The Mind Tools L&D Podcast: Recent Episodes

Emerald Works

The Mind Tools L&D Podcast is a must-listen for anyone involved in Learning and Development or Human Resources. The weekly show features regular appearances from the Mind Tools team plus special guests to get right to the heart of issues affecting the L&D and HR communities. From learning needs analysis and evidence-based practice through to the impact of technology on work and hot topics at industry conferences, you'll get critical insights into the world of work, performance and learning.

Remember 'performance support'? Amid all the talk of AI, adaptive learning, and skills, it's kind of been forgotten.

But not by us! Or by respondents to Don Taylor's Global Sentiment Survey, who ranked it 11th hottest trend this year (up two from last year).

In the first of a two-part series of crossover episodes with our partner Assemble You, Ross G and Paul are joined by Adam Lacey to discuss:

What makes great performance support?
What conditions make performance support effective?
What role does AI play in all this?

To find out more about the performance support available for leaders and managers, from Mindtools, visit mindtools.com. And, good news! You can now add Microsoft Shorts from Assemble You to your subscription.During this episode, Ross G discussed extended cognition and the productivity paradox.

Paul discussed Gloria Gery's definition of performance support.

Ross also discussed the book Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro, and our 2016 report 'The Secret Learning Lives of Managers' (which I was able to find and put on Dropbox).

We also discussed the World Economic Forum's 'Future of Jobs 2025' report.

And in 'What I Learned This Week', Paul recommended the book Kill the Unicorn, and Adam recommended The Anxious Generation.

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Ross Garner
Paul Buller
Adam Lacey

Should we be adopting AI more into our day to day lives? How can L&D professionals move beyond reactive training on specific tools to cultivate a continuous learning mindset in team members?

In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Gemma and Dr Anna are joined by to Head of L&D at Newsquest Media Group, Mel Cooley to explore L&D’s relationship with AI.

We discuss:

how L&D is thinking and talking about AI;
what L&D can do to support AI integration;
how to measure the impact of AI.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Dr Anna told us about the extraordinary relationship between wasps and figs. Listen to the Short Stuff: Figs @& Wasps podcast to find out more.

Gemma spoke about journalling and the work of Nichole Sachs. More on this on her JournalSpeak: BreakAwake website.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

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Gemma Towersey
Dr Anna Barnett
Mel Cooley

Armed with a STEM qualification or two, you might think technical brilliance is all one needs to succeed in the space sector. Is this the case though?

In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Anna are joined by Victoria Craig to discuss:

the importance of ‘soft’ skills in a ‘hard’ science environment;
sector-specific skills gaps;
how L&D can bridge these gaps.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross reminisced about playing a Sega game called Mickey Mania. Take a look at the game’s Wikipedia page.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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Ross Garner
Dr Anna Barnett
Victoria Craig

Effective marketers have an uncanny way of knowing what we want and convincing us to click ‘Like’, add to Checkout and in under 20 seconds, buy their thing. Clever.

Meanwhile, over in L&D, we find it more difficult to motivate someone to take action or change their behaviour. So, what does marketing do that we don’t?

In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G is joined by Bianca Baumann and Mike Taylor, authors of Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro: Strategies to Ignite Learning. They discuss:

The intersection of marketing and learning principles
The techniques marketing professionals use to grab attention and nudge action
How L&D can bring these strategies into their work

You can find out more about Bianca and Mike on their website: trainlikeamarketer.com/

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

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Ross Garner
Bianca Baumann
Mike Taylor

Having the opportunity to set up a new team can be both exciting and daunting. Where would you start when it’s an L&D team?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Head of People Development Daneille Ware speaks to Gemma and Ross about her approach to creating an L&D team from scratch. We discuss:

· The triggers for creating a new or evolved L&D department

· How to get started with quick wins

· Using data to support decisions

In ‘What I Learnt This Week’, Ross mentioned the two-part Star Wars related episodes of the Rewatchables called ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Van Lathan.'

Gemma also talks about a podcast, but one with a very different tone. She listened to Dr Chatterjee speak to Erling Kagge about solitude on 'Feel better, Live more'.

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. 

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Danielle Ware
Ross Garner
Gemma Towersey

Collaboration is a vital skill across many fields and disciplines. But effective collaboration is about much more than just working together.

In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Paula are joined by Fraser Mcdonald, Head of Collaboration at Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) and Deputy Director of the Data for Children Collaborative, to discuss:

why collaboration is important when it comes to solving 'wicked problems';
how Mindtools worked with the EFI to develop a game that's designed to build collaboration skills;
why a game was the right solution to this problem, and how it's being deployed within the EFI.

To find out more about the work Fraser does, check out the Edinburgh Futures Institute and Data for Children Collaborative's websites.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Paula mentioned that she'd been digging into the surprisingly wild history of papal conclaves.

Fraser recommended the website ToS;DR, which provides an eye-opening breakdown of what we're agreeing to when we use different websites and platforms.

And Ross D talked about a recent episode of the 99% Invisible podcast, focusing on the relationship between architecture and tax codes.

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. 

You can also subscribe to our newsletter.

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Ross Dickie
Paula Hughes
Fraser Mcdonald

Whether it comes to facilitating workshops, designing learning experiences, or developing campaign assets, L&D practitioners are increasingly expected to bring creativity to their roles. But how do you do this if you don't have a creative background, or if you don't think of yourself as a 'creative person'?

In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Gemma are joined by Kenny Temowo, Senior Director of Talent Acceleration at SharkNinja and host of the Inside the Art of Making podcast, to discuss:

Kenny's career journey through the creative industries, into workplace learning, and back again;
what it means to be 'creative', and how this applies in L&D
how to meet consumer-level creative expectations with L&D budgets;
how to earn the permission to be creative at work.

You can listen to Kenny's podcast, Inside the Art of Making, on Spotify. (Or wherever you get your podcasts.)

In 'What I Learned This Week', Gemma mentioned The Cloudspotter's Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney.

Ross D gave a lukewarm review of the movie Field of Dreams.

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. 

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Ross Dickie
Gemma Towersey
Kenny Temowo

Often on this podcast we've spoken about how AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini are enhancing our capabilities. But do they also come at a cost?

In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross Stevenson from Steal These Thoughts joins Ross G and Dr Gent to discuss:

the relationship between tasks and skills;
whether we are over-relying on AI;
the long-term impact of AI use on critical thinking.

During the discussion, Ross S discussed the recent robot race in Beijing and the concept of vibe coding, via Lovable. He also mentioned Apple's sometimes-hilarious AI summaries.

Gent discussed cognitive offloading.

The paper Gent discussed was:

Gerlich, M. (2025). AI Tools in Society: Impacts on Cognitive Offloading and the Future of Critical Thinking. Societies, 15(1), 6.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G shared how you can use a sausage to interact with your smartphone screen.

For more from Ross S, visit Steal These Thoughts.

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. 

You can also subscribe to our newsletter.

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Ross Garner
Dr Gent Ahmetaj
Ross Stevenson

What are the benefits of podcasts for learning? How does L&D respond to people leaving the profession? Should we get rid of email?

In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G is joined by Anna and Ross D to answer your questions!

During the discussion, Ross D referenced our post 'If your podcast isn't available on mobile, does it make a sound?', and Cal Newport's Deep Work.

Ross G referenced the AI 2027 forecast. He also discussed (and wrote about) Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke's recent edict on the use of AI.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Anna discussed PowerPoint transitions, from Luis Urrutia.

Ross D discussed his new (tidier) LinkedIn URL. Find out how to edit your own.

Ross G discussed the former residents of London Bridge.

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. 

You can also subscribe to our newsletter.

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Ross Garner
Dr Anna Barnett
Ross Dickie

What drives your delegation decisions? Is it what's best for the business? Is it what's best for your team member? Is it what's best for you?

In this week's edition of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Ross D and Dr Anna discuss:

Why managers sometimes delegate tasks that they know are too difficult
How the organization's culture shapes those decisions
How to help managers delegate better.

The paper we discussed throughout this podcast was:

Maas, V. S., & Shi, B. (2023). The effects of target difficulty and relative ability on managers’ delegation decisions. Management Accounting Research, 60, 100851.

Ross G also referenced:

Crossley, C. D., Cooper, C. D., & Wernsing, T. S. (2013). Making things happen through challenging goals: Leader proactivity, trust, and business-unit performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(3), 540.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D discussed the concept of 'moving day', as reported on by The Atlantic.

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. 

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Ross Garner
Dr Anna Barnett
Ross Dickie

Many organizations treat 'inclusion' and 'wellbeing' as separate issues, but Dr Serena Huang - author of The Inclusion Equation - argues that the two are intrinsically linked. And, that data is how you can make better decisions about how to make a positive impact on both.

In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Serena joins Ross G and Dr Anna to discuss:

Why these two areas are inseparable
Why data in this space isn't as 'unmeasurable' as it seems
Two approaches to data gathering that you can start using today.

During the discussion, Dr Anna referenced ProPublica's reporting on the bias they discovered in software used to predict future criminals.

Ross referenced the work Mindtools did with Burberry, around 'allyship'.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed the origin of the term 'Bluetooth', which he learned from The Rest is History podcast.

Dr Serena's book, The Inclusion Equation, is available now.

For more from us, visit mindtools.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 to speak to our Insights team (including Dr Anna) about your learning measurement needs, just send her a note on LinkedIn or email custom@mindtools.com

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Ross Garner
Dr Anna Barnett
Dr Serena Huang

We might think that what makes our team culture great (or awful) is different from what supports our learning and development. Are they so different, though?

In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Gemma are joined by L&D professional turned Culture Manager, Lois Ratcliffe to discuss:

what ‘culture’ is and how it gets measured;
what it takes to have a good feedback culture;
the features of a learning culture.

Lois refers to the three layers of organisational culture proposed by Shein. To find out more about Shein, here’s one of our articles on Achieving Culture Change.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Lois recommended The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells for a thought-provoking read with an AI theme.

If you’re feeling time-poor, Gemma recommended the book 4000 Weeks by Oliver Burkeman.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

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Ross Dickie
Lois Ratcliffe
Gemma Towersey

Digital learning content offers a scalable, always-on option to help your people build their skills and overcome workplace challenges. But often these libraries get dusty, bogged down by out-of-date content with little relevance, or hidden away in a dark corner of the intranet where no one can find them.

So in this episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Virgin Money’s Martin Ritchie, Digital Learning Manager, joins Ross Garner and Lara to share:

How Virgin Money raise awareness of their Mind Tools content library;
Techniques for promoting a proactive learning mindset;
‘Push’ vs ‘pull’ learning.

During the discussion, Ross referenced a recent academic paper: Albarracín, D., Fayaz-Farkhad, B., & Granados Samayoa, J. A. (2024). Determinants of behaviour and their efficacy as targets of behavioural change interventions. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1-16.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed ‘pebbling’, as covered by The Guardian.

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. 

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Ross Garner
Lara Kidd
Martin Ritchie

Most organizations offer some kind of content library to help their people develop. But how much content is too much? How do you give your people choice, without overloading them?

In this week's episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Ross D are joined by Rosemary Hoskins (formerly of AstraZeneca), to discuss:

Why are extensive content libraries a problem (as well as a solution) for organizations?
What mechanisms help people find the right content, at the right time?
Does it matter if people like the content we provide?

The article Rosemary wrote with Marc Zao-Sanders was 'A framework for discoverability'.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D recommended the Supercommunicators podcast, from Slate.

G discussed the rise of 'zero-click search'.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our Manager Skill Builder, and our custom work. 

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Ross Garner
Ross Dickie
Rosemary Hoskins

Unsurprisingly, artificial intelligence once again topped the results of Donald Taylor’s Global Sentiment Survey. Almost every other option on the survey lost vote-share this year, with the exception of the ‘value trio’. So, what do these findings tell us about the state of L&D, and how the profession is evolving?

In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Don joined Ross D and Ross G for our annual breakdown of the survey’s results. We discuss:

what the Global Sentiment Survey is (and what it isn’t);
AI's unprecedented dominance of the survey, and the conclusions we can draw from this;
the return of the ‘value trio’;
the extent to which L&D’s perceived challenges align with perceived ‘hot’ topics.

To read the full Global Sentiment Survey 2025 report, head to Don’s website.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross G recommended the 'Tab limit’ extension for Google Chrome.

Ross D referenced Jared Cooney Horvath’s video ‘CheatGPT | A textbook case of bad research’.

And Don mentioned the paper ‘A systematic literature review of artificial intelligence (AI) in coaching: insights for future research and product development’, from The Journal of Work-Applied Management.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

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Ross Dickie
Ross Garner
Donald Taylor

It’s ‘Bring Your Paper to Work’ day at Mindtools Towers, as Ross G, Ross D and Dr Anna each take turns to share an academic study that they think has key insights for L&D professionals.

We discuss:

The impact of AI on critical thinking, as investigated in:
- Lee, H. P. H., Sarkar, A., Tankelevitch, L., Drosos, I., Rintel, S., Banks, R., & Wilson, N. (2025). The Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Self-Reported Reductions in Cognitive Effort and Confidence Effects From a Survey of Knowledge Workers.
How consultants who use AI act either as ‘cyborgs’ or ‘centaurs’ in:
- Dell'Acqua, F., McFowland III, E., Mollick, E. R., Lifshitz-Assaf, H., Kellogg, K., Rajendran, S., ... & Lakhani, K. R. (2023). Navigating the jagged technological frontier: Field experimental evidence of the effects of AI on knowledge worker productivity and quality. Harvard Business School Technology & Operations Mgt. Unit Working Paper, (24-013).
Why we should go beyond 'choice architecture' to look at 'choice infrastructure' in:
- Schmidt, R. (2024). A model for choice infrastructure: Looking beyond choice architecture in Behavioral Public Policy. Behavioural Public Policy, 8(3), 415-440.

During the discussion, Anna referenced our previous podcast with Erica Werneman Root, What does ‘AI literacy’ look like in organizations?

She also mentioned a blog from Ralph Losey on centaurs and cyborgs.

And we discussed Ross G's newsletter on augmentation vs upskilling.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D discussed Chesteron's fence.

Anna discussed whether women can run faster than men over ultralong distances, via More or Less.

As a brief aside, apologies for the slightly worse audio on Ross G's track this episode. After 430+ episodes, he's still making mistakes.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.   Or email custom@mindtools.com.

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Ross Dickie
Anna Barnett
Ross Garner

The World Economic Forum’s recent ‘Future of Jobs’ report positioned ‘AI and big data’ and ‘technological literacy’ as skills that will become increasingly important over the next five years. But what do these skills look like in practice? What do we mean when we talk about ‘AI literacy’?

In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Anna are joined by Erica Werneman Root, legal consultant and co-founder of Knowledge Bridge, to discuss:

what ‘AI literacy’ means in different contexts;
the compliance implications of building AI literacy in organizations;
how L&D can help employees develop AI skills.

To find out more about AI literacy, check out Erica’s recent articles for IAPP.

For examples of how organizations are building AI literacy programmes, explore the AI Office’s ‘Living Repository of AI Literacy Practices’.

The blog Anna mentioned was ‘From Centaurs To Cyborgs: Our evolving relationship with generative AI’

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Anna referenced research from Harvard, exploring the effects of AI on knowledge work.

Ross D mentioned OpenAI’s new ‘Deep Research’ tool. More trivially, he also shared Pierre Franey’s five-star recipe for turkey chilli.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

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Ross Dickie
Anna Barnett
Erica Werneman Root

In last week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, we explored sales enablement from the perspective of sales and marketing teams. But where do product teams fit in? Beyond building products, what role do these teams play in generating revenue?

For the second instalment in our two-part series on sales enablement, Ross D and Lara are once again joined by Darren Bezani, Chief Salecologist at Salecology, to discuss:

why it’s important to involve product teams in sales enablement;
the behaviors we want product teams to demonstrate;
how L&D can support this, beyond simply providing training.

To learn more about Darren’s work, head to salecology.com.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Lara mentioned A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass.

Ross D recommended Warren Zanes’ book Deliver Me from Nowhere, exploring the making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Dickie
Lara Kidd
Darren Bezani

All sales training is sales enablement, but not all sales enablement is sales training.

In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross Dickie and Lara are joined by Darren Bezani, Chief Salecologist at Salecology, to discuss:

what ‘sales enablement’ means, and why it’s intentionally broader in scope than sales training;
what sales enablement is designed to achieve, beyond increased sales;
the role of managers in sales enablement.

To learn more about Darren’s work, head to salecology.com.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Lara recommended the ‘How to Unlock the Power of Your Subconscious Mind’ episode of Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s Feel Better Live More podcast.

Ross D discussed Ben Betts’ blog post ‘The fall of click-next e-learning: What Operator means for training’.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Dickie
Lara Kidd
Darren Bezani

Those of who work in learning and development like to think we're in the business of behavior change. But we often don't have an in-depth understanding of what current behaviors are, or how to change them.

In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner is joined by Ross Dickie and Dr Anna Barnett to discuss:

methods for understanding behavior;
digital learning methods for changing behavior;
methods for measuring change.

During the discussion, Ross Garner described the Dunning-Kruger effect.

Ross Dickie mentioned libertarian paternalism, very much a friend-of-the-show.

Anna referenced the COM-B model of behavior change.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Anna recommended a presentation from the Behavioral Insights Team, and Ross G referenced his video on nudge theory.

Ross Dickie discussed Jevon’s paradox, based on Satya Nadella’s tweet about Chinese AI firm DeepSeek.

And Ross Garner recommended a thread on X, where famous movie scenes are recreated as Lego.

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There you’ll also find details of our Manager Skill Builder, our on-demand management development program that intelligently adapts to every user. 

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Ross Dickie
Dr Anna Barnett

The National Trust is Europe’s largest conservation charity, established 130 years ago to look after the UK’s nature, beauty and history. Its leaders have diverse areas of focus, from protecting woodland to managing properties – and even running a gold mine!

In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Ross D find out just how the Trust develops these leaders, with Development Specialist Carole Thelwall-Jones.

We discuss:

how a leader needs to think ‘to be’ lists, rather than ‘to do’ lists;
how leadership development is structured at the National Trust;
how L&D professionals can help new leaders let go of what helped them succeed in the past.

During the discussion, Carole referenced Leadership: Plain and Simple, by Steve Radcliffe.

Ross G referenced our ‘Building Better Managers’ report.

Carole also discussed the 4D instructional design model, and Roffey Park’s report ‘The Expert as Leader’.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D recommended The Racket: On Tour with Tennis’s Golden Generation – and the other 99%, by Conor Niland.

Carole discussed Roko’s basilisk and Stephen Fry’s lecture AI: A means to an end or a means to the end?

Ross G discussed ‘The Illusion of Explanatory Depth’.

For more on the National Trust, visit their website: nationaltrust.org.uk

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There you’ll also find details of our Manager Skill Builder, our on-demand management development program that intelligently adapts to every user. 

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Ross Dickie
Carole Thelwall-Jones

Author, podcaster and award-winning filmmaker Topaz Adizes specializes in creating deeper human connections. So, in this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast, he joins Ross Garner and Owen for an in-depth chat about:

how to formulate questions to build understanding;
how better conversations help us partner with our clients and stakeholders;
the benefits of online and in-person conversations.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed the growing capabilities of ‘Large Behavior Models’, via The Economist.

For more from Topaz, visit topazadizes.com

For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There you’ll also find details of our Manager Skill Builder, our on-demand management development program that intelligently adapts to every user. 

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Ross Garner
Owen Ferguson
Topaz Adizes

At last year’s Learning Technologies Awards, Mindtools and South Western Railway won Gold in the ‘Best use of blended learning – commercial sector’ category.

In this week’s episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast for 2025, Ross D and Claire are joined by Becky Eason, Leadership Delivery Manager at South Western Railway, to discuss:

The context in which the program was developed, and the problems it was designed to solve;
How we used focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and a valid and reliable behavioral survey to test assumptions and prove impact;
The results of the program and the changes we've made to it in response to evaluation of the pilot.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Claire gave her seal of approval to Wicked, Becky recommended the Netflix series La Palma, and Ross D wondered why he doesn’t listen to the Song Exploder podcast more often.

For more from us, visit mindtools.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 us on LinkedIn:

Ross Dickie
Claire Gibson
Becky Eason

Do remote and hybrid managers need different skills to those who work in-person? If so, what are those skills and how do we develop them?

In this first episode of The Mindtools L&D Podcast for 2025, Ross Dickie and Ross Garner are joined by return guest Gary Cookson, author of Making Hybrid Working Work.

We discuss:

The ‘sensory loss’ that takes place when managers move to a hybrid environment
The digital signals that help managers understand their teams
Strategies for building hybrid management capability.

Gary’s book, Making Hybrid Working Work, is available now from Kogan Page.

