• What do 146 L&D professionals care most about?
• What are the killer stats L&D should know about right now?
• Is ‘learning content’ really necessary?
• What questions will be pulled from the cuddly toy’s posterior?

Find out the answers to all these questions and more in this very special live edition of The Learning & Development Podcast with guests Nick Shackleton-Jones and Kenny Temowo.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Understanding how to provide their organisation with greater value and impact is a big concern for L&D professionals.
• 75% of people said their work leader had more of an influence on their mental health than their life partner does.
• Experiential training for leaders enables them to better understand how their behaviour and expectations impact those who work for them.
• The fact that future generations look at work differently is having a huge impact on L&D.
• When people are offered face-to-face training, they feel invested in.
• Gamification isn´t working but simulations are.
• If you can´t see a measurable change (ROI) the chances are you should not be doing it.
• Content has to be carefully crafted to be relevant.

BEST MOMENTS

'I would make sure that we're really involving and holding accountable the leaders.'

'How do we help organizations manage stability, the sense of belonging and psychological safety that we need.'

'Content only matters to you if it's relevant somehow.'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Nick Shackleton-Jones Bio

Nick is a genuine thought-leader in Learning & Development, responsible for initiating shift from ‘courses to resources’ and for 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/

Shackleton Consulting: https://shackleton-consulting.com/

Kenny Temowo Bio

Kenny Temowo leads Talent Management and Leadership Development for Netflix UK. He’s spent almost two decades in learning and education, working as a consultant with clients such as the BBC, Vodafone, and Rolls-Royce, as well as leading in-house L&D teams.

You can follow Kenny via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennytemowo/

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 Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D. 

CONTACT METHOD 

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ 
• L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/
• Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/
• L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

L&D at enterprise scale is very difficult. To say the least. This is why so many start and end by ‘providing learning’ in the hope that some of it sticks and makes a difference. But the opposite to relying on hope is to stand for addressing skills gaps and holding yourself accountable to actually closing them. This is what Ryan has aimed to achieve in his roles and what he shares with us in this episode.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Lead from the front. Start with skill-based learning now.
• Treat your skills-based framework as an organic document. Update it regularly.
• AI is transforming skills-based learning. Ryan shares several real-world examples, during the podcast.
• You need to complement what AI tells you with your own research and consultation and be specific about your business needs.
• AI is great at giving you a foundation for discussion. You no longer sit down with a blank piece of paper.
• AI frees up an incredible amount of time, enabling you to be far more effective.
• Prioritise the skills that matter most, something many people still do not do.
• Build out blended learning experiences.
• At the end of the training session, provide a call to action that ensures that new skill is actually used.
• Provide an independent validation of the skill.
• Invite people who have applied that skill to demonstrate it and share how they have used it in their job.
• Go where the positive energy is. Collaborate with managers who want your help and get them to share the results. The nay-sayers and those short on time will soon be asking for your help.

BEST MOMENTS

'Skill-based learning is not knowledge-based learning. So instead of focusing on what you know, it focuses on what you do.'

'AI is going to do a great job. But then you need to round that out with your own work.'

'Be dogged in identifying what that business metric is that this stakeholder, wishes to improve.'

Ryan Tracey Bio

Ryan Tracey is a senior Learning & Development manager having worked in the corporate sector for over 20 years in addition to roles in government and higher education. Ryan holds a Master’s degree in Learning Sciences and Technology from the University of Sydney and is a prominent commentator of in the field of L&D.

You can follow and connect with Ryan via:

X/Twitter: @ryantracey

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryantracey/

Blog: https://ryan2point0.wordpress.com/

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

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 Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D. 

CONTACT METHOD 

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ 
• L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/
• Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/
• L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

There’s often a huge difference between the rhetoric around L&D leadership and the reality. It’s not all about creating a Learning Culture and sailing a course to L&D nirvana. The reality is it’s a lot messier with a lot of hustle, winning some days and losing many more. In this episode, presented by 360Learning, Simon Gibson lifts the lid on his reality and how L&D leadership today is evolving and changing within these turbulent times.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Hiring people from diverse backgrounds and disciplines results in a more innovative and resilient team.
• L&D is evolving fast, so there are some big skill gaps, e.g. data analysis. 
• Those professionals who can prove the positive impact they have had on the business are the most likely to get hired.
• Get under the skin of what the managers you work for really need.
• Getting managers together to discuss what challenges they face and how they overcome them is incredibly instructive for them and you. Discovery sessions are powerful.
• Being clear about what you are trying to fix and staying focused on that is essential.
• Analysis is essential, without it you cannot prove that you are actually closing the skills gap.
• Consumption does not equal competence. If that knowledge is not retained and applied on the job, the training is useless.

BEST MOMENTS

'Theory is one thing, but show me how, show me when and what that meant. Build that body of evidence.'

'They're bound by restricted and empowered by the culture.'

'Go build that commercial muscle, go find out how things work, go find out how things are made.'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

Simon Gibson Bio

Simon is Group Head of Learning & Development at Marks & Spencer and an experienced executive-level People Leader/Chief Learning Officer. He has a passion to deliver meaningful commercial change and transformation via learning, organisational development, and talent initiatives.

You can follow and connect with Simon via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simongibsonlearning/

X / Twitter: @simon1gibson

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 Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D. 

CONTACT METHOD 

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ 
• L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/
• Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/
• L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

The consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have been dramatic and far-reaching. Many organisations and even industries have faced existential threats. But the situation has also provided L&D with huge opportunities. In this episode Robb Sayers explains how these opportunities have presented themselves to him and how he sees L&D progressing from here. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Lockdown has allowed certain activities in development to be brought forward, with the aim of increasing engagement, and investment in skills and capabilities.
• People aren’t always interested in how they learn. They simply want to learn. By improving their skills, they make their jobs easier and more intuitive. 
• It is our role in L&D, to look at the landscape as we return, and do our best to provide disruptive thinking. We must talk about the things that we do not wish to return to.
• Fundamentally, onboarding should be condensed to two objectives: 
  • To help someone feel as though they’re welcome and that they have joined the right organisation
  • To help that person achieve efficiency in their role at speed
• The biggest learning we’ve all taken from 2020 is that the world can change in an instant. We will walk forward from this period with a greater ability to be ready for change.

BEST MOMENTS

‘We learn most when we’re muddling along’

‘If you change the context in which people operate, everything else changes’

‘People want the stuff that’s going to help them when they need it’

’The world around us has changed, and therefore you have to adapt'

VALUABLE RESOURC ES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

ABOUT THE GUEST

Robb is UK Capability Lead for Viiv Healthcare, having held various People Development roles at GlaxoSmithKline, including the position of Director of Learning Capabilities.

You can follow and connect with Robb via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robb-sayers-1b896225/

 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/

Too many L&D teams still only expect their digital offering to supplement face-to-face and drive engagement as an end in itself. But that’s no longer enough. The opportunity now is to influence performance and therefore results. Peter Manniche-Riber challenges himself to do this and in this episode he shares the method he uses to have a different type of conversation with stakeholders and build solutions that make the difference.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Far too many people are still focused upon how learning and development can be restricted, limited and measured. The task ahead is to better educate stakeholders about true people development.
• Many in the L&D sector are generally anxious about actually leaving our environments in order to find out what people need. But by doing so we can better identify solutions.
• There is a shift from learning objectives to performance outcomes. We need to encourage discussion about what people should do differently and how we measure this, and what the impact is. 
• The future of development relies on listening to, and understanding, our people. We can do this by employing  in-house analysis, to find out what people are talking about, praising and unhappy with.

BEST MOMENTS

‘My work is not a “tick the box” exercise. It’s about people. It’s about learning’

‘What do you want people to think, feel and do, on the other side of what it is you want to achieve?’

‘If you don’t know what people care about, then you don’t know what the solution is’

‘I haven’t come across one piece of effective e-learning that made a difference'

VALUABLE RESOURC ES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

ABOUT THE GUEST

Peter is Head of Digital Learning at Novo Nordisk and an advocate of solutions that work predominantly for the learner. As a certified Scrum Product Owner, Peter mixes contemporary approaches to L&D to best fit digital solutions. Prior to his current role, Peter was Head of Learning at Kanda and Senior Learning Manager at Siemens Gamesa.

You can follow and connect with Peter via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-manniche-riber-5565628b/

 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/

Having introduced Agile into River Island, Nebel is in the process of doing the same at her current organisation, Roche. Not just into the HR team, where she is Director of HR & Communications, but across the entire employee population. Learn from Nebel’s rich experience of succeeding with Agile in HR and L&D - with real examples - and how you can do the same.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Working in an agile space is about breaking things down incrementally, delivering at a pace that suits the business, iterating, and creating effective channels of communication so as to better encourage co-creation.
• Checking in with your team is a founding principle of agile working, and one of the practices that encourages accountability, creativity in solutions, and the close-knit bonding of teams, no matter how remote they may be.
• The pace of agile can sometime be daunting for those who have not experienced it. But businesses should always be evolving, and we must never limit progress based upon unfounded preconceptions.
• Initial development is often so focused towards ensuring that someone can perform the breadth and depth of their new responsibilities, but making sure that we engender a feeling of excitement, creativity and comfort, is far more important in the initial phase.
• Agile can be introduced to a cautious environment by introducing small elements at first, and then building upon these slowly. Focus on impactful solutions that will demonstrate effectiveness.

