trust their own ability or knowledge about how to use technology.
- Team members don’t trust each other to not change, lose, criticize, or expose work developed in collaborative tools.
- Employees don’t trust company culture or leadership to not be hypercritical of work and conversations that occur in open forums and intranets.
- And plenty of folks don’t trust technology to make work easier.
Trust Changers’ mission is to build trust, improve online communications and collaborations, speed up work, and reduce operational/technology costs.
With Trust Changers, an organization suffering from low trust and poor technology integration can change its trajectory. The more Trust Changers skills are consistently applied at all levels of the organization, the more trust will be created overall. And because it’s an investment in people, it adds value to any collaborative technology, across the entire organization.
By aligning how people relate and work together online…
Trust Changers add value across all collaborative technologies…
Across the entire organization…
Hi, I’m Shaley.
Trust Changers was inspired in 2010, when after 5 years of exemplary service at Cornell University, in Ithaca New York, I negotiated a contract to work from home—in Honolulu, Hawaii—where I grew up. In order to feel confident working 100% online, I made it my mission to develop processes, skills, and behaviors that ensured my colleagues always would trust I could communicate and collaborate with them, regardless of whether I was in the same office or on a tiny island—6,000 miles away.
Despite everyone’s doubts that my long-distance venture would last 6 months (the original agreed-upon timeframe), I continued to thrive until choosing to move on, a full 6 years later. People who worked with me attributed my success to personal talent and dedication, but I always knew it was something more. The critical thinking, communicating, and collaborating skills I refined during this time can be taught. My success was not coincidental. I just needed some time to cultivate the Trust Changers system—available since August 2019. See our Services.
The service got its name because organizations cannot overcome deeply entrenched challenges, reduce friction, and increase efficiency and productivity without significant Trust Changers.
Trust Changers
In the logo, shown above, a hand-written font with wide kerning (space between the letters) signifies a focus on purposeful intentionality when building employee skills. The flame serves as a reminder that, like fire, technology has the power to change humanity. We can let it get the better of us, or we can take control of our destiny by transforming how we relate to each other and work together online.
The Trust Changers Podcast is Coming Soon!
The Internet is full of challenges, but it’s also a dream come true for access and opportunity. In the Trust Changers podcast, host Shaley DeGiorgio talks with individuals and experts about how the Internet is shaping our lives and what we can do to build confidence online. Trust Changers critical thinking, communicating, and collaborating tips are shared in every episode.
Topics include anything that might be funny, inspiring, teach a lesson, make a point, provide a warning, or make life easier, etc.—as long as it happened online. This is a family show, so we’ll keep it PG. Otherwise, it’s an opportunity to learn from each other and maybe add a couple of Trust Changers to our toolbox!
Do you have a story about an online experience that you think we should know about? For better or worse, we want to hear the struggles and the joys. Submit your idea.
Build Confidence Online with Trust Changers
Services
Fostering online culture and community are key to Trust Changers’ success. All training takes place via videoconferencing, with intimate groups of 12 people, to simultaneously help attendees practice video skills while building a network of Trust Changers certified colleagues.
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PODCAST AND VIDEOS
FREE | Open to the public
In the Trust Changers podcast, founder and CEO, Shaley DeGiorgio talks with experts and individuals about how the Internet is shaping our lives and what we can do to build confidence online. Trust Changers critical thinking, communicating, and collaborating tips are shared in every episode.
TRUST CHANGERS ONLINE SKILLS CERTIFICATION
$798 | Open to the public
Online Skills Academy course content is designed to be fun, relatable, and actionable. It empowers attendees with online skills for critical thinking, communicating, and collaborating. 16 hours of training and 2–4 hours of optional accountability-partner work spread over 8 weeks allows for real-world application of skills and group discussion (about successes, challenges, etc.) to reinforce learning. Topics covered include (1) Trust Changers mindset for online communications and collaborations, (2) netiquette, (3) legitimacy, privacy, and security, (4) virtual teamwork, (5) productivity practices, (6) content organization and presentation, (7) personal brand/reputation, and (8) creating rich online experiences.
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COMMUNITY MANAGER CERTIFICATION – Available Spring 2020
Individual Course Fee – Request Information | For graduates of Online Skills Academy who want to teach Trust Changers in their organization
Community Manager Academy course content is designed to help customize the Online Academy curriculum to fit an organization’s needs. Attendees learn how to teach the curriculum, position themselves as influencers, build online engagement, foster trust, and align organization-wide technology-use expectations. Community-manager preparation includes 12 hours of training spread over 3 days, with 8–12 hours of independent work.
Certified Community Managers are key organizational partners. Whenever possible, they should teach Online Academy skills within sponsor organizations. By design, this (1) quickly spreads the full skillset across as many people as possible and (2) nurtures a culture of trust between community managers and all levels of the organization. Multiple community managers can exist within an organization—in fact, it’s encouraged!
AS A BONUS, community managers are invited to share stories on the Trust Changers podcast, thereby bringing attention to an organization’s dedication to a high-trust environment.
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CERTIFIED ORGANIZATION SUBSCRIPTION – Available Spring 2020
Annual Subscription Fee – Request Information | For Organizations with certified Community Managers
The Certified Organization subscription provides grassroots engagement activities to inspire viral adoption of Trust Changers skills and continue to grow collaborative-technology value over time. Community Manager (CM) resources in the subscription include:
- Exclusive CM access to supplemental online-community training and engagement materials
- Quarterly inter-organization CM Q&A sessions with a Trust Changers coach
- Access to a private inter-organization CM Facebook group
- First access for new CM online-skill courses: Becoming a Brand Ambassador, Advising & Engaging Leadership, Supporting Disaster Recovery, and more
- 20% discount on all CM courses
Get Trust Changers Updates
Online Engagement Pilot details are here! Don't miss the chance to transform how people in your organization relate and work together online! Sign up for our email list now. We will never sell or share your email—no way! You can trust us. 😉
