'What did you think of the trainer' and 'How was the lunch?' These are two questions we won't be asking today, as we get stuck into effective learner surveys. Ross G and Owen are joined by Gent Ahmetaj, Head of Research at Mind Tools for Business, to discuss: the problem with traditional learner surveys the features of an academically robust survey issues with this approach and how to resolve them. Show notes For more details on our Insights team, and a delightful photo of Gent, see: https://eme...
Aug 13, 2021•35 min•Ep. 258
Over the last two years, L&D has been forced to adapt to rapid, unprecedented change. As learning leaders find new ways of supporting their organizations, is now the perfect time for them to rethink their learning strategy? This week on the The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, the two Rosses are joined by Michelle Ockers to discuss: what we mean when we talk about 'organizational learning strategy' what a good strategy looks like in practice how to develop a strategy that accounts for uncertainty...
Aug 10, 2021•35 min•Ep. 257
'Jobs To Be Done' (JTBD) is a framework that can be used to define consumer needs and identify how to meet them. In this week's Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by aNewSpring's Ger Driesen to explore how this can be applied to learning design. We discuss: what 'Jobs To Be Done' is examples of Jobs To Be Done how to apply this framework to your learning design challenges. Show notes Jobs to be Done , by Anthony W. Ulwick, is available as a free e-book at: jobs-to-be-done-boo...
Aug 03, 2021•35 min•Ep. 256
We tend to assume that, faced with the same problem on separate occasions, professionals will typically arrive at the same judgements — doctors will make the same diagnoses, mortgage lenders will set the same rates, judges will hand down the same sentences. But is professional judgement really as reliable as we think it is? This week on the The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, the team discuss Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgement , the new book from Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony and Cass R. Sunstein. W...
Jul 27, 2021•37 min•Ep. 255
It's been 17 months since we last spoke to authors Mark Britz and James Tyer. Since then, the world has shut down - on multiple occasions - and many of us have been working from home on a long-term basis. In this context, how do we make organizations 'social by design'? Ross G and Owen are joined once again by Mark and James to debate. We discuss: the impact that Covid-19 has had on their earlier predictions whether widespread 'working from home' has made organizations more (or less?) social the...
Jul 20, 2021•54 min•Ep. 254
Covid-19 has had a dramatic impact on L&D, super-charging existing trends and forcing learning leaders to re-evaluate pre-pandemic practices. More than a year into 'the new normal', how have perceptions changed within the profession? This week on the The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D is joined by Gent Ahmetaj and Nahdia Khan to discuss our 2021 L&D Benchmark Report. We discuss: the history of the annual benchmark report, and what it tells us about the state of the profession the top...
Jul 13, 2021•44 min•Ep. 253
Lots of organisations use survey tools to listen to employees, or capture 'employee voice'. But then we hear that no action is taken, or leadership teams don't know what to do with the results. Is there a better approach? On this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen speak to James Anderson and Donna Hamilton from employee listening platform Peachy Mondays. We discuss: why employee engagement surveys often fail to have an impact where employee listening offers value strategi...
Jul 06, 2021•37 min•Ep. 252
Animations can be beautiful and mesmerising pieces of art. This week on the Mind Tools L&D podcast, Gemma talks to Selina Wagner, Creative Director at Ping Creates, and Ross Garner about how we can use this art form to create impactful learning experiences. We discuss: when and where animations can become an effective part of a learning solution the process of designing and creating animations how to think through and overcome challenges Show notes Gemma refers to 'Fantasmagorie' - the first...
Jun 30, 2021•44 min•Ep. 251
In the final of three bonus episodes to celebrate our 250th show, Ross G talks to Gemma Paterson and Danny Seals about product management. This interview was recorded for the episode: 250 — Documentary Special: What can L&D learn from product management? Find the full episode in your podcast feed. Show notes Danny commented that Spotify don't use the Spotify Model. He was referencing this post: agility11.com/blog/2020/6/22/spotify-doesnt-use-the-spotify-model Connect with our speakers If you...
Jun 24, 2021•16 min
In the second of three bonus episodes to celebrate our 250th show, Ross G talks to Sukh Pabial about product management. This interview was recorded for the episode: 250 — Documentary Special: What can L&D learn from product management? Find the full episode in your podcast feed. Show notes Sukh wrote about the role of a product manager in L&D at: pabial.wordpress.com/2020/01/30/the-role-of-a-product-manager-in-ld/ Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this ep...
