To be a learner, we have to identify as a learner, and belonging is critical to self-identification. That means all learning businesses need to think about how they can create situations and offerings where individuals feel a sense of belonging. Dr. Susie Wise is a learning experience designer and author of the book Design for Belonging: How to Build Inclusion and Collaboration in Your Communities . Susie coaches leaders in equity design and innovation practices and teaches at the d.school at St...
Jun 13, 2023•42 min
Competition from free and low-cost offerings is a reality for many learning businesses. But it’s also true that most learning businesses do offer—or should offer—free or low-cost options in their own portfolios. CMEpalooza offers an interesting case study to examine both for competitive insight and as a potential model to emulate. Scott Kober and Derek Warnick produce CMEpalooza, a free biannual virtual conference for CME and CE professionals. CMEpalooza is a side gig for these fearless co-produ...
Jun 06, 2023•33 min
What does the term "lifelong learning" mean for you? It’s an important question for learning business professionals to ask because taking the time to reflect can lead to a better understanding of the influential role your learning business plays in your stakeholders' lifelong learning journey. In this episode, we explore the history of lifelong learning and major viewpoints on what it is, the reasons behind a renewed interest in lifelong learning, and why taking time for to know the ...
May 30, 2023•35 min
The full, complete experience of the learner—from before they decide to sign up for a course or event, until after it's over—should be a primary concern for all learning businesses. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb is joined by return guest Diana Howles, CEO and co-owner of Howles Associates, which specializes in virtual training, virtual presentation coaching, and learning experience design. They delve into the topic of learning experience design—what it is...
May 23, 2023•30 min
COVID permanently altered the operations and offerings of many learning businesses, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Duke University is one such example In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with return guest Chris McLeod, who directs OLLI at Duke, about the pandemic-driven changes her group made and their related short- and long-term implications. Chris shares how COVID got them to rethink the competitive environment and the importance o...
May 16, 2023•34 min
We believe deeply in the power of learning to transform individuals, organizations, and communities. That’s why we focus the Leading Learning Podcast on serving the learning businesses and learning business professionals that create and support adult lifelong learning, continuing education, and professional development. Learning business professionals need to invest in their own learning and development so they can grow and help the learning businesses they serve improve their reach, revenue, an...
May 09, 2023•31 min
Engagement is at the heart of most thriving learning businesses. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, we talk about engagement with Amanda Kaiser, an engagement strategist, keynote speaker, and author of Elevating Engagement: Uncommon Strategies for Creating a Thriving Member Community . Amanda’s background and focus are on community engagement in the context of associations, but her perspective on engagement is valuable for learning businesses of all types. Co-host Jeff Cobb talks w...
May 02, 2023•38 min
Globalization is a strategy that makes sense for many learning businesses, and going global usually involves language services. This episode features Ingrid Christensen, president and founder of INGCO International, a full-service language solutions company, and author of The Language of Trust: Communicate to Build Meaningful Relationships in Business and Life . Leading Learning Podcast co-host Celisa Steele and Ingrid talk about what localization, globalization, translation, and interpretation ...
Apr 25, 2023•29 min
Competition is a significant issue for most learning businesses, and, because the lifelong learning landscape is constantly evolving, the competitive landscape is also constantly shifting, making it critical for every learning business to periodically revisit its strategy to remain relevant and competitive. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Celisa Steele and Jeff Cobb highlight five forces driving competition for learning businesses using the framework first described by ...
Apr 18, 2023•33 min
Providing practical and valuable education and credentials is critical to the role learning businesses can play in creating and maintaining a skilled workforce. In this episode, we dig into the causes and solutions to the skills gap in a conversation with David Capranos, director of market strategy and research at Wiley University Services. Leading Learning co-host Jeff Cobb and David talk about the report David co-authored titled “Closing the Skills Gap: Employer Perspectives on Educating the P...
Apr 11, 2023•30 min
Melissa Majors is a keynote speaker, author of The Seven Simple Habits of Inclusive Leaders , and founder of Melissa Majors Consulting, where she helps leaders lead better and cultivate high-performing and engaged teams. Prior to starting her consulting practice, Melissa spent 20 years leading education services teams and divisions across a variety of industries, both large and small. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Melissa about what inclusive l...
Apr 04, 2023•31 min
We're thrilled to reach another milestone: 350 episodes of the Leading Learning Podcast. We are grateful to our listeners for making this possible. Milestones are opportunities to reflect, both on what’s past and what’s to come. In this episode, we focus on three areas we expect to be of continuing and growing importance in the learning landscape and for learning businesses: AI, the X factor, and the work/learn connection. Detailed show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at ht...
Mar 28, 2023•28 min
Learning businesses can play a critical role in creating learning pathways for adults that account for the realities of their work and life. Christine Carpenter, senior vice president of engagement at the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL), has spent years working with diverse stakeholders to establish such pathways and supporting on- and off-ramps to education for adult learners. CAEL is a nonprofit membership organization and leader in the field of adult learning on a mission t...
Mar 21, 2023•36 min
Regardless of your position, if you work in a learning business, you need to care about finding opportunities to grow revenue—AKA business development. According to Sean Soth, chair of the Leadership Advisory Board for Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR), we are all in business development. PAR is a professional member organization that works to support and connect association teams to the ideas and applications needed to grow revenue. PAR’s mission is to inspire revenue growth for assoc...
Mar 14, 2023•32 min
All too often learning businesses focus solely on traditional educational offerings. But, by narrowly focusing on courses and conferences, learning businesses miss an opportunity to better understand their learners' needs and to deliver more value. One of the best ways to understand those needs and to provide additional value is through a learning community. In this episode, we explore the concept of community, including what one is (and isn't), the value one can offer, how to create or ...
