The Learning & Development Podcast

It appears that women are under-represented at a senior level in L&D. What’s going on to address this and what do we all need to be doing? David and Kate explore these points - and more - within this important conversation.    KEY TAKEAWAYS  How would you describe Fosways role in L&D and your role within the company? We are an independent analyst and our role within the industry is to look at trends and the progression across technology and talent. Our role is to help corporate organisations make better decisions, We also liaise closely with vendors to ensure we have a pragmatic picture. My role involves working across the teams and all content comes through me providing me with an overview of all that is going on.  What is the current conversation around women in learning? The statistics are not great for women progressing into senior management.  I have been involved in the conversation across social media platforms and the engagement was far and above what I was expecting, it has captured people’s imaginations and is continuing to grow as people join the debate. Research based on the worldwide learning and skills group and used job titles as an indicator; in support roles the split was 33% men to 67% women,  in practitioner roles 53% men to  47% women, mid-level 49% men to 51% women, senior roles 69% men to 31% women this makes clear there is a barrier and this is a conversation we need to have. Its opened people’s eyes to an issue that we didn’t know was there previously.  What are you hoping to achieve from this conversation? It’s about changing the statistics, ultimately women should be in those senior roles if they want to be and how as an industry can we support that through mentors etc. Mentoring is a great place to start and we are now looking at the practical steps we can implement to move forward. It isn’t just about women it’s about the steps anyone needs to take to move forward.  How does this conversation relate to the modernisation that is required in L&D? The important thing for this debate is that it doesn’t lose sight of the link to our profession. We are and should be open-minded to the possibilities, we can challenge our own thinking and desire for flexibility and learning. Faced with this challenge, the statistics, and this ongoing conversation about women in learning that we should hold ourselves accountable for our own development in this area and continue the conversation.    BEST MOMENTS  ‘That’s real life and to understand that is empowering; we can share stories about ourselves’  ‘It should be about lifting everyone up L&D is a great industry to be in because it’s such a positive place to be’  ‘There were more people named David on the panel than women’  ‘It’s about how the vision is executed within the company’     VALUABLE RESOURCES  Fosway Group website Kate Graham Twitter #womeninlearning twitter Kate Graham LinkedIn  ABOUT THE HOST  David James    David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  Website: https://www.looop.co/

Nigel Paine is a hard man to pin down to a profile, his  LinkedIn page describes him as Learning Now TV presenter and podcast host but there is lots more,  He teaches on a doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania, works for the University of Chicago as part of their business school at the London campus and writes books about the world as he sees it. In this episode David and Nigel are discussing his latest book, Workplace Learning: How To Build A Culture Of Continuous Employee Development, David and Nigel explore its themes in the context of the real-life challenges faced by L&D professionals today.      KEY TAKEAWAYS  What were you hoping to achieve with this book? I usually write my books in a rage and the rage behind this book was the term’ learning culture’ being bandied about by people who did not know what they were talking about and had no understanding of the history behind the term. I have tracked the journey and looked at what is happening today to help others understand what a learning culture is and provide them with the tools and ideas to build a better learning culture in their own businesses.  Who decides they want to embark on creating a learning culture? The key is not to be able to say that everyone is learning but to be able to say we are making better decisions, move faster, have more ideas and are more innovative, cooperating and working together. The dream is clear but how you get to the dream is not clear that’s where the role of L&D is vital, their ability to frame it and offer solutions is critical to the journey.  Usually, L&D teams don’t have the remit, currency or skills to change the culture, and yet so many say they need to how do we get past this initial hurdle? You got to understand the frustrations and what inhibits people from doing their best. In understanding this you can begin changing the organisational process through people and eventually more of a learning culture emerges. You’ve got to say we will scrap everything and build again based on need. If we know what people really do need help with then we can guide and support them effectively  As a profession are we ready to acknowledge that ‘the course’ is not doing the job we are in organisations to do? It’s a recognition that people learn in different ways and recognising that huge amounts of learning takes place in the workplace. Its moving learning and work closer together, that’s when learning becomes exciting, ingrained and integrated into the business.You’ve got to have a  vision about the organisation you want to build and then work out what will make the biggest difference.  How do we bridge the skills gap in L&D? Sometimes it is important to be able to buy in the specialist skills you require for a specific piece of work or project. Every learning professional should be on their own learning journey to make sure they don’t get left behind by trying new stuff we broaden our horizons. A learning culture is one where people take information from  outside and share it quickly turning it into action.    BEST MOMENTS  ‘If you don’t lose the mentality that everything has to be a course you can't change and move forward’  ‘The vast majority of learning is solved by individuals or teams without any reference to L&D, they just get on and do it’  ‘It’s not about nice learning it's about hard-edged business benefits’  ‘If you haven’t got sharing you haven’t got a learning culture’  ABOUT THE GUEST  Nigel Paine    Nigel is a prominent figure in the global L&D community and has been involved in corporate learning for over twenty years, including time leading the BBC’s Learning and Development operation.   He left the BBC in September 2006 to start his own company that is focused on building great workplaces by promoting creativity, innovation, values based-leadership and learning and the link between them.   He speaks regularly at conferences around the world and teaches on a doctoral programme at the University of Pennsylvania and for Chicago Booth Business School.   In this podcast, Nigel talks about his latest book (Workplace Learning: how to build a culture of continuous employee development) and how it practically applies to organisations.  You can follow Nigel via:  CONTACT METHODTwitter: @ebase LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigelpaine/ Website: https://www.nigelpaine.com/ Podcast: http://fromscratchpodcast.com/ Learning Now TV: https://learningnow.tv/    ABOUT THE HOST David James   David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