BEST MOMENTS

’There’s an element of discipline in the way you work with agile’

’The biggest impact that I’ve observed is how it brings people together’

‘Find the advocates and build your army’

‘Unless you listen to feedback, how can you ever know what the solution needs to be?’

‘Agile brings a level of curiosity'

VALUABLE RESOURC ES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

Natal Dank: @nataldank

Agil8 Scrum Master Training: https://www.agil8.com/training/certified-scrum-training/certified-scrummaster/

ABOUT THE GUEST

Nebel is an award-winning HR leader with a track record of building Agile HR and L&D teams that deliver real business value. Currently Director of HR & Communications at Roche, Nebel spent more than 4 years at River Island where she led the Talent team before becoming Head of People Experience. Prior to these roles, Nebel was also Head of Learning, People & Performance at Virgin Holidays.

You can follow and connect with Nebel via:

Twitter: @BrightonBelle39

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nebel-crowhurst-2999648/

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/

The consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic have been immediate and far-reaching. L&D teams have had to move quickly to respond to very real, and very urgent needs. But what could this mean for our profession in the mid- to long-term? And to what extent are there opportunities for L&D?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• COVID’s effects have not just been on a business and economic scale, but also on a personal level. We have had to deal with issues pertaining to business, staff, and ourselves. The strain has been unprecedented.
• There have been challenges, but also obvious benefits to the new way of working. It’s a case of capturing these benefits and ensuring that putting them into practice ensures we do not slip into less efficient ways of working.
• Needs are emerging constantly, and prominently, for many workers, and they need to be swiftly addressed. These challenges need focussed, creative thinking, and rapid delivery.
• There is a real opportunity for L&D professionals now to spend more time in discovery, to become more fluent in thinking in the same ways as data scientists, in order to deliver more targeted solutions.
• It is incumbent upon us to provide inspiration, empowerment, and the agency to think more creatively in terms of identifying developmental needs.

BEST MOMENTS

• ’There’s no competitive advantage to be gained from COVID’
• ‘We’ve been able to move at pace and provide people with what’s needed’
• ‘Leading with digital solutions can meet people where they are’
• ‘Classroom solutions have been thrown at poorly-defined problems for far too long’

VALUABLE RESOURC ES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

Ben Chambers LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benchambers/?originalSubdomain=uk 

Ben Chambers Twitter - https://twitter.com/benchambers99

ABOUT THE GUEST

Ben Chambers leads the Business School at Grant Thornton and is responsible for learning, talent and performance, having held senior positions at GSK and Tesco, amongst others. He is also founder of the Talent and Leadership Club, a collaboration group for talent and leadership professionals that has been going for over ten years now and has around 500 members.

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/

Serena Gonsalves-Fersch is conducting extensive research, as part of a doctorate, on the future of our profession. 

In this episode, we explore Serena’s findings so far, how these findings map to Serena’s considerable experience and what the future of Learning & Development could mean for all of us.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• There are a remarkable number of opinions on what L&D should and could be doing. However, when you’re working in the sector, and beneath the expectations of internal stakeholders, the experience is radically different.
• When you are in a startup or hyper-growth organisation, it requires a completely different approach and way of thinking when it comes to how we can best effect business change.
• Learning is an ever-evolving pursuit, but so too is the methodology of learning itself. We cannot hope to advance our knowledge, if the practices do not evolve with us on a personal level.
• We should never be afraid to experiment when it comes to learning. Even if we fail, we have learned a lesson. 
• Recognising the difference between an individual’s learning requirements and their personal attitudes and approaches, is key to discerning the real needs. By mislabelling a personal issue as a learning issue, essentially offer complicity.

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘It’s easier to start from the bottom up, and look at how we build’
• ‘In a smaller organisation, the critical path seems more obvious’
• ’The human race would not have survived if we were not constantly learning’
• ’There’s no such thing as an L&D emergency'

VALUABLE RESOURC ES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

ABOUT THE GUEST

Serena Gonsalves-Fersch is an experienced L&D leader with 20 years in the profession, having worked at IBM and KPMG, amongst others. With your most recent role as Global Head of Learning at Cloudreach.

You can follow and connect with Serena via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/serena-gonsalves-fersch-flpi-a23589/

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/

Organisations have moved quicker than they could have ever predicted in light of the current crisis, and L&D teams within these organisations have had to do the same. 

Sarah Allen and her team at AXA UK are an example of how quickly things changed, and how swiftly an L&D team needed to respond in order to meet changing needs. So what did that mean - and what will it mean from here on out?

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The insurance industry has a responsibility to protect customers during normality, and to support customers when life hits hard. L&D’s role in insurance is to enable teams to be at their best during this time of support.
• Connection to teams, especially those working remotely now, is crucial to determining the needs of managers facing the problem of how to motivate, and get the best out of their teams.
• Working digitally has accelerated the deployment of the four guiding principles: agile mind-set, digital-first, design once-deploy often, and outside thinking.
• The question now is which parts of this new normal should we embrace, develop, and incorporate into our new way of working, and which parts of the pre-COVID world we can, and should, leave behind.

BEST MOMENTS

• ’I’m excited to be in a profession where I can see that we only have an opportunity to add more value’
• ‘We’re doing a lot more listening than talking’
• ‘It makes you wonder what we were so scared of before’
• ’There’s going to be a lot of “new”, moving forward'

VALUABLE RESOURC ES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

ABOUT THE GUEST

Sarah is Head of Learning, Talent & Leadership for AXA UK, having risen through the ranks of the L&D team at AXA Investment Managers.

You can follow and connect with Sarah via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahnelsonallen/

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/

The current crisis has changed plenty, some will last well beyond lockdown and some will pass. One thing for sure is that organisations will want to make up for missed opportunities, when restrictions are relaxed, and businesses will want to make up for lost revenue. 

We can anticipate an unforgiving period in the short- to mid-term and L&D will be under greater scrutiny to make a significant contribution. To this end, we can expect a hastening of some emerging trends in L&D, such as the pivot from a ‘learning’ focus to affecting performance and productivity more reliably, in order to achieve results. This is explored with 3 experienced L&D leaders: Kevin M. Yates, Gemma Paterson and Alice Collier-Niblett. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The current situation has reversed many long-held expectations around the capabilities and benefits of programme development, and has helped to accelerate plans to overhaul current development strategies.
• To understand the effectiveness of any training, we need to understand our deliverables from the outset, instead of focusing on the format or appeal of the courses themselves.
• No matter what our working environment looks like, there is still the need to measure results and impact. The challenge is in working out how to measure results remotely.
• We can’t hope to know about the driving motivations of our workforce, and the areas in which they wish to improve, unless we are the centre of that world alongside them.
• In order to ensure that we’re advancing in the correct manner, the first ingredient to be considered should be the people themselves. Do we have the right people, and the right mix of people in order to achieve that goal?

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘We had to change, we had to adapt. And as a result, we’ve been able to help a lot more people’
• ‘Perpetual data should be a desirable state’
• ‘We need to now be contextualising what performance means at home’
• ‘Move away from creating a course, and move toward creating impact’    

VALUABLE RESOURC ES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Kevin M Yates

Kevin’s expertise is answering the question, “Did training work?”, with facts, evidence, and data. His work is global and multi-industry. He's a sought after subject matter expert and international speaker.

You can follow and connect with Kevin via:

Twitter: @KevinMYates

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmyates/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevmyates/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevmyates/

Website: https://kevinmyates.com/

Gemma Paterson 

Gemma 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/

Alice Collier-Niblett

Alice is a thoroughly modern L&D professional with a background of leading with digital solutions and bringing her team and organisation along with her. Previously at ASOS and now with Monzo, Alice is a member of a team that operates in a way that is leading-edge and aspirational for many: Data-driven, performance-focused and agile.

You can follow and connect with Alice via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-collier-niblett-849154b8/

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 the world copes with the Coronavirus pandemic, L&D departments are adapting to lead with digital solutions, to engage a remote workforce and influence their working. In this episode, Alice talks about how she’s been leading with digital solutions, in her current and previous roles, and how she uses data, experimentation and a campaign approach to achieve real results.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The new way of remote working is forcing innovation in digital learning through, which is a huge opportunity for L&D professionals to implement long-planned methodologies.
• We need to look at the problems before we attempt to fix them, analyse the data to see if the issue is authentic, evaluate the issues impact on people, and using our skills to ascertain the best way of making a difference.
• Every organisation is different. They are the composites of values, beliefs and core drivers, influenced greatly by the cultures we establish. They are as unique as a fingerprint.
• People will always approach challenges from their own perspectives, and through their own filters. It is the job of L&D to guide and engage people in doing so.
• L&D must always recognise that there are inefficiencies in any organisation, and unless we engage appropriately and at speed, we will only ever make peripheral differences.