Mar 07, 2023•31 min
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming how we all live, work, and learn. It will undoubtedly impact every industry, redefining how leaders in the business of lifelong learning need to think and act. One company helping organizations, particularly marketers, do this is Marketing AI Institute. Marketing AI Institute’s mission is to make artificial intelligence approachable and actionable. And leading that mission is founder and CEO, Paul Roetzer. Paul is co-author of Marketing Artifi...
Feb 28, 2023•40 min
Content alone is usually not enough to stand out and make your learning business as useful and as successful as it can be. You usually need something else to supplement or enhance your content. That’s why we’ve identified five areas—what we’re calling the 5 Cs —to strategically build on the content that a learning business already has. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, we share those 5 Cs to help you enhance or repackage your existing products and services: coaching, cohorts, comm...
Feb 21, 2023•32 min
It’s critical that learning business professionals pay careful attention to the research they create and the research they rely on for making decisions. This means asking questions, knowing the research methods used, and understanding the limitations of the data. But, because most of us aren’t trained in research, this can be a challenge. That’s why Elizabeth Engel, chief strategist at Spark Consulting, and Polly Karpowicz, a seasoned association consultant, co-authored “Caveat Emptor: Becoming ...
Feb 14, 2023•41 min
Dr. Bror Saxberg is founder of LearningForge, a learning engineering consultancy that helps organizations think creatively about applying learning development and motivation science to their products, services, and strategies. Prior to this, he served as the chief learning officer and co-founder of K12 Inc., the chief learning officer of Kaplan, and the head of learning sciences at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Bror is an MD PhD, giving him a rich and unique perspective on the world of learnin...
Feb 02, 2023•49 min
1EdTech has been instrumental in the creation and ongoing management of important standards in the world of online learning. Formerly known as IMS Global, 1EdTech is a member-based community dedicated to powering learner potential. Its members include institutions and tech providers that work together to make learning technology better, safer, and more interoperable. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with Mark Leuba, vice president of product management at ...
Jan 31, 2023•28 min
You've probably noted the remarkable rise of ChatGPT. In a short time, it become a game-changer in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and has the potential to revolutionize the way we work and learn. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, we explain what ChatGPT is, how it works, and its implications for both learners and providers of learning. We also discuss concerns about and limitations of ChatGPT and what learning businesses need to consider when using it. Full show not...
Jan 19, 2023•22 min
Jen Lewi is an executive and career development coach, working at the intersection of coaching and learning. As vice president of career development and conferences at the School Nutrition Association (SNA), Jen helps SNA's diverse members get the training they need to succeed. IIn this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Jen about the opportunities and benefits of coaching for learning businesses. They also discuss pandemic-driven portfolio changes, the...
Jan 17, 2023•28 min
James Young is founder and chief learning officer of the Product Community, a product development learning community designed specifically for associations. Jim has decades of experience working in learning businesses that have embraced innovation in learning communities, gamification, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), cohort-based learning, and competency-based learning. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with return guest Jim about the connecti...
Jan 10, 2023•34 min
When we said goodbye to 2022, we took time to reflect on milestones, trends, and potential implications for learning businesses in the previous episode. Now it's time to prepare for the new year and look ahead to the areas that are likely to impact learning businesses most in 2023. In this first episode of the new year, we share data from a recent survey to uncover the top areas of focus for learning businesses in the coming year. We also share our key takeaways from the data and the related...
Jan 03, 2023•24 min
Understanding the science behind human behavior can be extremely powerful for learning businesses. Daniel H. Pink is the author of six provocative, bestselling books that uncover the truth about complex behaviors, including Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us , To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others , When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing , and, most recently, The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward . Dan Pink is also the creator of...
Dec 27, 2022•39 min
The topic of mindfulness is likely one you’ve heard a lot about in recent years. But what does it mean to be mindful? And what is the connection between mindfulness and learning? Dr. Ellen Langer is a social psychologist and a Harvard professor. She’s also a Guggenheim Fellow and the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her work on mindfulness that spans more than 40 years. She’s written 11 books and more than 200 research articles for general and academic readers on mindfulness. Her best...
Dec 20, 2022•27 min
With the end of the year quickly approaching, it’s a natural time to pause and reflect. Even though it can be easy to put reflection low on the priority list since it doesn’t necessarily lead to concrete outcomes, it’s an important practice and can have tremendous value for learning businesses. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, we reflect on 2022, our biggest milestones as a company, and bigger-picture trends impacting society more broadly. We also discuss the related challenges a...
Dec 13, 2022•27 min
Diana Howles is an award-winning speaker, global virtual facilitator, and master trainer with 25 years of experience in the talent development field. Diana is CEO and co-owner of Howles Associates and author of Next Level Virtual Training: Advance Your Facilitation . In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Diana about Next Level Virtual Training , the capability model she developed for virtual facilitators, and the pros and cons of hybrid or, as she pref...
Nov 30, 2022•27 min
Dr. Prasad Ram (Pram) is founder and CEO of Gooru, a non-profit research and technology organization on a mission to honor the human right to education. Gooru Navigator, a GPS for learning, guides learners to their goals along personalized learning pathways. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with Pram about Gooru, its app, and the philosophy behind it. They also talk about education as a fundamental human right, the inherent complexity of learning, and the ...
Nov 29, 2022•35 min
With COVID concerns drastically decreased, many learning businesses are focused on how to effectively implement blended learning and strike the balance between in-person and online learning. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, we share our definition of blended learning, how it’s different from hybrid learning, and why it’s of particular focus for us in the current moment. We also offer a four-step framework for designing effective blended learning experiences, referenced in our rel...
Nov 22, 2022•23 min