‘You’re going to know your customers better than any system, Digital value is about human value, it’s about working with people to solve problems’    As a successful leader in Digital (at the BBC and at Ask.com), Myles has observed L&D’s embracing of new technologies but also its failure to transform itself. We discuss what digital transformation really means and what it will take for L&D professionals to make the most of the opportunities that digital now offers.     KEY TAKEAWAYS  Digital capability is largely remiss in L&D and is a blocker to positively changing the profession, is this what you see? The preoccupation with technology is a real problem for the industry. For too much of the time for too many people digital means technology implementation One of the most important aspects is the pace at which you have to move and having a clear focus on data and evidence. The digital world has shown the values and benefits of a prototype to demonstrate and gather real data and this is driven at pace You can’t make a transformational change from your current position; you have to have new information and data. The stuff that we use ourselves has completely changed the way we communicate, our entertainment and access to each other. The digital revolution has not been about systems it has been about having new experiences that add value to our lives in different ways The L&D profession is still stuck in the trap of finding new ways to do what its always done rather than finding new things to do.  What is digital transformation for you? The challenge for L&D is that the learning pace is now set outside of the industry and we need to change how we work to meet the rising expectations we all,  as consumers, have. It’s about what we can do with the technologies we can create and how we can apply them We need to constantly be aiming to give the best consumer experience we can. One of the challenges is for the industry to look beyond learning data and be smart about other sources of data, we need to be smart about all of the data landscape to help us understand what the problems are and how we will solve them.  What's your position on digital and face to face? It’s not about one or the other it's about how you use the tools you have available to solve the problems. It can be people coming together, or a phone call, it's about an event that is helpful. The learning classroom is a human event that due to what it is surrounded by has increased in value and importance.     VALUABLE RESOURCES  Myles Runham LinkedIn  Myles Runham website       BEST MOMENTS  ‘The L&D world needs to become much more confident working in these ways’  ‘For people in senior positions, it’s about letting go and trusting in something new’  ‘You need to be where people are and understand why they want to learn in the first place’  ‘There is a recognition now that everything is changing, and it is happening at a pace so beware of certainty’     ABOUT THE HOST David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

‘Do stuff that works, affect the business, speak a language the business recognises because you are working on their priorities and show them how your work has made a difference in order to build the credibility to gain more currency to do more of the right stuff’  In this episode, David is in conversation with Simon Gibson. As seasoned L&D leaders, David and Simon discuss what L&D Transformation looks like today and the areas we need to change to achieve it. An insightful and practical conversation grounded in reality, listen in to find out more.    KEY TAKEAWAYS  How would you sum up what’s changing? The outside world is coming into the business environment. If you are in a business environment and learning is a course or a 5-page document then you are disconnected from the way people have instant access to everything outside of work. Expectations from clients are changing and what they need now is changing. I’m passionate about knowing what’s going on and how people are doing it. Organisations have a massive responsibility to support individuals chosen learning journeys.  How has your view of how L&D needs to change been shaped by your senior level and access to your CEO? I’m a curious and inquisitive person who wants to ask challenging questions and I don’t want to pitch that at a level below where I’m going to get the answer. I want to be talking to the forums who understand what the impact will be. Being part of these senior forums provides the opportunity to understand the whole picture. Being presented with those true business challenges in a dynamic environment and understanding them can be key to finding the solutions. Credibility to talk is key in any forum in your organisation. It's about the impact you can have to shape and transform the organisation.  If you are not helping shape and transform, you are only helping it to stand still and you are in danger of becoming obsolete very quickly.  Do L&D get digital transformation? The context is everything in an organisation. Digital transformation is multi-faceted. For L&D one aspect is the disruptive technologies that are affecting businesses today and the other is some of the delivery mechanisms used. Peoples ability to learn and consume is now very free and there is a huge opportunity to look at the real needs within an organisation How do you prepare people to make the next steps? How do you prepare people for transformation? There are similar challenges that exist across every organisation    BEST MOMENTS  ‘What are we looking to change?’  ‘The gritty reality of in-house politics’  ‘There’s a balance between gut feeling and what the data and information is telling you’  ‘It’s smashed into work at such a pace’     VALUABLE RESOURCES  Simon Gibson LinkedIn Simon Gibson Twitter     ABOUT THE HOST David James    David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

This is a brand new podcast for L&D professionals by L&D professionals. We’ll be discussing and debating the topics and priorities affecting the profession today. This is a brief introduction to the show from the host David James. ABOUT THE HOST David James   David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

