Explore every episode of the podcast The Mindtools L&D Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 471 — A long-term view on learning | 18 Nov 2025 | 00:38:01 | |
In many organizations, not least within L&D, urgent and important short-term challenges often crowd out the bigger picture. So, how do we step back and take the long view? In this week's episode, Ross D and Claire are joined by Nina Bressler, founder of Reimagined Value, to discuss:
To find out more about Nina's work, check out Reimagined Value. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D mentioned the article 'Hollywood's Music Biopic Boom: Quantifying the Rise of a Soulless Genre' from the Stat Significant newsletter. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: | |||
| 470 — AI in L&D: The Race for Impact | 11 Nov 2025 | 00:34:08 | |
Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, Donald Taylor and Eglė Vinauskaitė have released four reports exploring L&D's use of AI. In this week's episode, Don joins Ross D to discuss the latest report — AI in L&D: The Race for Impact. We cover:
You can download a copy of the full report here. In 'What I Learned This Week', Don recommended the book Amorous or Loving?: The Highly Peculiar Tale of English and the English. For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our new face-to-face and virtual workshops, each aligned to our Manager Skills Assessment. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: | |||
| 461 — It takes a village: Isolating training's impact | 09 Sep 2025 | 00:36:28 | |
Is it up to the humble L&D pro to change people's behavior at work? Or is it up to everyone? In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, return guest Kevin M. Yates (aka The L&D Detective) speaks to Anna and Ross D about:
You can find out more about Kevin's work at kevinmyates.com For more from Mindtools and Kineo, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. Like the show? You'll LOVE our newsletter! Subscribe to The L&D Dispatch at lddispatch.com Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: | |||
| 372 — AI Conversations is changing how we practice power skills | 28 Nov 2023 | 00:36:37 | |
Historically, if you wanted to get better at having difficulty conversations, you had to take part in embarrassing roleplays or actual high-stakes conversations. Now, thanks to generative AI tools like ChatGPT, we can practice in a safe environment with realistic responses and in-the-moment feedback.
That's the premise for 'AI Conversations', a new digital learning offering from Mind Tools and Learning Pool. In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Nahdia Khan are joined by Learning Pool's Lindsey Coode to discuss:
· How AI Conversations works · The role and importance of feedback in developing skills · The measurable impact on user capability after just one practice session.
During the discussion, Ross referenced the following paper: Deslauriers, L., McCarty, L. S., Miller, K., Callaghan, K., & Kestin, G. (2019). Measuring actual learning versus feeling of learning in response to being actively engaged in the classroom. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(39), 19251-19257. Nahdia referenced the World Economic Forum's report 'Jobs of Tomorrow'. In 'What I Learned this Week', Nahdia discussed HuddleCraft. Ross discussed 'The False Binary in Higher Ed' from Ben Wildavsky. To find out more about AI Conversations, visit: Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 371 — Talk to the Elephant (cause the rider ain't listening) | 21 Nov 2023 | 00:52:05 | |
Instructional designer and author Julie Dirksen's first book, Design for How People Learn, is a core text here at Mind Tools Towers. So we couldn't wait to speak to her about her follow-up: Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change. This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Julie joins Ross Garner and Owen Ferguson to discuss:
During the discussion, Ross referenced an article on willpower from the American Psychological Association. A word of caution, this is from 2012. Owen referenced Ferinand F Fournies' book Coaching for improved work performance. In 'What I Learned this Week', Owen discussed the CMI's report 'Taking responsibility – Why UK PLC needs better managers'. Ross discussed the collective names for animals, from X user @CulturalTutor. Owen also promoted Ross' newsletter, The L&D Dispatch, and we mentioned a recent post on how to reduce the cost of compliance training. For more from Julie, visit her website usablelearning.com For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtools.com/business. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 370 — Thriving during the menopause | 14 Nov 2023 | 00:37:02 | |
The menopause, a natural transition that women experience, is finally becoming an open discussion topic in more communities. Does this mean that women have the understanding and support they need to thrive during this time of their lives? In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by coach Jayne Saul-Paterson, and Nahdia Khan to discuss women's experiences and how they can be improved. We talked about: · The workplace difficulties experienced by some women during their menopause transition · How women can seek help during this time · How organisations can better support women.
Jayne referenced several resources during the episode.
The BSI Group's 'Understanding menopause and menstrual health – Guide'
NICE Guidance Menopause: diagnosis and management
Fawcett Society report Menopause and the Workplace
balance's Menopause homepage and Menopause at Work survey results
In What I Learnt this Week, Nahdia noted important points from the Better Management Report: 'Taking Responsibility – why UK plc needs better managers' For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtools.com/business. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:
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| 369 — A healthy dose of L&D | 07 Nov 2023 | 00:36:17 | |
Healthcare is a difficult environment to work in, where decisions literally mean life or death. Combine that pressure with diverse roles, shift-based workers and difficulty getting time away from the frontline - and you have less-than-ideal conditions to promote learning and career development. So how do you support colleagues if you have an L&D role in such an organisation? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner is joined by UMass Memorial Health's Liz Ferro, Diana Avery and Matt Pfleger to discuss:
During the discussion, Matt referenced a project that the team worked on with Ross. You can see an overview of that project on YouTube and in our case study. In 'What I Learned This Week', Matt referenced a Family Guy clip, which is available online. Liz discussed how you can remove a background from a video in After Effects, even when you didn't use a green screen. Diana referenced UMass Memorial Health's mindfulness programs. And Ross discussed President Joe Biden's Executive Order on AI, as well as Nicholas Thompson's concerns that it would stifle competition. For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtools.com/business. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on LinkedIn: | |||
| 368 — Employee wellbeing at scale | 31 Oct 2023 | 00:28:37 | |
In small organisations where everyone knows each other, it's possible to spot what individuals need and offer tailored health and wellbeing support. But what about organisations with thousands of employees? In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by Sanaa Khan from Lloyd's bank and Owen to find out how larger organisations can nurture and protect their employees' health and wellbeing. We discussed:
In What I Learnt this Week, Owen talked about the cost of Copilot. Here are articles from both sides of the argument:
The Register's article 'Microsoft reportedly runs GitHub's AI Copilot at a loss'
ARK Invest's newsletter '#388: Is Microsoft Really Losing Money On GitHub Copilot?, & More'
The Unsupervised Learning Substack article 'Why Databricks Bought Mosaic and The Rapidly Decreasing Costs of AI' Sanaa summarised research from an article in the Children, Youth and Environments journal For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtools.com/business/. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on LinkedIn: | |||
| 367 — Mastering multicultural facilitation | 24 Oct 2023 | 00:35:02 | |
In our globalised world, we work and learn with people from diverse cultures. How can we facilitate multicultural training, for instance, so that the sessions are not only inclusive, but get the best from everyone. This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by Gaëlle Watson, director of SyncSkills and our very own Nahdia Khan. We explored:
Gaëlle refers to a number of resources that are well worth exploring. Geert Hofstede's book Cultures and organisations: Software of the mind.
