Sponsorship, Technology, Meeting/Event Design & Management
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Q & A with Debra Zabloudil, president and CEO, The Learning Studio Inc.
Q: If I were writing a book about your life, what would the title be, and why?
A: It would be titled, “An Unexpected Life” because life has thrown a number of things my way that most would not have expected (good and bad). As an emerging adult, my life looked set, to be fairly prescribed and somewhat privileged, and it has turned out to be a different landscape. But somehow you live and work through it all and come out better on the other end.
Q: Give us one little-known fact about you.
A: My family has been blessed by adoption, and I am a very big proponent of adoption as a beautiful way to build a family.
Q: Learn: How do you learn best - in a coffee shop with lots of noise or in a quiet, library-like setting?
A: For me, it’s much less about the setting. I learn best by inspiration. When something makes me “feel something” it stays with me. (I love the quote from Maya Angelou that people don’t remember what you say; they remember how you made them feel.) I also learn by connecting the dots in my own mind, by seeing something or hearing something that inspires me or makes me think and by connecting it to my life, my work, my client’s needs, etc.
Q: Network: Some people are wallflowers while others are natural networkers. Which are you?
A: I am a natural networker. I’m pretty sure I “popped out” that way. I truly love meeting new people, and have a genuine interest in knowing what makes other people tick.
Q: Transfer: Let’s say you just attended a certification course. What would be your first step in applying what you learned?
A: It may sound a bit old school, but when I am learning, I take notes - physically in a notebook. Then, when I have a quiet moment, I go back to the notebook, transfer the thoughts I want to expand on to a different page and start extrapolating and drawing connections (picture charts, arrows, etc.). For me, it helps to expand on the learning and take it to the next level.