During the discussion, we referenced a few other episodes of our podcast:

271 — Jobcraft Country
406 — Revisiting 70:20:10: Theory into practice
407 — Revisiting 70:20:10: From learning to performance
421 — Good managers balance care with results

Ross Garner also discussed ‘context-dependent memory effect’.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, we each shared a paper:

Ross G: Vences, M., Köhler, J., Hutter, C. R., Preick, M., Petzold, A., Rakotoarison, A., ... & Scherz, M. D. (2024). Communicator whistles: A Trek through the taxonomy of the Boophis marojezensis complex reveals seven new, morphologically cryptic treefrogs from Madagascar (Amphibia: Anura: Mantellidae). Vertebrate Zoology, 74, 643-681.
Gary: Veronese, N., Stubbs, B., Noale, M., Solmi, M., Vaona, A., Demurtas, J., ... & Fontana, L. (2017). Fried potato consumption is associated with elevated mortality: an 8-y longitudinal cohort study. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 106(1), 162-167.
Goh, E., Gallo, R., Hom, J., Strong, E., Weng, Y., Kerman, H., ... & Chen, J. H. Large Language Model Influence on Diagnostic Reasoning. JAMA Network Open, 7(10).

For more from us, including details of our new Manager Skill Builder, visit mindtools.com.

There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

For more from Gary, see EpicHR.co.uk

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Ross Dickie
Gary Cookson

Another year, another Christmas Special! We've scraped the barrel of festive ideas and selected Love Actually, the "greatest Christmas movie of all time", as the unfortunate premise of this year's audio horrorshow.

In this edition, Ross G will be asking questions that are very loosely based on the Richard Curtis classic, with answers from Ross D, Anna and Owen.

Including:

In Love Actually, grumpy husband Alan Rickman gets into trouble when he buys a necklace for a woman who isn't his wife. If you were to buy a gold necklace for another profession, other than L&D, what would it be and why?
Creepy romantic Andrew Lincoln spends Love Actually pining after Keira Knightley: The wife of his best friend. What aspect of L&D do you secretly love, but know that you can never be involved with?
Spurned husband Colin Firth spends Love Actually learning Portuguese to be with the woman he loves. What L&D language do you plan on spending the Christmas season learning?
Aging rocker Bill Nighy performs his single 'Christmas Is All Around Me' naked on TV, to celebrate it taking the Christmas Number 1 spot. What's your great ambition for 2025?

During the discussion, Ross D referenced our newsletter 'Every learning intervention you design should be award-worthy'

Ross G referenced the Mitchell & Webb sketch 'Are we the baddies?'

Anna recommended our 'critical thinking' Skill Bite course.

The papers Anna discussed were:

Carter, J. W., & Youssef-Morgan, C. (2022). Psychological capital development effectiveness of face-to-face, online, and Micro-learning interventions. Education and Information Technologies, 27(5), 6553-6575.
Carpenter, S. K., Pan, S. C., & Butler, A. C. (2022). The science of effective learning with spacing and retrieval practice. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1(9), 496-511.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D revealed a shocking truth about Darlene Love's 'All Alone On Christmas'.

Ross G recommended A Christmas Carol, as read by Hugh Grant.

For more from us, including details of our new Manager Skill Builder, visit mindtools.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 us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Owen Ferguson
Dr Anna Barnett
Ross Dickie

When your team are faced with a crisis, you want them to be prepared. But how do you build those capabilities when crises are rare, and you hope they never occur?

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen explore the use of simulations to build capability. We’re joined by Chris Peschanel, who ran crisis management at Bayer Pharmaceuticals for 12 years, and by Phil Willcox from St8 of Play.

We discuss:

· why simulations are the best approach for developing real-world skills in crisis management

· the role that emotions play in making these learning experiences memorable

· what a simulation sounds like in practice and how to create your own.

You can find out more about simulations from St8 of Play.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen shared how GiveDirectly increase donations.

Ross discussed Trung Phan’s newsletter on Duolingo’s priorities.

Phil discussed the paper: Chang, C. C., & Yang, S. T. (2024). Learners’ positive and negative emotion, various cognitive processing, and cognitive effectiveness and efficiency in situated task-centered digital game-based learning with different scaffolds. Interactive Learning Environments, 32(9), 5058-5077.

For more from us, including details of our new Manager Skill Builder, visit mindtools.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 us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Owen Ferguson

· Phil Willcox

· Chris Peschanel

Hello listeners! No new episode this week, but we wanted to revisit this 2018 classic with Dom Price, from Atlassian.

It'll help you think about whether the habits and behaviors that have helped you navigate the world to this point, are still useful today.

Regular show notes below.

In the early stages of our careers we learn how to do our jobs, manage office politics and earn promotion. But those habits and behaviours that initially help us advance can become a burden. We end up in meetings because it used to be important to show face, and not because they're an effective use of our time.

In this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen speak to Dom Price, Futurist at software developer Atlassian, about his approach to 'unlearning' habits and behaviours.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us all on LinkedIn.

The Atlassian Team Playbook is available at: https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook

For a fun insight into how Atlassian team members speak to one another, see: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/inside-atlassian/teamwork-data-visualization

Owen's 'What I Unlearned This Week' covered Johann Hari's Guardian piece on depression. The original article is here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jan/07/is-everything-you-think-you-know-about-depression-wrong-johann-hari-lost-connections

And, for balance, the counter argument is here: https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2018/jan/08/is-everything-johann-hari-knows-about-depression-wrong-lost-connections

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

As Ben Betts wrote in a recent blog post, ‘the LMS is the first point of entry to learning; the front-of-house of our industry.’ While that front-of-house may look a little different now than it did twenty years ago, and despite the oft-repeated claim that the LMS is dying, it remains the default gateway to digital learning in organizations. But are things about to change?

To answer that question and others, Ben joins Ross D and Owen on this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast to discuss:

· the many eras of the LMS, and how we got to where we are now;

· the forces that have shaped e-learning interfaces over time;

· how AI and other changes in the tech landscape might usher in a new era.

You can read Ben’s blog post, ‘What’s the Next Generation of E-Learning Interfaces?’, on his website. In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen recommended the podcast Acquired, and Ben mentioned the website ‘There’s an AI for That’.

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 us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Dickie

· Owen Ferguson

· Ben Betts

How can we help managers demonstrate care for their teams, while maintaining high standards of accountability and performance?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Dr Anna Barnett are joined by Joris Merks-Benjaminsen, Managing Without Power, to discuss:

why nice managers can still provide mediocre management
how managers can balance care for their teams with high levels of performance
and how to build better managers.

For more from Joris, visit managingwithoutpower.com

The paper Anna discussed, on 'nondecision-making', was: Bachrach, P., & Baratz, M. S. (1963). Decisions and nondecisions: An analytical framework. American political science review, 57(3), 632-642.

Google's research into great managers (Project Oxygen) and effective teams (Project Aristotle) is available online.

During the discussion, Joris referenced the prisoner's dilemma.

We also discussed findings from our report, 'Building Better Managers'.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Anna recommended Those People Next Door by Kia Abdullah.

Joris discussed Sinterklaas.

Ross G discussed 'sovereign AI'.

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. And our new Manager Skills Assessment.

You can also email custom@mindtools.com and Ross G will get back to you.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Dr Anna Barnett
Joris Merks-Benjaminsen

Are you an over-committing over-achiever? In Toxic Productivity, author Israa Nasir argues that you can only maintain that approach to productivity for so long.

Eventually you’ll burn out, exhausted by all those ‘time management hacks’ that organizations (like Mind Tools!) keep suggesting.

So this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Israa joins Ross Dickie and Ross Garner to offer an alternative approach. We discuss:

how toxic productivity manifests in our lives
how getting rewarded for our productivity tricks us into trying to achieve more
how the signals that managers send sets expectations for their teams.

The book, by Israa Nasir, is Toxic Productivity.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D recommended checking out the NotebookLM AI-podcast version of our newsletter.

Israa recommended the ‘Under the K’ venue in New York.

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 us on LinkedIn:

Ross Dickie
Ross Garner
Israa Nasir

Learning measurement is difficult, complex, and expensive. Or is it?

In Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring, Dr Alaina Szlachta applies a Build-Borrow-Buy approach to learning measurement, and joins The Mind Tools L&D Podcast this week to share her insights with Ross Dickie and Owen.

We discuss:

the importance of asking the right questions
how to bake measurement into your programs
what ‘Build’, ‘Borrow’ and ‘Buy’ look like in practice.

Find out more about Measurement and Evaluation on a Shoestring.

You can also sign up for the book launch party, or sign up for Alaina’s newsletter.

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 us on LinkedIn:

Ross Dickie
Owen Ferguson
Dr Alaina Szlachta

Measuring management capability is intrinsically complex. Unlike sales training, where you have sales, or customer-service training, where you have CSAT scores, management doesn’t have a built-in metric we can use to quantify learning impact. So, what’s the solution?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Dickie is joined by Owen and Anna to discuss our new ‘Manager Skills Assessment’ — a scientific diagnostic that managers and their organizations can use to evaluate their capability. We discuss:

what the Manager Skills Assessment (MSA) is, and how it works;
how we designed the MSA based on scientific research;
what managers and L&D teams can expect to get out of the MSA.

To learn more about the Manager Skills Assessment, visit our website.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen mentioned SpaceX’s ‘Mechazilla’.

Ross D also referenced Donald Taylor and Egle Vinauskaite’s latest report, AI in L&D: Intention and Reality.

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 us on LinkedIn:

Ross Dickie
Owen Ferguson
Anna Barnett

If you work in learning and development, you probably get some direction from your senior leadership team about what to focus on and how much to spend. But, once you get into the details, you have lots of room to play.

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Chief Learning Officer Marc Steven Ramos joins Ross Garner and Ross Dickie to discuss:

· the strengths and weaknesses of different genAI tools

· whether tools like ChatGPT are living up to the hype

· how L&D can start experimenting, and why it’s the ideal team to do so!

Marc discussed these ideas in more detail on his Substack and in his article for Harvard Business Review (with Marc Zao-Sanders).

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross G recommended a warning on ‘pokies’ from The Guardian.

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.

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer.

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Ross Dickie

· Marc Steven Ramos

In Power to the Middle, McKinsey consultants Bill Schaninger, Bryan Hancock and Emily Field argue that the ‘middle manager’ is key to organizational success. Long maligned (often by McKinsey), the manager is in fact responsible for delivering objectives, addressing underperformance, building trusting relationships, and resolving team conflicts.

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner, Ross Dick and Nahdia Khan discuss:

· why managers are so important

· the role of ‘manager’ vs ‘individual contributor’

· how to develop better managers

The book, Power to the Middle, is available now.

Our report, ‘Building Better Managers’, is also available now.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D recommended the podcast series Slow Burn.

Nahdia discussed cloud seeding.

Ross Garner discussed the paintings of John Atkinson Grimshaw, via @CulturalTutor.

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.

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer.

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Ross Dickie

· Nahdia Khan

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Ross Dickie are joined by Kathryn Hume, strategic workforce planning and L&D consultant, and author of the book Learn, Solve, Thrive.

In the book, Kath argues that learners have a responsibility for managing their own learning and outlines strategies that anyone can adopt to make that process easier.

We discuss:

· why we can’t ‘wait around for someone to teach us’

· some of the difficulties we experience when we try to learn

· the relationship between workforce planning and training.

For more from Kath, visit her website: workforcetransformations.com.au

The book, Learn, Solve, Thrive, is available now.

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.

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer.

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Ross Dickie

· Kathryn Hume

It’s been three years since the first edition of The Learning and Development Handbook by Michelle Parry-Slater was published. In that time, a global pandemic, rise of AI, and shift to remote working, have transformed how we work.

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Michelle returns to the show to discuss the second edition of her book with Ross G.

We discuss:

what has changed (and what hasn’t) since the first edition was published
the evolving role of the modern learning professional
whether it’s still possible to keep up with the rate of change.

During the discussion, Ross referenced Amazon’s decision to tell staff to go back to the office five days a week.

He also discussed the paper: Albarracín, D., Fayaz-Farkhad, B., & Granados Samayoa, J. A. (2024). Determinants of behaviour and their efficacy as targets of behavioural change interventions. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1-16.

To find out more about Michelle, visit kairosmodernlearning.com

For the book, check out thelndhandbook.com

Quite note: Apologies for the slightly dodgy audio on this episode. After 400+ episodes, Ross G can still pick the wrong microphone to record.

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.  

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription.

This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. 

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Michelle Parry-Slater

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Ross Dickie are re-visiting their L&D mailbag to answer your questions.

We discuss:

What is L&D actually doing well with Large Language Models? (via Gill Chester)
What’s the top 3 least likely L&D jobs to be replaced by AI? (via Alan Hiddleston)
How can learning teams partner better with the rest of the org? (via Sarah Danzl)
What has been the most popular content on MindTools this year, and why...? (via Adam Lacey)
What lessons from Centauri's Shadow can L&D professionals take forward into the autumn to boost their skills? (via Matthew Batten)

During the AI discussion, Ross Dickie recommended Ross Stevenson’s Steal These Thoughts newsletter, and Philippa Hardman’s Dr Phil’s Newsletter.

Ross G referenced The Rest is Politics’s interview with Audrey Tang.

Ross Ganer also recommended our previous episode with Natal Dank, ‘Agile L&D puts the “human” into “Human Resources”’, and his own newsletter on the many benefits of text content.

Finally, Ross Dickie recommended Bob Mortimer’s The Satsuma Complex.

And Ross Garner grudgingly referenced his own debut novel, Centauri’s Shadow, available now from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

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.  

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. 

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Ross Dickie

None

Hey listeners! No new episode this week, but we wanted to revisit this 2022 classic with Jane Bozarth because we thought it paired nicely with the latest edition of our L&D Dispatch newsletter.

Do check out the newsletter Ross G discussed on our L&D Dispatch page, 'Four papers that will make you laugh (then make you think)'.

Regular show notes below.

In learning science, there are certain ideas that have leapt the fences of academia and seeped into the public consciousness. Often, these ideas gain traction because they feel intuitively true. But what does the data say? And how should we apply these ideas as learning professionals?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Ross Dickie are joined by Jane Bozarth, Director of Research for the Learning Guild, to discuss three research papers that challenge the received wisdom. We cover:

Generational difference
Learning styles
The “Marshmallow Test”.

The three papers we discussed were:

'Generational Differences in Work-Related Attitudes: A Meta-analysis', published in 2012 in the Journal of Business and Psychology.
'Another Nail in the Coffin for Learning Styles? Disparities among Undergraduate Anatomy Students’ Study Strategies, Class Performance, and Reported VARK Learning Styles', published in 2018 in Anatomical Sciences Education.
'Revisiting the Marshmallow Test: A Conceptual Replication Investigating Links Between Early Delay of Gratification and Later Outcomes', published in Psychological Science in 2018.

The Atlanticdid a good write-up of the controversy surrounding the 'Marshmallow Experiment'. See here: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/06/marshmallow-test/561779/

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross Garner mentioned a Twitter thread from Aaron Berman, in which he shares writing tips from his time as editor of the US President’s daily brief: https://twitter.com/aarondberman/status/1541576231891525633?s=21&t=1_oHB0tqjbt4VXZXmTMnXQ

Jane spoke about Kate the Chemist’s recent session at DevLearn. To find out more about Kate, visit her website: https://www.katethechemist.com/

Ross Dickie recommended the technology podcast ‘Hard Fork’ from the New York Times. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts, or through the NYT website: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/04/podcasts/hard-fork-technology.html

To find out more about Jane’s work at the Learning Guild, see: https://www.learningguild.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
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Dr Jane Bozarth - @JaneBozarth

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen are diving into their L&D mailbag to answer your questions.

We discuss:

· Will there be more or less opportunity to make a meaningful living in L&D over the next five years? (via JD Dillon)

· If we think of L&D as a product, what would you sunset and what would the top three candidates look like for development? (via Sean Brown)

· What's more important to a Learning strategy and approach... Speed or Efficacy? (via Marc Steven Ramos)

· What's your best ROI story? (via Marc Zao-Sanders)

During the discussion, Ross referenced Benedict Evans article ‘The AI Summer’.

Ross also referenced an example of work our behavioral scientists completed for an ESG project.

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.

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer.

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Owen Ferguson

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, we're putting the ‘people’ back into People Development and the ‘human’ back into ‘Human Resources, as we explore Natal Dank's book Agile L&D.

Natal is the co-owner and director of PXO Culture, a consultancy firm on a mission to make HR, culture and change about humans.

And her book, Agile L&D, is a follow-up to Agile HR.

We discuss:

Problems with a ‘traditional’ approach to L&D
Tools and methods for prioritizing and organizing workloads
Whether ‘agile’ has just become another corporate buzzword

To find out more about Natal, and the book, visit pxoculture.com

During the discussion, Natal referenced the books The Build Trap by Melissa Perri and Embracing Uncertainty by Margaret Heffernan.

For more on Taylorism, see ‘scientific management’.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross Garner discussed Yuval Noah Harari’s bleak take on the future of AI and government.

Nahdia discussed digital twins.

Natal discussed Meditations for Mortals.

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.  

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. 

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Nahdia Khan
Natal Dank

Technical professionals have a high level of expertise, but translating that expertise for non-technical colleagues isn’t always straightforward. Whether you’re an engineer, a researcher, or even an L&D professional, how can you communicate in a way that resonates with your audience?

This week on the Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Neil Thompson, founder of Teach The Geek, to discuss:

why good communication skills are important for technical professionals;
the specific challenges associated with technical communication;
how L&D can support technical professionals to become better communicators.

To find out more about Neil’s work, visit www.teachthegeek.com

The very geeky meta-meta-analysis that Owen mentioned in ‘What I Learned This Week’ can be found at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-024-01172-y

You can read the Verge article that Ross D referenced at: https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/18/24223160/waymo-honking-san-francisco-parking-lot-depot-fix-not-working

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.  

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. 

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Dickie
Owen Ferguson
Neil Thompson

This week we’re revisiting an old adage: The employer who says, ‘What if we train our people and they leave?’ And the trainer who says, ‘What if we don't and they stay?’

As Talent Development Manager for Kew Green Hotels, Clare Sheppard knows all about this. She’s responsible for helping those who want to stay progress in their careers, while giving those who leave a great experience that they can carry with them into their next role.

We discuss:

· the types of colleague who fall into the ‘Early Careers’ bucket (it’s broader than you might think!)

· how to identify high potential colleagues

· the role of managers in supporting Early Careers professionals.

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.

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Clare discussed the likelihood of it raining, and what that means.

Ross recommended (sort of) an old episode of The Magic Roundabout.

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Clare Sheppard

Last week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen explored how the 70:20:10 model is being applied by three L&D Practitioners: Ceri Sharples, Cath Addis, and Carl Akintola-Davis. Today, we wanted to follow up on some of the challenges posed during that discussion with The 70:20:10 Institute’s Charles Jennings.

What does it really mean to 'integrate learning into the workflow', and how does 70:20:10 move us towards a performance focus?

We discuss:

· Where the numbers ‘70’, ‘20’ and ‘10’ come from

· How a focus on ‘learning’ tends to lead to a ‘10+’ approach

· Examples of interventions that have focused on supporting performance, rather than formal learning.

For more on the origins of 70:20:10, see this blog post from Charles.

See also The Center for Creative Leadership’s chapter ‘Learning Through Experience’.

Mind Tools offers a summary of Informal Learning, by Jay Cross.

Joseph Stiglitz book is Creating a Learning Culture.

Find out more about Dr Edwards Deming.

For more from Charles and his team, see 702010institute.com.

The case study Charles wrote with Brian Murphy from Citi bank was: ‘From Courses to Campaigns: Citi’s Journey to a Culture of Continuous Learning’.

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.

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen recommended (again) Lenny’s Newsletter, in particular a recent edition on pricing for AI features.

Ross discussed a post from Ben Evans on how users are interacting with ChatGPT.

Charles recommended the podcast The Infinite Monkey Cage.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Owen Ferguson

· Charles Jennings

Depending how you count it, 70:20:10 is almost 40 years old. The model provides a high-level outline of how we learn at work: 10% through formal learning, 20% through working with others, 70% through doing the work.

The numbers get criticised, but this insight is widely accepted: Most of what we learn does not come from formal training. But how then should L&D practitioners apply the model to the work that they do? Is it still a useful concept after all this time?

In the first of this two-part series, Ross Garner and Owen explore these questions with three practitioners: Ceri Sharples, Learning and Development manager at Somerset Bridge Group; Cath Addis, L&D manager at Ascential; and return guest Carl Akintola-Davis, Head of Leadership Development at Phoenix Group.

We discuss:

· The history and criticisms of 70:20:10

· How useful the concept is for discussing workplace learning with stakeholders

· How to think about the ‘70’, the ‘20’, and the ‘10’ when designing learning programs.