‘Our understanding of the human learning process at work has  fundamentally changed’  David is in conversation with Sukh Pabial, a talent development partner at Reed Business Information.  It’s generally accepted that Learning & Development is changing, and that the skill set required is broadening. In this episode, David and Sukh discuss what these broader skills are and how L&D should evolve to adopt these.     KEY TAKEAWAYS  What role do you see yourself as having on social media? I’ve ended up creating a certain type of persona which at times is provocative and challenging, at times a stream of consciousness. I’ve never planned my twitter or blogging in detail and learnt along the way. I use my podcast to focus on positive psychology and emotional intelligence, areas I have a particular interest in.  What’s the idea behind ‘Modern Learning Leader’? The skills required for L&D professionals are becoming more fragmented and are not always comparable or related disciplines. This can result in individuals focusing on deep learning for each particular specialism in a linear way to further their own development and be able to fulfil the role of a modern learning leader. The program provides a springboard for professionals in the acquisition of new knowledge and the development of further skills. It enables L&D professionals to gain an overview and sense of the differing specialisms required for the modern learning leader.  Has the role of L&D changed or are the mechanisms for delivery different? It is both and more. When you start to look at what people do on a day to day basis to further their own learning you realise it is radically different from the learning products we provide. Our understanding of the human learning process at work has also fundamentally changed resulting in mechanisms needing to change.  Providing learning is easier than affecting performance, why rock the boat? We have to start to question what we are doing and how we are impacting? YouTube came along and was the learning platform we never knew we needed. We are putting ourselves at risk of leaders seeing the role as redundant if we do not move forward and change.  Are we reaching a tipping point in L&D? There is a community of voices that help to remind us this is a movement. When you look at conference content it has not changed. It is still looking towards long form programs and there is not anything that is genuinely different. There is a world of knowledge out there and if you know how to access it and you understand how to use it to develop what you know and what you do, it’s a good thing to be a part of.     BEST MOMENTS  ‘It can be challenging to know which stuff out there to pay attention to and which stuff to disregard’  ‘We are getting our hands dirty quicker than we ever did because we can access someone who has already done it’  ‘People understand what you have said because it’s the English language, but they don’t understand what it means for their profession’  ‘We don’t dig deep enough it the questions that make a difference’     VALUABLE RESOURCES  L&D Connect group on Twitter     ABOUT THE GUEST Sukh Pabial    Sukhvinder (Sukh) Pabial, is a learning development and organisational development professional who started his career in this field in 2003. He has worked across a range of sectors and industries. Armed with an education in Occupational Psychology, he develops leading-edge creative and positive solutions and does so ensuring everything he works on is centred with strong academic research and knowledge.   CONTACT METHOD  Twitter @sukhpabialLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sukhvinder-pabial-01113b1b/ Podcast: http://threegood.podbean.com/     ABOUT THE HOST  David James    David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Work is evolving to meet the needs of globally focused organisations and in response to globally dispersed talent - and remote working has been a key factor in this shift. We know this, this is not news. But how we develop remote workers may be news.  In this episode of The Learning & Development Podcast, we explore considerations for Learning & Development for supporting remote workers. David talks today to Perry Timms, an author, motivational speaker, a CEO, and a top HR influencer. Discover everything about remote working – its pros and cons, its place in HR management in the past, present, and in the future, and its inclusion in L&D strategies. Both business owners and remote workers can learn from the discussion so start tuning in. KEY TAKEAWAYS We can shape the future greater than we think we can. We can’t just sit and watch things to unfold. If there’s optimism, a drive to change, and willingness to act, we can improve the current state of the workplace. Remote working is not an impossible proposition to incorporate in organisations now because of technology. It has become easier to communicate with people and complete tasks. Changing our mindset and attitude about remote working can actually benefit our organisations. The physical proximity of the workers might be a difficult thing to consider in HR management, but developing remote workers doesn’t need training, you just need to discover what strategy works best for your company. It’s useful for organisations to highlight partnerships in their L&D strategies. Sharing their knowledge and learning journey to each other can actually make it easy to make remote working possible. Managing and overseeing the social platforms where you interact with your remote workers is important. L&D strategies should also empower them and let their voice be heard in coming up with solutions no matter where they are. As much as possible, invite healthy conversations and prevent these platforms from being polluted with bias, forced authority, etc. Efforts on maintaining the dynamics between the organisation and remote workers are more pronounced compared to those who are working onsite. As the leader, it’s your priority to make sure that the remote workers still feel belongingness. BEST MOMENTS “I like to think I’ve got a grounding in the reality of the world but also an incredibly dreamy perspective on how things could be.” “I feel their pain, I celebrate their gain, and I really wanna leave them in the sense that they’re better than they were before they started.” “If there’s one thing that we can start to recommend to remote workers is when you are hitting a wall, that’s the time to stop and think, ‘What can I learn?’” “If people want it passionately enough, they’ll find a way to make it work and shouldn’t find a way to hijack L&D.” ABOUT THE GUEST Perry Timms is listed in HR Magazine’s HR’s Most Influential List for 2017 and described by CIPD CEO Peter Cheese as “The HR Futurist”. Perry is the author of the book ‘HR Transformation’, he’s an international CPD accredited and TEDx speaker on HR, workplace learning, technology and the future of work, a consultant, facilitator and coach. Prior to all of this, Perry was Head of HR for Big Lottery Funding in the UK. You can follow and contact Perry via: Twitter: @PerryTimms LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perrytimms/ Website: https://www.pthr.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Today on The Learning & Development Podcast, David talks to Nick Shackleton-Jones, the author of How People Learn and a genuine thought leader on Learning & Development, to talk more about how we can improve our learning and training strategies for our employees. It must be centred on how they could grow and develop themselves so we can expect high performance. Discover in this episode how we can use simulations to determine solutions, the pull and push method, producing content, and many more.  Start changing your perspective on learning for the better when you tune in.  KEY TAKEAWAYS  How can a genuine thought leader be differentiated from a fake one? Genuine thought leaders don’t say what you want to hear; they say what you need to hear. Be ready to what they say even though some truths might be unpleasant.  When producing content for learning, it’s important to know how it can help. Know the main concerns first, so you’ll know what can be the solutions to present. Do an analysis of what worked and what didn’t work for them in the past.  How can Learning & Development align better to the business? “Solve their problems first, not translate them into your solutions.”   Models that exist today only serve those who are at the top, not the people who really need the service. Find out who your audience is.   The effective context model is supposed to underpin all learning phenomena for all in different contexts. The pull and push approach is useful since we only react to things we care.   What to Consider When Redesigning L&D Strategies:  Creating resources  Experience design—responding to challenges and creating challenges  The Learning & Development sector should be ready for disruptions that could boost the strategies and services. For example, technology is becoming more functional for everyone.  BEST MOMENTS  “I’d like to think that people entering the world of learning development believed that it was an antidote to the weirdness and bureaucracy.”  “Our challenges drive our learning.”  “The only way to get them to efficiently to just know it is to find out what they care about today.”  “Let’s not come to people with PowerPoint presentations when we have some time to have valuable time together to talk about what they think, to share experiences, and to learn from each other.”  “We are eliminating learning in the interest of making everything more usable.”  ABOUT THE GUEST  Nick Shackleton-Jones  Nick is a genuine thought-leader in Learning & Development, responsible for coining the ‘courses to resources’ shift and the affective context model of learning.   He began his professional life as a psychology lecturer and went on to lead learning functions at Siemens, BBC & BP. He’s now a consultant and author of ‘How People Learn’ (Kogan Page, May 2019) as well as winning several awards for people development strategy, innovation, and learning content, including the Learning & Performance Institute’s Award for Services to the Learning Industry, 2017.   You can follow and contact Nick via:  Twitter: @shackletonjones  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shackletonjones/  How People Learn: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-People-Learn-Designing-Performance/dp/0749484705  ABOUT THE HOST  David James   David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.   As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.   CONTACT METHOD   Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/   Website: https://www.looop.co/