Jun 24, 2021•16 min
In the first of three bonus episodes to celebrate our 250th show, Ross G talks to Myles Runham about product management. This interview was recorded for the episode: 250 — Documentary Special: What can L&D learn from product management? Find the full episode in your podcast feed. Show notes Myles has written extensively on product management on his blog, at: mylesrunham.com/tag/product-management/ Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can chat to...
Jun 24, 2021•21 min
We're trying something new! For five years, The Mind Tools L&D Podcast (formerly The Good Practice Podcast) has enjoyed a conversational format. Today, for this anniversary special, we thought we'd try emulating the documentary-style podcasts we love: This American Life , Freakonomics and Radiolab . So this week we're asking: What can L&D learn from product management? We're speaking to independent consultants Myles Runham and Sukh Pabial, as well as Venndorly founder Danny Seals and Leg...
Jun 22, 2021•35 min•Ep. 250
Back in mid-March we spoke to Emerald Works' CEO John Yates and Frontline Pedagogy Lead, Laura Watkin, about their experience of starting senior roles remotely. This week on the Mind Tools L&D podcast, Gemma talks to freshly recruited team members from the same organisations - Emerald Works team member, David Sharkey and People Coordinator at Front, Simi Manik - on their remote onboard experiences. We discuss: what remote onboarding involves - the positives and negatives how it's different t...
Jun 15, 2021•34 min•Ep. 249
As there's no set or prescribed route into or through a career in L&D, no two career journeys are the same. This week on the Mind Tools L&D podcast, Gemma and her guests, Zahra Clarke-Johnney, Digital L&D Manager at English Institute of Sport, and Mind Tools' very own Sami Chan and Nahdia Khan, consider how to best plot one's way in, and through our evolving profession. We discuss: routes into the profession where to find support what the profession might hold in the future. Show not...
Jun 07, 2021•46 min•Ep. 248
In this 1-minute announcement, Ross G, Ross D and Gemma reveal some exciting changes taking place at Emerald Works. To check out our new-look website, visit: emeraldworks.com We'll be back next Tuesday as normal!
Jun 04, 2021•1 min
In this special episode, the regular Good Practice Podcast team have given up the microphone to Frontline's Laura Watkin, who returns to the show as guest host. Laura last appeared on episode 236, 'Working with strangers', and wanted an opportunity to reflect on her experience by leading a conversation with Ross G and Ross D. This episode includes some material we would normally cut, in order to provide a behind-the-scenes look at podcast production. We discuss: what makes a great podcast tips f...
Jun 01, 2021•42 min•Ep. 247
When we think of 'innovation', we tend to picture the bright ideas that people have in the bath. In reality, innovation is the product of hard work, collaborative effort and repeated failures. In this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast, Ross G and Owen explore innovation with Alan Cabello, Senior Research Fellow and Innovation Lecturer at ETH Zurich, and founder of SparkWorks and Sparkademy. We discuss: the environmental factors required for innovation to happen how organizations can in...
May 25, 2021•45 min•Ep. 246
The menopause might seem like a strange topic for a show about work, performance and learning - but half of the world's population will experience the menopause, and it does not take place around working hours. So, this week, Ross G is joined by Emerald Work's Katie Danes and Jamie Thomas, as well as Emerald Publishing's Erika Valenti, to share their experiences. We discuss: what the menopause is the impact on the workplace what organisations can do to support women. Show notes Katie wrote about...
May 14, 2021•43 min•Ep. 245
How do you accurately measure the effectiveness of your learning and development function? Can you provide clear evidence that your team are delivering value for your organisation? And how do you compare to other L&D teams? If your answer to any of these questions is: 'I have no idea', then benchmarking might be a good place to start. This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Owen and Ross G are joined by Carrie Horvath and Gent Ahmetaj - the team behind the Learning Performance Benchmark - to...
May 11, 2021•32 min•Ep. 244
If you work in L&D or HR and are looking to procure any kind of service, how do you know who to trust? If you work for a vendor or supplier, what approach do you take? On this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast, Ross G is joined by L&D buyer Gemma Paterson and L&D seller Danny Seals to explore vendor relationships. We discuss: the characteristics of great supplier relationships making the most of conference exhibitions the importance of recommendations. Show notes Some of th...