This 'Country Comparison Tool' from The Cultural Factor Group is based on Professor Geerte Hofstede's research: https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison-tool?countries=france%2Cpakistan%2Csouth+africa%2Cunited+kingdom
Mind Tools explores the characteristics of countries exhibiting each dimension and what these mean for how you can most effectively work together in the article "Hoftstede's Cultural Dimensions": https://www.mindtools.com/a1ecvyx/hofstedes-cultural-dimensions
Gaëlle contributed to CIPD's 2021 "Effective virtual classrooms: An evidence review": https://www.cipd.org/globalassets/media/knowledge/knowledge-hub/evidence-reviews/effective-virtual-classrooms-practice-summary_tcm18-102661.pdf In What I Learned This Week, Nahdia recommended a series of videos from the School of Systems Change. Here's a link to the first video "What are systems and what is systems change?": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_02X3O2kIUU&t=5s
Gemma encouraged budding language learners to check out Radio Lingua's 'Coffee break' podcast series: https://coffeebreaklanguages.com/
For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers.
You can find out more about SyncSkills here: https://syncskills.net/working-with-us/virtual-training-production/ | |||
| 366 — Building online communities | 17 Oct 2023 | 00:43:58 | |
In organizations, learning-oriented 'online communities' often bring to mind empty forums and unused Yammer groups. But what does a vibrant community of practice look like? And how do you go about building one online? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Ross G are joined by Anamaria Dorgo, founder of L&D Shakers and Head of Community at Butter, to discuss: · the benefits of online communities of practice · how to build and maintain online communities · how to measure the impact of online communities · what all of this looks like in an organizational context You can find out more about L&D Shakers here. During the show, Anamaria referenced Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner's work on communities of practice. In his trademark style, Ross G equated online communities to pornography, recalling Justice Potter Stewart's famous line - 'I know it when I see it.' He also mentioned the 'Success Case Method', which we discussed in a previous episode. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G recommended Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull. Anamaria encouraged listeners to check out Katherine Zhou's ethical design toolkit. And Ross D talked about pushing some eggs through a sieve after watching an episode of The Bear. For more from Mind Tools, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 365 — L&D lessons from customer education | 10 Oct 2023 | 00:41:57 | |
The Mind Tools L&D Podcast usually focuses on how L&D can help colleagues develop in their careers – but we're not the only industry with an interest in education. Some of the world's most exciting tech companies, including Google, Meta and Amazon, use education as a tool to help their customers develop new skills and encourage longer term adoption. In this week's show, Ross G and Nahdia speak to Intellum's Lizzi Shaw and Gusto's Jaclyn Anku to discover:
In 'What I Learned This Week', Nahdia discussed the 'Systemic Design Framework' from the Design Council. Jaclyn discussed the career of Simone Biles. And Ross discussed an episode of The Listening Service, which covered 'Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis by Vaughan Williams'. To find out more about the Intellum LMS, see intellum.com. To find out more about Gusto's approach to customer education, read or watch the case study. Gusto are at gusto.com, For more from Mind Tools, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. You can find Will at: worklearning.com If you listened to this episode at all (we had doubts), please do drop a quick note to Ross, just to let him know: rgarner@mindtools.com. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 364 — You have to work with IT. Can we make it easier? | 02 Oct 2023 | 00:43:17 | |
Have you ever found a learning technology that you were convinced was going to transform your organization, only to have your IT team act as a blocker? Maybe they were being difficult, but maybe you just hadn't involved them early enough? In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Jon Baxter, founder of Baxter Thompson Associates, joins Ross Garner and Owen to share the benefits of strategic partnering. We discuss:
During the discussion, Jon referenced the failure of the UK air traffic system. In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed the Artefact app. And Ross discussed All The Words Ran Free, the debut poetry collection from his wife Amy. Check it out on Amazon. For more from Jon, visit strategicdigitalbusinesspartner.com The competency model and organizational partner maturity sheet, that Jon referenced, are available at:sdbp.institute/r/WOs For more from Mind Tools, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 363 — What the heck is Mind Tools? | 26 Sep 2023 | 00:40:18 | |
This year, at the ATD Conference in San Diego, friend-of-the-show Will Thalheimer asked Ross G what he was working on. Ross replied: 'Well, how much do you know about Mind Tools?' To whit Will said: 'I hardly know anything.' This astounded Ross. Will has been on our show multiple times, and Ross feels like he talks endlessly about Mind Tools and what Mind Tools does. And so Will offered to host this one-off deep dive into who we are, and what we do. We hope you enjoy it! We explore:
For more from Mind Tools, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. You can find Will at: worklearning.com If you listened to this episode at all (we had doubts), please do drop a quick note to Ross, just to let him know: rgarner@mindtools.com. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 460 — The irony of L&D: When do we develop ourselves? | 02 Sep 2025 | 00:35:41 | |
As learning and development professionals, we spend most of our days thinking about how we help others build their skills. But how many of us neglect our own development while doing so? It's what L&D advisor, writer and speaker David Kelly calls 'The Irony of L&D', and in this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, David joins Ross G and Claire to discuss:
To find out more about David, find him on LinkedIn. There you'll also find his article, 'The Irony of L&D: We Often Forget Our Own Development'. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G discussed 'chimping'. David discussed Josh Cavalier's guidance on AI prompting with JSON. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:
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| 362 — Using creativity in L&D | 19 Sep 2023 | 00:40:07 | |
Coaching usually takes a standard format: a series of conversations in which the coachee considers their goals, reflect on how they think and behave, and sets down their intentions. What if the coachee didn't just talk, but instead used a variety of other medium to express and develop themselves? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma explores this concept with experienced coaches Andréa Watts from UnglueYou and Marie Loney from Glow Consultancy. We discuss: · what "creativity" is · how we (and our brains) benefit from being creative · "creative" techniques that L&D teams and managers can use. In 'What I Learned This Week', Gemma mentioned learning about clouds on the wonderful Cloud Appreciation Society's website. To find out more about Andréa, her Coaching Collage Technique and how she can support you and/or your team, visit her website: UnglueYou.co.uk. Marie Loney is the found of Glow Consultancy. You can find out more about Marie and how she helps her clients on her website: glowconsultancy.london For more from Mind Tools, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. You can also contact rgarner@mindtools.com. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 361 — How do we measure productivity? | 12 Sep 2023 | 00:27:26 | |
Productivity is traditionally calculated with a simple division: total output / total input. Great for measuring widget production, not so much for gauging how productive a knowledge worker has been. So how do we measure productivity when there isn't a widget in sight? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma and Ross Garner are joined by Chelsea Pyrzenski, Global Chief People Officer at WalkMe, to discuss:
In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross discussed reasons why the Wirecutter is losing readership. He was referring to The Atlantic's article 'What happened to Wirecutter?' Gemma's learning about one of the chemical compounds responsible for petrichor came from Losing Eden by Lucy Jones. She discovered even more about geosmin in The Scientist's article, 'The unusual functions of geosmin'. To find out about WalkMe's platform and other solutions, visit walkme.com. For more from Mind Tools, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. You can also contact rgarner@mindtools.com. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 360 — Evidence-based leadership development | 05 Sep 2023 | 00:40:42 | |
What do we mean by 'evidence-based leadership development'? Development of evidence-based leaders? Or an evidence-based approach to leadership development? Well, both. In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Nahdia are joined by Helen Bailey, Head of Learning and Development at Strategi Solutions, to discuss: · what 'evidence-based' leadership development looks like · what we mean by 'evidence' · how to measure leadership. During the discussion, Helen referenced the Centre for Evidence Based Management. For more on this topic, see: Beech, D.2018. Effective Leadership in Uncertain Times. Wisbech, UK: Cambridge Leadership Development. Also Michelle Parry-Slater's book, The Learning and Development Handbook, and Michelle Ockers' interview with Laura Overton for the Learning Uncut podcast. For more from Helen, check out strategisolutions.co.uk In 'What I Learned This Week', Helen referenced the CIPD Learning Work Survey Report 2023 and Evidence Based Practice Factsheet. For an excellent intro to scaffolding in a digital learning context, see: Shapiro, A. M. (2008). Hypermedia design as learner scaffolding. Educational technology research and development, 56, 29-44. This paper is behind a paywall, so you can also see this advice from Wiley. Ross discussed realistic AI avatars from HeyGen. For more from Mind Tools, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. You can also contact rgarner@mindtools.com. And finally, Ross promised some case studies of the kind of work that Mind Tools do. You can find these at: mindtoolsbusiness.com/case-studies Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 359 — Is it still safe to talk about EDI? | 29 Aug 2023 | 00:49:39 | |
Many organisations are accused of not doing enough to support marginalised groups. But even those who do try to make a difference often end up accused of hypocrisy. Is it safer to stay quiet than to talk about equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) at work? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Nahdia are joined by Heeral Gudka, founder of Convergent, to discuss: · the evolution of ED&I · the risks both of speaking up and staying quiet · the need for alignment between external messaging and internal reality. During the discussion, Ross and Nahdia both referenced our episodes with Margaret Greenberg and Gina Greenlee, authors of The Business of Race. See: · 279 — Why work is the ideal place to talk about race · 298 — How can L&D promote an anti-racist workplace? Ross also mentioned the book Creativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross and Heeral discussed Zoom's decision to mandate a return to the office. The article from The Economist that Nahdia referenced was 'The working-from-home illusion fades'. For more from Heeral, visit Convergent. There you'll find out more about her journey from the insurance sector to where she is now: curating 6 to 18 month learning journeys and providing pragmatic consultancy and support to senior leadership teams, People teams and HR directors. You can also find her on Linkedin, where she discusses a pragmatic and commercial approach And for the Mindtools listeners, Heeral has a special gift. Fill in this form to be sent Convergent's guide on Inclusive HR Policies and Practices (usually £4.99, but free to the first 20 people who use the link). For more from Mind Tools, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. You can also contact rgarner@mindtools.com. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 358 — Hot take: Most employees aren't actually that interested in L&D | 22 Aug 2023 | 00:35:49 | |
Earlier this year, the Mind Tools and Emotion at Work teams ran a fringe event at the CIPD Festival of Work. At the event, we asked participants for their 'Hot Takes': something that's a little bit provocative - but might actually be true. This week, in a special crossover episode, The Mind Tools L&D Podcast team are joined by Phil and Lizzi from Emotion at Work to reveal the winner: Most employees aren't actually that interested in L&D. We discuss:
During the discussion, Phil referenced the Kirkpatrick Model of evaluation. Ross referenced the work of Shannon Tipton to help L&D teams develop a brand. In 'What I Learned This Week', Nahdia referenced the Edelman Trust Barometer and British Social Attitude Survey. Phil referenced Kids Week at the London Theatre. For more from Emotion at Work, including their podcast where you can find their own crossover episode, visit: emotionatwork.co.uk For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. You can also contact rgarner@mindtools.com. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 357 — L&D governance (the ultimate juggling act) | 15 Aug 2023 | 00:52:37 | |
How do L&D leaders decide where to spend their time? Who gets access to their budget? How do we deal with those colleagues where we have to say: 'No, that's not a priority'. In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G is chatting L&D governance with a panel of L&D pros: From Phoenix Group, Carl Akintola-Davies; from Mitie, Dolly Ogundimu and Marc Harvey; and, from Merlin Entertainments, James Clemence. We discuss:
During the discussion, a recurring refrain was the word 'boondoggle'. We also referenced learner surveys. For more on this, see our episode with Dr Will Thalheimer. In 'What I Learned This Week', Carl discussed a paper on 'zombie leadership' from Professor Alex Haslam. It's not published yet, but you can get some insight into the topic in this video. Dolly discussed the value of benchmarking. Marc discussed work from the NeuroLeadership Institute. For more from Merlin Entertainments, check out their: For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. You can also contact rgarner@mindtools.com. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 356 — Embracing scenario-based learning | 08 Aug 2023 | 00:41:16 | |
Scenario-based learning takes learners beyond a short-term memory check, instead challenging them to respond to real-life situations. But how do we make sure they're effective? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Gemma are joined by instructional design superstar Christy Tucker to discuss: · Why scenario-based learning is effective · The characteristics of a great scenario · How to write scenarios that are realistic and challenging During the discussion, Ross referenced that the French Horn isn't actually French: https://www.yourclassical.org/story/2019/06/25/why-do-we-call-it-a-french-horn He also referenced Dr Patti Shank's book Write Better Multiple-Choice Questions to Assess Learning: https://www.pattishank.com/books Christy referenced the work of Karl Kapp: https://karlkapp.com/ She also referenced Clark Quinn: https://quinnovation.com/index.html In 'What I Learned This Week', Christy discussed amigurumi: https://www.amigurumi.com/ Ross discussed a video from Nicholas Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, about a study on the impact of AI on radiology: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nicholasxthompson_mostinterestingthingintech-activity-7092255623727181824-f4_N/ The full paper is online at: Agarwal, N., Moehring, A., Rajpurkar, P., & Salz, T. (2023). Combining Human Expertise with Artificial Intelligence: Experimental Evidence from Radiology (No. w31422). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w31422
For more from Christy, see: · Her blog - https://www.christytuckerlearning.com/ · Her business - https://www.syniadlearning.com/ · Her course - https://www.yourbranchingscenario.com/ For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. You can also contact rgarner@mindtools.com.
Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:
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| 355 — Who knew that online schools existed? | 01 Aug 2023 | 00:40:02 | |
In the past, if you had difficulty thriving in a traditional school, your parents travelled a lot, or you were a child actor, you had the option to study online. Post-Covid, that approach is growing in popularity. On this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross and Nahdia are joined by Cambridge Assessment's Matt James to hear his insights into online education. We discuss:
In 'What I Learnt This Week', Ross discussed the impact that an AI assistant had on the performance of customer service reps: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2023/05/02/1172791281/this-company-adopted-ai-heres-what-happened-to-its-human-workers Looking for help creating engaging digital learning for your workplace? Mind Tools can help. Contact custom@mindtools.com. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 354 — A simple guide to delivering better presentations | 25 Jul 2023 | 00:33:07 | |
What makes a good presentation? When should and shouldn't you use a presentation to communicate your ideas? Why do most presentations suck? On this week's episode of the Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Andrea Pacini, Head of Ideas on Stage and author of Confident Presenter, to discuss: · why so many of us feel nervous about presenting · the importance of tailoring presentations to the action you want your audience to take · how to use the pSCORE method to deliver better presentations To pick up a copy of Andrea's book, Confident Presenter, head to: https://amzn.eu/d/bKswMEe To get the most out of the book, start by taking the 'Confident Presenter Scorecard' to assess your presentation skills in under 3 minutes: https://ideasonstage.com/score If you're interested in attending an Ideas of Stage web class, you can sign up here: https://www.ideasonstage.com/uk/masterclass In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen referenced the delightful 'Tiny Awards': https://tinyawards.net/ His favourite submission was 'Acronymy', whose goal is to define every word in the dictionary using an acronym: https://acronymy.net/ For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 353 — L&D insights from 20 years of data | 18 Jul 2023 | 00:51:13 | |
It's been 20 years since the launch of the Learning Performance Benchmark: the industry-leading tool for measuring the health of the L&D profession. And, to celebrate, Ross G is joined on this week's Mind Tools L&D Podcast by some of the key players in that story. Laura Overton, Founder of Learning Changemakers and Co-Creator of Emerging Stronger, set up the Benchmark in the first place. Nahdia Khan, Chief Impact Officer of Mind Tools, is responsible for the Benchmark today. Dr Anna Barnett, Senior Researcher at Mind Tools, analyses and writes up the Benchmark data. And Michelle Ockers, Organisational Learning Strategist & Learning Team Capability Builder, Founder of Learning Uncut and Co-Creator of Emerging Stronger uses the Benchmark with her clients - so can give insight into its practical application for learning teams. We discuss: · L&D's changing relationship with social media · The surprising decrease in blended learning · The impact of the pandemic on where L&D spends its time. To read our 20th anniversary report, visit: https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-reports/l-d-in-organizations-20-years-of-research To take the Benchmark, see: https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark During the discussion, Michelle referenced the book Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. In 'What I Learnt This Week', Nahdia discussed 'L&D's role in employee wellbeing: A 2023 survey': https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/resources/lds-role-in-employee-wellbeing-a-2023-survey Laura recommended the book Beyond Measure by James Vincent. Ross recommended season 3 of the podcast Not Playing With Lex and Dan: https://www.theincomparable.com/notplaying/ Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: | |||
| 459 — OHLs over OKRs: A new approach to goal-setting | 25 Aug 2025 | 00:48:35 | |
Objectives and Key Results have long been a staple of the working world. You set a stretch objective, define the results that will tell you if the objective has been met, and scaffold throughout the organization. Then what? Often, nothing happens. The OKRs were too vague. In extreme cases, the worst happens: people bend the rules to hit aggressive targets. For author Radhika Dutt, there is another way: Objectives, Hypotheses, and Learnings (OHLs). In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Radhika joins Gemma and Ross Garner to discuss:
Radhika offers an OHL toolkit at: radicalproduct.com/toolkit In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G discussed 'parasocial relationships'. Gemma discussed an article from The Guardian on ways to have more 'fun' at work. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. For more from Radhika, including her last book Radical Product Thinking, see her website. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: | |||
| 352 — Supporting neuroinclusion at work | 11 Jul 2023 | 00:44:52 | |
Cognitive diversity brings enormous benefits to teams. How can we proactively recruit and support people who are neurodivergent?
In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, speaker and trainer Reena Anand speaks to Gemma and Ross about neurodiversity, barriers to inclusion and what we can do to topple those barriers.
· what neurodiversity is · the intersection of neurodivergence and race · how managers and L&D can create neuroinclusive environments.
During the podcast, Reena referenced a couple of research papers.
Birkbeck University of London's 'Neurodiversity at Work 2023' report can be downloaded here: neurodiversityinbusiness.org/research/
Research by Cambridge University, Maastrict and Newcastle Universities titled 'Association of Race/Ethnicity and Social Disadvantage With Autism Prevalence in 7 Million School Children in England' looking at interrelation of autism and race/ethnicity can be accessed here: https://docs.autismresearchcentre.com/papers/2021_Roman-Urrestarazu_Association-of-race-ethnicity-and-social-disadvantage.pdf
Reena has also provided a link to a case study on the Wells Fargo Neurodiversity Program that we didn't have time to discuss on the podcast. Read it here www.wellsfargojobs.com/en/diversity/neurodiversity/
You can find out more about Reena's work by visiting her website www.reenaanand.com or LinkedIn page www.linkedin.com/in/reenaanand/
In 'What I Learnt This Week', Ross told us about the phenomenon of "Car brain". Read The Atlantic's article 'Everyone has 'Car brain'' here https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/07/car-devotion-motor-vehicle-deaths-danger/674613/
For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.
Connect with our speakers
If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on LinkedIn. | |||
| 351 — Coaching for everyone! But how? | 04 Jul 2023 | 00:39:15 | |
Coaching, once the preserve of a privileged elite (ie: the leadership team), is increasingly seen as a useful tool that can help all of us perform better in our roles. But how do we roll coaching out to a wider audience when the cost of a single coaching session is relatively high? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by author, speaker and coach Jenny Garrett OBE. We discuss: · Opportunities to democratize coaching · The challenges associated with 'managers as coach' · How technology is shaping the future of coaching. To find out more about Jenny, visit Sue, visit: jennygarrett.global/ If you're wondering what happened to Skype, check out this post from Wired: wired.co.uk/article/skype-coronavirus-pandemic (basically, it's been largely replaced by Teams in the business world). In 'What I Learned this Week', Owen discussed 'How the biggest consumer apps got their first 1,000 users', from Lenny's Newsletter: lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-the-biggest-consumer-apps-got Ross discussed The Economist's take on 'How Britain can become an AI superpower': economist.com/leaders/2023/06/15/how-britain-can-become-an-ai-superpower If, like Owen, you disagree with The Economist, contact: letters@economist. Looking for help rolling out coaching to your organization? Mind Tools can help. Contact custom@mindtools.com.
Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: · Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT or on LinkedIn · Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson or on LinkedIn · Jenny Garrett - @JenniferGarrett or on LinkedIn | |||
| 350 — How do you inspire others? | 27 Jun 2023 | 00:36:52 | |
Do you consider yourself an inspiration? Most of us don't. But everybody has the capacity to inspire others to act and, in L&D, that's basically part of the job! In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by author and adventurer Sue Stockdale, the first British woman to ski to the Magnetic North Pole. We discuss: · Sue's background and adventures · How we as individuals can inspire and motivate others · How to scale inspiration across an entire organization. To find out more about Sue, visit: https://suestockdale.com/ In 'What I Learned this Week', Owen discussed the strange goings on at Reddit: nytimes.com/2023/06/16/style/whats-going-on-with-reddit.html Ross discussed Dr Libby Sander's article on the psychological impact of where we work: news.com.au/finance/work/at-work/disastrous-experiment-real-reason-behind-hated-return-to-work-push/news-story/6f377ea396388a531de6cedf89936fe5 And Sue discussed positive visualization, leading to an unexpected appearance from Ben Goldacre's Golden Arse Beam: theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jul/08/bad-science-effective-things-silly-places For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers: · Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT or on LinkedIn · Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson or on LinkedIn · Sue Stockdale - @SueStockdale or on LinkedIn | |||
| 349 — Introducing 'Skill Bites', a nudge-based approach to course design | 20 Jun 2023 | 00:35:43 | |
It's very strange. For years, we've been told that people want 'resources, not courses'. But, when you ask them, it's longer-term skill development that they're interested in. This week, Mind Tools are launching the most dramatic new content type in our library in years, Skill Bites: a nudge-based approach to course design that leverages spaced repetition, retrieval practice and learner motivation to trigger a measurable change in behaviour. So, to dig into how it works, our learning experience guru Gemma is joined by product pro Owen, righteous researcher Gent and cool copy guy Keith to discuss:
To try Skill Bites, visit mindtools.com and subscribe for a membership. In 'What I Learned this Week', Gent trotted out a well-known fact about negotiation (well known to listeners of this podcast, anyway): businesstoday.in/magazine/features/story/harvard-business-schools-deepak-malhotra-bt-mindrush-64450-2016-12-26 And Gemma recommended the podcast Mother, Neighbour, Russian Spy: audible.co.uk/pd/Mother-Neighbor-Russian-Spy-Podcast/B0C2WG5CRV#:~:text=She's%20really%20a%20Russian%20spy,boss%20and%20even%20her%20children For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:
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| 348 — What makes the ideal client? | 13 Jun 2023 | 00:37:41 | |
The HR and L&D sectors are built on a foundation of outsourcing. Often, the secret ingredient to ensuring those products and services add value is… the person buying them! So, this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, we ask: what are the characteristics of a client who has a high likelihood of gaining value from their supplier?
Ross G and Gemma are joined, from our sales team, by Lara Kidd and Samantha Nicks. We discuss: · why the client is so important to the implementation of any HR or L&D technology · actions the client can take to increase the likelihood of success · advice for people in a buying position. In 'What I Learned this Week', Gemma discussed Douglas Stuart's novel Shuggie Bain. Ross G discussed David Grann's non-fiction book The Wager. For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.
Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: · Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT or on LinkedIn · Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey or on LinkedIn · Lara Kidd – LinkedIn · Samantha Nicks - LinkedIn | |||
| 347 — Can L&D make others more resilient? | 06 Jun 2023 | 00:39:31 | |
In The Resilience Handbook, occupational psychologist and author Sukh Pabial outlines three elements which can make us more resilient: positive psychology, emotional intelligence and mindfulness. But is this something we can only develop on our own, or can L&D build the resilience of others? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Sukh joins Ross G and Owen to discuss: · how inner work is a pre-requisite to being able to help others · the extent to which L&D teams running webinars, workshops and courses can help others build resilience · the organizational conditions that lead to more resilient teams. You can find Sukh's book online at: amazon.co.uk/Resilience-Handbook-practical-understanding-resilience/dp/1739331702 During the discussion, Sukh referenced Google's 'Project Aristotle'. See: rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/ In 'What I Learned this Week', Owen discussed the impact of exercise on health: Singh, B., Olds, T., Curtis, R., Dumuid, D., Virgara, R., Watson, A., ... & Maher, C. (2023). Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews. British Journal of Sports Medicine. See: bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2023/03/02/bjsports-2022-106195 Sukh discussed Lior Locher's blog 'One week in the life of mobility restriction and experiences with the general public'. See: linkedin.com/pulse/one-week-life-mobility-restriction-experiences-general-lior-locher Ross discussed Ezra Klein's article 'Beyond the "Matrix" Theory of the Mind'. See: nytimes.com/2023/05/28/opinion/artificial-intelligence-thinking-minds-concentration.html For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: · Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT · Owen Ferguson – @OwenFerguson · Sukh Pabial - @SukhPabial | |||
| 346 — Book Club: The Voltage Effect | 30 May 2023 | 00:36:08 | |
You had an idea for say, a product or service. You created it and rolled it out to a small target group. It worked - a success! It's now time to expand, to unleash it onto the world. How do you make sure it continues to be a success? This is the question John A. List sets out to answer in his book, The Voltage Effect. In this book club episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by Owen and Ross Dickie to get to grips with List's suggestions for successful scaling. We discussed:
In 'What I Learned this Week', Owen described how he set a goal and trained for the Etape Caledonia 2023. You can find out more about next year's event here: https://limelightsports.club/event/etape-caledonia-2024 Ross told a story about a cunning negotiation concerning an image on Theodore Roosevelt's campaign poster. Here's an article about it: https://wheeler.substack.com/p/update-teddy-roosevelt-the-secret Gemma was astounded to learn of the number of teeth all dogs have. She found this information on this site: https://www.petvaxah.com/site/blog/2022/07/15/dog-teeth For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: · Gemma Towersey – @GemmaTowersey · Ross Dickie – @RossDickieMT · Owen Ferguson – @owenferguson | |||
| 345 — Boosting engagement with creative campaigns | 23 May 2023 | 00:37:27 | |
You might offer employees the best content libraries, training or toolkits in the world, but if they don't know what's there, or when or why they'd access it, it's useless. In these situations, you need a creative approach to grab learners' attention and give them compelling reasons to keep them coming back. In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by the team behind a successful engagement project at Heathrow Airport: Steph Constantinides, Charlotte Blake and Claire Gibson. We discussed: · how Heathrow colleagues were using the toolkit · the idea-generation and production processes for campaign assets · the results and the future of campaign-based learning at Heathrow. In What I Learnt this Week, Charlotte discussed the surprisingly low percentage of LinkedIn users who contribute content to the platform. Read more about this here: kinsta.com/blog/linkedin-statistics. Claire discovered that she could get US preclearance in Dublin Airport. If you're also heading to the US from Dublin (perhaps you're also going to the Taylor Swift concert?), there's more about that here: dublinairport.com/flight-information/travelling-to-usa/usa-preclearance/us-customs-and-border-protection-video If you're not going to the concert, here's one of Claire's favorite Taylor Swift songs to make up for it. Gemma described Naismith's rule, having read about it in Mountaincraft and Leadership by Eric Langmuir. For more from us, including access to our back catalog of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with (some of) our speakers on Twitter: · Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey · Claire Gibson – @claireisdigital Our other speakers are on LinkedIn, so head over there to connect with: | |||
| 344 — The 20-year evolution of L&D | 16 May 2023 | 00:34:21 | |
For over 20 years, Debbie Carter has been working at industry magazine Training Journal, tracking the changes that have taken place in our field – and occasionally railing against them! In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, she joins Ross G and Owen to discuss:
· the state of L&D in the early 'noughties' · the big changes that have shaped our profession · the constants that have remained the same.
