If addressing Skills Gaps was as easy as plugging in a new platform filled with categorised content then L&D wouldn’t be recognised as part of the Skills Gap problem rather than addressing it. Yes, that’s right, Organisational Learning is deemed under-skilled at addressing ‘broad-based re-skilling efforts’. So how did we get here and how do we sort ourselves out? These questions - and many more are explored in this episode. KEY TAKEAWAYS Training and learning are different things. We are cre...
Mar 02, 2021•42 min•Ep. 64
So here we are again, like so many countries around the world, in Lockdown. But as we’ve learned over the past year, this does not mean that business completely stops and many are finding innovative ways to continue operating and certainly preparing for the next phase: Post-vaccination. In this episode, we get to hear from three successful and innovative L&D leaders about what’s happening in their teams, how they’re preparing for what comes next and their hopes for the future. KEY TAKEAWAYS ...
Feb 02, 2021•55 min•Ep. 62
Induction is common to all most all organisations. What’s also common is getting it wrong. Hours spent delivering slide after slide after slide with no intention of preparing attendees with the information and know-how that will impact their working. This was the case for Ross Stevenson at Trainline.com and this was the reason he decided to do something different - and do something that works. KEY TAKEAWAYS L&D must be seen as absolutely integral to any organisation, so that all of our peopl...
Jan 19, 2021•54 min•Ep. 61
We’ve discussed the principles of Digital Marketing and its application to L&D in previous podcasts but this one is slightly different. Satoshi and the team at SwissRe have up-skilled themselves and experimented with both the approaches and tools of Digital Marketing to get closer to employees and create a compelling Digital Learning offering. KEY TAKEAWAYS Too few L&D professionals see the overlap between L&D and digital marketing when it comes to efficiently influencing behaviour. ...
Jan 05, 2021•43 min•Ep. 60
As the last episode of 2020, we pause for reflection, summarise some of the learning from 26 episodes so far and look forward to next year. The first episode of 2021 will be released on 5th January. KEY TAKEAWAYS Many priorities from the world of 2019 were put aside in the wake of the COVID pandemic. It has forced us to re-evaluate what's important, and how we work in the world of today. Emerging trends have had a chance to shine in the new working landscape, including agile, experimentation and...
Dec 22, 2020•8 min•Ep. 59
It’s a comparison that provokes strong reactions from L&D professionals who see mostly distinctions between Digital Marketing and Workplace Learning. But both seek to be where people are looking for answers to their questions in order to influence their behaviour, via education and prompts. Not only does L&D have more in common with Digital Marketing than we’d like to admit but Marketers have also been on a journey we’d be wise to follow. We explore all of this and more in this episode. ...
Dec 08, 2020•45 min•Ep. 58
DESCRIPTION L&D is as renowned for not knowing the impact that interventions have as the training that's delivered. For some stakeholders and organisations it’s enough to know that training took place but that’s becoming less and less the case. In this episode, Kevin brings his experience of investigating learning impact via his latest ebook: The L&D Detective Kit For Solving Impact Mysteries. KEY TAKEAWAYS Impact is the extent to which training and learning is activating performance and...
Nov 24, 2020•44 min•Ep. 57
As organisations adapt to the challenges of COVID and Lockdown, L&D has adopted the essence of Agile by responding quickly to emerging needs, working closely with those expected to perform differently and being accountable for enabling performance and results. This has been necessary to play our part but there’s more we can do to develop ourselves and extend our value further. In this episode, Natal breaks it down for us to experiment further with Agile. KEY TAKEAWAYS HR have found themselve...
Nov 10, 2020•52 min•Ep. 56
Transitioning to a senior leadership position can be hugely challenging as experienced managers enter unchartered terrain. Without understanding quite what to expect, professionals are thrust into the most challenging of circumstances and many of them will fail. In this episode, insight is shed onto this transition, with stories, tips and advice from one of the world’s most renowned CLO’s. KEY TAKEAWAYS We must recognise that the building blocks of any successful learning begins with being great...
Oct 27, 2020•46 min•Ep. 55
Learning Games have been popular in L&D for a number of years but whilst the number of games designed and launched for organisational use has been significant, whether they’ve achieved what they’re designed for is another matter. So what does it take to design Learning Games that affect performance and results - and when is it most appropriate? We explore these questions and much more in this episode. KEY TAKEAWAYS Learning games are still very basic, not user-centric, and not even considere...
