Episode description

In this episode, we take an honest look at L&D: what does it mean today to be in L&D, what is the purpose of L&D, and how can L&D change its impact and perceived value in an organization to become a strategic contributor and get a seat at the table.

Guest: Clark Quinn, Ph.D., an internationally known consultant, speaker, and author of seven books. He thinks ‘out loud’ at learnlets.com, tweets as @quinnovator, and works on behalf of clients through Quinnovation.

Highlights:
* Learning experience design should consider that humans are driven by emotion rather than logical reasoning and incorporate ways to be impactful and effective (aka “sticky”). Reading recommendation: Motivational Design for Learning and Performance.
* To make learning meaningful, L&D needs to create a relatable story around a specific piece of organizational knowledge (a procedure, process, business rule, tool/functionality). This is the core of Dr. Quinn’s latest book: Make it meaningful.
* L&D should design impactful learning experiences regardless of company culture. Reading recommendation: Drive by Daniel Pink on purpose as a component of relatedness.
* L&D must internally practice the appropriate mechanisms that create a learning culture to improve its credibility in the business.
* L&D is crucial in an organization’s ability to tackle future innovation and competitiveness. Reading recommendation: Revolutionize Learning & Development.

Data sources to support L&D business cases:
- in-house experiments, run with the support of sponsors/champions
- anecdotal data or examples from other industries that show converging results
- academic research and books (for example, for the value of social media, you can read The New Social Learning)

Quick wins that L&D can start working on today:
A. Switch the approach of designing new learning experiences: instead of teaching the audience through a series of presentations, L&Ds could try other methods: problem investigation, collaboration, answering questions, and solving tasks that require the participant to apply the knowledge learned.
B. Change the indicators that L&D measures: instead of attendance rates, time spent learning, course reviews, and time to course delivery, L&D should focus on the business metrics it supports.
C. Find an enthusiastic adopter willing to work with L&D on designing a learning experience; present to management the improved business metrics.
D. A learning experience should offer ample practice context - currently, only 80% of the content is theoretical, and 20% is practical; L&D should switch the proportion.

To join the conversation or get in touch, reach out to Liz Stefan on LinkedIn or email liz[at]niftylearning.io.