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘We have to be a little more thoughtful about what we’re trying to do’
• ‘It’s about developing an experiment that will move the needle’
• ‘You need to refine that part of you, otherwise this organisation is going to eat you up!’
• ’We should be thinking about designing for performance first'   

VALUABLE RESOURC ES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

ABOUT THE GUEST

Alice is a thoroughly modern L&D professional with a background of leading with digital solutions and bringing her team and organisation along with her. Previously at ASOS and now with Monzo, Alice is a member of a team that operates in a way that is leading-edge and aspirational for many: Data-driven, performance-focused and agile.

You can follow and connect with Alice via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-collier-niblett-849154b8/

'Supporting People During COVID-19: Working In Sprints' Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/supporting-people-during-covid-19-working-sprints-collier-niblett/?trackingId=dsrrK3dMwZjYtPXHlThPJA%3D%3D

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 a strange and worrying time for us all at the moment and the role of L&D will need to adapt in response. 

But will it be enough to send people to the online content we had before? Well, if it wasn’t before, how can it be the case now?

Many of the changes we were beginning to see in our profession are likely to be required more quickly (data-driven decisions, performance-focused and user-centric digital solutions) as we seek to make a meaningful difference, remotely. 

In this episode of the podcast, we’ve invited an experienced panel, Bob Mosher, Adam Harwood and Barbara Thompson, who will share their insights, alongside their challenges, hopes and fears. But, overall, we’ll be exploring the big opportunity for L&D to step up and achieve more. More than we might have hoped we could with the limitations thrust upon us.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Businesses, having poured their energies in to developing new, remote ways of working, are now focussing on the processes and systems needed in order to be able to open their doors when the lockdown is over.
• Adaptive, responsive and iterative services within companies are helping remote workers the most. Many are rising to the challenge and are becoming highly productive.
• Content aggregation is something we will need to be open to, rather than curation. This will involve a whole new understanding of methodologies.
• Be there at the moment of need to influence the moment of apply, because that moment in order to ensure that people are fulfilling their requirements according to organisational expectations.
• Now is the time for e-learning, as well as other approaches, to find their proper place in L&D. It is up to us to regard the landscape and decide where they fit in this brave new world. Disruption allows us to innovate.
• The future of L&D must be people-based. We must start by listening, and subsequently addressing the needs of our teams, instead of pre-supposition and technology-based solutions.

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘I’ve never seen so much dialogue about L&D, what we can do, what we can achieve’
• ‘From now on, we make sure we pull up a chair and join the conversation’
• ’The new normal is being created right now’
• ’Too often we have pivoted on content - and it was always context’
• ‘Disruption makes things new again. What might not have been possible, suddenly is’   

VALUABLE RESOURC ES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

Adam Harwood Twitter - https://twitter.com/adamharwood26

Bob Mosher Twitter - https://twitter.com/bmosh

Barbara Thompson Twitter - https://twitter.com/CaribThompson

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/

The Learning and Development Podcast Live

It’s a strange and worrying time for us all at the moment and the role of L&D will need to adapt in response. 

But will it be enough to send people to the online content we had before? Well, if it wasn’t before, how can it be the case now?

Many of the changes we were beginning to see in our profession are likely to be required more quickly (data-driven decisions, performance-focused and user-centric digital solutions) as we seek to make a meaningful difference, remotely.

In this special upcoming episode of the podcast, we’ve invited an experienced panel, Bob Mosher, Adam Harwood and Barbara Thompson, who will share their insights, alongside their challenges, hopes and fears. But, overall, we’ll be exploring the big opportunity for L&D to step up and achieve more. More than we might have hoped we could with the limitations thrust upon us.

Join us for this live podcast on Apr. 8, 2020 at 3:00 PM BST. 

Register here:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/1871022850106365453

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/

Using data effectively is a growing priority for - and skill set in - L&D. It’s essential for both planning for and measuring impact. In this episode, presented by 360Learning, we explore this in detail in the hope that 2024 is our year for greater planned and demonstrable impact.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Data-wise, L&D has always looked at what they have done – in the rear-view mirror. Now, it is necessary to use data to see where we are.
• Business impact must be proved and the data that enables you to do that is now at your fingertips.
• L&D is all about creating capability by creating skills. That is the impact L&D has on the business and the bottom line.
• Identify the skill(s) you need to add, teach it, and check that people are using it and that this is improving the business´ results.
• To create skills that work for your particular business, your courses must be tailor-made.
• Measure the effectiveness of the course, by including a realistic test. If most people fail, you need to change the course content.
• Making sure things are changing in the workplace is essential. If it isn´t tweak the training.
• Create a blueprint for the outcomes of each course, before building it.
• At first, you may have to chase to get the data you need to properly analyse whether the course is working.

BEST MOMENTS

'We are out there cranking out those courses. But how much do we really understand about what our impact is?'

'Eventually, someone's gonna say, Where's the quantifiable data that actually says you did this?'

'Without this data, we are hiding our work, our impact.'

'We’re the only department that builds skills, we need data on skills.'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

Laura Paramoure Bio

Laura Paramoure, EdD, has 25 years of experience in performance improvement, training design, and evaluation. She is the author of ROI by Design™ (2014) and a featured speaker on the topic of return on investment for training organizations. Her private sector experience includes Director of Training and Development with Parata systems where she was responsible for the establishment and deployment of both domestic and international training. She is currently the CEO of eParamus, a company which helps organizations of all types and sizes optimize and verify the impact of their training programs.

You can follow and connect with Laura via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-paramoure/

Website: https://www.eparamus.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 Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D. 

CONTACT METHOD 

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ 
• L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/
• Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/
• L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

It’s not a case of ‘if’ but ‘when’ L&D fully jumps onboard with Data & Analytics.

This is the view of Trish Uhl, who, in this episode, explores how data has already transformed organisations, industries and consumer expectations and why L&D can no longer wait until the hype has passed. L&D is late to the party but the good news is it’s not too late. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• What few people in L&D really understand about how data can help their business practice is:
  • It’s not just about having numerate skills
  • It’s about quality, not just quantity
  • Data should be formative, not just used in retrospect
• We need to have the right perspective in order to understand the urgency moving forward. Data and analytics have existed in L&D for decades. The period we’re in now is not the “early adopter” phase, but the mainstream.
• In businesses and organisations today, we’re in the largest IT migration in the history of humankind. We’re moving from information processing to cognitive computing. Data is not just for archives anymore, but also for dynamic use that allows us to anticipate.
• In much the same way that households are now using a more data-centric environment to determine things like energy usage, businesses too, should be using data in a more immediate way to determine direction.
• People are put off by the fact that data is seen as a monolith of numeracy, when in fact the figures themselves are a small percentage of how data should be translated and used.
• The first thing we have to do is change our minds about being right. We need to be willing to be wrong. We have to be willing to test and experiment to see if we’re on the right track.
• The world is moving whether we’re on board or not. Through productivity tools, we can see the data flowing through our business, and see how effective our on-boarding strategies are. 
• It starts with an assumption or a hypothesis. Ask the question, and instead of looking to previous, perhaps outdated methods of answering it, look to how we can find creative ways to seek out the solution. 
• If we fail to adopt and create new ways of learning, then how can we hope to implement new ways of working? To avoid it, we need an adaptable learning eco-system.

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘It’s being a “citizen-data” scientist’
• ’There is no big reveal at the end’
• ’The early adopter phase is over’
• ‘It’s no longer about aspiration, it’s about expectation’
• ‘We’re putting intelligence into our households’
• ’80% is coming up with the right questions of value’
• ‘What you’re describing here isn’t the future of L&D, but the present, and we need to grab hold of’
• ’This digital disruption requires that people in enterprises adopt new ways of working'  

ABOUT THE GUEST

Trish is a globally experienced strategist and consultant leveraging data science, artificial intelligence (AI), emerging technology, analytics and evidence-based actionable insights to deliver business value. Her work sees Trish keynote speaking at conferences, teaching workshops and working directly with client leadership teams across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

You can follow and connect with Trish via:

Twitter: @trishuhl

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishuhl/

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/

‘To solve real problems requires challenge, and a change in mindset and skillset’

Is L&D really prone to solving problems that are only really problems for L&D and neglecting the real problems that our organisations and employees need addressing? In this episode, the topic is explored and examples given of where L&D are guilty and what we all need to do instead.