For more on the origins of 70:20:10, see this blog post from Charles Jennings of The 702010 Institute, who is joining us next week on the show.

Carl’s acronym for workplace learning was ‘Performance RECIPES: Reflection, Experimentation, Connection, Information, Practice, Environment and Support’.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen discussed a new paper from Nature, which didn’t really impress him: Bloom, N., Han, R., & Liang, J. (2024). Hybrid working from home improves retention without damaging performance. Nature, 1-6.

Ross learned the unfortunate fate of 440 squirrels.

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. 

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· Ross Garner

· Owen Ferguson

· Ceri Sharples

· Cath Addis

· Carl Akintola-Davis

A summer holiday holds the potential for distraction-free reading. With that in mind, in this week’s episode our podcast team suggest books that hold lessons for L&D practitioners. Which might you take on holiday this summer?

Book list

Right Kind of Wrong. Why Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive (2023) by Amy Edmondson

www.amazon.co.uk/Right-Kind-Wrong-Learning-Thrive

Counter-Intelligence: What the secret world can teach us about problem-solving and creativity (2024) by Robert Hannigan

https://www.roberthannigan.com/

The Tyranny of Metrics (2018) by Jerry J. Muller

www.amazon.co.uk/Tyranny-Metrics-Jerry-Z-Muller

How big things get done. The surprising factors behind every successful project (2023) by Brent Flyberg and Dan Gardner

www.amazon.co.uk/How-Big-Things-Get-Done

A history of the world in twelve shipwrecks (2024) by David Gibbons

www.amazon.co.uk/History-World-Twelve-Shipwrecks

Performance-focused learner surveys (2022) by Will Thalheimer

www.amazon.co.uk/Performance-Focused-Learner-Surveys-Distinctive-Effectiveness

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Nahdia spoke about how former PM Harold Wilson funded his Alzheimer’s care www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/23/former-pm-harold-wilson-sold-private-papers-fund-care-alzheimers

Ross Dickie also mentioned the traditional Greek bagpipe, known as the ‘tsampouna’, which he discovered during a recent holiday on Santorini.

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. 

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· Nahdia Khan

· Owen Ferguson

· Ross Dickie

None

The Tyranny of Metrics

None

According to a recent study from Ipsos, and commissioned by Amazon, 86% of respondents said that career development is essential, very or fairly important to them. But, in our experience, it tends to become a lot less important when the day-to-day demands of work crop up.

So, in this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, return guest Neil John Cunningham from Align Learn Do joins Ross G to ask why this is, and what to do about it.

We discuss:

How to build the credibility of your L&D function
The extent to which marketing L&D works
What to do about a ‘disjointed’ L&D offering.

You can read Amazon’s study online.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed the Lokiceratops Rangiformis.

For more from Neil, including his book Narratives and Numbers, see alignlearndo.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.  

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. 

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Neil John Cunningham

In part three of our #BuildingBetterManagers series, Ross Garner and Nahdia Khan are joined for one last time by Dr Anna Barnett from the Mind Tools Insights team. If you’ve been listening along recently, we’ve already covered the capabilities that make a ‘good’ manager, and how we can develop them. In this week’s episode, we’re looking at how we support more experienced managers.

We discuss:

The long-term impact of early management training
Differences (and similarities) between new and experienced managers
How we can provide constant ongoing support to more experienced managers.

During the discussion, Nahdia referenced our podcast with Georgie Rudd on listening.

You can read our report, ‘Building Better Managers’, now.

If you need helping building better managers, we can help you measure and improve capability no matter your context. Email custom@mindtools.com or visit mindtools.com/business/poducts/mind-tools-insights to book a meeting.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Anna discussed scenario-based learning. See Episode 356 of this podcast for more on that.

Ross G discussed research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the ‘power of proximity’.

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.  

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. 

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Dr Anna Barnett
Nahdia Khan

Last week, we kicked off our three-part #BuildingBetterManagers series with an overview of the 12 capabilities that we know make a difference to performance. Now we’re asking: How do we help managers build those capabilities?

To answer this question, Ross G and Ross D are joined once again by Dr Anna Barnett, from the Mind Tools Insights team, to discuss her recommendations from our latest report: ‘Building Better Managers’.

We discuss:

Evidence-based approaches to improving manager capability
How Mind Tools factored this evidence into our product design
An example of a custom management programme that made a measurable difference to manager capabilities.

If you need help building better managers, we can help you measure and improve capability no matter your context. Email custom@mindtools.com or visit mindtools.com/business/products/mind-tools-insights to book a meeting.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D discussed the film Tony Hawk: Until The Wheels Fall Off, about the career of Tony Hawk.

Anna discussed the book The Migraine Brain by Carolyn Bernstein.

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 Content Library, our Off-the-Shelf e-learning, and our Custom work.  

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer. 

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Dr Anna Barnett
Ross Dickie

What does good management look like? What skills and capabilities does a manager need? Are you a good manager?

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Owen Ferguson are joined by Dr Anna Barnett, from our own in-house Insights team, to discuss the findings of our latest report: ‘Building Better Managers’.

In the first of three episodes exploring how we can improve management capability for our people and organizations, we discuss:

· How we define a ‘good’ manager

· The capabilities all managers need to perform, no matter their industry

· How to measure manager capability.

We’ve used the results of Anna’s research to develop our own manager skills assessment. It can help your managers identify skill gaps, while also giving L&D leaders an insight into critical development areas that exist across their organisations.

To speak to us about running our management skills assessment with your people, get in touch! Email custom@mindtools.com or visit mindtools.com/business/poducts/mind-tools-insights to book a meeting.

During the discussion, Anna referenced the following papers:

Baron-Cohen, S., Wheelwright, S., Hill, J., Raste, Y., & Plumb, I. (2001). The “Reading the Mind in the Eyes” Test revised version: a study with normal adults, and adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 42(2), 241-251.

Carmeli, A., Reiter-Palmon, R., & Ziv, E. (2010). Inclusive leadership and employee involvement in creative tasks in the workplace: The mediating role of psychological safety. Creativity Research Journal, 22(3), 250-260.

Our report, ‘Building Better Managers’, will be released on July 9.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen shared how disagreement is often mistaken for bad listening.

Ross discussed the app Finch, for motivating behavior change.

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. 

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer.

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Owen Ferguson

· Dr Anna Barnett

For eight years, the team here on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast (formerly The GoodPractice Podcast) have been chatting work, performance and learning with some of the brightest minds in learning and development.

This week, to celebrate the release of our 400th episode, our friends Phil Willcox from Emotion at Work and Ady Howes from Digital Skills People have pulled together a tribute episode for us.

We discuss:

· the Mind Tools team’s favourite episodes

· what we learned from 400 episodes of podcasting

· what others think of the podcast.

During the discussion, Ross Garner referenced his favourite episode: 279 — Why work is the ideal place to talk about race.

Margaret Greenberg and Gina Greenlee’s book is The Business of Race: How to Create and Sustain an Antiracist Workplace and Why It's Actually Good for Business (published by McGraw-Hill). The coauthors work with organizations to embed racial equity into their business strategy. For more information go to their website BusinessofRace.com and click on the Work with Us tab.

Ross D’s favourite episode was Don Taylor’s regular Global Sentiment Survey appearances.

Nahdia picked: 382 — You don’t have to talk to add value, with Georgie Rudd.

Owen picked: 323 — Making decisions with data and intuition, with Oded Netzer.

Gemma picked: 300 — Celebrating live from London!, with Phil Willcox and Julie Dirksen.

Thanks to David Hayden, Sukh Pabial, Michelle Parry-Slater, Dan Wiseman and ChatGPT for their contributions.

Ross G’s novel, Centauri’s Shadow, is available now from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

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. 

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Phil Willcox

· Ady Howes

· Ross Garner

· Ross Dickie

· Nahdia Khan

· Gemma Towersey

· Owen Ferguson

None

Digital learning content offers a scalable, always-on option to help your people build their skills and overcome workplace challenges. But often these libraries get dusty, bogged down by out-of-date content with little relevance, or hidden away in a dark corner of the intranet where no one can find them.

So in this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Virgin Money’s Martin Ritchie, Digital Learning Manager, joins Ross Garner and Lara to share:

How Virgin Money raise awareness of their Mind Tools content library
Techniques for promoting a proactive learning mindset
‘Push’ vs ‘pull’ learning.

During the discussion, Ross referenced a recent academic paper: Albarracín, D., Fayaz-Farkhad, B., & Granados Samayoa, J. A. (2024). Determinants of behaviour and their efficacy as targets of behavioural change interventions. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1-16.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed ‘pebbling’, as covered by The Guardian.

For more on how Mind Tools work with Virgin Money, see our case study.

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. 

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com and use the offer code PODCAST15 for 15% off an individual subscription. This offer is for new subscribers only and can’t be used with any other offer.

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Ross Garner
Lara Kidd
Martin Ritchie

In ‘Measure of a Man', episode nine of the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Enterprise crew debate whether their robot companion, Data, is truly alive. More interesting for us, though, is the way they interact with artificial intelligence (AI) in general. Not just for what it tells us about how AI tools might evolve, but also for how we humans work with them.

So in this special episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Ganer, Claire, Ross Dick and Nahdia discuss:

· How closely the Enterprise computer reflects current tools like ChatGPT,

· Whether we want robots to work alongside us,

· Whether the Turing Test still has relevance.

During the discussion, Ross Garner talked about how Moderna is using ChatGPT, how ELIZA passed the Turing Test, and the ongoing discussion around whether ChatGPT’s new voice is too similar to Scarlett Johansson’s.

Ross D discussed Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs, Brian Christian’s book The Alignment Problem, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s views on neural networks.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Nahdia recommended the movie Atlas, available on Netflix.

Ross Garner recommended following visual effects artist Todd Vaziri.

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.

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Nahdia Khan

· Ross Dickie

· Claire Gibson

We humans are social creatures. We form organic communities wherever we go, based on shared interests, passions and needs.

But when we try to impose top-down learning communities on an employee population, things get more difficult. Is it possible for L&D to create a flourishing community?

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Nahdia Khan are joined by Andy Lancaster, author of Organizational Learning Communities, who offers a framework that can help.

We discuss:

· Types of workplace learning community

· The key characteristics of successful communities

· A framework that you can use to establish an effective community

Andy’s book is available now from Kogan Page.

During the discussion, Ross mentioned our podcast with JD Dillon and his book The Modern Learning Ecosystem.

Ross also referenced our podcast on Working Out Loud Circles, from way back in 2017.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Nahdia recommended the ‘Women in Learning’ community.

Ross discussed the weird way language affects our sense of space and time.

For more from Andy, visit reminaginepeopledevelopment.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.

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com

Finally, it wouldn’t be appropriate to plug Ross G’s critically acclaimed debut novel Centauri’s Shadow on a regular basis but, since Andy brought it up, it’s available from Amazon US and Amazon UK. It has 4.8 stars out of 5, by the way.

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Nahdia Khan

· Andy Lancaster

In learning and development, we typically want people to do something that they are currently not doing, or to stop doing something that they shouldn't be. One obvious approach is training, but there are in fact a broad spectrum of interventions that we can deploy.

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross and Owen are joined by Wil Procter, Strategy and Innovation Director at Nazaré, and by Jessica Holt, Senior Behavioural Science Consultant at Inizio Engage XD.

We explore:

· What behavioral science is,

· What interventions can help change people’s behavior,

· How the COM-B model can help structure discovery conversations.

To find out more about the COM-B model, see behaviourchangewheel.com

The book that Owen referenced was Coaching for Improved Work Performance by Ferdinand F. Fournies.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Jess discussed a new meta-analysis of behavior change interventions: Albarracín, D., Fayaz-Farkhad, B., & Granados Samayoa, J. A. (2024). Determinants of behaviour and their efficacy as targets of behavioural change interventions. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1-16.

Ross asked and answered a dumb question about birds. New Scientist explains why there are not dead birds everywhere.

For more from Wil, see: nazarelearning.com

For more from Jess, see: xd.inizioengage.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.

Or become a member to support our show! Visit mindtools.com

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Owen Ferguson

· Wil Procter

· Jessica Holt

Coaching for Improved Work Performance, Revised Edition

As professionals, we want to know if our work has had the impact we originally intended and to tell others about it. This means getting comfortable with data and crafting compelling data stories.

On this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G is joined by Neil Cunningham, founder of Align | Learn | Do and author of Narratives and Numbers, to discuss practical and mindset shifts L&D can take.

We explore:

why people think it’s too difficult to measure the ROI of learning
how to get stakeholder buy-in to measuring and evaluating learning
how to craft credible L&D data stories.

You can get a copy of Neil’s book, Narratives and Numbers, from the Align | Learn | Do website. Use the offer code mt10 at checkout for a 10% discount.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discovers the many reasons why lorry drivers might accidentally crash into a bridge via this curiously fascinating X thread.

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 us on LinkedIn:

Ross Garner
Neil Cunningham

You’ve got a brilliant idea for the next big thing in tech and have gathered the smartest engineers and designers to build it (plus the cash to pay them). Will it end up being a success? You’ve got the best team to deliver it, so why wouldn’t it be? Well…

Gemma, Ross and Martin Gonzalez, Google’s Effective Founders Project founder and author, discuss this situation on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast.

We explore:

· how and why it’s people issues that often lead to (startup) business failure

· the balances that need to be struck by those creating and working in teams

· the uncomfortable “bullsh*t circle” exercise, as a step towards fixing people issues.

During the episode, Martin talks about how the “hiding hand principle” is critical for some projects to get going: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiding_hand_principle

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Martin references Gary P. Pisano’s Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation

Find out more about Martin and Josh's book The Bonfire Moment by visiting bonfiremoment.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 us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Gemma Towersey

· Martin Gonzalez

Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation

If you’re thinking, isn’t positive psychology a bit ‘woo woo’, and a bit like forcing yourself to take a sunny outlook, then this episode is for you. As an approach to a happier, more balanced inner and outer life, positive psychology is not woo – it has a solid scientific foundation with practical methodologies.

Gemma, Ross Garner and their guest, Leadership coach Sandra Berko, discuss these very points this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast.

We explore:

· what positive psychology is and isn’t

· what the science suggests we do to find balance

· how you can help others to use positive psychology.

Ross mentioned an earlier episode of the podcast on job crafting. You can listen to Episode 271 – Jobcraft Country wherever you get your podcasts, or on our website: podcast.mindtoolsbusiness.com/271-jobcraft-country

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross recommended the “Great Minds on Learning” podcast episode on Generative AI Theorists with Donald Clark.

Sandra spoke about emotion codes, which feature in a course she’s currently enrolled in. Emotion codes are based on theories developed by Dr Bradley Nelson.

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 us on LinkedIn:

· Ross Garner

· Gemma Towersey

· Sandra Berko

Adaptive courses come in many forms, but generally respond to the learner’s existing knowledge and skills: thereby optimizing the time to completion. But do they improve learning outcomes?

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Roy de Vries, Learning Innovator at aNewSpring, to explore the results of an experiment they ran to compare adaptive vs linear courses.

We discuss:

Forms of adaptive learning content;
The potential advantages of adaptive learning;
The results of an experiment carried out by aNewSpring.

Details of the study we discussed are online at: anewspring.com/articles/adaptive-learning-reduce-study-time

During the discussion, Ross referenced our AI-powered difficult conversation simulator: AI Conversations. It gives your people an opportunity to practice a variety of off-the-shelf or custom scenarios. You can find details on our website: mindtools.com/business/products/ai-conversations

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen recommended the book Smart Swam, by Peter Millers.

If you want to hear The L&D Dispatch jingle again (and why wouldn’t you?), it’s available from Suno.com.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

For aNewSpring, visit anewspring.com

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

Ross Garner
Owen Ferguson
Roy de Vries

Timeboxing means dividing your day into 15-60 minute slots, based on your priorities, and then sticking to those slots as you dive into the business of work. If that sounds great, it is. If it sounds easy, it isn’t.

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, author Marc Zao-Sanders joins Ross G to give him advice on timeboxing his life. We discuss:

· The benefits of timeboxing;

· How email is the ‘killer’, and what to do about it;

· The difficulties that Ross had implementing timeboxing, and what he could do differently.

The article Marc wrote for HBR was ‘How timeboxing works and why it will make you more productive’.

Find out more about timeboxing from Mind Tools.

The book, Timeboxing, is available from Penguin.

Marc’s substack is One Thing at a Time.

The company Marc runs is Filtered.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed the rising popularity of the ‘dumbphone’.

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:

· Ross Garner

· Marc Zao-Sanders

As learning designers, we’re ultimately in the business of trying to help people build new connections in their brains. To do this effectively, we need to have a fundamental understanding of how the brain works. But how far down the neuroscience rabbit hole do we need to go?

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Dickie and Ross Garner are joined by Lauren Waldman, learning scientist, consultant, and founder of Learning Pirate. We discuss:

· Lauren’s journey to deepen her understanding of how the brain works;

· how much learning designers need to know about neuroscience to be effective in their roles;

· the cost of L&D’s continual focus on the ‘shiny and the new’.

To find out more about Lauren’s work as Learning Pirate, head to: https://www.learningpirate.com/. You can also view a trailer for Lauren’s ‘Joining Forces with Your Brain’ series here.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross Garner mentioned the ‘Battle of the Eclipse’.

Ross Dickie recommended the documentary STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtools.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 Dickie

· Ross Garner

· Lauren Waldman

As a conversation approach and development tool, coaching is a highly effective option for everyone – not just the executive suite. Professional coaches are expensive, so how can large organisations give all of their employees the chance to be coached and for coaching conversations to be the norm?

In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma and Claire are joined by Mina Papakonstantinou, Manager in the Leadership development team at Deloitte, to discuss upskilling internal coaches at scale.

We discussed:

the benefits of creating a coaching culture
designing and facilitating a coaching skills programme for thousands
measuring and evaluating a coaching programme.

During the discussion, Mina referenced a case study she provided as an example of how we apply coaching psychology in internal coaching within organisations.

See: Papakonstantinou, F. (2021). Internal coaching within organisations–Coaching psychology application. In Introduction to Coaching Psychology (pp. 203-204). Routledge.

See also her article, 'Creating micro closures: reinventing the psychological transition process to help coachees deal with the current state of disruptive change'.

She also contributed to: Papakonstantinou, F. (2016). 'A Trusted Chameleon: The evolving role of the L&D consultant as an internal coach'. In Coaching Psychology International - VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1 (pp, 11-16).

In what I learned this week, Gemma talked about oathing stones – a wedding ceremony ritual. You can read about it and other options: humanism.scot/ceremonies-blog/wedding-ceremony-rituals/

Claire found out about how money is made. Check out this really funky piece on it here: refinery29.com/stories/how-stuff-is-made-money/

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

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Gemma Towersey
Claire Gibson
Mina Papakonstantinou

Whether you’re delivering workshops, speaking at conferences, presenting to senior leaders, or even hosting L&D’s favorite podcast, public speaking is a critical skill for learning professionals. So how do you develop this skill, and how do you manage your nerves when speaking publicly?

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Lara are joined by Samantha Tulloch, public speaker and business-transformation consultant. We discuss:

· the nuances of public speaking in an L&D context,

· techniques that can help you prepare and deliver effectively,

· strategies for managing nerves and anxiety.

During the discussion, Ross D referenced our previous episode with Andrea Pacini.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Samantha mentioned the little-known Steven Bartlett.

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:

· Ross Dickie

· Samantha Tulloch

· Lara Kidd

One-off learning interventions are frequently the ‘go to’ solution for workplace learning teams, but we know that spaced repetition and retrieval practice are more effective. How do we get past organizational constraints that make this difficult?

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Tony Manwani from People Unboxed joins Ross Dickie and Ross Garner to discuss:

· The problems with one-off interventions

· Science-backed principles to make an impact

· How Tony’s ‘BentoBot’ tool puts those principles into practice.

For a recent replication of Ebbinghaus’ ‘forgetting curve’ experiment, see: Murre, J. M., & Dros, J. (2015). Replication and analysis of Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve. PloS one, 10(7), e0120644.

For more on the ‘Leitner system’ see the overview on Wikipedia.

For the LTEM model, referenced by Ross D, see Dr Will Thalheimer’s website.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross G recommended Perplexity.ai.

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.

For more from Tony and People Unboxed, see peopleunboxed.co.uk. For BentoBot, see bentobot.com.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

· Ross Garner

· Ross Dickie

· Tony Manwani

Throughout the first few months of this year, we’ve been exploring artificial intelligence for L&D. In episode 377, Donald Taylor gave us the context on the extent to which L&D pros are using AI In episode 379, Ross Steven offered advice for getting started.

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross and Owen were joined by Kacper Lodzikowski, Vice President of AI Capabilities at Pearson, to discuss the opportunities that AI presents for education.