Oct 12, 2020•50 min•Ep. 54
So many people talk about where L&D is going but who’s actually doing it? Brian Murphy is. In this episode (recorded prior to lockdown), Brian explains his approach to L&D, how it focuses on - and seeks to address - performance, his "from courses to campaigns" approach and the journey he’s taken with his teams and organisations. KEY TAKEAWAYS Thinking about the profession through a business lens, and being more marketing oriented, has allowed us to see the elements of L&D that requir...
Sep 28, 2020•49 min•Ep. 53
Not many in L&D recognise the opportunity to automate L&D administration, compliance and entire digital learning journeys, saving enormous amounts of time as well as guiding employee performance. But what does it take to get to this and how do L&D teams take advantage of this opportunity, especially during these tough times? We explore all this and more in this episode. KEY TAKEAWAYS The most rewarding and satisfying results come from helping organisations get to a better place in te...
Sep 14, 2020•52 min•Ep. 52
As things have changed in recent months, Learning & Development Leaders have had to adapt too. Whereas before the People Development Strategy could have looked like an incremental build on the existing situation, it now has to speak to equipping people to adapt and perform in extraordinary circumstances. In this episode, Jilly Julian talks about this in the context of Legal Services. Jilly Julian Bio Jilly is Senior L&D Business Partner at Horwich Farrelly, having previously head People ...
Aug 31, 2020•41 min•Ep. 51
When Sean Cooper took over L&D at Jet2 he was given a blank sheet of paper to redesign it but to achieve real business outcomes. By believing that he could this with digital-first, rather than classroom-first, and by adopting a data-driven and Agile approach, he transformed L&D, achieving more than he thought he could - and was recognised by the industry. KEY TAKEAWAYS The traditional form of eLearning is not engaging. Many are simply clicking through until they reach the end with the ai...
Aug 17, 2020•47 min•Ep. 50
The consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have been dramatic and far-reaching. Many organisations and even industries have faced existential threats. But the situation has also provided L&D with huge opportunities. In this episode Robb Sayers explains how these opportunities have presented themselves to him and how he sees L&D progressing from here. KEY TAKEAWAYS Lockdown has allowed certain activities in development to be brought forward, with the aim of incr...
Aug 03, 2020•43 min•Ep. 49
Too many L&D teams still only expect their digital offering to supplement face-to-face and drive engagement as an end in itself. But that’s no longer enough. The opportunity now is to influence performance and therefore results. Peter Manniche-Riber challenges himself to do this and in this episode he shares the method he uses to have a different type of conversation with stakeholders and build solutions that make the difference. KEY TAKEAWAYS Far too many people are still focused upon how l...
Jul 20, 2020•51 min•Ep. 48
Having introduced Agile into River Island, Nebel is in the process of doing the same at her current organisation, Roche. Not just into the HR team, where she is Director of HR & Communications, but across the entire employee population. Learn from Nebel’s rich experience of succeeding with Agile in HR and L&D - with real examples - and how you can do the same. KEY TAKEAWAYS Working in an agile space is about breaking things down incrementally, delivering at a pace that suits the business...
Jul 06, 2020•44 min•Ep. 47
The consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic have been immediate and far-reaching. L&D teams have had to move quickly to respond to very real, and very urgent needs. But what could this mean for our profession in the mid- to long-term? And to what extent are there opportunities for L&D? KEY TAKEAWAYS COVID’s effects have not just been on a business and economic scale, but also on a personal level. We have had to deal with issues pertaining to business, staff, and ourselves. The strain ha...
Jun 23, 2020•28 min•Ep. 46
Serena Gonsalves-Fersch is conducting extensive research, as part of a doctorate, on the future of our profession. In this episode, we explore Serena’s findings so far, how these findings map to Serena’s considerable experience and what the future of Learning & Development could mean for all of us. KEY TAKEAWAYS There are a remarkable number of opinions on what L&D should and could be doing. However, when you’re working in the sector, and beneath the expectations of internal stakeholders...
Jun 08, 2020•43 min•Ep. 45
Organisations have moved quicker than they could have ever predicted in light of the current crisis, and L&D teams within these organisations have had to do the same. Sarah Allen and her team at AXA UK are an example of how quickly things changed, and how swiftly an L&D team needed to respond in order to meet changing needs. So what did that mean - and what will it mean from here on out? KEY TAKEAWAYS The insurance industry has a responsibility to protect customers during normality, and ...