It’s largely known that generational differences are an important factor for organisations but a different thing to know what we should do to attract, develop and keep younger talent.   In this episode of The Learning & Development Podcast, David interviews Rowena Bach to discuss on how to handle different generations in the workforce. Learn also about the different challenges that Rowena has seen throughout her career. This conversation explores some of the things L&D teams - and Early Careers specialists - should consider and doing to capitalise on the big opportunities that a good Early Careers strategy can present. They also covered the different trends that companies should watch out for so they can improve their recruitment process and take into mind their senior team members. Discover more about these when you tune in.  KEY TAKEAWAYS  There are two problems that Rowena is trying to solve for organisations:  Macro-level, where your background dictates where you’re going  Organisational, recruitment management  It’s difficult to handle the team especially if it comprises the 5 generations in the workforce. Each lived a different life that has shaped their values and behaviours right now.  Challenges:  Establishing an inflow of talent  Ageing skill of workforce  (Organisational) Receiving up to 35,000 applications for 100 roles  (Organisational) Low budget  Organisational development and learning and development help the newly recruited people adjust in the workplace.  The new generation base their decision-making process on activism, radicalism, and loyalty, while the baby boomers base it on hierarchy, legacy, and commitment.  Key Trends to watch out for in L&D:  Global skills gap  Impacts of technology on workforce  Access to information  Though the interview might be the most vital part of the recruitment process, it does not envelope everything that we need to know from entry-level talent.  BEST MOMENTS  “Why do L&D professionals and HR professionals stay in this industry? It’s because we’re in the space that brings something in the business that they don’t have time for.”  “Every single one of those is potentially a customer.”  “Every new person that you bring will challenge your organisational dynamic.”  “People have specific reasons why they work.”  “It’s almost a fallcy that interviews get you what you need to know about the person.”  “Dealing with equality is not just an ethical imperative; there’s so much evidence about how a balanced workforce fastly improves how successful organisations are.”  ABOUT THE GUEST  Rowena Bach is an Early Careers/Future Talent leader with 15 years’ experience of setting talent strategies (people and digital), consulting and leading change programmes, and teams, to deliver commercial value.   Prior to this, Rowena was Head of Future Talent at BSkyB following her role as Learning & Development Manager for Disney Consumer Products.  Her current role involves Rowena helping clients get to know the evolving Gen Z landscape, understanding and utilising the Apprenticeship Levy, attracting and retaining diverse candidates in the recruitment process, and ensuring that emerging talent pipelines match the needs of your business.  You can follow and contact Rowena via:  Twitter: @Rowena_Bach  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowenabach/   Website: http://insights.tmpw.co.uk/u/102f64x/rowena-bach   Article mentioned in the podcast, ‘The Global Skills Gap in the 21st Century’: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/global-skills-gap-21st-century-rowena-bach/   ABOUT THE HOST  David James   David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.   As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.   CONTACT METHOD   Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/   Website: https://www.looop.co/

Experience Design is a relatively new term in L&D and yet it has very quickly become an aspiration for forward-thinking functions around the world. Danny and David explore what Experience Design is, some great examples and how you can get started with it.  Creating experience and using practical applications rather than shoving theoretical practice is highlighted in this episode of The Learning and Development Podcast. The big gap after the onboarding process of new employees will be filled if we see things differently. Support, knowledge, and training shouldn’t just be given during the first months. We have to learn how to make this a long-term commitment to the people in the company.  KEY TAKEAWAYS  Companies show their utmost support and value to new employees during the onboarding process. There’s 'excitement' and 'enticement'. They give them the full experience as they enter. But the problem is there’s a big gap that’s felt after individuals sign the contract. There’s no continuity of what they have established, which may help improve the individual’s experience and performance inside the company.   Face-to-face interaction does not outright mean experience design. For example, learning inside a classroom won’t assure that you master your leadership skills. You need to actually experience it –learn the ropes and practice it with team exercises.  Immersion is a good way to learn. When you experience it with your senses and feelings, it’s easier to be acquainted and remembered.  Danny’s advice: Put yourself into their experiences so you can shape theirs. Don’t just look at L&D. Look at other industries and get inspiration.  BEST MOMENTS  “I don’t think learning experience is a thing. I think experience is a thing and learning is the byproduct of that experience.”  “We know our memories our crap, but the emotions that we can attach to that are different.”  “When we talk about the impact, we talk about the real reasons we do it. We don’t do it because it’s nice to have. We don’t give people a standardised what they shouldn’t do.”  “Experiences don’t have to be grand.”  “It’s all about leading so someone else follows.”  ABOUT THE GUEST  Danny is an Experience Design Architect and has been a leader in this field, at TalkTalk and GP Strategies amongst others, at the forefront of designing experiences that make a lasting difference.   As well this, Danny is the voice - and brains - behind Mindchimp, a pioneering  Learning & Development podcast series and thriving L&D community.  You can follow and contact Danny via:  Twitter: @TheDannySeals  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyseals/  Website: https://mindchimp.co.uk/  ABOUT THE HOST  David James   David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.   As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.   CONTACT METHOD   Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

As L&D Manager for CastUK, Eva doesn’t just talk the talk, she walks the walk of modern, progressive L&D, focusing on business performance outcomes and creating learning experiences that combine digital and face-to-face. Hear Eva’s stories about her progress and her principles of Learning & Development in practice.   KEY TAKEAWAYS Did you have an idea of how you wanted your L & D function to run? I wanted to move away from classroom-based training and to establish what great looked like for the company.  We explored what sort of skills we needed and what were the skills people already had. Every skill needs to be tackled differently and when you are addressing reality you are able to achieve real results. People are afraid of experimenting and trying something new because at some point failure is guaranteed but what you do with the lesson learned is what makes the difference. I was open to challenge and they were prepared to challenge, this combined has enabled us to change. What have you done to broaden and challenge the expectations of what L & D looks like? I wanted to initially to understand what the challenges were across the business for differing individuals. Learning has to be hard fun; people should be doing something different to what they do in the workplace Using role-play in the training room enables individuals to learn from their mistakes in a safe environment. We underestimate people’s need for autonomy, to be able to go through things at their own pace and develop true understanding. Can you explain how you have saved time in induction with digital solutions? The induction is not shorter, but the approach is different. Anything that is knowledge or content-based people access themselves digitally at their own pace. The digital solution is curated content- some of which is created internally capturing the knowledge within the company, it’s the ‘how to’ The face to face sessions are opportunities to summarise and check the understanding. You are have been exploring automation with digital resources, how is that developing? It is useful to be able to target various groups with different content and send it out when it is needed. The Looop solution allows me to be more timely, proactive and efficient with my time. If we don’t understand what people are trying to do when they are facing critical points of failure, unfamiliar situations or challenges then we can’t support them. Go out and do it, give it a try and see how it works for you, get into that experimenting mindset It’s about solving the real problems out there, being curious and using technology as your tool.   BEST MOMENTS ‘The biggest challenge in L & D is capturing what works’ ‘The want and will to constantly review their own performance and understand it’ ‘You are making an assessment based on readiness through observation’ ‘If you are results-driven you are not precious about content, you view it as a tool to achieve the results’   ABOUT THE GUEST Eva Adam Eva Adam is L&D Manager at CastUK, a recruitment consultancy specialising in sourcing executive and management level roles.   Whilst Eva is relatively new to L&D, having spent time before in operational and management roles, she is clear about the impact she wishes to make with her practice and leadership and has successfully sold this vision to her stakeholders.    You can connect with Eva via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eva-adam-25947787/   ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.   CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