We discuss:

· Why AI presents such a challenge for educators

· Balancing those challenges with opportunities

· What those opportunities are and where to embrace them.

During the discussion, Kacper referenced his paper: Łodzikowski, K., Foltz, P. W., & Behrens, J. T. (2023). Generative AI and Its Educational Implications. arXiv preprint arXiv:2401.08659.

To find out more about our own AI-powered ‘difficult conversation’ tool, see AI Conversations.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen recommended the TV show Poker Face.

Ross G referenced ‘The Long Goodbye to Saturn’s Ring’, published in The Atlantic.

Kacper referenced Ethan Mollick’s newsletter One Useful Thing and Gary Marcus’ newsletter Marcus on AI.

Ross G shared a letter that was possibly written to Marilyn Monroe from John Steinbeck.

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.

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Ross Garner
Owen Ferguson
Kacper Lodzikowski

Today’s workplace is one where change is the norm. Learning is critical in this environment, but supporting learning isn’t just about creating content.

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, JD Dillon joins Ross Dickie and Ross Garner to discuss his book, The Modern Learning Ecosystem. We cover:

Why JD’s book includes ‘learning’ in its title, even though it’s not really about learning;
The role of influence, and what L&D can do to earn it;
The six key tasks of L&D, and how to build a modern learning ecosystem.

To find out more about The Modern Learning Ecosystem, head to jdwroteabook.com.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross G referenced ‘The Long Goodbye to Saturn’s Ring’, published in The Atlantic.

JD mentioned the Space 220 restaurant at Disney World, and talked about how he is using Yousician to learn guitar.

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.  

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

Ross Garner
Ross Dickie
JD Dillon

Donald Taylor describes this year’s Global Sentiment Survey as the ‘unsurprising survey’. Predictably, artificial intelligence topped the table by some margin. But the results of this year’s survey still tell us a lot about how L&D perceives itself and the challenges we face as a profession.

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Donald joins Ross and Owen to parse the results of the Global Sentiment Survey 2024. We discuss:

· How L&D views the benefits and challenges associated with AI

· The non-AI topics which gained popularity this year

· Declining interest in collaborative/social working and coaching/mentoring

· The potential risks of L&D’s current obsession with AI

To read the Global Sentiment Survey report for yourself, head to Don’s website.

During our discussion, Owen mentioned responses to the GSS from our own Gent Ahmetaj and Ross Garner.

In ‘What I Learned this Week’, Owen referenced Ben Thompson’s newsletter, Stratechery.

Ross mentioned how he’d followed Wirecutter’s recommendations (which he learned about through Owen) to buy a new pair of earphones.

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.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

· Ross Dickie

· Owen Ferguson

· Donald Taylor

While there are often constraints in charity’s learning budgets, it’s actually this limitation that can point the way to more efficient and effective learning design and development. There’s much that the corporate learning world can learn from this.

In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by Gill Chester, Director of Little Man Project and Ross Dickie to discuss creating learning for organisations on a mission to change the world for the better.

We talked about:

Resourcefulness and creativity throughout the design process
The importance of developing relationships with stakeholders
Incorporating evaluation into the design process.

Gill mentioned that she's running eLearning Unlocked, a 12-month programme on designing great elearning. To find out more about the programme, visit www.elearningunlocked.org.uk

Do also check out Little Man Project here: https://www.littlemanproject.com/

Gemma learned a new word – suspire - thanks to Susie Dent. Her Tweet is here: https://twitter.com/susie_dent/status/1325118435546816512

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. 

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Gemma Towersey
Ross Dickie
Gill Chester

As experts, managers or leaders, we often seek to help others by talking, talking, talking. But what if we didn’t talk and just listened?

This week in The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross and Gemma are joined by Georgie Rudd, an executive coach, to discuss the trials and delights of listening.

We explore:

· reasons that we don’t listen well

· the consequences of not listening (and of listening!)

· how we can improve listening skills.

Georgie recommended Nancy Klein as an expert on listening and techniques to improve. Time to think is a good place to start: amazon.co.uk/Time-Think-Listening-Ignite-Human/dp/0706377451

You can find out more about Liz Wiseman’s concepts of multipliers and diminishers in her book Multipliers: amazon.co.uk/Multipliers-Best-Leaders-Everyone-Smarter/dp/006239066X

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Gemma spoke about the widest fairy ring in the world. John Wright reports that it’s around 800m across in A spotter’s guide to countryside mysteries, but a quick internet search revealed this to be a questionable fact.

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: mindtools.com/business/products/lpb/

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on LinkedIn:

· Gemma Towersey

· Ross Dickie

· Georgie Rudd

Georgie can also be contacted via her website: https://www.ruddcoaching.co.uk/

Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind

Multipliers, Revised and Updated: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter

We often hear that learning and development needs a ‘seat at the table’. But how do we get there? How do we build credibility, tackle real issues, and demonstrate value?

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast Ross and Owen are joined by author, academic and L&D pro Dr Keith Keating to discuss:

Whether L&D are changemakers or order takers
How we change the perception of L&D
The extent to which L&D pros must sell themselves, their ideas and their profession.

During the discussion, Ross G referenced To Sell is Human by Dan Pink.

Keith’s book is The Trusted Learning Advisor, available now from Amazon (US / UK).

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen gave a glittering endorsement of a sensational new science fiction writer (Ross G). Subscribe for updates.

Ross recommended alternative movie posters, collected in a thread from All The Right Movies.

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. Or you can email rgarner@mindtools.com

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· Ross Garner

· Owen Ferguson

· Dr Keith Keating

What does an effective workplace wellbeing strategy look like? For some organizations, it’s fruit boxes and staff discounts. For consultant and author Liggy Webb, it’s a holistic approach that factors in the physical, social, mental, financial, digital, environmental and spiritual health of colleagues.

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross and Nahdia are joined by Liggy to discuss:

The benefits of a more structured approach to wellbeing
How to approach each of the ‘7 Wisdoms of Wellbeing’
The role of personal responsibility in wellbeing.

For more from Liggy, check out her website: liggywebb.com

You can also check out her Future Human series, available now.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Nahdia recommended ‘The impact of bad news, compassion fatigue, and the psychology of whistleblowing’ from All In The Mind.

Ross recommended Lauren Bacall’s autobiography, By Myself and Then Some.

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. Or you can email rgarner@mindtools.com

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Ross Garner
Nahdia Khan
Liggy Webb

Artificial Intelligence (AI) generally and Large Language Models (LLMs) specifically have been all the rage over the past 12 months. Should you care?

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Rosses Garner and Dickie are joined by learning strategist Ross Stevenson to discuss:

The current state of AI
The extent to which L&D pros should pay attention to ongoing developments
Tips for making the most of AI tools, especially ChatGPT.

During the discussion, Stevenson referenced ‘custom instructions’ for ChatGPT. These help tailor ChatGPT’s responses to your prompts, and mean you don’t need to add background information to every prompt. See his video on the topic for guidance.

He also recommend Perplexity AI. See: perplexity.ai

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Dickie recommended the Fit Bod app.

Garner discussed the rise (and subsequent fall) of Quora.

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. Or you can email rgarner@mindtools.com

For more from Stevenson, see Steal These Thoughts.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

Ross Garner
Ross Dickie
Ross Stevenson

Jackie Kennedy is Learning and Development Lead at London Borough of Camden, where work contexts range from libraries and schools to waste management and social care. How do you develop managers in these diverse contexts, with a public sector budget?

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Jackie joins Ross Garner and Owen Ferguson to discuss:

The unique challenges faced by local government
How to develop a management development programme without providing any ‘teaching’
The role of digital in Camden’s L&D strategy.

To read more about how London Borough of Camden leverage the Mind Tools on-demand content library, see our case study.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed his article for People Management, written with Gemma Towersey and our automated companion The L&D Dispatch GPT: ‘What we learned from seven years running an L&D podcast’.

Jackie discussed ‘eating the frog’.

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. Or you can email rgarner@mindtools.com

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

· Ross Garner

· Owen Ferguson

· Jackie Kennedy

Since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, AI has seldom been out of the news. Such is the pace of change, it can feel difficult to keep up. But how is L&D actually using this technology? What do learning professionals perceive as the benefits of AI, and what are the barriers to implementation?

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Dickie and Owen Ferguson are joined by Donald Taylor to discuss a report he co-authored with Egle Vinauskaite, which seeks to answer some of these questions.

We discuss:

· The current state of play of AI in L&D,

· The expected benefits of using AI in L&D,

· The technological and business barriers to deploying AI in organizations.

To read the full report, AI in L&D: The State of Play, head to Don’s website.

In ‘What I Learned this Week’, Owen mentioned CGP Grey’s focus on ‘themes’ (as opposed to resolutions) as a method for achieving long-term personal and professional goals. Check out this video to find out more.

Ross D recommended the Netflix documentary 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible, exploring Nimsdai Purja’s attempt to summit all fourteen of the world’s 8000-metre mountains in under seven months.

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.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

· Ross Dickie

· Owen Ferguson

· Donald Taylor

How much thought does your organization give to the Employee Experience? And what tools can you use to enhance it?

In this year’s first episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Owen Ferguson are joined by Danny Seals to discuss his new book The Insightful Innovator: How to level up your Employee Experience.

We discuss:

· The advantages of strengthening the Employee Experience

· How ‘designing a relationship’ can set your projects up for success

· Tools and techniques to enhance the Employee Experience.

During the conversation, Danny referred to Employee SPIES (Services, Products, Interactions, and Experiences, while applying a Subscription model to work).

He also refers to EVP (Employee Value Proposition).

And he discussed The Ladder of Abstraction as a tool for connecting with stakeholder groups.

All are discussed in more detail in his book.

In ‘What I Learned this Week’, Owen recommended the research paper: Cook, A., Thompson, M., & Ross, P. (2023). Virtual First Impressions: Zoom Backgrounds Affect Judgements of Trust and Competence

Ross recommended The Economist’s workplace podcast Boss Class.

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.

You can also email rgarner@mindtools.com

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

· Ross Garner

· Owen Ferguson

· Danny Seals

It’s a wrap! In what is traditionally our ‘least listened to’ and ‘most unhinged’ episode of the year, we’re celebrating the festive season with some reflections on the biggest talking point in L&D: the emergence of generative AI.

And we’re joined by special guests, ChatGPT (our first AI guest!) and Bedford Falls’ own George Bailey (making his annual appearance).

Ross Garner is joined by Owen Ferguson and Ross Dick to discuss:

· How have tools like ChatGPT and Bard evolved over the year?

· How are we using them?

· What’s coming next?

ChatGPT then asks its own questions, with a spattering of festive zingers.

And George shares his observations on the prevalence of AI, and provides an insight into the Baileys’ favourite drink at this time of year.

In ‘What I Learned this Year’, Ross Dick recommended two newsletters: Platformer and One Useful Thing.

And Ross G wanted to provide the phone number for Samaritans: 116 123

You can also visit their website: samaritans.org

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.

You can also email rgarner@mindtools.com

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

· Ross Garner

· Owen Ferguson

· Ross Dickie

Hey listeners! Here's a fun stocking filler for you: Throughout this year, Rosses D and G have been writing The L&D Dispatch, a weekly newsletter from the Mind Tools Custom team.

In this bonus episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, we reflect on the effort involved to write a newsletter, the personal benefits we've experienced from doing so, and how our use of AI tools for content production has evolved over the last 12 months.

Never heard of it? Subscribe now at lddispatch.com

In the past, we’ve always talked about Virtual Reality training in the context of skills that are expensive to learn or dangerous to practice. But Lucie Coudret and the team at Cappfinity are using VR for coaching and leadership development.

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Owen Ferguson speak with Lucie Coudret, to discuss:

· The advantages of VR for coaching and soft skill development

· How to overcome the cost and technical hurdles of providing VR learning experiences

· How the VR ‘fad’ has continued to evolve and improve, even if it’s not always in the spotlight,

During the conversation, Lucie referenced PwC’s study into the effectiveness of VR for soft skills training.

She also referenced the DICE model (Dangerous, Impossible, Counterproductive, Expensive).

Details of the VR EY Summer Internship, developed by Cappfinity, are on YouTube.

Ross referenced the popularity of Snapchat’s ‘My AI’, which by June of this year had been sent 10 billion messages.

In ‘What I Learned this Week’, Owen recommended Lenny’s Newsletter.

Ross recommended The Rest Is History podcast.

For more from Lucie, see luciecoudret.com

For Cappfinity, see cappfinity.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.

You can also email rgarner@mindtools.com

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

· Ross Garner

· Owen Ferguson

· Lucie Coudret

Ever launch a workshop that no one attended or an e-learning module that nobody accessed? It’s surprisingly common: and one reason is that we’re not always great at marketing our L&D initiatives.

In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Dick and Owen Ferguson seek to reverse this outcome with the help of Ashley Sinclair from MAAS Marketing – the world’s only (we think) marketing agency focusing specifically on L&D.

We discuss:

· Why L&D teams need a marketing strategy

· What an effective marketing strategy looks like

· How to measure the ROI of a marketing strategy

For more from Ashley, visit maas-marketing.co.uk

Ashley’s podcast is at maas-marketing.co.uk/podcast

The Mind Tools reports that were mentioned are available at: mindtools.com/business/research

Ashley also mentioned the LPI’s ‘Workplace Learning Report’

In ‘What I Learned this Week’, Ross D discussed the BBC’s new series on Shakespeare.,

He also the Netflix series ‘Big Vape: The Rise and Fall of Juul’.

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. 

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

· Ross Dickie

· Owen Ferguson

· Ashley Sinclair

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:

· Mind Tools

· Learning Pool

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

· Ross Garner

· Nahdia Khan

· Lindsey Coode

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:

What Julie means by the ‘rider’ and the ‘elephant’
The many (often good) reasons that people don’t do what they are told
Approaches for designing workplace learning that leads to behavior change.

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. 

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Ross Garner
Owen Ferguson
Julie Dirksen

Coaching for Improved Work Performance, Revised Edition

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. 

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Gemma Towersey
Nahdia Khan
Jayne Saul-Paterson RCDP www.gspcoaching.com Instagram @coachjsp

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:

the role of digital in engaging non-desk-based workers
how to create space for people in stressful jobs to learn and develop
whether working in an evidence-based environment leads to more evidence-based learning design.

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. 

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Ross Garner
Liz Ferro
Diana Avery
Matt Pfleger

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:

The benefits of large organisations supporting workforce wellbeing
Wellbeing goals and creating a wellbeing culture
How to support the health and wellbeing of high numbers of employees.

In What I Learnt this Week, Owen talked about the cost of Copilot. Here are articles from both sides of the argument:

Microsoft is losing money on Copilot

The Register’s article ‘Microsoft reportedly runs GitHub's AI Copilot at a loss’

Microsoft is not losing money on Copilot

ARK Invest’s newsletter ‘#388: Is Microsoft Really Losing Money On GitHub Copilot?, & More’

The rapidly decreasing costs of AI

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. 

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Gemma Towersey
Owen Ferguson
Sanaa Khan

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:

The benefits and challenges of multicultural representation in facilitated sessions
How to best adapt your design and delivery approaches as a facilitator
How to avoid pitfalls such as stereotyping.

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 

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Nahdia Khan
Gemma Towersey
Gaëlle Watson - @gaelledwatson

You can find out more about SyncSkills here: https://syncskills.net/working-with-us/virtual-training-production/

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.

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· Ross Dickie

· Ross Garner

· Anamaria Dorgo

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:

why marketing teams invest in customer education
how they define the business outcomes they want to achieve
how they measure the impact of their programs.

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.

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Ross Garner
Nahdia Khan
Lizzi Shaw
Jaclyn Anku

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:

The concerns that IT colleagues have when asked to implement a new technology
The need to prioritize initiatives beyond 'what L&D want to achieve'
How to partner with IT teams to deliver results.

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.

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Ross Garner
Owen Ferguson
Jon Baxter

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:

what the core ‘Mind Tools’ product and platform are for
how Ross’s Custom development team approach client challenges
quickfire questions to make you think, then argue.

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:

Ross Garner
Owen Ferguson
Will Thalheimer

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.

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· Gemma Towersey

· Marie Loney

· Andréa Watts

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:

What we mean by productivity
- How we measure productivity in different contexts
- The challenges in convincing others to measure differently.

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.

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Ross Garner
- Gemma Towersey
- Chelsea Pyrzenski

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:

· Ross Garner

· Nahdia Khan

· Helen Bailey

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:

· Ross Garner

· Nahdia Khan

· Heeral Gudka

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:

the extent to which we think this ‘Hot Take’ is true
the importance of development to employees vs ‘learning and development’ as a function
what L&D teams can do to market and promote themselves.

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.

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Ross Garner
Nahdia Khan
Phil Willcox
Lizzi Philokyprou

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:

· How to prioritize inbound requests and seek out opportunities

· How to work with business stakeholders to shape their needs

· How to measure the value that L&D teams bring to their organizations.

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:

· YouTube channel

· Instagram

· Podcast

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.

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· Ross Garner

· Carl Akintola-Davies

· Dolly Ogundimu

· Marc Harvey

· James Clemence

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 designer 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.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

· Ross Garner

· Gemma Towersey

· Christy Tucker

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:

Techniques for engaging children in online learning
Building social connection and managing wellbeing online
- How lessons from online schools apply to workplace learning.

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.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

Ross Garner

Nahdia Khan

Matt James

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.

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Ross Dickie
Owen Ferguson
Andrea Pacini

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:

Ross Garner
Laura Overton or https://www.learningchangemakers.com/
Nahdia Khan
Dr Anna Barnett
Michelle Ockers or https://learninguncut.global/

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.

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Reena Anand
Ross Garner
Gemma Towersey

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

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

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:

How ‘Skill Bites’ work
- The product development approach that went into their launch
- The mechanisms through which they make a measurable difference – and how we measure it!

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.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey or on LinkedIn
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
- Gent Ahmetaj - @GentAhmetaj
- Keith Jackson - LinkedIn

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

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

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:

the avoidable errors that lead to “voltage drops”
the actions that promote “voltage gains” i.e., successful scaling
what these mean for L&D professionals.

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

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:

· Charlotte Blake

· Steph Constantinides

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

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

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:

· the core principles of Adult Learning Theory

· how to apply Adult Learning Theory in the workplace

· why keeping the life of the learner front-of-mind is so important.

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:

· Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT

· Ross Dickie - @Ross DickieMT

· Dr Carrie Graham - LinkedIn

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:

where the lessons of previous industrial revolutions apply to this one
how ‘knowledge workers’ can adapt their job to work with AI tools
the role of L&D in preparing people for the AI revolution.

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:

The problem your LXP can't solve: Useless content (3rd May / 12:30 / Theatre 6 - 30 mins)
Watching someone speak in front of a slide deck is a terrible way to learn (3rd May / 16:05 / Bitesize Learning Zone 2 - 15 mins)
Panel: 20 Years of Benchmarking, with Laura Overton and Michelle Ockers (4th May / 11:45 / Theatre 6 - 30 mins)
Let’s make a podcast! (4th May / 11:45 / Theatre 6 - 30 mins)

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:

Ross Dickie – @Ross DickieMT
Owen Ferguson – @OwenFerguson

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:

how we got started in L&D
what we’ve gained from doing the podcast
our L&D ‘hot takes’ (something we believe about L&D that is provocative and maybe has some truth to it).

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:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Ross Dickie - @Ross DickieMT
Owen Ferguson – @OwenFerguson
Matt Pleger - @UmassMatt

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:

what ‘high-impact video’ means in a learning context
how to go about designing videos that will resonate with your audience
how to overcome common challenges in the creative process

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

Ross Dickie - @Ross DickieMT
Gemma Towersey - @gemmatowersey
You can find Samson on LinkedIn.

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

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:

what ‘reverse mentoring’ is
the benefits of reverse mentoring for both parties
the pitfalls of a reverse mentoring relationship – and how to avoid them.

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:

Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Patrice Gordon - @MsPatriceGordon

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:

why most learner surveys suck, despite L&D pros insisting they want to evaluate learning
how to create effective questions that give you actionable insights
why learner surveys are ‘pure sex’.

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:

Gemma Towersey - @gemmatowersey
Ross Garner - @rossgarnerMT
Will Thalheimer – @WillWorkLearn

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. We cover:

what adjacent learning is
how we can learn purposefully from other places
how can we reflect on what we know and do outside of work that will help inside work?

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:

Gemma Towersey - @gemmatowersey
Ross Garner - @rossgarnerMT
David Hayden - @HaydenDavidhrd

Steve George can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-george-frsa-assoc-cipd-gmbpss-1a80931b/

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

Happiness Hypothesis. Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom

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

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/

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

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:

how the workplace has evolved
the emergence of ‘self-managing organisations’
the factors that stop leaders creating a happy workplace.