In this episode, David is in conversation with Rob Moors who has considerable experience in Learning and development and is passionate about connecting L&D professionals with real problems and equipping them with the understanding and skillset to make a difference.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• A non-problem is a symptom and in L&D it is still the symptoms that are dealt with.
• Why do L&D attempt to solve non-problems?
• L&D measure themselves through how many people apply to do their courses and don’t always align themselves to the vision and organisational goals of the company.
• How many training courses have been supplied rather than how many problems been solved.
• It’s about concentrating on what important not what’s urgent.
• To solve real problems requires challenge and a change in mindset and skillset that L&D may not have.
• It’s not just L&D professionals who need to change its also a requirement of the stakeholders to change to uncover the real problems.
• L&D need to be performance partners understanding what they are trying to achieve within and for the organisation.
• Switching from the language of training to the language of performance is critical if you want to uncover real problems.
• By understanding what’s really going on and what needs to go on, the blockers and what is actually being experienced by people working in the situation L&D can then influence and do something that actually works.
• The key actions are;
• Trust in the positive intention of others – reconnect everyone with the vision and goals of the organisation.
• Believe in people to help you  find the answers – L&D professionals often only ask other L&D people
• Understand your team and you are your responsibility -  you need to be your own case study to move forward and develop.

BEST MOMENTS

‘L&D professionals are not intentionally getting up every day intending to be ineffective’

‘There will be 3 or 4 critical things going on in an organisation at any time and its vital L&D prioritise those’

‘Look to achieve the greatest value over the greatest number of people’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning & Development Podcast 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Rob Moors

Rob has been Learning & Development professional for over 20 years; with large organisations such as Sky, TalkTalk and the NHS, as well as a number of smaller tech security enterprises. Rob’s passion is that of bridging the gaps between training and learning; learning and performance; and performance and people. 


Rob is now Chief Learning Officer with Learn Do Get.

CONTACT METHOD

You can follow and connect with Rob via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbymoors/

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/learn-do-get/

Website: https://www.learndoget.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/

In this fascinating episode packed with thought-provoking content David is in conversation with Guy Wallace, Performance Analyst and Instructional  Architect for Enterprise, Training and Development.

With more than 40 years in the field of Learning & Development, Guy Wallace knows that focusing on performance and taking the time to analyse the performance context is essential for making meaningful change. The problem is, he’s been banging this drum for decades and the profession is still yet to fully switch on to this. In this episode, David and Guy explore the current state of L&D, what it’s going to take for the profession to refocus and Guy’s rich experience.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Our clients come to us because they think that the training will solve their problems.
• They really want to improve the performance impact and they see training and learning as a means to that end.
• A lot of content is focused on topics. We don’t teach reflecting the performance orientation
• We don’t look at the current performance state or the variables and the barriers.
• In Learning and Development, we give the hard work to the learner expecting them to be able to transfer the learning into their context.
• When you have reviewed and created a gap analysis if you can’t resolve the gaps you need to teach the novice performers what the master performers already know.
• In a facilitated group process 8-12 subject matter experts along with supervisors, management work together to produce a performance output model and then review what’s missing, what are the barriers.
• You need to account for what people already know and then provide self-paced content training.
• Teams that aren’t afraid to ask the difficult questions are those that make the most difference.
• The more that is explored in discovery and analysis, the higher the chance of doing things that will make an impact.
• With technology Learning and Development can centralise job/performance aids making them easily accessible and evergreen.
• The question is do we understand the performance context? do we understand things as a system flow?
• Learning and development professionals initially learn in the classroom, learning from delivery onwards so it takes time for them to be able to have conversations around performance.
• A pivot is required from learning focus to performance focus

BEST MOMENTS

‘Learning and Development  will either disrupt or be disrupted’

‘The research shows that all of us operate on non-conscious knowledge – we don’t even know what we know’

‘We are opportunity-rich and legacy poor’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning & Development Podcast 

ABOUT THE GUEST


Guy Wallace Bio


Guy Wallace is a Performance Analyst and Instructional Architect and has been designing and developing Instruction/ Training/ Learning and Performance Support content for Enterprise Learning and business-critical target audiences since 1979. In 2010 he was the recipient of ISPI’s Highest Award, approved by two successive Boards of Directors, Honorary Life Member, for his contributions to the technology of Performance Improvement, and for his contributions to the Society.

You can follow and connect with Guy via:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/guywwallace

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guywwallace/

Website: https://eppic.biz/

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/

Workflow Learning, Learning In The Flow of Work, or Learning at the Point Of Work? However we wish to call it, guidance and support at the moment they need it is a sure fire way of gaining engagement in L&D solutions and, more importantly, helping people do more of the right things in order to get results. In this episode, Conrad Gottfredson, a true pioneer in this field, shares his insights and experience of this methodology and approach.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Workflow learning environments

1 Experience acceleration model

The real environment for learning is the workflow and real learning happens when people apply what they have learnt in the workflow.

The greatest skill an employee can have is adaptiveness, Its about the transition from formal learning and the reach into the workplace.

2 Flow of work

People learn exclusively in the flow of work, this is where we build a digital culture

This enables individuals to initiate their learning in the flow of work

3 Gear

G – gather online to learn

E – expand understanding

A – apply what you have learnt

R – report back and receive feedback

When we build a workforce solution we draw on all 3 of the models.

It is around creating an environment where it is seen as a complete solution. You are with them when they need guidance and support the most.

The discipline of performance support

This is about understanding that when you build an infrastructure that supports people I the flow of work that carries with it the ability to gather data about how they are doing

This has opened up our ability to truly measure impact in every way possible

If you provide people with what they need when they need it then engagement is the least of your problems.

Having performance support infrastructure enables a move towards workflow learning and also supports more formal learning

At the heart of the skill set is being able to map the moment of apply, as it occurs in the flow of work.

We focus on the point of apply at the work flow level.

Once you have a map and you know what it is you need people to do then you can orchestrate the tasks to fit.

BEST MOMENTS

‘You are missing the tools that are needed to measure’

‘Organisations waste a lot of time searching for the right tools and resources to do the job’

‘Half of what is done formally could be pushed into workflow learning.

‘You have to know how to design a solution that encompasses all 5 moments of need’

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning & Development Podcast 

ABOUT THE GUEST

Conrad Gottfredson


Conrad Gottfredson has more than 30 years of experience in the field of Learning & Development and holds a PhD in Instructional Psychology and Technology. His consulting work has helped governments, non-profits, and multi-national organisations wisely employ emerging technologies and methodologies to help people achieve personal and organisational goals. Conrad has pioneered methodologies (The 5 Moments of Need) for developing and delivering Workflow Learning to those who need it, when they need it, in the language and form they require. 

CONTACT DETAILS 


You can follow and connect with Conrad via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conrad-gottfredson-84149255/

Website: https://www.applysynergies.com/

The 5 Moments of Need (including White Paper): https://www.5momentsofneed.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/

‘We are not always the best at learning in learning’ 

David is in conversation with James Poletyllo, Director of the Learning Effect, he has extensive experience in people development and champions the development of the profession and brings challenge to ineffective practice. 

Is Learning and Development sleepwalking into extinction? 

This is an uncomfortable question to be asking - let alone to be answering - but it’s an important one. One that James Poletyllo explored in a recent article. In this episode, we dive deeper into our experiences of L&D to seek examples of this and where our profession might need to more consciously evolve to stay relevant. 

There is a blurring of boundaries as we move into a more connected world and this is an opportunity for L&D to do things differently and in a more agile way, listen in and hear more. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• It seems to be different modes of delivery but the same old stuff. 
• Sometimes you get excited by and driven by the newness of something regardless of whether it is the right solution.  
• A good learning professional is really involved in the business and there to make sure the change that is being implemented will resonant with those on the front line who are trying to make it work and it’s not just one hit and will have real value to the business 
• We are still viewed as not having a real impact on the business 
• We need to get better at creating an architecture and infrastructure that allows a business to learn and share knowledge more quickly and to impart knowledge and information across the business more quickly. 

• There is an opportunity to look at things and ask how we can identify learning opportunities in a more agile way? 
• How can we get solutions out there more quickly? 
• How can we drive personalisation 
• How can we really make adaptive learning work 
• As a L&D professional, we don’t have to know everything but we have to be facilitators of the organisation 

• A myriad of skills are needed in L&D including engagement, data, curation of content, technology and being able to create experiences that add value. 
• Get close to what’s important in the business and ask how are you going to create purpose for the learner. 

BEST MOMENTS 

‘We should work on being solution-focused to solve problems at the speed  business needs’ 

‘Let’s step back and look at what we are trying to achieve’ 

‘We can’t just rebrand we have to do things differently’ 

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

The Learning & Development Podcast  

Article ‘Ten reasons why learning and development is sleepwalking into extinction’ 

ABOUT THE GUEST 

James Poletyllo Bio 

James has almost 20 years of experience in People Development in sectors as diverse as Telecoms, Local Council, Healthcare, and Hospitality, with many of his roles at a senior level. Now, as a consultant, he champions the development of the profession, whilst challenging ineffective practice that seems to be holding us back. 