'L&D Transformation' is a term that preoccupies L&D Leaders as much as it baffles us. So what does it mean? What does it really look like? And just as importantly, what is it not?  Barbara Thompson has held titles in L&D Transformation and Innovation since 2007 and talks about why this is still an important topic today - and what we should all be doing about it. KEY TAKEAWAYS Transformation in L&D should mean examining the construct of the team, the operating model, governance, and looking at how technology can support all that you are doing. When you invest in technologies before you determine your direction, then you can find yourself looking for problems to solve with this technology, rather than solve the real problems. Transformation L&D means rethinking everything, from understanding what we should be working on, our use of data, the engagement with those we wish to influence, the types of solutions we employ, our whole perception of digital, and how we demonstrate our value.  Successful companies, such as Amazon, Monzo and Spotify, have taken a radically new viewpoint on the customer experience. Amazon matches your 'wants' to the things it can offer. Spotify asks the question “Do you want to buy music, or do you just want to listen to it?” The shining examples of businesses doing it in the correct way are laser-focussed on solving problems, using data to ensure that there is first a problem to solve, followed by working with and for the client, putting the solution in the hands of the people who need it, making sure that the solution works before scaling it. Some of the pitfalls in transforming L&D can include, surprisingly, letting people know that you are transforming as it sets an expectations that is hard to attain. Also not working in a agile way and failure to focus on the user experience. One of the key enablers for transformation and innovation is the leadership team. What do they think about learning? What would they like from learning? What are the disruptive forces? By subscribing to the notion that agility is key in transformation, we should also accept the fact that some things might work, and some things might not. Pivoting and using agility to correct these paths and try something else is completely fine. One of the most important steps in transformation is to understand the way that education is perceived within the organisation, because this understanding will allow you to understand how better to pivot and add value. BEST MOMENTS ‘We look for innovative solutions instead of stuff that works sometimes’ ‘You change the name of what you’re doing, but you don’t change the practice’ ‘What worked yesterday is not going to work today’ ‘It’s relentless but successful’ ‘We need to test it and iterate’ ABOUT THE GUEST Barbara is an experienced Learning & Development practitioner who is renowned for her progressive views on the profession. Having worked for 9 years at BP, Barbara built her skills and reputation on developing forward-thinking, results-driven L&D solutions that were way ahead of where the profession was and, perhaps, where it largely still is today. Her roles at PA Consulting and GP Strategies see her applying her know-how in many more organisations who are looking to modernise and transform. You can follow and connect with Barbara via: Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaribThompson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbarathompson1/ Blog: https://medium.com/@ba_thompson   ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

We did something different in this episode and took your questions.  We posted on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for suggestions and were overwhelmed by the response - and by the quality of the questions.  So we discussed everything from David’s experience - what he’s most proud of, and what he’s no so proud of (in terms of L&D projects); about the current state of L&D’; overcoming challenges to modernising; and the future of the profession… But much much more as well.  David is joined by Adam Harwood again but in a switch of roles, as Adam asks the questions on behalf of listeners.  KEY TAKEAWAYS  What’s the most inspiring learning project you have seen? Disney Digital Lab’s transition of their publishing business to digital. They brought in experts to create awareness to the general. There were apprenticeships and the transition became successful.  What’s the most disastrous project you’ve seen? It was a customer service training for a telecommunication company. It didn’t just cost money, but it also cost time.  What’s the most frustrating thing you ever dealth with? The one with Disney Digital Lab.  If there’s only one person who you will listen to for the rest of your life? Tracey Waters  Is it time to rename L&D to L&P? When people are learning, they’re doing it because they want to achieve a certain goal. David is more drawn to the ‘performance & capability’ part of it. L&Dneeds a clearer vision  Is there a big gap between the modern and tradtional approach in L&D teams? It’s big since they came from two different roots. Not everyone is talking about the same thing.  Why are we having a hard time developing L&D professionals? It’s because we build everything from scratch. We all start with a vision. It’s easy but complex at the same time.  What do you advise when you meet with the professionals? Work on real problems so people will engage.  “If we work with data, understand, and show how to address these real problems, then we understand the language of the business.”  Do you think the future leads to L&D moving into more operations or operations moving into more L&D? There will be advancement in HR management and analytics. We will align more with the operations if we create a new vision for L&D that focuses on the outcomes.  What advice can ou give for those who are starting out on a project? Gather and analyse data. Make sure you’ve understand fully before starting out any tasks. David wished he had learned technology even before.   BEST MOMENTS  “if you don’t want to use it, then how do you expect users to use it?”   “I value conversations that are grounded in the practical realities of organisational life much more than I like isolated learning solutions.”  “We should be focusing on the goal rather than the means.”  “We don’t produce learning; the learning part is an internal process.”  “There is need for REAL Learning & Development as far as I’m concerned. It needs a vision—a vision that’s better than now.”  ABOUT THE GUEST  Adam Harwood is Head of L&D with D&D London, having recently been both L&D Manager at Revolut and Digital Learning Partner at ASOS.   Adam is renowned for his views on digital and its potential to transform L&D and truly affect employee performance in service of organisational results.   In addition, Adam is active in the L&D community.  You can follow and connect with Adam via:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamharwood26  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamharwood1984/  ABOUT THE HOST  David James   David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.   As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.   CONTACT METHOD   Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/   Website: https://www.looop.co/