You can check out Training Journal at: trainingjournal.com/ You can read Ross's TJ article, on learning campaigns, at: trainingjournal.com/2023/education-and-skills/if-learning-matters-make-it-a-campaign/ In what is surely our best-researched (and least interesting) 'What I Learned This Week', Owen revealed the quick-drying properties of microfiber towels from the company Dock & Bay: uk.dockandbay.com. That's not an affiliate link, just an excellent way to dry yourself quickly. You're welcome! Ross G discussed, perhaps with greater relevance to our audience, the language that we use to discuss AI. Check out this blog from Donald Clark for more: donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2023/04/7-words-that-worry-me-in-ai.html For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.
Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: · Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT · Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson · Debbie Carter - @DebbieCarter20 | |||
| 343 — Mapping employee networks to retain talent | 09 May 2023 | 00:45:43 | |
You can map employee networks in all sorts of ways: formal hierarchy, online interactions, geographic location. But, in this episode, we look at how surveying colleagues unlocks insights into who is a key relationship node – and who is isolated. In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Jeppe Hansgaard, CEO of Innovisor. We discuss: · techniques for mapping employee networks · the role that the 3% play in maintaining a strong network of · the impact of network isolation on long-term retention of employees. During the discussion, Jeppe made a reference to the impact of loneliness on health. This was based on research from the National Institute on Aging. See: extension.unh.edu/blog/2022/05/prolonged-social-isolation-loneliness-are-equivalent-smoking-15-cigarettes-day Some of the papers Ross referenced were: Gašević, D., Zouaq, A., & Janzen, R. (2013). "Choose your classmates, your GPA is at stake!" The association of cross-class social ties and academic performance. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(10), 1460-1479. Online at: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0002764213479362?journalCode=absb Lockyer, L., Heathcote, E., & Dawson, S. (2013). Informing pedagogical action: Aligning learning analytics with learning design. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(10), 1439-1459. Online at: www.sfu.ca/~dgasevic/papers/Lockyer_abs2013.pdf Owen referenced 'Dunbar's number', which describes the number of relationships we can maintain. See: bbc.com/future/article/20191001-dunbars-number-why-we-can-only-maintain-150-relationships In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen referenced Snapchat's 'My AI' feature: help.snapchat.com/hc/en-gb/articles/13266788358932-What-is-My-AI-on-Snapchat-and-how-do-I-use-it- He also discussed the 'Artifact' app: https://artifact.news/ And Ross shared some nonsense about 'Garfield' phones: bbc.com/news/world-europe-47732553.amp This episode was sparked by a case study from Innovisor, which provides a good overview of how isolation affects retention: innovisor.com/2023/01/31/79-of-isolated-employees-left-within-2-years-work-with-people-networks-to-win-on-retention/ To find out more about Innovisor, see: innovisor.com/ For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: · Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT · Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson · Jeppe Hansgaard – @JeppeHansgaard | |||
| 458 — What do you bench(mark)? | 19 Aug 2025 | 00:36:11 | |
Here at Mindtools Towers, we're no strangers to benchmarking in L&D. We've regularly mentioned our Learning Performance Benchmark over the years, and we dedicated an entire episode to 'The value of benchmarking' back in 2021. So, naturally, we were intrigued when David James released the 'L&D Maturity Model', and wanted to invite him onto the show to discuss it. This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, David joins us to explore:
You can find out more about The L&D Maturity Model here. You can find the Learning & Development Podcast, 'wherever you get your podcasts'. In 'What I Learned This Week', Anna explained the history of 'via ferrata', following her holiday in the Dolomites. David talked about 'imaginal discs' in butterflies. And Ross dropped a fresh new AI-generated beat about his son, AKA Lil Dribs. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: | |||
| 342 — Adult Learning Theory (and how to build a bridge) | 02 May 2023 | 00:37:54 | |
Adults do not learn as children learn. They have prior experience, they have real-world problems to solve and, crucially, they can get up and walk out if they lose interest! In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and 'Ross Dickie' are joined by Dr Carrie Graham. In amongst talk of bridge building, we discuss:
In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross Dickie got smutty by diving into the acronym shift from SMET to STEM. See more here: McComas, W. F. (2014). STEM: Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Language of Science Education: An Expanded Glossary of Key Terms and Concepts in Science Teaching and Learning, 102-103. Online at: link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-6209-497-0_92 And Ross G got snarky, with a deep dive into the groundbreaking conspiracy theory that surrounds public information game Cat Park. You can play the game at: catpark.game/ Ross read about Cat Park in The Economist. See: economist.com/culture/2023/04/05/games-are-a-weapon-in-the-war-on-disinformation If you're interested in the conspiracy, you'll need to do your own research. We don't recommend. To find out more about Carrie, and to book a CALM consultation, visit: drcarriegraham.com/ For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:
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| 341 — How to compete in the robot wars | 25 Apr 2023 | 00:46:51 | |
In case you've missed it, 2023 has become the year when automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) started displacing cognitive and creative work. Chat-GPT, DALL-E and other tools are becoming ubiquitous, so this week we're asking how L&D and HR should respond. To answer this question, Owen and Ross D are joined on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast by Ashley Recanati, author of AI Battle Royale: How to Protect Your Job from Disruption in the 4th Industrial Revolution. We discuss:
Ashley's book is available from Barnes and Noble: barnesandnoble.com/w/ai-battle-royale-ashley-marc-recanati/1142352394 You can find him on LinkedIn at: linkedin.com/in/ashley-r-974173171/
Also, exciting news! The Mind Tools team will be exhibiting at the Learning Technologies Conference on May 3 and 4. You can find us at Stand J50, next to Theatre 6. Our live sessions are:
Full details at: mindtoolsbusiness.com/resources/events-webinars/events/learning-technologies23 For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:
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| 340 — Takeover Special! We answer your questions! | 18 Apr 2023 | 00:43:53 | |
In an uncomfortable first for The Mind Tools L&D Podcast team, we're handing over this week's hosting duties to friend-of-the-show Matt Pleger, Organizational Development Consultant at UMass Memorial Health. Matt has been a long-time client of Ross G's, and this time HE'S asking the questions. Owen, Ross G and Ross D discuss:
In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed Artifact, a new app from the minds behind Instagram: artifact.news/ Ross D discussed the AI companion who will never die, argue, or cheat: thecut.com/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-chatbot-replika-boyfriend.html And Matt discussed Google Lens (https://lens.google/), and why he keeps a 'Commonplace' book: wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonplace_book For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:
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| 339 — Designing high-impact video | 11 Apr 2023 | 00:32:53 | |
Used effectively, video can be the most emotive part of a learning experience. So how do you get it right? In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Gemma are joined by Samson Owolabi, Creative Director at Bearded Fellows, to discuss:
You can find out more about Bearded Fellows on their website: beardedfellows.co.uk/. Or, if you're old-school like Samson, you can call them on +441618702000. ;) In WILTW, Gemma mentioned Poet Laureate Simon Armitage's poem 'Plum Tree Among the Skyscrapers', written as part of a collaboration with the National Trust. You can read or listen to the poem at: nationaltrust.org.uk/who-we-are/news/poet-laureate-simon-armitage-creates-blossom-inspired-poem Gemma also recommended the National Trust's guide to spotting and identifying different types of blossom in the UK: nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/nature/trees-plants/how-to-spot-different-types-of-blossom The Jean-Claude Van Damme documentary Samson referenced was, in fact, 'Jean-Claude Van Damme, Coup sur Coup': imdb.com/title/tt27201766/ If, like Ross D, you can't help peeking at the dessert menu at the end of a heavy meal, you can read more about 'sensory specific satiety' at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory-specific_satiety For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers : If you'd like t;o share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers
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| 338 — Ever wanted to write a book? | 04 Apr 2023 | 00:45:44 | |
Does everyone have a book in them? How hard it is to take an idea to publication? In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, authors Andy Lancaster, Nelson Sivalingam, Michelle Parry-Slater and Gary Cookson join Ross G to share their experiences. We discuss: · why they wanted to write a book in the first place · how to get started · advice for overcoming the stress of a deadline. Andy's book is Driving Performance Through Learning. Nelson's is Learning at Speed. Michelle's is The Learning and Development Handbook. Gary's is HR for Hybrid Working. All four are available from Kogan Page and Amazon. During the discussion, Gary referenced Rob Baker's book Personalization at Work, available at: tailoredthinking.co.uk/personalizationatwork Michelle recommended Scrivener for writing: literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview In What I Learned This Week, Nelson referenced the 'Eisenhower Matrix'. You can see our article on this at: mindtools.com/al1e0k5/eisenhowers-urgentimportant-principle Michelle discussed her new podcast series, Learning from the Edge. Andy, while recovering from surgery to his shoulder, recommended the paper: Roberts, C. E., Phillips, L. H., Cooper, C. L., Gray, S., & Allan, J. L. (2017). Effect of different types of physical activity on activities of daily living in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of aging and physical activity, 25(4), 653-670. Online at: journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/japa/25/4/article-p653.xml Gary recommended Aftermath by Harald Jahner: waterstones.com/book/aftermath/harald-jahner/shaun-whiteside/9780753557884 For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: · Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT · Andy Lancaster - @AndyLancasterUK · Nelson Sivalingham - @ThatNelsonDude · Michelle Parry-Slater - @MiPS1608 · Gary Cookson - @Gary_Cookson | |||
| 337 — Promoting equity with reverse mentoring | 28 Mar 2023 | 00:41:36 | |
The opportunities we have access to in life are shaped by our background, our environment and our networks. It is difficult to create equitable organizations if a single homogenous group are making most of the decisions. In Reverse Mentoring: Removing Barriers and Building Belonging in the Workplace, coach and author Patrice Gordon describes how connecting senior decision-makers with more junior mentors can help them understand one another. This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Patrice joins Ross G and Nahdia to discuss:
You can buy the book at: littlebrown.co.uk/titles/patrice-gordon/reverse-mentoring/9780349435008/ During the discussion, Ross also referenced The Business of Race. See episode '298 — How can L&D promote an anti-racist workplace?' at: podcast.goodpractice.com/298-how-can-ld-promote-an-anti-racist-workplace In What I Learned This Week, Nahdia discussed the TV show Abbot Elementary, streaming now on Disney+ (and not in fact on Apple TV, though we give a virtual high five to the fine folks at both streaming giants). Patrice discussed I, Human and the work of Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic. And Ross G shared more nonsense from his interactions with ChatGPT. For more from Patrice, see Eminere.co.uk, or follow her on Instagram @MsPatriceGordon. For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Mind Tools also covered reverse mentoring at: mindtools.com/aznnj4n/reverse-mentoring For our blog on 'equality' and 'equity', see: mindtools.com/blog/what-is-gender-equity/ Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:
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| 336 — Who says learner surveys ain't sexy? | 21 Mar 2023 | 00:43:45 | |
Learner surveys get a hard wrap: at best they're a waste of time, at worst they actually mislead us. But what if we just did them well? This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma and Ross G are joined by Dr Will Thalheimer to discuss the second edition of Performance-Focused Learner Surveys – a book so exciting that Will wrote it twice! We discuss:
You can buy the book here: tier1performance.com/performance-focused-learner-surveys/ In WILTW, Will recommended The Extended Mind by Annie Paul. Ross G discussed the logistics of how 1st and 2nd-class stamps are managed by the Post Office: lbc.co.uk/radio/special-shows/the-mystery-hour/culture/what-is-the-real-difference-between-first-and-seco/ For more from Will, see: worklearning.com Will's now working at Tier1 Performance: tier1performance.com/ For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:
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| 335 — Adjacent learning | 14 Mar 2023 | 00:34:49 | |
Can we improve our workplace performance through learning outside of work? Are there benefits to this? How might we go about it? This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma and Ross Garner are joined by David Hayden and Steve George, authors of 'Adjacent Learning' to discuss the possibilities and practicalities of learning elsewhere.