CONTACT METHOD 

You can follow and connect with James via: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamespoletyllo/ 

Website: https://www.thelearningeffect.co.uk/ 

Article ‘Ten reasons why learning and development is sleepwalking into extinction’: https://www.trainingjournal.com/articles/opinion/ten-reasons-why-learning-and-development-sleepwalking-extinction 

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/ 

Important Information About The Learning & Development Podcast

This is a very short episode announcing that new episodes of The Learning & Development podcast will be released fortnightly for a while with the next episode being with you on Tuesday 21st of January.

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/

“The field of play has evolved for L&D and now includes supporting a dynamic learning performance ecosystem. If the field of play changes, it implies we must evolve and adopt new rules of engagement.” 

What Gary is referring to here is the the Point Of Work. In this episode, the point of topic is the Point Of Work, which is broader than workflow learning and an essential area of focus if we (L&D) are to make a real difference in our organisations. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Workflow learning is learning in the workflow where the worker does not have to disengage with the work in order to resolve a moment of need. 

• The concept of learning in the workflow is one where learning is accessible, but you have to disengage with the actual work to go and find it. 

• Point Of Work is not necessarily a destination. It’s a discipline. The whole concept is a mind-shift, a strategic re-think of how we are going to approach a dynamic learning performance eco-system. 

• “Changing the conversation” is one of the key objectives that a Point Of Work assessment is designed to facilitate. It has to start at the top. 

• The question we should truly be asking is what is that operationally, people-wise, or systemically, might actually be the problem that is preventing your people from doing what they are here to actually do? 

• If you go down through from a senior leadership position to an individual contributor, you have multiple points of work, and you have multiple perspectives that are influencing those points of work. 

• The shift from learning to performance is one that comes up more and more these days. In a study, only 26% of respondents said that the ability to support performance was prevalent within their function. 

• We need to pick the greatest pain-point that we’re dealing with and figure out how to resolve that. What that will then become is proof-of-concept. Conversations will arise from this, which will fundamentally shape development.

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘It’s in the workflow. It’s in the application. There’s no downtime’ 

• ‘Off-task time is required in order to engage in learning in the workflow’ 

• ’No. I want it all’ 

• ‘What is the problem that we are truly seeking to address here?’ 

• ’There was a landmine there of a different kind!’ 

• ‘It starts small and it scales’ 

• ‘Human performance outfitters drives living and learning’   

ABOUT THE GUEST

Gary Wise is an established Workforce Productivity Strategist and Coach with over 35-years of cross-industry leadership experiences in corporate Learning & Development. During the first 20-years he amassed an impressive string of failures; not failures in team leadership or poorly designed Training solutions, but failures to recognise a blind spot – the myth that Training solutions drive and sustain workforce performance.  

During the next 15-years, he postured a reality that Training only promotes potential; measurable workforce performance does not manifest until knowledge workers reach a new ground zero – Point-of-Work 

You can follow and connect with Gary via: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garywiseprofilemyca/ 

Website: https://livinginlearning.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/

Each week David has talked to guests about what lights them up in the world of people development across 31 episodes this year. 

As a way of wrapping this up for2019 in this episode, he shares a summary of his learning so far and looks ahead to next year. 

In 2020 truly understanding user-centricity, human-centred designed will be key and learning what this really is that will be important for every learning and development professional. 

By understanding what it is people are trying to do, the experiences they are having what’s required of the organisation then better experiences can be designed in order to improve performance and insight. If we can understand the experiences people have then we can design even greater experiences   

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• The shift from learning to performance is well underway and it was a key theme for many of the guests on the podcast. 

• The emergence of data in learning and development that is far beyond the valuation data available previously is a good signifier of where we should be applying our attention. 
• if we are going to address the primary concerns of our workforce and organisations it’s going to be around performance. 
• We need to move forward and with the changes to the workplace and work, we need to change the way we work to bring greater impact. 
• An agile mindset which is working with and for the client understanding what it is they are trying to achieve and iterating this over a period of time to affect performance, output, results and data can be a game-changer for learning and development. 
• Resources, not courses are both a mindset and a practice and it continues to gain momentum within the learning and development arena. 

• Learning in the flow of work is learning while you are working it’s not stopping work to learn 
• You are building your knowledge and incite from where you work and is focused on what you are trying to achieve. 
• People are already having experiences at work – these may be good, bad, effective, ineffective or largely indifferent and it’s about understanding what people are already experiencing in relation to what they are trying to do and designing Learning and Development experiences that move the needle in the right direction. 

BEST MOMENTS 

‘What  does acceptable performance look like and what performance needs to be addressed and what needs to be the focus to understand performance to a greater degree?’ 

‘Everyone is now experimenting to see if they can move the needle in the right direction’ 

‘It’s not an emerging trend it’s one that’s being embraced a lot more and will help us to affect performance’ 

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

The Learning & Development Podcast  

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 is fast becoming more than just a support function, one that is a strategic partner to the effective operation of any business”: this is a phrase Jeremy McLellan uses in his LInkedIn bio and a great description of the value he brings to his employers. 

In this episode, we talk about how Jeremy has evolved his own practice, how he has brought his organisations along with him and achieved real business results.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The paradigm shift in technology and its everyday applications has driven change in the way we consume education. The result is that we have adapted our own behaviours to suit this, but business training and development hasn’t yet caught up.

• Expectations from our stakeholders, organisations and bosses, are that we run programs based on requests. Jeremy has begun to solve this by blogging, opening discussions and holding conversations. Communication is key.

• An effective tool was to role-play the candidate experience with staff members, everything from arriving at the office to the setting of each environment. It even went so far as to include calls and conversations. The feedback proved extraordinarily accurate when real candidates arrived.

• We do not tend to acknowledge the actual situations and challenges that people face in the context of their work, then a great deal of effort and credibility loses out.

• When development was certificate-based, people saw each session as little more than a step toward their goal, instead of a real and fruitful development experience. Once the certificate was earned, the experience and knowledge was sidelined.

• trust is vital between candidates and L&D. We all face resistance due to the expectations of candidate’s prior experiences. It’s best not to force something. We need to go where we’re wanted and needed, and look for the areas that are open to embracing change.

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘Business L&D needs to bridge the gap’
• ‘Googling our way through life’
• ’There were so many rituals that I thought were bonkers and unreasonable’
• ‘When you write something down it frames that thing in your own mind’
• ’To try something different in an organisation requires currency’
• ‘Resistance can be born out of miscommunication or lack of vision'

ABOUT THE GUEST

Jeremy McLellan is Head of Learning and Development Europe at Alvarez & Marsal and previously held the same title at Hudson. As a progressive L&D leader who focuses on performance and results, Jeremy challenges his teams to make the difference that makes a real difference, helping people to do what they’re trying to do better and helping his organisation to more effectively and efficiently achieve its aims.

You can follow and connect with Jeremy via:

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/jeremy-mclellan-evolving-learning-b6a12711

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 this fascinating episode, David is in conversation with Haydn Bratt founder of MINDSET and a personal leadership coach. He works to change the ways people lead so people can express their brilliance in the workplace. 

They discuss the changing face of leadership and the different drivers that impact on business today. 

The old models of leadership are no longer achieving the results businesses are striving for so what needs to be different and how can it be achieved? 

This thought-provoking discussion will benefit any Learning and Development professional listen in and learn. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Future leadership is about how do we equip the people in our businesses to lead into and master tomorrow. 

• The world is changing there is a lot of different drivers impacting business today. 
• The old models of leadership are no longer working or achieving the results businesses are striving for. 
• There are a group of people coming into the workplace with a completely different set of expectations. 
• There is rapid growth in technology and this is driving different ways of working. 
• Knowledge is no longer the currency it used to be and there is a change in the dynamic around how people are working together. 

• There is an emergence of the need for leadership with an emotional connection. 
• People want to feel a sense of belonging to the people around them and a connection to the leaders of the organisation. 
• There is a genuine fundamental foundational need for an alternative way to lead organisations. 
• As an L&D professional, you need to invest in yourself in the areas you are passionate about. 
• Become more of a challenger and build your ability to look beneath. 