May 25, 2020•35 min•Ep. 44
The current crisis has changed plenty, some will last well beyond lockdown and some will pass. One thing for sure is that organisations will want to make up for missed opportunities, when restrictions are relaxed, and businesses will want to make up for lost revenue. We can anticipate an unforgiving period in the short- to mid-term and L&D will be under greater scrutiny to make a significant contribution. To this end, we can expect a hastening of some emerging trends in L&D, such as the ...
May 11, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 43
As the world copes with the Coronavirus pandemic, L&D departments are adapting to lead with digital solutions, to engage a remote workforce and influence their working. In this episode, Alice talks about how she’s been leading with digital solutions, in her current and previous roles, and how she uses data, experimentation and a campaign approach to achieve real results. KEY TAKEAWAYS The new way of remote working is forcing innovation in digital learning through, which is a huge opportunity...
Apr 27, 2020•46 min•Ep. 42
It’s a strange and worrying time for us all at the moment and the role of L&D will need to adapt in response. But will it be enough to send people to the online content we had before? Well, if it wasn’t before, how can it be the case now? Many of the changes we were beginning to see in our profession are likely to be required more quickly (data-driven decisions, performance-focused and user-centric digital solutions) as we seek to make a meaningful difference, remotely. In this episode of th...
Apr 13, 2020•59 min•Ep. 41
The Learning and Development Podcast Live It’s a strange and worrying time for us all at the moment and the role of L&D will need to adapt in response. But will it be enough to send people to the online content we had before? Well, if it wasn’t before, how can it be the case now? Many of the changes we were beginning to see in our profession are likely to be required more quickly (data-driven decisions, performance-focused and user-centric digital solutions) as we seek to make a meaningful d...
Mar 30, 2020•2 min•Ep. 40
It’s not a case of ‘if’ but ‘when’ L&D fully jumps onboard with Data & Analytics. This is the view of Trish Uhl, who, in this episode, explores how data has already transformed organisations, industries and consumer expectations and why L&D can no longer wait until the hype has passed. L&D is late to the party but the good news is it’s not too late. KEY TAKEAWAYS What few people in L&D really understand about how data can help their business practice is: It’s not just about h...
Mar 17, 2020•50 min•Ep. 39
‘To solve real problems requires challenge, and a change in mindset and skillset’ Is L&D really prone to solving problems that are only really problems for L&D and neglecting the real problems that our organisations and employees need addressing? In this episode, the topic is explored and examples given of where L&D are guilty and what we all need to do instead. In this episode, David is in conversation with Rob Moors who has considerable experience in Learning and development and is...
Mar 03, 2020•38 min•Ep. 38
In this fascinating episode packed with thought-provoking content David is in conversation with Guy Wallace, Performance Analyst and Instructional Architect for Enterprise, Training and Development. With more than 40 years in the field of Learning & Development, Guy Wallace knows that focusing on performance and taking the time to analyse the performance context is essential for making meaningful change. The problem is, he’s been banging this drum for decades and the profession is still yet ...
Feb 18, 2020•50 min•Ep. 37
Workflow Learning, Learning In The Flow of Work, or Learning at the Point Of Work? However we wish to call it, guidance and support at the moment they need it is a sure fire way of gaining engagement in L&D solutions and, more importantly, helping people do more of the right things in order to get results. In this episode, Conrad Gottfredson, a true pioneer in this field, shares his insights and experience of this methodology and approach. KEY TAKEAWAYS Workflow learning environments 1 Exper...
Feb 04, 2020•48 min•Ep. 36
‘We are not always the best at learning in learning’ David is in conversation with James Poletyllo, Director of the Learning Effect, he has extensive experience in people development and champions the development of the profession and brings challenge to ineffective practice. Is Learning and Development sleepwalking into extinction? This is an uncomfortable question to be asking - let alone to be answering - but it’s an important one. One that James Poletyllo explored in a recent article. In thi...
Jan 21, 2020•44 min•Ep. 35
Important Information About The Learning & Development Podcast This is a very short episode announcing that new episodes of The Learning & Development podcast will be released fortnightly for a while with the next episode being with you on Tuesday 21st of January. ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. ...
Jan 14, 2020•1 min•Ep. 34