May 04, 2021•38 min•Ep. 243
On The Good Practice podcast this week, we're speaking about how to get ahead at work. Gemma and Ross G are joined by Gorick Ng, author of The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right . We discuss: The "rules" (Giving the impression of) competence, commitment and compatibility The implications of the rules on others Show notes To learn more about Gorick Ng and to order his book, visit http://gorick.com/ Or, you can buy a copy of The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Caree...
Apr 27, 2021•39 min•Ep. 242
Frequently criticised as box-ticking or virtue signalling by big business, diversity training has become a major talking point once again. Not least because of the resurgence of black lives matter last year, and the UK Government's recent - much criticised - report on race. So does diveristy training make a difference? And what do organisations need to do to drive change? On this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by D&I specialist Dana James-Edwards. We ...
Apr 20, 2021•47 min•Ep. 241
This week on The Good Practice Podcast, we're removing power dynamics and stripping away management layers with the return of our book club. Emerald Works CEO John Yates and Emerald Publishing CEO Vicky Williams join Ross G and Owen to discuss Humanocracy, by Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini. We discuss: the challenge the book presents to bureaucracy a human-centred approach to organisation design the difficulty of putting humanocracy into practice. Show notes Humanocracy is available now from all ...
Apr 13, 2021•44 min•Ep. 240
The quality of compliance training is, let's face it, variable. So how do you get across the dos and don'ts so that they transfer into safe and effective practices? This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Gemma is joined by compliance crazy, Tameka J. Harris, and co-host Ross G, to discuss: ways to think about compliance training useful design tips and techniques Show notes For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com . There, you'll also find deta...
Apr 06, 2021•45 min•Ep. 239
If your organisation had a pot of money that could either be used to fund apprenticeships or paid to the tax man, how would you choose to spend it? This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D is joined by two colleagues from Emerald Group, Mike Shaw and Fiona Allison, to discuss the Apprenticeship Levy. We cover: what the Levy is and how it works the extent to which L&D has failed to take advantage of the Levy to fund apprenticeships what it's like to be an apprentice, balancing work and ...
Mar 30, 2021•37 min•Ep. 238
This week on The Good Practice Podcast, we're following up on our recent virtual classroom facilitation episode with an in-depth look at design. Jennifer Lindsay-Finan and Karen Vieth, both of InSync Training, share their experience and advice. We discuss: when virtual classrooms are most appropriate the team's process for planning virtual classrooms the biggest mistakes people make in virtual classroom design. Show notes For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visi...
Mar 23, 2021•34 min•Ep. 237
A year into lockdown, more and more people have started new roles without ever having met a colleague face-to-face. In this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast, we find out what that's like for people professionals. To discuss, Ross G is joined by Emerald Works CEO John Yates, Frontline Pedagogy Lead Laura Watkin, and Study Group HRD Ed Griffin. Our guests all have different roles in different organisations, but one thing in common: they're working with strangers. We discuss: their exper...
Mar 16, 2021•40 min•Ep. 236
Few businesses have felt the impact of Covid-19 more keenly than those in the hospitality industry. Bars, restaurants and cafés have been forced to alter their working practices to keep staff and customers safe. So, how has L&D responded to the challenge? This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D is joined by James McLuckie from Flow and Thomas Stroppel from Dishoom to discuss: what James has been up to since he left Emerald Works the challenges facing L&D and HR in the hospitality ...
Mar 09, 2021•36 min•Ep. 235
If you're a trainer missing the thrill of face-to-face learning, but embracing online facilitation nevertheless, then this episode is for you! This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Gemma chats to Jo Cook and Gaëlle Watson to explore the possibilities that digital life offers facilitators. We discuss: the shifts that have taken place in what facilitators can do to enhance the online learning experiences they offer what further changes might happen as we move into mixed modalities. Show notes Fo...
Mar 02, 2021•48 min•Ep. 234
Covid-19 has changed the world of work, but how has this affected our approach to learning and development? Until now, reporting has been largely anecdotal. So, this week, we're digging into the data. Ross G and Owen are joined by fan favourite Sukh Pabial of Challenging Frontiers, who shares insights from a study he carried out from November 2020 to January 2021. We discuss: the methodology and limitations of Sukh's study (because we caveat everything on this podcast) how Covid has affected L&a...
Feb 23, 2021•38 min•Ep. 233