In the last 12 months, Adam has gone from Digital Learning Partner at ASOS, to L&D Manager for Revolut and, finally, Head of L&D at D&D London. And not because he’s flighty but because his skills are in high demand. In the episode, Adam talks about his rapid rise in L&D and what others can take from his focus and development.     KEY TAKEAWAYS  Resources before courses  The sweet spot is where we can help people to get stuff done by creating things that speak to their challenges and questions.  It all comes down to asking the questions.  A business starts and ends with the people.  It's working with and for the client in an agile sense focusing on the outcomes rather than the product.  It’s all about taking them on a journey building resources that can actually help.  Performance support is at the core of resources. Asking questions and unpacking the answers ensures you can really help and drive effective change across an organisation.  If you want to be the change that you see and create the job you want then you need to understand the background and mandate of the organisation.  Finding the right people  You have to work hard to find people who are truly forward-thinking, reframing what you are looking for to attract the disrupters who will drive change.  Its someone who is willing to find out what the real challenges are, and seek the real answers.  It's having an appreciation that digital is woven into our lives at all points of time  For any young aspiring learning and development person, there are great opportunities  It's about being in real life and wanting to make a difference  Understanding  what is holding L&D back from having a greater impact  Organisations have an expectation of what an L&D department is for within the company.  We are stuck in the prison of what we have always been doing when there are real problems and challenges that need to be supported.  When learning and development reappraises and understands that it can have a more important role then it will be able to focus on creating that role within a company.  It's about what the problems really are and understanding how you can support individuals in solving them.     BEST MOMENTS  ‘Wanting to affect what is important to the business and increase the expectations of what the L&D function can do, it's bold and it's brave’  It's easy to run a schedule of programs because it's easy to measure   ‘I looked at what they are trying to achieve as a company and how L&D could remove the friction’       VALUABLE RESOURCES  The Learning & Development Podcast     ABOUT THE GUEST  ADAM HARWOOD     Adam Harwood is Head of L&D with D&D London, having recently been both L&D Manager at Revolut and Digital Learning Partner at ASOS.   Adam is renowned for his views on digital and its potential to transform L&D and truly affect employee performance in service of organisational results.   In addition, Adam is active in the L&D community.    GUEST CONTACT METHOD  You can follow and connect with Adam via:  Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamharwood26  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamharwood1984/  Article Adam mentioned in the chat: https://peopleatwork.cipd.co.uk/2018/12/21/were-the-ones-who-bring-people-together/    ABOUT THE HOST  David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.     CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning?lang=en  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  Website: https://www.looop.co/

Here Technologies has a fascinating culture of autonomous learning that fits perfectly with their company culture. In this episode, Toby Newman talks about the shift that was made, what that looks like now, and his own journey from trainer to a totally modern Learning & Development professional. KEY TAKEAWAYS eLearning has changed radically over the years, putting far more control into the hands of users, and turning the experience into less of a teacher-pupil relationship. Access to online and remote access to professionals has changed the landscape.   Online training is so popular because it fits in with people instead of trainers. But face-to-face training should never be discounted, as it has many of the benefits that remote training cannot.   Autonomy is on the rise, with location technology at the core its DNA. From Smart Cities, to Navigation, location is an ever-expanding industry.   Technological advances happen so frequently, and leaps in learning are so persistent, that Toby insists upon instilling and implementing a learning culture in the business, so that the company can always keep moving in the right direction.   Learning is one thing, but discussing it in depth afterwards is just as powerful, and can help to embed the information in a different way.   The main aim for Toby is to develop tools in order to build bridges between those with the expertise and those seeking the expertise, rather than building programs filled with content. It’s a far more “blended” approach.   Toby’s autonomous approach to training allows those who wish to develop faster, the ability to do so. Often training takes place with large numbers of staff, many of which are not engaged, or do not wish to develop. By allowing those who wish to progress the opportunity to do so independently, the training becomes more targeted and effective.   Go to expos - For Toby the biggest thing going to the Learning Technologies Expo, and simply walking around, talking to people, and listening, gives you an eye towards where the industry is heading.    Take responsibility for your own development as a professional, keep your ear to the ground, but also filter. Understand your own organisation, too.   It’s important to ask our customers for direction, but we must also understand where the industry is going and use our own instincts. BEST MOMENTS ‘I just went by what I felt was right’ ‘What I’d love to be able to do is some kind of “Matrix” thing; plug yourself in, download it, and away you go’ ‘We provide the solid foundation and a couple of walls, but they get to build the inner house’ ‘You put your energy into the people who want to be there’ ‘Provide people with the bridges and resources to be able to get what they want’ ABOUT THE GUEST Toby is L&D Manager at Here Technologies, an Open Location Platform company, based in the Netherlands, with a fascinating culture of learning. An experienced Learning & Development professional with 15 years in our profession, Toby has worked across different organisations and industries, including Telecommunications and Retail. LINKS The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 Toby Newman on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/theneverendinglearner Toby’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoUEYHTCDPcdwXMsQNkb1Qg?view_as=subscriber Toby’s TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hHrXGDqNzc&list=PLDoXrtJe8hy4EJ2PswlFy-zSTmv1LEddn ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/ . https://applysynergies.com/