• If you are passionate about learning and development first educate yourself about the trends and then start thinking about where your organisation is going. 
• No organisation fails from a lack of hard work we fail through a lack of quality thinking 

BEST MOMENTS 

‘One career in one organisation is gone for many’ 

‘They want to feel more than just a number in the organisation’   

‘There are a set of behaviours that have always existed in great leaders over the years and we are now seeing a greater demand for these leadership skills’ 

‘There is a fundamental shift in the power dynamic’ 

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

The Learning & Development Podcast  

Mindset Leadership website 

Haydn Bratt 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/ 

Since 2014, the L&D Global Sentiment Survey has been a barometer of what’s hot and what’s not in the Learning & Development profession, guiding people development professionals towards the trends that their peers are most concerned about. In this episode, Donald H Taylor takes a deep dive into the recently published report and explores in conversation what we should all be taking note of.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Because it is self-selecting most of the people who fill out the survey are innovators.
• It looks at what is hot in L&D, what is likely to take hold and what is likely to fall by the wayside.
• This year AI dominated, but many are overwhelmed and unsure how to use it.
• AI is good at content, which frees up time for L&D to do more in other areas. 
• Yet, there is likely to be a backlash against AI-generated content because initially, people will be awful at using it.
• Lots of people are missing the fact that AI can play a role in coaching and mentoring.
• Collaborative and social learning have slipped down the list.
• There are geographical differences, what they are and why they exist is discussed.

BEST MOMENTS

'There's somewhere between the wisdom of the crowd and the derangement of the mob.'

'Personalization is one of the obvious and very valuable implementation points for AI.'

'The top four for 2024 … are all things which are fuelled by good use of data.'

Donald H Taylor Bio

A recognised commentator and thinker in the fields of workplace learning and supporting technologies, Donald is committed to helping develop the learning and development profession. 

He has chaired the Learning Technologies Conference in London since 2000 and writes and speaks worldwide about Learning and Development (L&D).

His annual L&D Global Sentiment Survey started in 2014, provides a unique perspective on L&D trends from over 100 countries. He chairs the Workforce Development board for VC firm Emerge Education, and invests in, and advises, several EdTech start-ups.

From 2010 to 2021, he chaired the Learning and Performance Institute. He is the author of Learning Technologies in the Workplace, a graduate of Oxford University and in 2016 was awarded an honorary doctorate by Middlesex University in recognition of his work developing the L&D profession.

You can follow and contact Donald via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldhtaylor/ 

X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/DonaldHTaylor 

L&D Global Sentiment Survey 2024: https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/research_base/global-sentiment-survey-2024/ 

Website: https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/ 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

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 Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D. 

CONTACT METHOD 

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ 
• L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/
• Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/
• L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

More and more, forward-thinking organisations are exchanging traditional hierarchies for networks of empowered teams. These teams are more agile, connected by tech and may only be brought together for short amounts of time. In this podcast, we discuss the importance of measuring high performance in teams and what we need to do to develop them accordingly. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• There are now fusion teams that are brought together for a specific activity. 
• You are not just part of a set team you are teaming with others. 
• Our environments are highly complex so it’s important that our definitions of high performing teams continue to evolve. 
• When a measure becomes a target, it is no longer a measure. 

• A measure will always help the team to learn more and work out where look for it. 
• In real situations, the dynamics are continually changing. 
• We need to understand what we want to affect,  the current state of play and what the priorities are for the people within the team. 
• When you are in a complex environment you cannot ask the question ‘what’ or ‘how’ you can only ask  - who can I speak to? 
• Currently, you have to learn the tool first and then use it with the team. 

• The team has to be able to self-service the data and deal with its environment and the individuals. 
• To start you can identify the number of teams you have and what types of teams you have within your organisation then look at the environment. 
• If you are at a point where you are moving teams you can look at a different way of evaluation, one that empowers people. 
• Find out what you need your teams to be able to do and the environment they need to do it in. What environments need to be created so that teams can be effective. 
• Start from a place of knowing not a place of assumption. 

• What teams are currently using as tools are far too slow we have the technology, the people, the knowledge and the science its now about creating the tool that  works in real-time helps us learn on the go  providing the information that indicates progress is in the right direction. People are then in a position to make decisions and performance  becomes a by-product because the team are energised 
• If people are coming in happy and leaving happy it’s an indicator of positive team energy. 

BEST MOMENTS 

‘The answer are everywhere else but in your own industry’ 

‘It’s making the world your classroom’ 

‘As a team lead, I wanted help to be able to practically support my teams’ 

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

The Learning & Development Podcast 

ABOUT THE GUEST 

Imran Rehman Bio 

Imran Rehman is an organisation and performance specialist, with an expertise in measuring and developing high performance. 

Based in Vienna, Imran is a leadership coach as well as co-founder of Kokoro, an intuitive app to measure emotions in teams, in real-time. 

CONTACT METHOD 

You can follow and connect with Imran via: 

Twitter: @ImsRehman 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imranrehman/ 

Website: https://bekokoro.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/ 

What is Resilience and Why is it such a Hot Topic? Interview with Dr Carole Pemberton, Resilience Expert and Developer of Coaches 

There has been a generation who have seen themselves as helicopter parents, watching over their children,  but in reality, they are lawn mower parents, mowing out of the way any obstacles but resilience is the learning that you take from the things that go wrong when obstacles are overcome. All the time spent having adventures and playing with others is important in building resilience and without this learning, it can be challenging for individuals to cope when things go wrong at any point in their lives. 

In this fascinating interview with Dr Carole Pemberton a resilience expert, we find out about the role of resilience in individuals and organisations and how L&D can support and develop resilience effectively. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Resilience is a requirement when working in any organisation as the environment can be subject to constant change. 
• There is no longer a fixed path through an organisation. 
• There’s a whole climate that feels less certain and within that in order to work a level of agility is required, you’ve got to be able to flex and adapt. 

• The situations in which we expect people to be resilient have changed dramatically 
• The evidence shows that it is less about a particular approach to resilience and more about on-going support. 
• If we think about resilience as an outcome that is a result of a variety of things  - your confidence, optimism, ability to flex are all contributors to your level of resilience. 
• It can be helpful to start by asking about the resilience you already have. 
• Developing resilience is a commitment by the organisation, the team and the individual. 

• There is something about sharing that helps people deal with problems and challenges. 
• One of the most important things you can create is a supportive environment where people feel confident about sharing. 
• Being able to talk with group or peers can leave the individual feeling more resilient and more resourced. 
• For L&D building in ongoing support and including it as part of training programs alongside the recognition that it has to be an ongoing conversation can be effective in building resilience. 

BEST MOMENTS 

‘Resilience can be applied at a team level – are they supportive of each other, does this team notice when something is going well and support each other’ 

‘You can start with a conversation and gain a feeling about how things are going’ 

‘Most of your resilience comes from the stuff you didn’t want to happen’ 

‘Most of the time most of us are resilient’ 

‘Sometimes people don’t start a conversation until its almost too late’ 

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

The Learning and Development Podcast 

Resilience: A Practical Guide for Coaches 

Carole Pemberton 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 GUEST

Dr Carole Pemberton has over 30 years’ experience in helping individuals to have more successful and satisfying working lives. She does this in her work as an executive coach and career coach working with clients across the globe and across sectors. Her doctorate in resilience coaching positions her as having a particular expertise which is supported by her advanced level qualifications in Executive Coaching and Career Coaching.

Carole is an author whose publications offer coaches and managers practical tools for enhancing their effectiveness, based on research and experience.

You can follow and connect with Carole via:

Website: https://carolepemberton.co.uk/

Email: carole.pemberton@coachingtosolutions.com

‘Resilience: A Practical Guide for Coaches’ Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Resilience-Guide-Coaches-Carole-Pemberton/dp/0335263747/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425577961&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=resilience+a+practical+guide+for+coaches

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/ 

In an article of the same name, Mike Bedford commentated on a revolution that he’s seeing - and experiencing - in the Learning & Development profession, and encourages us all to get involved. 

In this episode, we discuss the revolution, which is a backlash against ineffective practice and maintaining the status quo.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Revolution is about change. In terms of an L&D revolution we need to change, but we also need to unite behind a common purpose. At present the L&D industry feels too fragmented, but needs to come together or risk becoming obsolete.
• Employees often misperceive L&D as the training itself, rather than the functional improvement that results in effective targeting of training needs.
• Disruption in the sector means breaking the cycle of Order - Content - Delivery. The disruption needs to come from us instead of elsewhere.
• Telling an evidence-based story, and using effective evaluation is far more valuable to L&D and to their respective parent companies, than any kind of stat sheets or numbers.
• Mike has adopted a blended approach towards L&D for his organisation. Because many of the workforce are scattered, he rules nothing out. Some development is done remotely or through e-learning, while some is done in-house. They are currently looking at the first six months of 2020 for potential direction.
• Sometimes, when the training requested by the workforce does not seem a fit, it is Mike’s job to look at the deeper reasons that have led them to ask. The questions asked and the solutions are becoming more bespoke.
• We need to stop being so entrenched in our preferred methods of delivering our craft. We need to be more fluid and embrace the entire profession.
• Ask ourselves how equipped we are to hold the right conversations and develop the solutions that will move the needle.