During the discussion, Henry recommended the following books:

Turn the Ship Around! by David Marquet
Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux
Maverick by Ricardo Semler
No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer

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.

actions you can take when budgets are tight
how the lessons of 2008 can be applied today.

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:

Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Henry Stewart - @HappyHenry

With inflation high, and high profile redundancies hitting the headlines, L&D is once again under pressure to demonstrate the value it offers and to have an impact in our organisations. So what can you do if your budget is slashed?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, David James shares his experiences of managing the L&D team at The Walt Disney Company during the 2008 financial crisis. David is the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning and host of The Learning & Development Podcast, and joins Ross G and Owen to discuss:

the impact that recessions and cost savings typically have on L&D
actions you can take when budgets are tight
how the lessons of 2008 can be applied today.

David has also written about this topic for Forbes, which you can read at: forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2023/01/04/heres-how-ld-can-achieve-more-with-less/

During the discussion, David referenced a LinkedIn post from Ross Stevenson, which you can see here: linkedin.com/posts/rstevensonuk_learninganddevelopment-education-humanresources-activity-7019651016069410816-tAGI?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross mentioned a LinkedIn post from Dr Philippa Hardman on ChatGPT for educators. See: linkedin.com/posts/dr-philippa-hardman-057851120_chatgpt-for-educators-a-practical-guide-activity-7020331313136074752-xxik

For more from David, see 360learning.com/ or subscribe to his podcast: looop.co/podcast

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 find out more about The Mind Tools Expert Voices Podcast, including where to subscribe, at: https://www.mindtools.com/podcast/

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
David James - @DavidInLearning

Last week on the show we had James McLuckie join us to share his advice for winning an award, and this week - as we're approaching Oscars season - we thought we'd host our own award show: where the nominees haven't entered, the winners don't get anything, and the only criteria is what we think was interesting or cool in 2022.

So, in this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Gemma, Nahdia and Owen are going to reveal their winners from the following shortlists:

Book of the Year

The Business of Race, by Gina Greenlee and Margaret Greenberg
Smart Growth, by Whitney Johnson
The Digital Mindset, by Paul Leonardi and Tsedal Neeley
HR for Hybrid Working, by Gary Cookson
How to Work Remotely, by Gemma Dale
Learning at Speed, by Nelson Sivalingam
Decisions Over Decimals, by Paul Magnone, Oded Netzer, Christopher J. Frank
The Expectation Effect, by David Robson

Guest of the Year

Margaret Greenberg and Gina Greenlee
Nathalie Nahai
Professor Doctor Jonathan Wilson
Oded Netzer
Bedford Falls’ own George Bailey

Episode of the Year

Christmas Special: Home Alone
Halloween Special: Edgar Allan Poe and ‘unity of effect’ in learning design
300 — Celebrating live from London!
Live from the Metaverse: VR for learning
What will be hot in workplace L&D in 2022?

Technology of the Year

ChatGPT
The Metaverse
Miro
Dall-e 2, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion

Tweet of the Year

Elon Musk - Let that sink in
Sam Altman - Today we launched Chat GPT
Rob Briner - 18 things I think I got wrong in trying to promote evidence based practice
Rob Lennon — Everyone's stuck in beginner mode with ChatGPT

L&D Pro of the Year

Nelson Sivalingam
Ross Dickie
Michelle Ockers
Donald Clark

During the discussion, Gemma referenced the book Statistics without Tears, from Penguin: penguin.co.uk/books/13568/statistics-without-tears-by-derek-rowntree/9780141987491

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Gemma recommended the book Cairngorm John, by John Allen: sandstonepress.com/books/cairngorm-john-pb-1

Ross recommended the film Cliffhanger.

At Mind Tools, we're continuing to offer 10% off your first custom project if commissioned in January 2023. This offer only applies to new custom learning customers and work must be commissioned before midnight, January 31 for discount to apply. Contact Ross and Gemma from our Custom team for details: custom@mindtools.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 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:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan

Industry awards offer a chance to reflect on your work, raise your profile and win some prestige, but they also take a lot of work. So if you’re going to enter, you want to maximise the chances of winning.

In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, former co-host James McLuckie of MAPAL joins Ross G and Ross D to share his insights and entrant and judge. We discuss:

how the process works
advice for structuring your submission
how to deliver a persuasive presentation.

If you’re interested in entering an award, check out the Learning Technologies Awards (learningtechnologies.co.uk/learning-tech-awards) and the Learning Awards (thelearningawards.com/)

For details of Ross D’s recent win, see: mindtoolsbusiness.com/resources/blog/ross-dickie-wins-bronze-learning-technologies-awards-2022

At the top of the show, Ross G referenced the Learning Performance Benchmark, a free tool that can help you take a data-based approach to evaluating your team’s L&D performance. To find out more, visit: mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D recommended Deep Work by Cal Newport: amazon.co.uk/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/dp/0349411905

James discussed #SpedUpSounds and an article from The Guardian: theguardian.com/music/2023/jan/10/sped-up-songs-spotify-youtube-tiktok

Ross G recommended Stephen L Chew and William J Cerbin’s article on the need for a theory of how people learn, published by Inside Higher Ed: insidehighered.com/views/2017/12/05/need-theory-learning-opinion

Thanks @NeilMosley5 on Twitter for that one.

For more from MAPAL, see: mapal-os.com/en/

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 if you’re looking for help designing digital learning experiences in 2023, why not contact our Custom team at custom@mindtools.com

We're offering 10% off your first custom project if commissioned in January 2023. This offer only applies to new custom learning customers and work must be commissioned before midnight, January 31 for discount to apply.

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT  

Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT

James McLuckie - @JamesMcLuckie

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

In January, many of us like to take stock, reflect on the last twelve months, and make plans for the year ahead. In this spirit, we’re kicking off 2023 with a few early insights from our Learning Performance Benchmark.

On the podcast this week, Ross D is joined by Gent Ahmetaj and Anna Barnett from our Insights team to discuss the state of the profession, and what this means for L&D practitioners. We cover:

what the Learning Performance Benchmark is, and the value benchmarking offers organizations
early insights from this year’s Benchmark report, with a focus on capabilities, barriers, and strategy

To learn more about the Learning Performance Benchmark, or to start benchmarking your organization’s L&D capabilities, head to: mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark

In WILTW, Anna recommended the game ‘Settlers of Catan’: catan.com/

Gent described how he was led astray by a fake research paper, cited by ChatGPT. You can generate your own A.I. truths and lies at: chat.openai.com/chat

Looking for help designing digital learning experiences in 2023? Why not contact our Custom team at custom@mindtools.com

We're offering 10% off your first custom project if commissioned in January 2023.

Terms and Conditions

Offer only applies to new custom learning customers
Work must be commissioned before midnight, January 31 for discount to apply.

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

Gent Ahmetaj - @GentAhmetaj

Anna Barnett - @DrAnnaBarnett

Back by popular demand (ish), the Mind Tools L&D Podcast team are wrapping up this year with a tenuous spin on festive favourite Home Alone! This time it isn’t Macaulay Culkin getting left behind: it’s Ross G, Ross D, Nahdia and Owen!

What would WE do if left for Christmas in the L&D department of a large organisation? When our colleagues return, what will they find?

We discuss:

the laughs we’d share if we could get hold of IT admin privileges
how stock photography haunts us still
the benefits of an AI personal assistant on every device.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D recommended the Scrubs podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends: open.spotify.com/show/6qckOLN3q2qpZilM6i1MKv

And for something festive, he shared ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ by Zach Braff and Donald Faison: youtube.com/watch?v=ZAGCZMQUeXo

Nahdia shared a Dolly Parton fact. If you don’t already love Dolly, check out the Dolly Parton’s America podcast: wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america

And Ross G shared a Twitter thread from @Ammaar, who wrote a children’s book in a weekend with ChatGPT, MidJourney and other AI tools: twitter.com/ammaar/status/1601284293363261441?s=20&t=I60XsKrPtGFMEQi7uUwA2A

For the last time this year: you can find 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
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan

In this episode, we'll be chatting about the common jargon used in the Learning and Development field. We'll break down these phrases and explain what they mean, so you can understand and use them in your own L&D conversations.

Here are some of the phrases we'll be covering:

Blended learning: This refers to a combination of different learning methods, such as online courses, face-to-face training, and e-learning modules.
Microlearning: This is the use of short, focused learning sessions to help learners retain information and apply it in the workplace.
Agile learning: Which can mean anything you want it to mean!

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen discussed his favourite new tool: ChatGPT, which wrote the entirety of these show notes up to the ‘agile learning’ line in italics. Give it a go here: chat.openai.com/chat

Ross D discussed the Natural Language AI from Google: blog.google/technology/ai/join-us-in-the-ai-test-kitchen/

And Ross G shared some fun simulated nonsense he found on Twitter, in the form of a ‘rock, paper, scissors’ simulation: twitter.com/juanbuis/status/1600155605112496129?s=20&t=51X4p1tzACbY1tg7sxEcaw

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 @rossgarner@mastodon.scot)
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Megan Reilly - Linkedin

‘Big data’ promised us an end to uncertainty, but we realise now that this is a myth. Uncertainty will always remain, and intuition can help us navigate it.

That’s the claim of Oded Netzer, one of the authors of Decisions Over Decimals: Striking the Balance Between Intuition and Information. On this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Oded joins Ross G and Ross D to discuss:

Why looking for a ‘perfect’ answer isn’t helpful
How ‘quantitative intuition’ (QI) can help us make decisions
Techniques for identifying the data you do need to make decisions.

You can find out more about Decisions Over Decimals, including where to buy a copy, at dodthebook.com/

During the discussion, Ross D referenced the website FiveThirtyEight.com. You can find it here: fivethirtyeight.com/

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Oded discussed Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History episode ‘My Little Hundred Million’: pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history/my-little-hundred-million

Ross D referenced FiveThirtyEight (again) to explore the technology within a football: fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-world-cups-new-high-tech-ball-will-change-soccer-forever/

Ross G encouraged all of you to follow him on Mastodon (the hottest new social network, pew-pew!). Check out: mastodon.scot/@rossgarner

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 @rossgarner@mastodon.scot)
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Oded Netzer - @OdedNetzer

Bonus content! Check out this photo of Ross D with his award: twitter.com/MindToolsFB/status/1593232298358763521?s=20&t=BXnJsjoQ0bYR1_DzvPdjpg

This October saw cities across Scotland play host to the first ever ‘Scottish Games Week’, a nationwide event featuring a conference, an education symposium, and awards show. What lessons from that event can the organisers share with the L&D community?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma and Sam are joined by organisers Brian Baglow and Julie Drybrough to discuss:

the elements of a good ‘learning’ game;
some of the problems that come when we design games with an explicitly ‘learning’ focus;
- how to leverage game mechanics to improve learning.

During the show, Brian discussed the game Island Saver, from NatWest. See: natwest.mymoneysense.com/island-saver/

Sam referenced McDonald’s gamified approach to till training: kineo.com/case-studies/mcdonalds-till-training-game

For more on Scottish Games Week, see: gamesweek.scot/

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Sam discussed what a World of Warcraft virtual outbreak taught us about how humans behave in epidemics: arstechnica.com/science/2020/03/that-time-world-of-warcraft-helped-epidemiologists-model-an-outbreak/

Julie discussed the relationship between trauma and coaching, with reference to Dr Gabor Maté. See: drgabormate.com/

Brian discussed Bugzy Malone’s Grandest Game, a podcast series about Grand Theft Auto, available on BBC Sounds: bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0df1893

And Gemma discussed ‘inosculation’, courtesy of Robert Macfarlane on Twitter: twitter.com/RobGMacfarlane/status/1592220645697486856?s=20&t=NcanHDv48LNdU1BAdl0qaQ

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
Sam Brown - @SBrownMT
Julie Drybrough - @Fuchsia_Blue
Brian Baglow - @FlackBoy

At Mind Tools, we pride ourselves on our ability to create visually rich learning experiences that drive performance. Often, these experiences will include a mix of video, audio, and illustration. But why do these things matter? And how do they serve the outcomes we define with our clients?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D is joined by Tracey, Claire and Alison to discuss the use of multimedia in learning design. We cover:

the role of multimedia in effective learning design
creating an emotional connection through storytelling
what ‘good’ multimedia looks like in a learning context

In WILTW, Tracey described a recent family trip to a model-railway exhibition. A full breakdown of modelling scale standards can be found here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rail_transport_modelling_scale_standards

Claire mentioned the Netflix show A Trip to Infinity: netflix.com/title/81273453

This led her to explore the so-called “coastline paradox”. If you were as befuddled by this concept as Ross D, you can find more information here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastline_paradox

Alison talked about the ability of dogs to sense when their owners are unwell. You can find more information here: wagwalking.com/sense/can-dogs-sense-if-youre-sick

Ross D recommended the video game Immortality, which is available on Xbox, PC and mobile devices.

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
Tracey McDonald – @TraceyMcDonald
Claire Gibson - @Claireisdigital
Alison Perrott - @allyperrott

In learning science, there are certain ideas that have leapt the fences of academia and seeped into the public consciousness. Often, these ideas gain traction because they feel intuitively true. But what does the data say? And how should we apply these ideas as learning professionals?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Garner and Ross Dickie are joined by Jane Bozarth, Director of Research for the Learning Guild, to discuss three research papers that challenge the received wisdom. We cover:

Generational difference
Learning styles
The “Marshmallow Test”.

The three papers we discussed were:
- 'Generational Differences in Work-Related Attitudes: A Meta-analysis', published in 2012 in the Journal of Business and Psychology.
- 'Another Nail in the Coffin for Learning Styles? Disparities among Undergraduate Anatomy Students’ Study Strategies, Class Performance, and Reported VARK Learning Styles', published in 2018 in Anatomical Sciences Education.
- 'Revisiting the Marshmallow Test: A Conceptual Replication Investigating Links Between Early Delay of Gratification and Later Outcomes', published in Psychological Science in 2018.

The Atlanticdid a good write-up of the controversy surrounding the 'Marshmallow Experiment'. See here: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/06/marshmallow-test/561779/

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross Garner mentioned a Twitter thread from Aaron Berman, in which he shares writing tips from his time as editor of the US President’s daily brief: https://twitter.com/aarondberman/status/1541576231891525633?s=21&t=1\_oHB0tqjbt4VXZXmTMnXQ

Jane spoke about Kate the Chemist’s recent session at DevLearn. To find out more about Kate, visit her website: https://www.katethechemist.com/

Ross Dickie recommended the technology podcast ‘Hard Fork’ from the New York Times. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts, or through the NYT website: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/04/podcasts/hard-fork-technology.html

To find out more about Jane’s work at the Learning Guild, see: https://www.learningguild.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
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Dr Jane Bozarth - @JaneBozarth

In the UK, 84% of workers who had to work from home because of the Coronavirus pandemic have said they plan to continue working at home, at least some of the time, in the future. That poses a problem to those of us responsible for workplace learning.

This week on The Mind Tools Podcast, Ross G and Ross D are joined by Phill Miller, Managing Director of Open LMS, to explore solutions. We discuss:

The impact that a shift to hybrid and remote working has had on L&D professionals
The advantages of remote learning
The disadvantages of remote learning – and how to address them!

The stats that Ross G mentioned were taken from the Office for National Statistics, ‘Is hybrid working here to stay?’. See: ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/ishybridworkingheretostay/2022-05-23

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D discussed his experiments using DALL·E to create images from text. See: openai.com/blog/dall-e-now-available-without-waitlist/

Ross also shared the image he created with the prompt 'Oil painting of two nerdy guys recording a podcast in a studio.' on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RossDickieMT/status/1590310719832354816

For more about Open LMS, see: openlms.net/about-us

To learn more from Open LMS about online learning engagement in the workplace, see: openlms.net/blog/education/collaborative-online-learning-improve-retention-and-engagement

You can also find Phill at: linkedin.com/in/phillmiller

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
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Phill Miller - @PhJMille

Here at Mind Tools Towers, we love podcasts. We’ve produced our own for six years! But what role do they have to play in workplace learning?

This week on The Mind Tools Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Adam Lacey from podcasts-for-learning-provider Assemble You. We discuss:

The evolution of podcasts as a technology and as a market
The solutions that now exist to organisational security barriers
Workplace learning contexts where podcasts are ideal.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen discussed some internal insights from Meta’s development of VR application Horizon Worlds: theverge.com/2022/10/6/23391895/meta-facebook-horizon-worlds-vr-social-network-too-buggy-leaked-memo

Adam discussed decision-making speed, based on insights from the Brain Food newsletter: fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/

Ross G discussed the ‘digital dark age’, recently discussed on Twitter by @CulturalTutor: twitter.com/culturaltutor/status/1553789465881202690?s=21&t=aByJZxFkW0QeyyrF1nwcEg

For more from Adam, visit:

His LinkedIn page: linkedin.com/in/adamlacey/
The Assemble You LinkedIn page: linkedin.com/company/assemble-you/
The Assemble You website: assembleyou.com/
The Power Skills Project: assembleyou.com/podcast

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
Adam Lacey - LinkedIn

Once upon a midnight dreary, Ross G pondered, weak and weary
Whether Ross D might consider him a dry and awful bore—

If he proposed some gentle chatting, sprinkled with some caveating,

A pod with almost no formatting, on an essay he’d adored.

“’Tis about unity of effect in learning design,” he muttered, “by Edgar Allan Poe—

Only this and nothing more.”

We discuss:

why we are dedicating our Halloween Special to the application of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘Philosophy of Composition’ to modern-day learning design
the impact of ‘unity of effect’ on design decisions
how to create an emotional response in learning experiences.

To read Poe’s essay, see: poetryfoundation.org/articles/69390/the-philosophy-of-composition

To read the full text of ‘The Raven’, see: poetryfoundation.org/poems/48860/the-raven

For The Simpsons version of this tale, see: youtube.com/watch?v=bLiXjaPqSyY

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D shared his insights from his recent marathon. Ross G discussed Paul Fairie’s (@Paulisci) Twitter thread on the many issues caused by bicycles: twitter.com/paulisci/status/1561848479470694403

If you’re interested in the poem that Ross G’s wife wrote, Edgar Allan Poem, see: instagram.com/p/Chwy4eLLecV/ (It inspired this episode!)

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. 

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Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Edgar Allan Poe - @Poe_Quotes_Bot

As learning professionals, we can rely on people always needing support to do their jobs more efficiently and more effectively. We can also rely on the hows, whats, whens, and wheres of that support changing. It's up to us to make sure we have the skills, knowledge and attitude to keep pace with changes in learning science, technology and learner demands.

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma and her teammates in the learning experience team are joined by digital learning designer and developer Ed McLean to share how they keep pace.

We discuss:

The skills and knowledge we're using now
How we anticipate what we'll need to develop in the future
How we find learning and development opportunities.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Gemma recommended The Rest is Politics podcast. You can find this wherever you listen to podcasts.

Ed prompted discussion about the Swiss legal requirement of buying guinea pigs in pairs. You can find out more by reading 'Why it's illegal to own only one guinea pig in Switzerland' in the NY Post.

Sean's fact about the first VR headset came from this 'A brief history of Virtual Reality, In patents' article.

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

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Gemma Towersey- @gemmatowersey
Sean Brown - @Seanbrownhrtech
Claire Gibson - @Claireisdigital
Ed McLean - @em_learning

English is the world’s lingua franca, but the 400 million native-English speakers are a minority compared to the 2 billion people who learned English in a classroom. With these numbers, it’s no surprise that most people speak English ‘badly’.

The problem is that, when people speak with a strange accent, pronounce words wrong, or use unusual grammar, we form an impression of their intelligence and capability that has nothing to do with their actual abilities. So this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, we’re joined by author, consultant and TEDx speaker Heather Hansen to explore the benefits of speaking English badly!

We discuss:

Why ‘accent bias’ is a problem
How to become better listeners in a global setting
How we can better communicate with others.

You can watch Heather’s TEDx talk at: ted.com/talks/heather_hansen_2_billion_voices_how_to_speak_bad_english_perfectly

Find out more about Heather at: globalspeechacademy.com/

You can also find Heather on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hansenheather/

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed Alan Rickman’s showbiz diaries: theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/24/alan-rickmans-secret-showbiz-diaries-harry-potter

Nahdia discussed research into accent bias in Britain: accentbiasbritain.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Accent-Bias-Britain-Report-2020.pdf

We opened today’s show with a clip from Mind Your Language.

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. 

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
Heather Hansen - @HeatherHansen

How do you set your projects up for success? Does the SME and learning designer relationship really follow the buddy cop movie trope?

In this episode of the Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Claire, Sean, Tracey and Ross G share their experiences of working with SMEs and their insights into what makes a great working relationship.