Agile is at risk of becoming a buzzword in L&D and misinterpreted, watered down or disregarded as just a fad. However, it’s working to help Sky move at pace, achieve more and achieve real results. In this episode, Tracey Waters, Director of People Experience at Sky, talks about her team’s adoption of Agile, what this actually means, and how it is experienced - from all sides. Discover today on The Learning & Development Podcast why we need to be disruptive with our L&D approaches (e.g. classroom learning), what technologies we can utilise inside our business, how you can influence more value to the team, how Agile can help you and your team’s perfomance, and many more. KEY TAKEAWAYS Why transition to Agile? It encourages better understanding of each team member, it’s built it on iterations, and it’s data-driven. It delivers capacity, flexibility, responsiveness and adaptability. Tracey believes that classroom learning has not been very effective and only brings little to no benefits. It does not improve how people work. Here are the 4 R’s that classroom learning causes: Relationships – People get a lot from meeting others in the same boat as them and learning from their experience. Recuperation – It gives them a chance to get away from tasks even just for a while. Recognition – They get motivated to complete the training because of the awarded certificate. Reward – People felt good about being nominated or accepted onto a programme. Focus instead on how every operation can be valuable to each individual. If they see that what they’re doing have beneficial outputs, it’s easier for them to get influenced and motivated to perform well. With this approach, they can still build relationships, learn new things, and improve themselves. Utilise technological innovations (i.e. Agile). There’s better understanding, and reaching out becomes easier when the data is always available when you need it. You also make every moment memorable for them and offer invaluable support when there is full awareness of the situation. Some might have doubts on incorporating Agile. The key thing to remember here is it helps distinguish what works and what doesn’t anymore in your business. And with these as the basis, we can choose what to improve and what to change. Visual management is very useful. You need two softwares: one is where the team can communicate (e.g. Slack, Microsoft Teams) and the other one is a visual planning board where the work flow can be tracked (e.g. Trello). Before looking into different approaches such as Agile, know your WHY. Take the time to go back to your planning board and evaluate your goals, visions, and objectives. If you think Agile is the vehicle that will get you to all of them, then it’s easier to get started from there. BEST MOMENTS “If we run L&D, we should be embracing a philosophy that is fundamentally built in learning and high-performing teams.” “When you also learn from psychology perspective and neuroscience perspective how people learn, it makes classroom learning more bonkers.” “If you start with a consumer-grade technology experience and build around that, then you can actually be flexible of what you offer to people.” “The whole emphasis is on we’ll get better at this together, we’ll make mistakes together, and we’ll make sure that we get better.” “If you aren’t getting resistance, then I’m not sure you’re disrupting the model.” VALUABLE RESOURCES Agile Software | Wikipedia The Learning & Development Podcast: How People Learn With Nick Shackleton-Jones | Apple | Spotify | Omny How People Learn: Designing Education and Training that Works to Improve Performance by Nick Shackleton-Jones Slack Microsoft Teams Trello ABOUT THE GUEST Tracey Waters is Director of People Experience at Sky UK and a pioneer in the application of Agile to Learning & Development. With over 15 years of experience in the profession, Tracey has overseen Sky’s transition from a traditional L&D operating model to fully embracing Agile to move at speed and solve real business problems. You can find out more about Tracey’s work and the Agile HR Community via: Agile In Learning Blog: https://medium.com/agile-in-learning Fosway Innovation Profile on Sky: http://www.fosway.com/innovation-profile-sky/ Agile HR Community: https://www.agilehrcommunity.com/new-events ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for over 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Gemma Critchley is Head of Technology & Innovation for Learning at Aviva and her mission is to make work feel more like real life by focusing on creating effortless, useful, beautiful experiences that solve real business problems.  We discuss this in detail in relation to the actual work Gemma and her team do and the results they seek. KEY TAKEAWAYS One of the most important things in learning and development is to design things with and for people, really focussing on what they care about, what they’re struggling with, what their problems are, and design accordingly.   Innovation can be a scary word. But by looking at what is taking place within organisations, and not keeping learning and development within a bubble, we can listen to the people who do the actual work, and develop in a positive way.   The Five DI Methodology is about defining a problem before you start the work: Define, Discover, Design, Develop, Deploy, Iterate.   There can be a mentality that when you create a learning project and put it out into the world, you’re done. But you should always look at the impact it’s having, measure it, and make it better.   Technological innovations in L&D mean that instead of treating development as some kind of field trip, companies can treat it more as though it’s part of the workflow, meaning that it can be communicated and absorbed more efficiently.   When people go through transitions within the context of an organisation, things become predictable, repeatable and then it’s all about the timeliness. If you can anticipate when people experience that then you can have that point on an automated workflow to surface the things that people require, and when.   Gemma found something of a culture shock when she moved from marketing to L&D, in that marketing is very much data led. By tapping into the data being amassed about her customers, she was able to pinpoint the exact requirements and most effective methods of reaching them at all times. L&D’s data only seems to come after the fact, and so being able to pinpoint the development required is much more difficult. But the industry is getting there.   Judge the success of any venture by measuring the difference in the business as a result of having implemented something new. BEST MOMENTS ‘We forget that there’s a human in Human Resources’ ‘Let’s not focus on what’s wrong, let’s focus on what could be better’ ‘Learning and development is about finding out what people are up against and then helping them’ ’That’s what learning is missing: that campaign mentality’ ‘We use data as the autopsy’ ‘You’ve got a North Star that you can work to. You need a guiding light' ABOUT THE GUEST Gemma Critchley has been leading teams to develop, manage and market digital products in learning, talent, social media and marketing for over 10 years. As Head of Technology & Innovation for Learning at Aviva, Gemma leads a team to deliver commercial outcomes through innovative approaches to learning, talent and organisational development, with a focus on the digital transformation. Using innovation, technology, storytelling and experience design her ultimate aim is to deliver real business results. You can follow and connect with Gemma via: Twitter: @GemStGem LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmacritchley/ LINKS The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 How People Learn by Nick Shackleton-Jones https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-People-Learn-Designing-Performance/dp/0749484705/ref=sr_1_1?crid=4QWWKQ5GU5HT&keywords=how+people+learn&qid=1565856607&s=books&sprefix=how+people+learn%2Caps%2C132&sr=1-1 ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Christopher Lind is Head of Global Digital Learning at GE Healthcare and a seasoned L&D executive.  In this episode he talks about how speaking the language of business, rather than the language of L&D, has helped him influence his stakeholders, transform his function and do more with digital. KEY TAKEAWAYS One of the biggest differentiators in Christopher’s success is the ability to speak the language of business, as well as the language of L&D. In L&D there’s a tendency to be caught up in your own space; the way thinking is done, even down to the phrases used. But to business leaders, lots of what they hear doesn’t make sense. It’s fine to be passionate about L&D, but we need to communicate that passion, along with ideas and input, by using laguage that everyone understands, otherwise it seems like a closed community. We can either take what business leaders say and start talking about learning needs and solutions, or stay with their map and talk about the business. A better place to start is not to enquire about the state of the people, who are of course important, but to enquire about the state of the business itself. L&D people need to have a genuine curiosity about the business when you ask the questions, which will allow an authentic response. Remember also that you’re going to get knocked down. Get back in there and keep trying. There’s a misconception that Learning And Development should mimic the school scenario, but it’s up to us to bust that preconception. It should not take the form of “learn before work”. Technology is allowing entirely new ways of learning, including livestream tutoring and networking that can allow people to learn on the job with the help of a connected mentor. BEST MOMENTS ‘We talk about things that make sense to L&D practitioners, but to business leaders it’s just Greek’ ’The first conversation we have with stakeholders, there’s a fork in the road’ ’Speaking the language of business requires us to refocus the conversation’ ‘You’re gonna get knocked down, and that’s okay’ ’Technology is changing things at a pace that is out of this world’ ‘Instead of being a content department, we can be an experience department' ABOUT THE GUEST Christopher is a bold, digital-first learning and talent development leader that’s always been directly embedded in the businesses he serves. As a result, he’s spent his entire career reimagining the landscape of learning and talent development while going head-to-head with business operation leaders and being directly accountable for the outcomes.   You can follow and connect with Christopher via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherlind/ LINKS The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