You can buy the book here: https://www.koganpage.com/product/adjacent-learning-9781398608238 In WILTW, Ross summarized the findings of a UK-based trial of a four-day working week. You can read the full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2023/feb/21/four-day-week-uk-trial-success-pattern For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our Off-the-shelf elearning, and our Custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:
Steve George can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-george-frsa-assoc-cipd-gmbpss-1a80931b/ | |||
| 334 — Turning pressures into opportunities | 07 Mar 2023 | 00:38:51 | |
What do business leaders think about L&D? What do they expect? What's the reality for L&D? This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by Nahdia and Anna to discuss our latest Leadership report – Turning pressures into opportunities. We cover: · what questions we asked · the headline takeaways from this year's report · the practical implications. To read the report in full, download it from our Research reports site: mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-reports/turning-pressures-into-opportunities In WILTW, Gemma talked about the three definitions of twilight. You can read more about this on the Royal Museums Greenwich website: rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/when-dawn-dusk-twilight Nahdia mentioned a book she's reading called The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom: amazon.co.uk/Happiness-Hypothesis-Finding-Modern-Ancient/ For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: · Nadhia Khan - @NahdiaKhan · Gemma Towersey - @gemmatowersey · Anna Barnett - @drannabarnett | |||
| 333 — What will be hot in workplace L&D in 2023? | 28 Feb 2023 | 00:38:32 | |
What are L&D practitioners excited about in 2023? Is it the rise of artificial intelligence? Or is it the Metaverse? What about skills-based talent management? Or learning analytics? This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D is joined by Donald Taylor to discuss the results of the Global Sentiment Survey 2023. We cover: · what the GSS is (and what it isn't) · the headline takeaways from this year's survey · regional differences in the data If you're interested in reviewing the results of the Global Sentiment Survey, Don shared a breakdown, along with some initial reflections, on his website. donaldhtaylor.co.uk/insight/gss2023-results/ Ross D also shared some of his own reflections on this year's results in the latest edition of The L&D Dispatch: lddispatch.com/p/local-sentiment-survey In WILTW, Ross D discussed his success propagating a Monstera plant, by following the steps in this article: pottedpixie.com/how-to-propagate-a-monstera-in-water/ For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: · Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT · Donald Taylor - @DonaldHTaylor | |||
| 457 — Evaluation or justification? | 12 Aug 2025 | 00:39:53 | |
Now for something completely different! A couple of weeks ago, Carl Akintola wrote a provocative guest post for The L&D Dispatch, challenging L&D practitioners to interogate their motives for measuring learning impact. Are they in it purely for the sake of evaluation and continuous improvement? Or are they merely trying to justify their own existence? This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Carl takes over hosting duties, and runs Ross G and Ross D through the scenario he outlined in the newsletter. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D mentioned 'The Bad-Mouthing of British Teeth', an episode of the Decoder Ring podcast. Ross G described the so-called 'Gen Z stare'. And Carl confused the Rosses with a maths problem, based on the 'Monty Hall problem'. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: | |||
| 332 — How to choose a learning platform | 21 Feb 2023 | 00:42:07 | |
How do you pick from the hundreds of platforms out there? What questions might you ask to refine your options? If you're looking for a learning platform, then you've got quite the decision to make! Not only is the market huge and complicated, but it can also be an expensive purchase. Help is at hand this week in The Mind Tools L&D Podcast. Ross G and Gemma are joined by EdTech Consultant Stella Lee, an expert in navigating the decision process. We explore: · key questions to answer before you go shopping · "red flags" to look out for · the role of AI in learning platforms. Stella's LMS selection toolkit is free for anyone to download here: https://paradoxlearning.com/resources/
She's also shared two of her articles "How to future proof your edtech investment" https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/winter-2023/how-to-future-proof-your-edtech-investment/ "The role of ethics in edtech" https://www.easygenerator.com/en/blog/podcast/stella-lee-edtech-ethics-podcast/ In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross spoke about how OpenAI made ChatGPT less sexist, racist and violent than it would be otherwise. You can read about it in this Time article: https://time.com/6247678/openai-chatgpt-kenya-workers/ Gemma talked about the Cairngorms National Park. Facts and figures (and some beautiful photography) can be discovered here: https://cairngorms.co.uk/discover-explore/facts-figures/ For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. And, this week, we're giving a special shout out to our Learning Performance Benchmark. Not sure how your L&D function is performing? Find out now, for free: https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: · Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT · Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson (or https://mastodon.scot/@owenferguson) · Stella Lee - @stellal
Stella can also be found through other channels via her website: https://paradoxlearning.com/
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| 331 — Six ways to engage employees | 14 Feb 2023 | 00:38:09 | |
What do employees and managers care about in 2023? How do we keep them feeling happy, interested and safe? A new report from Reward Gateway offers six human-centred strategies to build strong, resilient teams. So, this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Chief People Officer Nebel Crowhurst to discuss their findings. We explore: · - whether it's important that your manager 'cares' about you · - the role of mental, physical and wellbeing support in engaging employees · - if it's OK just to turn up and do your job. You can find the full report online at: https://www.rewardgateway.com/hubfs/Resources-eBooks/uk-2023-employee-engagement-trends-report.pdf In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed Mastodon and Mark Gilroy's YouTube tech reviews: https://www.youtube.com/@ThatMarkGilroy Nebel discussed Australia's new approach to domestic violence leave: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/leave/family-and-domestic-violence-leave Ross discussed Glasgow City Council's plans to build a 'feminist' city: https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/glasgow-becomes-uks-first-feminist-city-as-town-planning-motion-from-councillor-holly-bruce-passes-3896633 For more from Nebel and Reward Gateway, visit: https://www.rewardgateway.com/uk For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. And, this week, we're giving a special shout out to our Learning Performance Benchmark. Not sure how your L&D function is performing? Find out now, for free: https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: · Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT · Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson (or https://mastodon.scot/@owenferguson) · Nebel Crowhurst - @HR_Nebel | |||
| 330 — The Happy Manifesto: Revisited | 07 Feb 2023 | 00:37:13 | |
Ten years ago, Henry Stewart wrote The Happy Manifesto, outlining 10 principles for happier workplaces. Among them: Make your people feel good; Be open and transparent; Celebrate mistakes. This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Henry joins Gemma and Ross G the relevance of these principles in 2023. Spoiler: They're even more important. We discuss:
During the discussion, Henry recommended the following books:
He also mentioned the paper: Edmans, A. (2011). Does the stock market fully value intangibles? Employee satisfaction and equity prices. Journal of Financial economics, 101(3), 621-640.
In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross discussed the use of cannabis to unlock creativity at work (or not, as it turned out): economist.com/business/2023/01/12/how-to-unlock-creativity-in-the-workplace The original paper is at: Heng, Y. T., Barnes, C. M., & Yam, K. C. (2022). Cannabis use does not increase actual creativity but biases evaluations of creativity. Journal of Applied Psychology. Henry discussed neurodiversity, sparking Ross to recommend this Learning Guild article from Judy Katz: learningguild.com/articles/designing-for-autism-adhd-and-more-representing-neurodivergence/?rd=1 For more from Henry, see https://www.happy.co.uk. Or you can contact him at: henry@happy.co.uk For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:
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