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘It feels to me like revolution is in the air’
• ‘We’re in the business of improving performance outcomes’
• ‘Disruption needs to come from us’
• ‘LinkedIn knows more about you than your HR department does’
• ‘People think I’m anti-training, but I’m not’
• ‘We’re changing the world one conversation at a time’
• ‘We have more things in common than we do differences'

ABOUT THE GUEST

At the time of recording, Mike was Head of Learning & Development and Wellbeing at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. He is a self-proclaimed L&D modernist and blogger.

You can follow and connect with Mike via:

Twitter: @BeddyMike

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebedford/

Read ‘The L&D Revolution’: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ld-revolution-mike-bedford

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/

Andy Lancaster is Head Of Learning at CIPD and author of the book ‘Driving Performance Through Learning’, in which he charts a course for L&D that challenges traditional expectations and shows the way towards the future. 

In this episode, we explore the drivers of this change and how L&D can - and should - adapt to meet the needs of the modern workforce.

Please note, as a special offer to listeners, the link below to purchase Andy's book will give you 15% off the cover price.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• What can we practically do to support the transformation of organisational learning; to really support performance improvement? - this was the question that spurred Andy to write his book.

• Learning and development in any organisation, private or public, should always be driving that company’s performance and purpose.

• Performance itself is a contentious, and indeed sometimes controversial word or concept. Many believe that performance is open to interpretation, and therefore a difficult metric to measure.

• When preparing to write the book, there were several key themes that emerged for Andy surrounding the emerging organisational landscapes (we need to understand how organisations are changing), and foundational principles (transformational approaches to development). These manifested in three themes:
  • Work - operational models are being disrupted everywhere. The way we approach development has to change.
  • Workforce - There are a greater range of ages in the workforce than ever before. There is less hierarchy.
  • Workplace - Single locations are becoming rarer these days. 

• In Andy’s experience, he has found that change is generally embraced when it comes to development, but there will always be an element that resists due to the transition to the new way of working, and the ever-evolving working environments.

• We need to ask what foundations look like. We need to ask what learning approaches look like. We need to think about these questions in a new way, and use technology to aid in answering.

• Around 50% of all Learning & Development professionals are extremely concerned with the state of their own development. 

• Smart devices are changing the way we live. They guide us throughout our day and act as personal assistants in every way possible. We need to better understand a way in which these highly personal devices can drive our own learning and development in a revolutionary way.
• We need people to have more self-direction in the workplace, with a greater sense of autonomy (essential), and learning needs to be interrelated with others in that space

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘You have to have a very compelling reason to write a book’
• ’Performance is not a contentious word’
• ‘Unless you paint a compelling vision, change is a very difficult concept to go with’
• ‘We’ve got to think about a bigger vision’
• ‘People want to change. We have to be modern learners ourselves’
• ‘It’s now about creating not fixed dishes, but buffet menus’
• ’Self direction is what really motivates us’
• ‘I dream of painting and then I paint my dream’
• ’The best way to predict the future is to create it'

ABOUT THE GUEST

Andy Lancaster has more than 25 years’ experience in learning and organisational development in commercial, technological and not-for-profit organisations and has also worked as a consultant. 

As Head of Learning at CIPD, Andy is responsible for professional development and learning products, content and qualifications for L&D, coaching and mentoring and management and leadership.

You can follow and connect with Andy via:

Twitter: @AndyLancasterUK

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-lancaster-ab995418/

Link To Book With 15% Discount Off Cover Price when you enter the promotion code AHRDL15 at the checkout: www.koganpage.com/DPTL

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/

Performance Consulting is recognised as a key skill-set for the modern L&D professional who wants to make a difference in their organisation. In this episode, Nigel Harrison helps us to understand what Performance Consulting is and how it’s helping L&D to align to its organisation to achieve more. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

• Performance Consulting is how you ask your client questions to uncover the apparent need. It doesn’t assume that learning and training are the best solutions. Deliberate beforehand if what L&D strategy is the way to go. 

• Some use L&D for work compliance, some use it for personal development, and some use it to improve the business performance. You need consulting when something’s bound to be crucial to the business goals. Great L&D can help you in cost reduction and in work efficiency. 
• There are great risks when we become lenient of people we take in our company. We want people who understand your business needs and can move with us forward.  
• Application > Theory. Your priority is to ready them in what they’ll be facing in work. Give it a second thought if an academic or educational appraoach is the correct one for them. You should be able to introduce them to the work culture, increase their productivity, and be knowledgeable with your obectives. 
• Why people have the hard time seeing that performance is greater than training courses? Some seniors are immovable in incorporating changes in the traditional apporach they’re used to—the mentality has to change. Some, though know of the recent developments in L&D, just don’t have the means to push through such changes. 

BEST MOMENTS 

• “A lot of learning and development are misaligned with the business.” 
• “Our job is to help people do things better.” 
• “We are so fixed in our training bubble and we don’t have the time to see what’s really going on.” 

ABOUT THE GUEST 

Nigel Harrison is recognised as an authority in Performance Consulting and has worked globally with clients to develop the skills for sustained business impact. He’s a Chartered Business Psychologist, Author of “How to be a True Business Partner by Performance Consulting” and founder of Performance Consulting UK Ltd. 

You can find out more from Nigel via: 

• Website: https://performconsult.co.uk/  
• The Performance Consulting Process: http://performconsult.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/new-web-site-7StepProcess.png  
• ‘How To Be A True Business Partner’ Book: https://performconsult.co.uk/book-shop/ 

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/ 

Changes in the Retail landscape have meant that companies have had to adapt or collapse if they don’t meet the changing expectations of consumers. But a business can’t change if it’s people aren’t ready. In this episode, these changes are explored and Mike shares how River Island’s approach to L&D has had to adapt too. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

Challenges 

Resale and in particular fashion is facing real challenges with competition and changes in the buying trends of consumers. As a business, we have to focus on serving our customers better. 

In retail ,recruiting and having the right people with the right expertise is vital and there are challenges in attracting and keeping the right people. 

Retail is still about how people feel - both the customer and the people within the business. 

Our employees may not our customers but we need to take the mindset methodologies and the approaches we apply with customers and use them for the people who provide the service to the end-user. 

Learning 

There are so many different ways we can support people in getting access to the information they need at the time they need it, feeling connected with the organisation and that they have meaningful work and are developing professionally. 

People do want to learn but they will only learn when they have the autonomy to do so and can link it to developing their competence and expertise. This then, in turn, drives the motivation to go out and find learning for themselves. 

If you can guide and support people towards confident and competent doing then you will have their attention. 

When you create a program for everything you create rules and barriers for people wanting to engage and then what we offer as learning and development becomes a blocker to actual performance. 

As L&D professionals we need to have a suite of tools and solutions that we can mix and match to suit the individual need and we need strong enough relationships with our colleagues to follow it through, understanding what the problem is and working collaboratively to solve it. 

We should be able to attribute hard business metrics to the things we are doing and we can only do this if we have credible relationships with our colleagues and are trusted to work with them. 

Data-driven learning 

There are lots of different ways of using data but it’s helped me to tell stories with credible points. 

We need more people telling stories about how data is helping them. 

Data is the foundation of digital from which the approaches and tech are built 

If you can talk with authenticity and not talk about the tech, but talk about the value then you start to change hearts and minds and gain traction. 

It’s about challenging yourself taking your opportunities learning from other people and don’t be afraid of taking a jump and being brave. 

BEST MOMENTS 

‘The bedroom is the new changing room’ 

‘I wanted to feel that buzz and excitement about contributing to real business change’ 

‘The way and means in which  learning and development serve an organisation would be better served in listening more’ 

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

The Learning & Development Podcast 

ABOUT THE GUEST 

Mike Collins 

Mike Collins is Senior People Experience Specialist at River Island and podcast host on The Lancashire HotPod. Previously, working for RBS for 10 years winning numerous awards for the work he had been involved in. Mike has also worked for CIPD training provider DPG plc, specialising in social & collaborative working and developing L&D qualifications. 

GUEST CONTACT METHOD 

You can follow and connect with Mike via: 

Twitter: @Community_Mike 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/communitymike/ 

Instagram: layzmc  

Podcast: https://www.thelancashirehotpod.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/ 

Since it’s rise to prominence, e-Learning has promised so much and often failed to deliver. Is this the fault of the medium or the fault of L&D? 

This episode explores the evolution of technology-enabled learning and what it will take for L&D to truly capitalise on the potential of digital.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• L&D has had a strange relationship with technology. It has been very difficult to get the average person to engage with tech-based development, but although strides have been made, we are still not there yet.

• Technology is best at educating large numbers of people remotely, and at once. The problem is that many companies use tech to educate when they don’t want to. This generally results in an unpalatable product.