We discussed:

How to build a solid learning designer and SME relationship
Ways to engage SMEs effectively
The power of positive challenge

In WILTW, Sean shared some facts linked to the latest Frozen Planet.

Tracey told us about her planet-gazing, join her in finding out more facts about Jupiter on the NASA website.

Ross talked about recent Economist article he’d read which introduced the new phenomenon of ‘champing’ camping in churches. You can read it here, ‘Britain’s empty churches are turning into campsites’.

Claire mentioned the SS Explorer currently docked in Leith, check out the preservation society page here.

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:

Claire Gibson - @Claireisdigital
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Tracey McDonald – @TraceyMcDonald
Sean Brown - @SeanBrownHRTech

How is it possible to learn faster than external world changes? What do we need to do to purposefully protect ourselves against irrelevance?

Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma and Ross G are joined by author of Learning at Speed, Nelson Sivalingam, to discuss how organisations, L&D teams and individuals can upskill and reskill efficiently.

We discussed: 

* What learning at speed means

The barriers to learning at speed
How we can overcome those challenges

Nelson’s book, Learning at Speed, is available from the Kogan Page website or any other good bookseller.

To plug into Nelson’s podcast, L&D Disrupt, find it wherever you get your podcasts, or visit the HowNow podcast webpage.

At the start of the podcast, Gemma referenced The Economist article, ‘The tech winners and losers of the pandemic’.

Nelson mentioned Andy Lancaster’s Driving performance through learning. This is available from Kogan Page or any other good bookseller.

Michelle Parry-Slater’s The Learning and Development Handbook also cropped up in the conversation. It’s also available from Kogan Page and any other good bookseller.

Nelson recommended reading Sapiens: A brief history of humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari. Get a copy on Amazon.

Nelson talked through the ICE framework, a scoring method created by Sean Ellis. Find out more here: productplan.com/glossary/ice-scoring-model/

Additionally, Nelson advocated using the principles of ‘Jobs to Be Done’. To read about the practices involved, take a look at Jobs to be Done: Theory to Practice. You can find it on Amazon.

Ross referenced the Agile Manifesto. You can read it and the 12 principles on agilemanifesto.org.

In WILTW, Ross talked about the percentage of American subjects in social psychology studies as discussed on the Freakonomics podcast episode, ‘The U.S. is just different – so let’s stop pretending we’re not.’

Gemma mentioned ‘Kopfkino’, a word that appears in Susie Dent’s new book and appeared as Word of the day on her Twitter feed.

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:

Nelson Sivalingam - @thatnelsondude
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Gemma Towersey – @gemmatowersey

Jobs to be Done: Theory to Practice

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

Our brain is a ‘prediction machine’ that responds to and interprets reality based on what we expect. This is the claim of science writer David Robson and, this week on The Mind Tools Podcast, Ross G, Owen and Nahdia plan to exceed your expectations by discussing it in our book club.

We discuss:

examples of the ‘expectation effect’ in action
the strengths and weaknesses of Robson’s argument
how we can experiment, personally, with managing our expectations.

During the discussion, Ross referenced the Freakonomics episode ‘I Don’t Know What You’ve Done With My Husband But He’s a Changed Man’: freakonomics.com/podcast/i-dont-know-what-youve-done-with-my-husband-but-hes-a-changed-man/

See also our podcast on Carol Dweck’s Growth Mindset: podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/grit-and-mindset-emotion-at-work-crossover-special/id1114862726?i=1000470741181

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen recommended Bob Sutton (@work_matters) on Twitter, and specifically his Tweet about the ‘feedback sandwich’: todoist.com/app/(https://twitter.com/work_matters/status/1565064130574241793?s=46&t=z7JQmmhA9bhpOPtQuc1RLQ)

And Ross discussed the shortest day for 40 years, June 29: theguardian.com/science/2022/aug/01/midnight-sooner-earth-spins-faster-shortest-day

 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.

To take advantage of our special offer on a Mind Tools Membership, visit: mindtools.com/september-subscription-sale

Mind Tools enterprise customers can hear our exclusive interview with David Robson, author of The Expectation Effect, as part of their toolkit. If you're not already a customer or subscriber, you can listen to an excerpt in our blog:
mindtools.com/blog/expert-interview-blog-david-robson/ Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:  

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson

This week The Mind Tools Podcast team are travelling through another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop: Extended Reality.

In this episode, Ross G and Nahdia speak to technologist, TEDx speaker, author and designer Myra Roldan about how new technologies are shaping the way we interact with the world, and with each other. We discuss:

VR, AR, XR and mixed realities
Applications of XR for learning
The impact of XR on empathy.

During the discussion, we discussed several VR experiences:

Five Nights at Freddy’s: oculus.com/experiences/quest/3162101440489458
Vader Immortal: oculus.com/vader-immortal/?locale=en_GB
Richie’s Plank: oculus.com/experiences/quest/1642239225880682/

For more on how The Mandalorian was shot, see: youtube.com/watch?v=gUnxzVOs3rk

For Myra’s TEDx talk on VR, see: ted.com/talks/myra_roldan_vr_changing_world_views

You can find Myra on LinkedIn at: linkedin.com/in/myraroldan

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Nahdia discussed the recent flooding in Pakistan, the impact of glaciers, and the effects of climate change: bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62758811

Myra discussed her TikTok channel, learnwithmyra: tiktok.com/@learnwithmyra

And for something completely different, Ross G shared old Hollywood bloopers: twitter.com/NonsenseIsland/status/1550562796458352641

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
Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
Myra Roldan - @MyraMade

What’s the evidence telling us about effective questions for learning? How can we apply it?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by fellow Custom team members Ross Garner, Sam and Alison to discuss key takeaways from Patti Shanks’ book, Write better multiple-choice questions to assess learning.

We discussed: 

* The role of questions in learning

What makes an effective question
How to overcome challenges in writing them.

We talked about how we used open questions as part of a project with Scottish Enterprise. Find out more about the project here: Award-winning blended learning for Scottish Enterprise case study.

In WILTW, Ross excitedly told us about the five attempts (and injuries!) that Bond’s stuntman took to nail the crocodile shot in Live and Let Die. You can watch them on Twitter: twitter.com/michaelwarbur17

Gemma’s discovery about the Summer Time Act came from an episode of the BBC’s podcast You’re Dead to Me called ‘The History of Timekeeping’.

Further details came from the BBC article, “The Builder who changed how the world keeps time”.

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

Sam Brown - @SbrownMT
Alison Perrott - @allyperrott
Gemma Towersey – @gemmatowersey

Will avatar-based training replace virtual classrooms? Would it make any difference if L&D didn’t even exist?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D, Owen and Nahdia tackle these questions from listeners Ian Younger (@ian5611) and Craig Taylor (@CraigTaylor74).

In WILTW, Owen mentioned the article ‘Good’ posture doesn’t prevent back pain, and ‘bad’ posture doesn’t cause it by Peter O’Sullivan, Leon Straker and Nic Saraceni.

The episode of the Ezra Klein Show which featured a discussion of ‘Larping your job’ was The Office is Dying. It’s Time to Rethink How We Work.

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
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Nahdia Khan -@NahdiaKhan

Here at Mind Tools Towers, we’ve been supporting L&D teams for years – and that’s given us plenty of time to reflect on things we could have done better!

So this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Owen, Sean and Ross D are sharing the advice that they wish they’d had when they started out in their careers. We discuss:

The importance of gathering diverse work experiences
How to define a problem
How to speak to others about what you do for a living.

Additionally, we share insights from our Twitter audience. Thanks everyone for sharing your ideas. You can find these responses on Twitter at: twitter.com/SeanBrownHRTech/status/1559833708441620482

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen recommended an article from Ben Thompson: stratechery.com/2022/instagram-tiktok-and-the-three-trends/

Sean discussed the world's first animated feature film, El Apóstol: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ap%C3%B3stol

Ross D discussed a lost trove of Civil War gold: theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/07/pennsylvania-civil-war-treasure-gold-hunt-fbi/638445/

And Ross G recommended the '(Not Boring) Habits' app: apps.apple.com/us/app/not-boring-habits/id1593891243

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
Sean Brown - @Seanbrownhrtech
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT

Many organizations responded to the global pandemic by adopting digital technologies that enabled different ways of working. This sudden, unanticipated change has created opportunities for L&D, but it's also posed challenges.

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen and Anna to dive into this year's L&D Benchmark Report: 'Is your learning culture keeping pace with rapid digitalization?' They discuss:

the history of the Annual L&D Benchmark Report, and its relationship to our Learning Performance Benchmark
the emergence of culture and digitalization as the key themes of this year's report, and what this tells us about the state of L&D
the characteristics of top-performing organizations, and what we can learn from them
practical advice for applying the report's findings.

To explore the Annual L&D Benchmark Report for yourself, head to our website: mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-reports/keeping-pace-with-digitalization

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen recommended the Abba Voyage concert experience. Full details can be found at: abbavoyage.com

Ross D referenced the FiveThirtyEight article 'Why the Same Temperature Can Feel Different Somewhere Else'by Maggie Koerth: fivethirtyeight.com/features/heat-index-temperature

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
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Anna Barnett @DrAnnaBarnett

Have learners engaged? Learnt what we set out for them to learn? More importantly, have they bought that learning into how they perform? Is this having the wider impact we wanted?

All the questions. So, how do we, as learning professionals, measure the impact our learning experiences have?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma discusses with teammates Claire, Sean and Tracey, about measuring impact.

We discuss:

what measuring impact means
tools and methods we use
some of the challenges involved.

During our chat, Sean mentioned that more than 95% of CLOs know it’s important to measure impact, but less than 5% know how. The statistic came from this blog netcomlearning.com/blogs/55/10-ways-to-measure-the-impact-of-learning-for-the-ultimate-roi.html

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Gemma spoke about the first woman who summited Mont Blanc, Marie Paradis. You can find out more about her here chamonixallyear.com/lady-legends-women-in-mountaineering

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
Claire Gibson - @Claireisdigital
Sean Brown - @Seanbrownhrtech
Tracey McDonald – @Traceymcdonald

Rather than defaulting to pre-pandemic habits, or continuing with pandemic arrangements, we now have an ideal opportunity to rethink how and where we work.

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Nahdia and Gemma talk to Gem Dale, author of How to work remotely, about working well, in and out of the office.

We discuss:

why we need to be strategic and purposeful in how and where we work
challenges for organisations and managers in balancing organisational and individual needs
skills for effective remote working.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Nahdia told us why some houses in Amsterdam are so narrow amsterdamhangout.com/why-do-houses-in-amsterdam-are-so-narrow/

Gemma mentioned an episode from the language learning podcast series Coffee Break German coffeebreaklanguages.com/2022/07/cbg-mag-2-06-labskaus

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.

To find out more about Gem, see hrgemblog.com/ and her book koganpage.com/product/how-to-work-remotely-9781398606111

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
Gem Dale – @HR_Gem

People are more satisfied by explanations that contain neuroscientific jargon and images. Why? Because dopamine fires up the hippocampus, and that’s a fact! (Warning: It’s not.)

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Owen and Ross G are separating fact from fiction as we discuss neuroscience with Amy Brann, author of Make Your Brain Work.

We discuss:

The meaning of neuroscience (as a discipline vs in popular media)
- The relevance of neuroscience for HR and L&D
- Practical insights from neuroscience.

During the discussion, Owen referenced two papers:

Weisberg, D. S., Keil, F. C., Goodstein, J., Rawson, E., & Gray, J. R. (2008). The seductive allure of neuroscience explanations. Journal of cognitive neuroscience, 20(3), 470-477. Online at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2778755/

Farah, M. J., & Hook, C. J. (2013). The seductive allure of “seductive allure”. *Perspectives on Psychological Science*, 8(1), 88-90. Online at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26172255/

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen discussed Wordle (https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html), Heardle (https://www.spotify.com/heardle/) and Framed (https://framed.wtf/)

Ross discussed the Freakonomics series ‘What Can Blockchain Do for You?’: https://freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/what-can-blockchain-do-for-you/

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. 

To find out more about Amy, see https://amybrann.com/ and https://synapticpotential.com/

**Connect with our speakers**

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

Ross G - @RossGarnerMT
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Amy Brann – @Amy_Brann

Who knows why anyone does anything? Well… people who craft psychometrics claim that they can answer this question. And this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Owen and Ross G are going to find out how!

We’re joined by Lucie Ilsbury, a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Head of Client Enablement at Sova Assessment.

We discuss:

What psychometric assessments are for
The characteristics of an effective assessment
How psychometric assessments can be linked to an organization’s competency framework.

In ‘What I Learnt This Week’, Owen shared that decisive people are no more accurate than doubters: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jun/01/its-decided-decisive-people-no-more-accurate-than-self-doubters

Then he cast some doubt of his own on that headline, with the actual paper: Zajkowski, W., Bielecki, M., & Marszał-Wiśniewska, M. (2022). Are you confident enough to act? Individual differences in action control are associated with post-decisional metacognitive bias. PLoS one, 17(6), e0268501. Available at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0268501

Lucie recommended the The Psychology Podcast, featuring Whitney Goodman on ‘toxic positivity’: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/whitney-goodman-toxic-positivity/

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.

To find out more about Sova and gain access to thought leadership, complementary training courses and a network of experts in assessment, join the community here: https://community.sovaassessment.com/

For Sova e-books, see: https://sovaassessment.com/reports-guides/assessment-fundamentals-ebook

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross G - @RossGarnerMT
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Lucie Ilbury – LinkedIn

Since the dawn of history, people have been telling stories. Obviously, because the recorded history we have is in the format of a story. Now Ross Garner, Ross Dickie and David from the Mind Tools L&D Podcast crew are applying that technique to learning.

We discuss:

The benefits of storytelling for learning
Examples of effective storytelling at work
How new technologies give us exciting opportunities to craft new tales!

During the discussion, Ross Garner discussed an article from The Guardian. You can read it here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/15/story-lines-facts

 In ‘What I Learnt This Week’, Ross Dickie discussed why it’s so hard to fix electronics: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Dmp79iTEVqizinjOmjGpP?si=TeXVHG\_CTKuE4ZGlXlBWiA

David shared something he had ‘knot’ previously known: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/nautical-mile-knot.html

And Ross Garner recommended Patti Shanks’ book Write Better Multiple-Choice Questions to Assess Learning.

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

Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
David Sharkey on LinkedIn

Our mental wellbeing can depend in part, on our role at work. How do stress levels of colleagues, managers and directors compare, for instance? What is it about those roles that influences stress levels?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Emotion at Work’s Phil Willcox shares the findings of his latest research report “Managers feel the pinch”.

We discuss:

The research findings on roles and stress
What “levers” influence poor mental wellbeing
What we can do to stay healthy

You can find out more about Emotion at Work at emotionatwork.co.uk

To check out Phil's report, see: emotionatwork.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=09d92d7e2e59615c9c15131b0&id=11b6f33586

For more on our competition, where you could win a six month Mind Tools for Business subscription, see: https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/competition

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross’ nugget about declining eye health in children came from The Economist’s ‘Short-sightedness has become an epidemic’: economist.com/leaders/2022/06/09/short-sightedness-has-become-an-epidemic

Phil backed up his research with findings from a paper titled, ‘We have emotions but can’t show them!: Authoritarian Leadership, Emotional Suppression Climate, and Team Performance’: eprints.lse.ac.uk/104058/1/We_have_emotions_but_can_t_show_them.pdf

Owen’s learning came from the UK Government’s research and analysis into online choice architecture called, ‘Evidence review of Online Choice Architecture and consumer and competition harm.’ : gov.uk/government/publications/online-choice-architecture-how-digital-design-can-harm-competition-and-consumers/evidence-review-of-online-choice-architecture-and-consumer-and-competition-harm

You can find Ross' blog on choice architecture at: mindtoolsbusiness.com/resources/blog/tips-and-expertise/how-nudge-theory-can-lead-to-better-workplace-learning

Gemma’s magpie facts were from the RSPB’s ‘Magpie life cycle’ webpage: rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/magpie/life-cycle/

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 G - @RossGarnerMT
Gemma T - @GemmaTowersey
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Phil Willcox - @PhilWillcox

In our 300th episode of The Mind Tools L&D podcast, we are LIVE from London!

Owen, Nahdia and Gemma were joined by two special guests, Julie Dirksen and Phil Willcox, and a live studio audience buzzing after Day 1 of the Learning Technologies 2022 conference and exhibition.

There was something for everyone! We spoke about:

* Perspectives on the LT conference and exhibition

Designing learning for complex skills
The mental health challenges that managers face

We also heard what our audience had learnt this week.

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. 

 If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Nahdia Khan - @nahdiakahn
- Gemma T - @gemmatowersey
- Owen Ferguson - @owenferguson
- Phil Willcox - @PhilWillcox
- Julie Dirksen - @usablelearning

We’re all familiar with one-off learning events like e-learning modules, workshops and virtual classrooms. They’re common because they’re logistically easier for everyone, but how we can adapt these to embed learning after the event?

To discuss, Ross G and Owen are joined by Paul 'Westy' Westlake, Digital Director at PeopleUnboxed, and host of the PeopleUnplugged Podcast.

We discuss:

Problems with one-off events
Techniques to ensure they have greater impact
What it looks like to embed learning more systemically within a workplace.

Show notes

During the discussion, Ross referenced the work of Immersive Interactive: https://immersive.co.uk/

We also referenced the Mind Tools report ‘Google it: The secret online lives of UK managers’: https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-reports/google-it-the-secret-online-lives-of-uk-managers

You can find out more about People Unboxed at: https://peopleunboxed.co.uk/

The People Unplugged podcast is online at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1718614

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed the ‘(Not Boring) Habits’ app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/not-boring-habits/id1593891243

For the blog he recommended, see: https://www.andy.works/words/the-most-satisfying-checkbox

Ross mentioned the video game Lego Star Wars Skywalker Saga, and Paul shared that the world’s largest tyre manufacturer is in fact Lego: https://www.coruba.co.uk/blog/lego-the-worlds-largest-tyre-manufacturer/

Ross learned about the 65537-gon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/65537-gon

And Owen spoke briefly about knot theory and proteins: Adams, C., Devadoss, J., Elhamdadi, M., & Mashaghi, A. (2020). Knot theory for proteins: Gauss codes, quandles and bondles. Journal of Mathematical Chemistry, 58(8), 1711-1736. Online at: https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.09353

A wide-ranging discussion this week!

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.

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Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Owen Ferugson - @OwenFerguson
Paul Westlake - @PaulWestlake

Back in episode 279 of this podcast (February 1, 2022: ‘Why work is the ideal place to talk about race’), we spoke with authors Margaret Greenberg and Gina Greenlee about their book The Business of Race. But while we talked extensively about personal experiences and inner work, we didn’t have a chance to dig into what L&D can do to promote an anti-racist workplace.

So this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Margaret and Gina are back with Ross G and Nahdia to discuss:

The pre-work required for organizational change
The extent to which diversity training is effective
Tools that can help L&D promote an anti-racist workplace.

Show notes

Find out more about The Business of Race, including links to order a copy, at: businessofrace.com

The LinkedIn page is: linkedin.com/company/the-business-of-race

The Facebook page is: facebook.com/businessofrace

The tools that Margaret discussed were:

Deborah Plummer's Antiracist Style Indicator (ASI) - https://asi.dlplummer.com
Annie E. Casey Foundation's Organizational Self-Assessment (OSA) - https://www.aecf.org/resources/race-matters-organizational-self-assessment

In 'What I Learned This Week', Nahdia recommended the Adam Curtis document The Century of Self: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEsPOt8MG7E

Gina recommended The 1619 Project: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html

Margaret recommended Obasan by Joy Kagawa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obasan

Ross referenced No-No Boy by John Okada: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-No_Boy

And Ross shared that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky voiced Paddington Bear, prior to his current role: https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ukrainian-president-zelenskyukrainian-president-volodymyr-zelensky-voiced-paddington-bear-1235191660/

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.

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Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
Gina Greenlee - @TheGinaGreenlee / LinkedIn
Margaret Greenberg - LinkedIn

Gamification promises fun activities, increased user engagement and – ultimately – better workplace learning. But do points and badges really make a difference?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Sean, Tracey and podcasting n00b Sam Brown tackle this issue.

We discuss:

The difference between ‘gamification’ and ‘game-based learning’
Good and bad examples of gamification
Common gamification mistakes.

Find out more about Twitter Data Dash at: https://twitterdatadash.com/

For more on gamification, including examples, see:

com, ‘What is gamification’?, at: https://www.gamify.com/what-is-gamification
Growth Engineering, ‘The ultimate definition of gamification (with 6 real world examples)’, at: https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/definition-of-gamification/
Training Industry, ‘Game-Based Learning vs Gamification: Do You Know the Difference?’, at: https://trainingindustry.com/articles/learning-technologies/game-based-learning-vs-gamification-do-you-know-the-difference

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Sean shared the origins of the croissant: https://lesaffre.uk/2020/07/27/what-are-the-origins-of-the-croissant

Tracey discussed the origins of Neptune balls: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/15/seagrass-neptune-balls-sieve-millions-of-plastic-particles-from-water-study-finds

And Ross discussed the meaning of sailor tattoos: https://mymodernmet.com/traditional-sailor-tattoos-decoded/

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.