According to Bob Mosher, Workflow Learning is "learning that occurs while I do my job" - not when I stop work to engage in learning content like when we attend a course, complete e-learning, log into a webinar or other ‘learning activity’. It’s performance-focused and is measured in terms of its ability to deliver results.  This conversation unpacks this, along with the 5 Moments of Need framework, and is a fascinating exploration of L&D practice that makes real difference. KEY TAKEAWAYS The danger of “training” is that there’s so much baggage in terms of what that word means, and what it has meant in the past.   The Five Moments Of Need are: New More Change Solve Apply   Designing for the moment of apply is hugely different from the current approach of content-driven learning. It’s equal to the question of “are we learning to swim, or are we learning not to drown?”   Happiness in learning does not always equate to a leap in performance. As trainers and developers, we need to remember that.    We must make sure that we understand that failures in the classroom is a legacy problem. It has become overburdened, and is not good at the main purpose for which it has been designed.    When you are done with your deliverables, and you look back on the effect that it has had on the workforce, if they have not enabled learners to perform effectively on their own in the workflow, it has failed, because transfer and sustain did not happen.   Performance support needs to be re-evaluated by the industry as a whole. It is a discipline, it’s not a thing.   If you want to shift to performance first, but you build training first, you will never have time to build performance assets.   We need to orchestrate the asset appropriately, not just for the thing it solves, but the way in which it solves it.   Workflow learning is consumed while doing the work, guiding learners along so that ultimately they perform while learning. By far, the most effective form of learning Bob has seen is trial and error.   BEST MOMENTS ‘We’ve got to get out of the training business’ ‘I am a performance architect’ ’The sweet spot of learning and development is the moment of apply’ ‘What is the deep end like for a learner?’ ‘Carpentry is not a hammer. Surgery is not a scalpel'   ABOUT THE GUEST Bob Mosher is a genuine Thought-Leader in L&D and Chief Learning Evangelist, at The 5 Moments of Need™, an organisation that specialises in helping learning professionals design, develop, and measure effective learning and performance support through the 5 Moments design methodology. Bob has been an active and influential leader in the learning and training industry for over 30 years and is renowned worldwide for his pioneering role in new approaches to learning. You can follow and connect with Bob via: Twitter: https://twitter.com/bmosh LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bmosher/ Website: https://www.5momentsofneed.com/ Performance Matters Podcast: https://performancematters.podbean.com/   ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

“Data is the new black” according to Laura Overton. So how do we differentiate the fad from the facts? Laura has a unique perspective on L&D, which is as broad as it is deep. In this episode of The Learning & Development Podcast, we explore the applications of data and evidence-based practice in L&D, what these are and why we all need to pay attention.  KEY TAKEAWAYS  What’s different now? Unlike in the previous years where we have just started modernising some practices, the main focus lately has been on how companies can keep up with the rapidly-changing technologies present. A business must sought to study and analyse if a new technological solution might increase their business value.  What do ‘evidence’ and ‘data’ mean in L&D? Data is just a plain input (a numerical figure, a fact, etc.), but proper handling of it will greatly improve efficiency. It’s easier to gather and analyse data when we have the evidence, which involves the opinions, the observations, and the hypotheses.  Data analytics, Machine Learning (ML), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are just a few of the buzzwords we hear recently if we ask about emerging technologies. But remember to remain cautious and inquisitive of the systems you wish to adapt in your company. Being trendy does not equate to being the best.  According to Rob Briner’s The Role of Scientific in Evidence-Based HR, we can base our evidences on four different sources: scientific research findings, organizational data, professional experience and judgment, and stakeholder’s values and concerns. These can help answer questions you have in the business.  Dealing with organisational changes can be very difficult. But, the use of the available data can help ease the transitions happening without disrupting the work culture and work environment.  Some stakeholders would immediately suggest some solutions without even knowing the entirety of a certain situation. As an HR practitioner, it’s your job to present the actual data and the possible solutions based on it and some evidences.  What can L&D learn from marketing? Marketing is capable of gathering huge amounts of information, from the tidbits to the most critical ones. One of the known marketing experiments is A/B testing, which tests variations of a campaign so a company can know what’s best to use. The same experimentation can be adapted when choosing the best HR practices.  For Laura, the secret ingredient in the engagement between data and evidence are the questions you have in the current situation that you’re willing to challenge. They’ll help you gain the information you need to arrive at the best HR practices.  BEST MOMENTS  “The market dictates strongly where the practitioners should be going rather than it being an equal relationship which increases the amibiguity, as well as anxiety in the profession.”  “Data on its own is potentionally dangerous.”   “It’s about the questions we ask.”  “It’s not taking one set of data, but it’s looking at range of data.”  “Data can really shift conversations.”  VALUABLE RESOURCES  Sentiment Analysis | https://monkeylearn.com/sentiment-analysis/   The Role of Scientific Findings in Evidence-Based HR | https://www.cebma.org/wp-content/uploads/Briner-Barends-The-Role-of-Scientific-Findings-in-Evidence-Based-HR.pdf   Center for Evidence-Based Management (CEBMa) - https://www.cebma.org  How to Start Thinking Like a Data Scientist | Harvard Business Review | https://hbr.org/2013/11/how-to-start-thinking-like-a-data-scientist   The Learning & Development Podcast: Agile L&D | Apple | Spotify | Omny  ABOUT THE GUEST  Laura Overton is an award winning learning analyst dedicated to uncovering and sharing effective practices in learning innovation that lead to business value. Her work is based on 30 years of practical experience and a commitment to supporting evidence based learning decisions and has shared her ideas as author of over 40 reports and hundreds of articles over that time. As the founder of Towards Maturity, she is also known for leading the first 15 years of a longitudinal study programme (2004 – February 2019) respected for uncovering and share learning strategies that lead to business success.  You can follow and connect with Laura via:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraoverton/   Twitter: @lauraoverton  ABOUT THE HOST  David James   David has been a People Development professional for over 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.   As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board.   CONTACT METHOD   Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/   Website: https://www.looop.co/