• If you don’t engage with your target audience early enough, and effectively enough, you’ll end up shaping your development in ways that may not be suitable. Remember you have two customers: the business and the learner. Each person has different requirements in terms of learning practices.

• Once we do understand the business and client needs, we need to make the learning experiences engaging, accessible and relevant.

• If you can solve real problems for people, you don’t just help them, you can disrupt entire industries. Disruption can be uncomfortable, but incredibly innovative.

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘Learning is a very human experience’
• ‘L&D has not kept up with the world, and is not delivering the experience people want’
• ‘Given the choice, people can choose bizarre and unsuitable ways of learning’
• ’The simplest things are often what people need’
• ‘We know so much more now about what makes good learning'

ABOUT THE GUEST

Clive Shepherd is a workplace learning and development specialist, with a particular interest in the application of media and technology. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Clive has headed up a corporate training function, co-founded a leading multimedia development business and operated as an independent consultant. In recent years, Clive has devoted his attention to the new role of the learning architect, the design of next generation blended learning solutions and the design of digital learning content.

You can follow and connect with Clive via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cliveshepherd/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliveShepherd

Blog: hhttp://www.cliveonlearning.com/

Website: https://skillsjourney.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/

How do we know what we do works? Well, Kevin M Yates has made this his mission. In this episode we talk about how expectations of L&D have grown and how we need to adapt in order to demonstrate our impact. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• At a senior level in Learning & Development there seems to be a paranoia/anxiety that training isn’t getting results or equating to any kind of business performance, capability or change.

• There’s been a transition in the expectation of what L&D is. Decades ago, expectations were very different. Right now, the expectation is that people will use their performance in a way that helps the business win. In the past, this focus on performance in that context was not resonant.

• Happy sheets, attendance, completion and satisfaction, the main parameters chosen to measure the success of training, don’t actually measure whether or not anything has been learned.

• Organisational goals are where L&D should begin, before looking at the gaps in performance and capability that are limiting people’s capacity for achieving those.

• Learning solutions and experiences need to hit three criteria for full-blown impact analysis:
  • Whether or not the learning solution is strategically and intentionally aligned to a business goal.
  • Whether or not the solution or experience has high visibility within the business.
  • Whether or not it’s expensive
• Being curious and creating relationships are keystones to successful implementation of L&D, and the measurement of its success.

BEST MOMENTS

• ‘We are expected now to impact people’s performance in a very measurable way’
• ‘I believe that those metrics and measures tell a story’
• ‘You’re always defining those things before you go and investigate’
• ‘Be curious’
• ‘I consider myself a curator of knowledge and information'

ABOUT THE GUEST

Kevin’s expertise is answering the question, “Did training work?”, with facts, evidence, and data. His work is global and multi-industry. He's a sought after subject matter expert and international speaker.

You can follow and connect with Kevin via:

Twitter: @KevinMYates - www.twitter.com/kevinmyates

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmyates/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevmyates/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevmyates/

Website: https://kevinmyates.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/

Too often, L&D technology implementations promise so much and deliver so little. The word ‘transformation’ is used prior to launch but, due to lack of sustained engagement, driving traffic to justify the expenditure becomes the goal. In this episode of The Learning & Development Podcast, Lori and David talk about what it really takes to make large-scale, organisation-wide digital transformations successful.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• L&D transformations today mostly depend on learning experiences not on business KPIs. This is the reason tech implementations are very hard to do inside the companies. Lori adds that before choosing any tech platform, it’s best to base it on the exisiting problems.
• Lori forms strategies rooted on what’s really needed in the business. She does this after evaluation. Will it target the KPIs? Is it revenue-generating? Is it regulatory?
  • She suggests using the software Workfront.
• There are many resources out there, but there will only be enough resources which create meaning and impact to the team. Learning should be about presenting content with nurturing, understanding, and connections.
• Use the data that already exists when designing better solutions. Observe ‘digital body language’ by analysing the online engagement of each individual so you can respond properly to their needs.
• Implementing the emerging technologies in the company does not remove the clasroom trainings. The existing learning strategy might be improved with some new implementations.
• Based on Lori’s observations, she sees a pattern in the companies management of L&D programs. One-third of them are on-board with L&D tech implementations and have high learnability scores, another one-third are on-board but they won’t get through, and the ones left are the traditionalists who won’t make it also.
• What are the main pitfalls that L&D fall into, in their best efforts to digitally transform?
  • They don’t start with finding the solutions.
  • They fall inlove with the platfomr before realising it’s gonna work.
  • They aren’t talking to the learners.
  • They don’t engage enough with the Chief Technology Officer.

BEST MOMENTS

• “It’s funny we find L&D teams themselves don’t initiate the change. It usually coming from pressure—they might be not meeting their sales or there might be new regulatory requests—whatever it is, it’s the external pressure that’s on them they now have to respond to. And, we try to get them back in control.”
• “We’re speaking to them like true business partners.”
• “The pressure on them to continue to learn maybe lies in being relevant and redundant.”
• “Fix the root problem.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

• Workfront - https://www.workfront.com

ABOUT THE GUEST

Lori Niles-Hofmann is a senior learning strategist with over 20 years of L&D experience across many industries, including international banking, management consulting, and marketing.

Having held L&D leadership roles at KPMG and Scotiabank, Lori’s specialisation is large-scale digital learning transformations.

You can follow and connect with Lori via:

• Twitter: @LoriNiles
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorinileshofmann/
• Website: http://www.loriniles.com/

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/

“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/ 

In this wide-ranging conversation, we explore what has helped Josh achieve senior leadership in different sectors, what it means to make a planned and demonstrable impact as well as how HSBC is changing to a skills-based organisation.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Josh has headed up L&D for several large companies including for Warner Music Group and is now VP of People Experience and Insights for HSBC.
• Take things back to basics and make sure everything you do boosts or at least defends revenue.
• If something is not working, retire it early. Don´t be afraid to call your own baby ugly.
• You have to talk in financial terms to be truly relevant. 
• Little time-saving tweaks make a huge difference. Even saving 30 seconds per day, per employee adds up to a big saving for large companies.
• HSBC is a skills-based organisation. 
• Thoroughly read the end-of-year board paper to fully understand the direction the business is heading in.
• Keep it super simple, if you can´t describe what you're doing to a toddler without them looking confused, don´t do it.

BEST MOMENTS

'Just take a step back and ask, what is this doing for the organisation?'

'It´s taking all the stuff that we need them to do and making it frictionless.'

'Never wed yourself to a single way of doing stuff because the world will change around you.'

'You can´t be a one-trick pony, you have to have a whole arsenal of things.'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

Josh Novelle Bio

Josh Novelle is VP of People Experience and Insights at HSBC and an internationally recognised specialist in his field, with more than ten years of award-winning corporate experiences to employees. During his career he has worked both in-house - at brands such as Warner Music Group, BP, Deloitte and Carphone Warehouse -  and on the supplier side. His passion is to take HR and talent to the next level, taking into account the wider experience of employees, ensuring rich experiences that are accessible to all, but with a clear connection to the real business goals and profitability of the company.

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 Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D. 

CONTACT METHOD 

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ 
• L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/
• Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/
• L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/

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/ 

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/  

'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/

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/

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/ 

Without a doubt, generative AI dominated the conversation, not only in L&D but in wider business and politics - and it’s not going away. So where are we now in terms of advancement, adoption, and application? These are important questions explored with Egle Vinauskaite in this episode, presented by 360Learning.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Most L&D departments have not yet fully integrated AI. Around 30% have tried it and decided not to use it.
• AI is coming, if you don´t keep experimenting with it, you will fall behind.
• L&D will inevitably play a big role in the organisation's successful adoption of AI for its processes. This is our time to shine.
• AI will be able to provide personalised feedback to help with upskilling, it will also be good at analysis.
• In time, AI will be able to spot emerging capabilities and skill needs.
• Don´t be sucked in by AI shiny objects that don´t solve an actual problem.
• Do an audit of the tools you are using and see if you can use AI to improve things.

BEST MOMENTS

'Very few, if any, L&D departments seem to have integrated AI in a strategic and holistic way.'

'I am very excited by the potential for upskilling.'

'For most organisations using AI has become a competitive imperative.'

VALUABLE RESOURCES

The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523

L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

Egle Vinauskaite Bio

Egle Vinauskaite is an award-winning learning innovator and strategist advising blue chip companies, vendors, and some of the most exciting edtech startups around. Combining evidence-based learning design, behavioural science, and product development expertise, she specialises in using the latest technologies and approaches for digital and blended learning at and outside of work. Her work spans large-scale programmes, academies, alt education, apps, XR and beyond.

You can follow and contact Egle via:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinauskaite/

Focus on AI in L&D Report: https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/research_base/focus-on-ai-in-ld/

Website: https://www.nodes.works/

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 Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D. 

CONTACT METHOD 

• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ 
• L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/
• Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/
• L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

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/ 

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/ 

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/