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Ross Garner @RossGarnerMT
Tracey McDonald @TraceyMcDonald
Sean Brown @SeanBrownHRTech
Sam Brown @SBrownMT

There are more and more people working in a hybrid way. What does this mean for how we meet, develop relationships and support learning?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma T and Owen explore these questions with HR for Hybrid Working author and Director of Epic HR, Gary Cookson.

We discuss:

What makes for an effective hybrid meeting
Experiences that tend to be better 100% remote / 100% in-person
The skills we might need to develop as HR and L&D professionals.

You can find out about Gary at: epichr.co.uk/

Gary's book is now available to buy: koganpage.com/product/hr-for-hybrid-working

In WILTW, Owen talked about research findings on the efficacy of “expert” advice. Here’s the research paper “Tips from the Top: Do the best performers really give the best advice?”

Gary learnt that the word “viking” was once used as a verb: What does the word Viking mean?

Gemma’s bluetooth titbit came from Twitter: Susie Dent: King Harald Bluetooth

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.

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Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Gary Cookson @Gary_Cookson

Why is chronic stress, or burnout, on the rise? Who suffers the most? Is it an individual or an organisational problem?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, author Jennifer Moss speaks to Gemma and Ross about the problem of burnout.

What burnout is
What causes such chronic stress
What does and doesn't help ease the problem?

You can find out more about Jennifer's work, and her book The Burnout Epidemic, at jennifer-moss.com

In ‘What I Learnt This Week’, Ross told us about Shakespeare's missing skull https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-shakespeare-idUSKCN0WQ192

Gemma talked about Dan Gilbert's End of History illusion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-of-history_illusion

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.

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Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Gemma - @gemmatowersey
Jennifer Moss - @jenleighmoss

What is a digital mindset? Why is it important? And can non-technical people really contribute in digital roles?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Ross G explore these questions with researcher, consultant and author of Digital Mindset, Dr Paul Leonardi.

We discuss:

How anyone can adopt a digital mindset
The importance of collaboration, computation and change
How much you need to know to ‘sniff test’ statistical claims.

The Digital Mindset: What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI, by Paul Leonardi and Tsedal Neeley, is available now.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D shared a tweet from Adam Grant: twitter.com/AdamMGrant/status/1523656067838021632

Ross G shared the paper: Brucks, M. S., & Levav, J. (2022). Virtual communication curbs creative idea generation. Nature, 1-5. Available online at: nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04643-y

Paul discussed the paper: Shih, K. (2017). Do international students crowd-out or cross-subsidize Americans in higher education?. Journal of Public Economics, 156, 170-184. Available online at: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047272717301676

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 find out more about Paul at: tmp.ucsb.edu/people/paul-leonardi

Find out more about Tsedal Neeley at: tsedal.com

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Ross G - @RossGarnerMT
Ross D - @RossDickieMT
Paul Leonardi - @PLeonardi1

Why is it so difficult to start something new and stick with it? How do we gain and maintain momentum? And why do we tire of what we're doing?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Ross G explore these questions with Smart Growth author and disruption theorist Whitney Johnson.

We discuss:

what we mean by 'smart growth'
the 'S Curve of Learning' model
what L&D teams can do to create an ecosystem where smart growth is possible.

Find out more about Whitney at: whitneyjohnson.com

The Disrupt Yourself wth Whitney Johnson podcast is on Spotify at: open.spotify.com/show/7cn2cgc34znzwPkkwH58sQ

The Grieg piece that Ross G mentioned was 'Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op 16': youtube.com/watch?v=I1Yoyz6_Los

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G discussed 'What Can TV Teach L&D? - Star Wars', by friend-of-the-show Tom Hickmore: youtube.com/watch?v=42aDTxlmklY

Whitney discussed Emma Seppälä's insight that happiness impacts three degrees of separation away from the happy person. You can see her TEDx talk at: youtube.com/watch?v=WZvUppaDfNs

And Ross D asked 'are gimmicky airline safety videos putting passengers in danger?': wired.co.uk/article/korean-air-k-pop-safety-video-superm

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.

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Ross G - @RossGarnerMT
Ross D - @RossDickieMT
Whitney Johnson - @JohnsonWhitney

Interactive checklists, immersive VR games, bitesized elearning and so many possibilities in between. Learning designers are spoilt for choice when it comes to interventions. How to choose the "right" one?

Gemma, along with Tracey, Sean and David from the Mind Tools Custom team discuss:

what we mean by interventions
who and what to take into account when making a decision
examples of interventions and the decisions that led to them.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Sean referenced the tinniest mammal, the bumblebee bat. You can read more about it here: guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/70467-smallest-mammal

David's nifty keyboard shortcuts: renaming a file = select file > F2; deleting a file = select file > shift DEL.

Tracey talked about her visit to Loch Garten. You can find out more about the flora and fauna at this magical place here, rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/loch-garten/

Gemma mentioned Yester Castle and the army of goblins that built and now haunt it. Wikipedia expands on the myth here wikipedia.org/wiki/Yester_Castle

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.

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Tracey McDonald - @TraceyMcDonald
Sean Brown - @SeanBrownHRTech
Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey

You'll find David on LinkedIn - David Sharkey

What are your organisation's values? How were they shaped? And what impact do they have on your future? In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Ross D discuss these issues with speaker, consultant and author Nathalie Nahai. We discuss: * the importance of values for retaining talent and attracting customers * how an organisation's values are shaped * whether 'values training' has any benefits.

For tickets to our live show in London, on the evening of May 4, see: eventbrite.co.uk/e/live-show-mind-tools-300th-podcast-episode-tickets-315236830847

For more on the 'Theory of Basic Human Values', see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Basic_Human_Values

For more on the 'Great Resignation', see: theguardian.com/business/2022/jan/04/great-resignation-quitting-us-unemployment-economy

If you were curious about HP's values and mission, see: hp.com/uk-en/hp-information.html

For more from Nathalie, see: nathalienahai.com

Identify, develop and communicate your organisation's with 'The Values Map': thevaluesmap.com

Find out more about Nathalie's book, Business Unusual, at: businessunusualthebook.com

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross referenced episode 268: open.spotify.com/episode/5wSAM8zTPvKlAIkkSoKB8Z, where he discussed Ezra Klein's podcast episode 'A Crypto Optimist Meets a Crypto Skeptic': nytimes.com/2021/10/15/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-katie-haun.html

He's now followed that up with another Ezra Klein episode, 'A Viral Case Against Crypto, Explored': nytimes.com/2022/04/05/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-interviews-dan-olson.html

For Dan Olson's YouTube video 'Line Goes Up - The Problem With NFTs', see: youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g

Larry David's FTX commercial, 'Don't Miss Out on Crypto' is here: youtube.com/watch?v=BH5-rSxilxo

The struggle to sell an NFT of Jack Dorsey's first ever tweet is online at: bbc.co.uk/news/business-61102759

Find Neil deGrasse Tyson on Instagram at: instagram.com/neildegrassetyson

The book Ross recommended was Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean, by Jonathan White: amazon.co.uk/Tides-Science-Spirit-Jonathan-White/dp/1595348050

For some insight into the effect that oysters have on sex, see: smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/are-oysters-aphrodisiac-180962148/

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.

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Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Nathalie Nahai - @NathalieNahai

How and where have people been working over the past 12 months? What barriers to learning have they faced? And how have perceptions of workplace learning shifted? These are the kind of questions we're exploring on this weeks episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, as we dig into this year's 'Learner Intelligence' report.

Ross G, Owen and our own Dr Anna Barnett discuss:

how work across industries has changed since the start of the pandemic
how learner challenges vary from in-person to remote
positive shifts in workplace learning during the pandemic.

The 'Learner Intelligence' report will be available from mindtoolsbusiness.com next week.

For tickets to our live show in London, on the evening of May 4, see: eventbrite.co.uk/e/live-show-mind-tools-300th-podcast-episode-tickets-315236830847

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed DALL·E 2, an AI system that creates images from natural language: openai.com/dall-e-2

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.

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Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Dr Anna Barnett - @DrAnnaBarnett
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson

In a first for The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, we are coming to you this week LIVE FROM THE METAVERSE. Gemma, Mike, Jonathan and Claire met in Horizon Workrooms to discuss:

what it feels like to meet in VR
applications of VR that go beyond health and safety training
which VR experiences are meaningful, and which are still 'fluff'.

The VR experiences discussed were:

Richie's Plank (oculus.com/experiences/quest/1642239225880682/)
Bodyswaps (bodyswaps.co)
Training for nuclear plant employees (ans.org/news/article-3164/virtual-reality-in-the-nuclear-community)
The National Autistic Society's Too Much Information experience (autism.org.uk/shop/products/merchandise/too-much-information-virtual-reality-headset)
VirtualSpeech (virtualspeech.com)

In 'What I Learned This Week', Jonathan discussed the 'Mandela Effect'. Are you living in an alternate reality? telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/20/are-you-living-in-an-alternate-reality-welcome-to-the-wacky-worl

And Gemma discussed ptarmigans: wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/grouse-partridges-pheasant-and-quail/ptarmigan

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.

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Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
Mike Shaw - @MikeShawLD
Claire Gibson - @ClaireIsDigital
Jonathan Hancock - @J_B_Hancock

In this podcast, you'll learn:

what learning outcomes are
how to write learning outcomes
and why presenting outcomes as a bulleted list is boring at best, and ineffective at worst.

But seriously, this week join Ross D, Ross G, Tracey and Sean as they explore the characteristics of good learning outcomes and their connection to business objectives.

For more on this topic, see Dr Will Thalheimer's blog 'Rethinking Instructional Objectives': worklearning.com/2013/05/13/rethinking-instructional-objectives/

For more on 'advance organizers', see: Gurlitt, J. (2012). Advance organizer. Encyclopedia of the sciences of learning, 148-151. Online at: link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_157

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G discussed the Peter Principle, and why there are so many bad bosses. Check out Freakonomics for details: freakonomics.com/podcast/why-are-there-so-many-bad-bosses/

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.

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Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Tracey McDonald - @TraceyMcDonald
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Sean Brown - @SeanBrownHRTech

What are L&D practitioners excited about in 2022? Will we be drawn to bright, shiny objects like skills-based talent management? Or will we continue to focus on the lasting impact of Covid-19?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Donald Taylor to discuss the results of this year's Global Sentiment Survey. We cover:

the headline takeaways from the report
regional differences in the data
the long shadow of the pandemic
predictions for the future

To find out more about the Global Sentiment Survey, head to Don's website: https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/research_base/global-sentiment-survey-2022/

In WILTW, Owen mentioned the rise of the email newsletter platform Substack: https://substack.com/

Ross D talked about 'steam bending', a woodworking technique his friend Alice Dudgeon uses to create artwork: https://www.alicedudgeon.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.

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Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Donald Taylor @DonaldHTaylor

Is curiosity a trait that we have, or a muscle we can build? To find out, Owen and Ross G are joined this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast by Stefaan van Hooydonk of the Global Curiosity Institute. We discuss:

What curiosity is
What stops us being curious at work
How we can develop our curiosity.

For more from Stefaan, including access to his free diagnostic, visit: globalcuriosityinstitute.com

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross shared fun Mad Hatter facts from the 'Killer Fashion' episode of podcast The Rest is History: play.acast.com/s/the-rest-is-history-podcast/158-lethal-fashion

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 here's a thing! The free Learning Performance Benchmark is now open for another season. If you're curious to benchmark your learning function against other organisations, check it out now: mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark

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Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Owen Ferugson - @OwenFerguson
Stefaan van Hooydonk - @StefaanVanHooyd

Why do learning professionals tell stories? How do we tell them to greatest effect? And where can we find them?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Ross D find answers to these questions with the help of instructional designer, learning strategist and author Hadiya Nurridin.

We discuss:

Where stories are more effective than 'telling it straight'
How to identify the stories that you can share
How to help others find and craft their stories.

For more from Hadiya, visit: duetslearning.com

Or check out her book, StoryTraining: Selecting and Shaping Stories That Connect.

For more on the #KyivNotKiev campaign, see: wikipedia.org/wiki/KyivNotKiev

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.

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Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Hadiya Nuriddin - @HadiyaNuriddin

Today is International Women's Day and we're celebrating it in partnership with Working Chance, a UK-based charity set up to help women with criminal convictions to find jobs. Today on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma and Nahdia talk to Helen Sweet, Head of Employability at Working Chance. We discuss:

Employability barriers facing women with convictions
What the Employability Programme comprises
How you can support Working Chance

To go directly to Working Chance's BIG GIVE campaign for International Women’s Day, please visit workingchance.org/IWD You can also find out more about Working Chance via its social media channels: instagram.com/working_chance

twitter.com/WorkingChance

facebook.com/workingchance

Nahdia's discovery about our changing sleep patterns came from "The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps'" article from the BBC. You can read it by following this link bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep

Gemma's bog factoid came from the Scottish Wildlife Trust's 50 for the Future publication. The 'Peatland blanket bogs' article is online at scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/2015/10/50-for-the-future-peatland-blanket-bogs/

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.

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Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan

In 2008, Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein published Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness. Since then, nudges have been applied to public policy, healthcare, business and tech. Today on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma, Ross G, Ross D and Sean look at how nudge theory can be applied to workplace learning. We discuss:

What nudge theory is
How understanding learner context helps us identify nudges
Criticisms of nudge theory.

The book we based most of this discussion on has just been revised. Check out the latest version of Nudge here: yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300262285/nudge

We also referenced Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman: wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow

We mentioned Dan Pink's Drive: danpink.com/books/drive

And Deci and Ryan on 'Self Determination Theory': wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory

If you want to hand over cash to help you make commitments, then stickK offers this service: stickk.com (We've never tried it, so this isn't an endorsement).

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G discussed The Book of Boba Fett, now streaming on Disney+. For more on spinning space stations, you nerds, check out: wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotating_wheel_space_station

And Gemma discussed her experience of Julie Drybrugh's Write Nights: fuchsiablueblog.wordpress.com/write-nights-at-fuchsia-blue/

Julie joined us to discuss writing back in episode 278. You'll find that episode in this podcast feed.

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.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Sean Brown - @SeanBrownHRTech

Is 'education' a liberating force that prepares children for a rapidly changing world? Or a system of control that kills their enthusiasm for learning.

On this week's Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Ross D are joined by Patrick Cootes, Co-Founder and Chief Learning Officer of Mindstone, to debate. We discuss:

Traditional perspectives on education
The purpose of education
How systems reinforce one another.

During the discussion, Ross D mentioned a podcast segment about students who wondered what it would be like to live on the moon. This was a reference to The Ezra Klein Show: nytimes.com/2022/02/11/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-johann-hari.html

Ross G referenced the Freakonomics episode 'Freakonomoics goes to college: Part 1': freakonomics.com/podcast/freakonomics-goes-to-college-part-1

And research from Pew: pewresearch.org/social-trends/2011/05/15/chapter-5-the-monetary-value-of-a-college-education

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D shared the story of Lena Forsen, covered by Wired: wired.com/story/finding-lena-the-patron-saint-of-jpegs

And the story of Shirley Page, covered by 99% Invisible: 99percentinvisible.org/episode/shirley-cards

Ross G shared trivia from the Martin Scorsese film Casino: imdb.com/title/tt0112641/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv

For more from Patrick, see: mindstone.com

Patrick has also written about education at: medium.com/@patrick_85173/the-future-of-learning-3196b05452a3

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.

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Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Patrick Cootes - @MindstoneHQ | LinkedIn

What is a 'brand'? Why is it important? And how can your team 'build their brand'? This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Nahdia are joined by branding expert Professor Doctor Jonathan Wilson to explore these questions. We discuss:

personal branding
the benefits of building a brand
the effort required to connect with your audience.

For more from Jonathan, see: drjonwilson.com

Jonathan offers a course on personal branding at: futurelearn.com/experttracks/developing-your-personal-brand

The book Ross mentioned, by Dorie Clark, was Stand Out: dorieclark.com/books

In 'What I Learned This Week', Nahdia discussed research from McKinsey into 'The rise of the inclusive consumer': mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-rise-of-the-inclusive-consumer

Jonathan shared Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora of The NFL Show discussing racism in hiring practices: linkedin.com/posts/drjonwilson_black-coaches-have-to-be-great-and-it-is-activity-6896410129554554880-fuyX

See more at: linkedin.com/posts/drjonwilson_flores-sues-nfl-teams-in-racism-claim-activity-6894754539036061696-khgA

Jon also discussed the ongoing Joe Rogan backlash. See: linkedin.com/posts/drjonwilson_what-the-joe-rogan-backlash-reveals-about-activity-6894645124333133824-LtY7

And: edition.cnn.com/2022/02/05/media/joe-rogan-racial-slur-apology-india-arie/index.html

Ross discussed Allison Robicelli's night at Chicago O'Hare airport: washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/01/11/ohare-airport-things-to-do

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.

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Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
Jonathan Wilson - @DrJonWilson | LinkedIn

Emerging tech will shape the future of how we work. It's just a question of when! This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ger Driesen joins Ross G and Owen to explore what's possible. We discuss:

what the metaverse(s) is(are)
how blockchain and NFTs can shape the metaverse economy
whether your digital avatar needs to look like your physical body.

See Facebook's announcement about their rebrand as 'Meta' at: about.fb.com/news/2021/10/facebook-company-is-now-meta/

Owen referenced Moxie Marlinspike's blog post on web3: moxie.org/2022/01/07/web3-first-impressions.html

The 'let the tiger eat me' anecdote was taken from: futurism.com/neoscope/vr-injuries

For a longer discussion on blockchain, with Ger, see our earlier episode 'Blockchain for L&D (Yes, really!)': podcast.goodpractice.com/96-blockchain-for-ld-yes-really

For 'How to Troll an NFT Owner', see: slate.com/technology/2021/11/nft-image-ownership-right-clicking-saving-copying-trolling.html

Mike Howard, of Oculus, has described the difficulty of creating a digital avatar at: tech.fb.com/avatars-the-art-and-science-of-social-presence/

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed criticism of Johann Hari's latest book. See: twitter.com/StuartJRitchie/status/1480219761824915461

You can find out more about Hari at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Hari

Ger shared his thoughts on 'labyrinthitis'.

And Ross discussed survey results on what a 'dream job' looks like: rajaworkplace.co.uk/dream-job

You can find more from Ger on LinkedIn and at: anewspring.com/author/ger

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.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Ger Driesen - @GerDriesen

In The Business of Race, authors Gina Greenlee and Margaret Greenberg argue that the workplace is the ideal place to talk about race, racism, and anti-racism. This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, they join Ross G and Nahdia to explain why. We discuss:

opportunities for teachable moments
the moral case vs business case for racial equity
the reasons to separate conversations about racial diversity from other diversity initiatives.

Show notes

Find out more about The Business of Race, including links to order a copy, at: businessofrace.com

The LinkedIn page is: linkedin.com/company/the-business-of-race

The Facebook page is: facebook.com/businessofrace

In 'What I Learned This Week', Nahdia discussed the Edelman Trust Barometer 2022, online at: edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2022-01/2022%20Edelman%20Trust%20Barometer%20Global%20Report_Final.pdf

Gina shared Akala's Oxford Union address, available online at: youtube.com/watch?v=WUtAxUQjwB4

Akala's website is: akalamusic.com

Margaret recommended The Winternight Trilogy, from Katherine Arden: katherinearden.com

And Ross discussed 'The accessibility stalemate', by Christian Heilmann: christianheilmann.com/2021/07/20/the-accessibility-stalemate

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.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
Gina Greenlee - @TheGinaGreenlee / LinkedIn
Margaret Greenberg - LinkedIn

What is it about writing that fires up our souls? And, for those who hate it, is there any hope?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Ross D and Gemma are joined by friend-of-the-show Julie Drybrough to answer these questions.

We discuss:

writing for work, fun and reflection
techniques to spark creativity
how writing in groups can give you more freedom.

Show notes

Details of Julie's 'Write Nights' series can be found on her blog at: fuchsiablueblog.wordpress.com/write-nights-at-fuchsia-blue

Details of Dr James Pennebaker's 'writing to heal' are online at: emotionalaffair.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Writing-to-Heal.pdf

See also: Pennebaker, J. W. (1999). Health effects of expressing emotions through writing.

And, from Positive Psychology: positivepsychology.com/learned-optimism

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D shared that he'd started taking notes with Evernote: evernote.com

Gemma discussed the VR app 'Notes on Blindness', based on the film of the same name: notesonblindness.co.uk/vr

And Ross discussed The Paper Sky, by Eleanor Mansell: canterburypress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781848257672/the-paper-sky

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.

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Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Julie Drybrough - @Fuchsia_Blue

By some measures, the last two years have seen a surge in demand for consumer learning platforms like Masterclass, CreativeLive and Skillshare. Often, these platforms position themselves as an alternative to streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Is this part of a broader trend towards learning as entertainment? If so, what does that mean for learning in the workplace?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D, Owen, Nahdia and Ross G discuss:

whether there truly is increased demand for 'edutainment'
the difference between entertainment and 'fun'
the role of entertainment in the design of workplace learning

Show notes

At the start of this week's show, Ross G challenged the premise of Ross D's opening question by citing data from the ONS. You can find these data here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/satelliteaccounts/bulletins/coronavirusandhowpeoplespenttheirtimeunderrestrictions/28marchto26april2020

In WILTW, Ross D recommended Stuart Russell's Reith Lectures on artificial intelligence: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001216k/episodes/player

The Netflix series Nahdia mentioned was School of Chocolate: https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81207686

Ross G discussed the history of the burpee, created by Royal Huddleston Burpee Sr. You can find out more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burpee_(exercise)

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
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
Nahdia Khan - @_nahdia_khan

Owen was miserable, to begin with. There is no doubt about that. Oh! But he was a long-suffering, data driven, learning-style hating, old L&D practitioner. Five years of this podcast, listening to his co-hosts ramble enthusiastically about the same tired old topics, had left him jaded and disillusioned with the industry he once loved.

And so I say again, that Owen was miserable to begin with. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate...

Starring:

Ross Garner as Charles Dickens (@RossGarnerMT)
Owen Ferguson in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge (@OwenFerguson)
Peter Casebow as the Ghost of Christmas Past (@PeterCasebow)
Gemma Towersey as the Ghost of Christmas Present (@GemmaTowersey)
Ross Dickie as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (@RossDickieMT)
And Hollywood’s Jimmy Stewart as Bob Cratchit

Show notes

In 'What I Learned This Christmas', Peter shared details of a trip he went on with photographer Andy Howard: andyhoward.co.uk

Gemma shared an episode of Matthew Syed's podcast Sideways on 'Oostvaardersplassen: A Wild Idea': bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0012fp4

Ross D shared how 'video on-demand' changed the way we think, from the book 1001 Ideas That Changed the Way We Think: amazon.co.uk/1001-Ideas-that-Changed-Think/dp/1844037509

And Ross G shared the article 'No chips, no problem: Why old video games are better than news one', from Justin Heckert in The Economist's 1843 Magazine: economist.com/1843/2021/11/24/no-chips-no-problem-why-old-video-games-are-better-than-new-ones

We'll be back on January 11. Until then, you can find our back catalogue of podcasts at 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.

From everyone at Mind Tools, we'd like to thank you for listening to us for a whole other year! And if you'd like to thank us, please do leave us a review. Preferably five stars.

Merry Christmas!

1001 Ideas That Changed the Way We Think

Recent announcements from Facebook and Microsoft have brought the 'metaverse' into the mainstream. But what actually is the metaverse, and what are its implications for the way we live, work, and learn?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D, Owen and Ross G discuss:

what 'metaverse' means, and how it's different from VR or AR
how it might change the world of work, both positively and negatively
how it might be applied to digital learning

Show notes

The song Ross D mentioned was Total Entertainment Forever by Father John Misty.

In WILTW, Ross G referenced a recent conversation on the Slate Political Gabfest podcast, focusing on predictions made in a 1997 article from Wired magazine. You can find out more at: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/wired-1997-predictions/

The podcast Ross D recommended was 'The Exponent', including a recent episode titled 'Forecasting the Metaverse'.

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
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT

To solve a complex problem, should we ask a single genius or tap into our networks? It's a question that's answered by Matthew Syed in his book Rebel Ideas: The power of diverse thinking.

In this episode, Nahdia, Owen, Ross G and Gemma gather to contemplate the book.

We discuss:

what rebel ideas are
diversity and its benefits (and what we lose when we don't have it)
practical ways to harness collective intelligence.

Show notes

In WILTW, Owen shared his finding of an animated introduction to machine learning. You can experience this visual explanation here: http://www.r2d3.us/visual-intro-to-machine-learning-part-1/

Ross mentioned watching the documentary The Beatles: Get back. You can stream this on Disney+.

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.

Finally, you have until the end of the year to complete the Learning Performance Benchmark. Get started now at: 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
Nahdia Khan @NahdiaKhan
Gemma Towersey @GemmaTowersey

What are the challenges of managing a team who are sometimes present and sometimes not? How do we make sure hybrid working is inclusive? Is a hybrid meeting - that's effective for everyone - actually possible?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, speaker and writer Gary Cookson joins Ross G and Owen to share insights from his research.

We discuss:

what hybrid working is
the hybrid working challenges faced by employees, managers and organisations
strategies for developing networks within organisations

Show notes

For background, see 'Most people in the UK did not work from home in 2020, says ONS' at: theguardian.com/world/2021/may/17/home-working-doubled-during-uk-covid-pandemic-last-year-mostly-in-london

And, from the ONS: 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights: Work 19 November 2021' at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19latestinsights/work#homeworking

Gary's book will be published by Kogan Page in June 2022. You can find him at: epichr.co.uk/

In WILTW, Owen discussed how Google has made us feel overconfident: Ward, A. F. (2021). People mistake the internet’s knowledge for their own. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(43). Available online at: pnas.org/content/118/43/e2105061118

This paper is discussed at: phys.org/news/2021-10-online-overconfident.html

Ross shared insights into the Sheldon Spectrum, covered by Wired at: wired.co.uk/article/ocean-creature-size

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
Gary Cookson @Gary_Cookson

We're used to dilemmas: Do I take path A or path B? But in this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, we rally against binary thinking with the 'tetralemma'.

This 3,000-year-old model for decision making has real-world applications today, and author, coach and TEDx speaker Lior Locher joins us to explain why.

Lior, Ross G and Owen discuss:

the difference between binary and non-binary thinking
examples of non-binary thinking in practice
applications of the tetralemma at work.

Show notes

For more on the tetralemma, see Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetralemma

Andreas Schoetz also has a fascinating blog on the topic: linkedin.com/pulse/tetralemma-3000-year-old-method-21st-century-andreas-schoetz/

And Lior has written about non-binary thinking at: liorlocher.me/2019/12/08/how-to-unblock-either-or-thinking/

In WILTW, Owen discussed the metaverse: stratechery.com/2021/microsoft-and-the-metaverse/

And he shared details from NVIDIA's keynote: blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2021/11/09/nvidia-ceo-accelerated-computing-ai-omniverse-avatars-robots-gtc/

Ross discussed an episode of The Exponent podcast, where the hosts discussed the metaverse: exponent.fm/episode-196-forecasting-the-metaverse/

Lior discussed Peter Davidson's book: The Idea of North: reaktionbooks.co.uk/display.asp?K=9781861892300

For more from Lior, see: liorlocher.me

Lior's books The DIY Phoenix (amazon.co.uk/dp/B094YPXRDN) and Values-based (amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RNGQQNH) are both available now.

Lior's TEDx talk is online at: ted.com/talks/lior_locher_what_we_lose_through_binary_thinking_and_what_to_do_instead

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.

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Ross Garner @RossGarnerMT
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Lior Locher @ChristineLocher

The DIY Phoenix: How to drag yourself out of the ashes, mend your wings and start flying again

Values-based: Career and Life Changes that make Sense

How can we make our jobs 1% - or even 2% - better? According to Rob Baker, the answer is 'job crafting'.

Stemming from his work in positive psychology, Rob suggests individuals and teams improve their working lives by taking ownership of their roles and making small changes that have an impact.

He joins Ross G and Owen to discuss:

the emerging field of positive psychology
what job crafting looks like in practice
how L&D and HR teams can promote job crafting.

Show notes

Rob talked about job crafting in his TEDx talk here: youtube.com/watch?v=hz71mDMaVJc

His website is: tailoredthinking.co.uk

In WILTW, Owen discussed the paper: Yang, L., Holtz, D., Jaffe, S., Suri, S., Sinha, S., Weston, J., ... & Teevan, J. (2021). The effects of remote work on collaboration among information workers. Nature human behaviour, 1-12. Available online at: nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01196-4

Ross discussed the website lolmythesis.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.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerMT
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Rob Baker @BakerRJM

In this episode, we're delving into research focused on emotional wellbeing at work. Conducted by the Emotion at Work team, we discuss the findings and what they mean for how we can support and boost our mental health.

Gemma T and Nahdia are joined by Phil Wilcox of Emotion at Work to discuss:

the research aims and methodology
the results and insights
what we can do to support our own and others' wellbeing

Show notes

The research report is due to be published at the end of November. It'll be available via the Emotion at Work Community, which you can sign up to here: https://community.emotionatwork.co.uk/signup

You can find out more about Emotion at Work by visiting the website: https://emotionatwork.co.uk/

In WILTW, Phil recommended Elizabeth River's PhD thesis entitled, "Navigating emotionally demanding work: a narrative study of HR practitioners' experiences". You can download a PDF of the full thesis here: https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/navigating-emotionally-demanding-work-a-narrative-study-of-hr-pra Nahdia referenced McKinsey article "'Great Attrition' or 'Great Attraction'? The choice is yours." You can find it here: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/great-attrition-or-great-attraction-the-choice-is-yours

Gemma mentioned the book Ten Types of Human by Dexter Dias. You can find a copy through all good booksellers.

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.

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Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey
Nahdia Khan @nahdiakhan
Phil Wilcox @emotionat_work

Back in Episode 244, Ross G, Owen, Carrie and Gent discussed the value of benchmarking, as we prepared to launch the Learning Performance Benchmark. A few months on, we thought it would be worth hearing what benchmarking looks like in practice.

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Gent are joined by James Hampton from Seasalt Cornwall to discuss:

the insights Seasalt Cornwall have unlocked through the benchmarking process
the action they have taken in response to those insights
the value of the Learning Performance Benchmark as a recurring, long-term process
advice for learning professionals who are considering benchmarking for the first time

Show notes

You can find out more about the Learning Performance Benchmark at: mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark

In WILTW, Gent mentioned the book Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. You can find a copy through all good booksellers.

James' article is called In Pursuit of a Learning Organisation. You can find it here: linkedin.com/pulse/pursuit-learning-organisation-james-hampton-flpi-1f/

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.

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Ross Dickie @RossDickieMT
Gent Ahmetaj @GentAhmetaj
James Hampton @ActiveODcoach

In some ways, sales enablement has the ultimate success metric - increased sales! So why is sales training so often a 'hard sell' for L&D?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Anderson Hirst, Consulting Director at Kojo Academy, to discuss:

the difference between sales training and sales enablement
why sales training is so often seen as distinct from other training efforts
how to measure the impact of sales training
what good sales training looks like
advice for small and medium-sized businesses looking to develop their sales teams

Show notes

In WILTW, Owen mentioned the New Yorker article, 'It's Time to Stop Talking About "Generations"': https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/18/its-time-to-stop-talking-about-generations

Ross D recommended the 'A Crypto Optimist Meets a Crypto Skeptic' episode of the Ezra Klein Show. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

You can find out more about Anderson's work by visiting https://kojoacademy.com/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 Ross D and Owen on Twitter:

Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson

Or you can contact Anderson by searching 'Anderson Hirst' on LinkedIn.

As a concept, spaced repetition has been around for decades. Yet in many organisations, learning is seen in terms of one-off interventions, delivered through a classroom or an LMS.

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Gemma are joined by Sarah Mercier, CEO of Learning Ninjas, to discuss:

what spaced learning is, and how to design for it
what good spaced practice looks like
the technological boundaries to implementing spaced learning

Show notes

When speaking about her project with the US military, Sarah mentioned xAPI. If you're interested in learning more about xAPI, we covered it in episodes 102 and 113.

If you're attending DevLearn and thinking of attending Sarah's session, you can find the full details here: https://devlearn.com/session/spaced-learning-a-design-and-technology-primer/

To learn more about Learning Ninjas, head to https://learningninjas.com/

In WILTW, Ross provided a rundown of the five most populous cities in the world, based on figures from https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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
Gemma Towersey - @gemmatowersey
Sarah Mercier - @sarahmerci

New business models, an increasingly hybrid workforce and the need for constant adaptability are changing what it means to be a learning professional.

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G meets the eLearning Network's Joan Keevil and Dr Hannah Gore to explore their research into the skills we need to professionalise.

We discuss:

how the world of work is changing
personal and professional impact
evidence-based practice.

Show notes

To find out more about the research Joan and Hannah conducted, in collaboration with Peoplestar's Jane Daly, visit: elearningnetwork.org/the-supercharged-learning-professional-turning-disruption-into-advantage-2/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

To find out more about the eLearning Network, visit: elearningnetwork.org/

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerMT
Dr Hannah Gore @HRGore
Joan Keevil @Designs_JoanK

Why are boundaries important? How do you set them? And what impact does hybird working have on how we interact with one another?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G meets Executive Coach Emma Langton to discuss:

what 'boundaries' are
how to set boundaries at work
why the pandemic has made boundaries more important than ever.

Show notes

Ross referenced Erving Goffman's theory of the performed self. There's an excellent animated introduction to this concept, narrated by Stephen Fry, at: open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/philosophy/concepts/erving-goffman-and-the-performed-self

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross recommended a Twitter thread on life as a lorry driver, from @TheLorryist: twitter.com/thelorryist/status/1439361631872602112?s=21

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

For more from Emma, visit emmalangton.com

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerMT
Emma Langton @EmmaLangtonCoach

This week on the podcast, Ross D, Owen and Ross G are taking another rummage through their L&D book bag. They discuss:

Nudge by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
Naked Statistics by Charles Wheelan
Think Again by Adam Grant
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
13 Minutes to the Moon, a podcast presented by Kevin Fong
How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy

These books are available from all good booksellers, and 13 Minutes to the Moon can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes

Ross G mentioned FiveThirtyEight's p-hacking project, which you can find out more about at: https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/p-hacking/

In What I Learned This Week, Ross G also discussed what would happen if someone died on Mars: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-happens-if-someone-dies-on-mars

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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

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Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT

Published in 2003, Michael Lewis' Moneyball charts efforts by the Oakland Athletics baseball team to use analytics and statistical methods to assemble a competitive team on a comparatively small budget.

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Owen, Ross D and Nahdia share their thoughts on the book and it's relevance to L&D and HR professionals. We discuss:

how General Manager Billy Beane transformed his team's approach to scouting talent
the impact of statistics and subjective judgement on decision making
the challenges inherent with implementing a statistical approach to L&D.

Show notes

Moneyball, by Michael Lewis, is available from all good booksellers.

Some of the criticism directed at Moneyball is covered in The Atlantic: theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/09/the-many-problems-with-moneyball/245769/

For details of Mind Tools' 77-page workbook, 'Becoming a Positive Leader' - free to new members - visit MindTools.com.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed potential UI improvements to the Tesco loan calculator: chrisannetts.com/blog/tesco-loan-calculator

Nahdia discussed the colour of Sesame Street's Big Bird across different cultures: buzzfeed.com/natashajokic1/big-bird-international-colors

And Ross G revealed that he'd had a most epic morning listening to Hidden Citizens: hiddencitizens.com/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 - @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT (new handle!)
Nahdia Khan - @_nahdia_khan

Creativity in online learning, agile learning frameworks, the role of HR, and business ethics are just some of the topics we tackle on this week's show as we answer questions from the audience.

Mark Baker asked: Do you think as face-to-face trainers move into more virtual learning, is there a risk that they lose creativity in their learning experiences?

Shilpa Nimbalkar asked: How can L&D experts build an Agile Learning framework that supports business requirements (at scale and speed) and ensures learner experience?

Carl Akintola-Davies asked: Is there any value in workplace learning that isn't tied to strict behavioural outcomes?

Sean Brown asked: When push comes to shove, is HR there for the people or the business?

Sharon Green asked: What role does or could L&D and or HR play in business ethics?

Show notes

Owen referenced the '5Di Learning Design Process', which you can find online at: aconventional.com/2015/04/the-5di-learning-design-process.html

And he discussed the 'Concern Task Resource Model': aconventional.com/2015/03/concern-task-resource-model.html

In What I Learned This Week, Owen discussed the ultra clickbaitly titled academic paper: 'Large Scale Analysis of Multitasking Behavior During Remote Meetings', online at: hci.stanford.edu/publications/2021/cao_remote/CHI2021-RemoteMeetingMultitask.pdf (Yes, we're going with 'clickbaitly'!)

Gemma discussed Prisoners of Geography, by Tim Marshall: amazon.co.uk/Prisoners-Geography-Everything-Global-Politics/dp/1783962437

Nahdia discussed the death of actor Michael K Williams: theguardian.com/film/gallery/2021/sep/07/michael-k-williams-a-life-in-pictures

And Ross shared the podcast 'The Rest is History', hosted by historians Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland. Their recent two-part episode on the history of Silicon Valley features Netscape co-founder Marc Andreeseen as their guest: play.acast.com/s/the-rest-is-history-podcast/93.siliconvalleypart1

Fans of the game Risk may also enjoy Polytopia, available from the App Store: polytopia.io/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 @RossGarnerEW
Gemma Towersey @GemmaTowersey
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Nahdia Khan @NahdiaKhan

Prisoners Of Geography

Creating videos for training purposes is easy; launch a smartphone camera app and hit record. Creating effective pieces of drama that allow viewers to make their own meaning through compelling storylines and characters is not so easy. However, it is a skill that learning designers can study and put into practice.

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma T and Ross G are joined by Tom Hickmore, to discuss:

why drama is an effective learning delivery mechanism
when to use drama
scripting techniques.

Show notes

Ross' freaky Friday 13th frequency fact came from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th#Occurrence

Gemma found out about the history of Paralympic games in this National Geographic article: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-the-paralympic-movement-evolved-into-major-sporting-event

Tom's book "Watch & learn" can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Watch-Learn-Designing-commissioning-producing-ebook/dp/B09FB4M471

To watch the "What can TV teach L&D" video series that Tom has made, follow these links:

Series 1: https://www.nicemedia.co.uk/season-1-what-can-tv-teach-ld/

Series 2: https://www.nicemedia.co.uk/season-2-what-can-tv-teach-ld/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Tom Hickmore @nicemediauk
Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey

Watch & Learn: Designing, commissioning and producing effective video drama for learning.

The pandemic has been both a trigger and an opportunity for reflection and ultimately, change. We've had to forget, or "unlearn" our old ways.

This week on the The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma T and Ross D are joined by Mark Gilroy to discuss:

what 'unlearning' is
the link between unlearning and curiosity
how we can help each other to "unlearn" effectively.

Show notes

Mark recommended the following resources:

"How organisations Learn and Unlearn (Hedberg, 1981)" http://johnljerz.com/superduper/tlxdownloadsiteWEBSITEII/id167.html

The Unpersuadables: Adventures with the Enemies of Science by Will Storr. Available at all good bookstores.

The B=MAT model: https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/bj-foggs-behavior-model/

Mark made a surprising claim about rainfall during "What I learned this week". Here's his data source: https://weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-precipitation-Rainfall,London,United-Kingdom

Ross talked about Iceland's four-day week, which you can read more about here: https://autonomy.work/portfolio/icelandsww/

Ross and Gemma referred to Adam Grant's book, Think again: https://www.adamgrant.net/book/think-again/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Mark Gilroy @thatmarkgilroy
Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey

You can also find out more about Mark's organisation, TMSDI.

What is organisational learning? Is it the same thing as people in organisations learning? And how does it overlap with learning culture?

This week on the The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Nahdia are joined by Nigel Paine to discuss:

what 'organisational learning' actually means
the difference between organisations that learn and individuals that learn
the role L&D can play in supporting organisational learning
the distinction between 'learning cultures' and 'cultures of learning'.

Show notes

To find out more about Nigel's work, check out his website: https://www.nigelpaine.com/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 @RossDickieEW
Nahdia Khan @_nahdia_khan
Nigel Paine @ebase

'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://emeraldworks.com/solutions/mindtoolsinsight

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed The Oatmeal's 'Why the mantis shrimp is my new favorite animal' and 'Why it breaks your brain to take a compliment'.

Gent discussed Veritasium's YouTube video on the '3x + 1' problem: youtube.com/watch?v=094y1Z2wpJg

And Ross discussed the time that the Australian army went to war with the emus, and lost: blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/the-great-emu-war-in-which-some-large-flightless-birds-unwittingly-foiled-the-australian-army/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 - @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferugson - @OwenFerguson
Gent Ahmetaj - @GentAhmetaj

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
the common pitfalls to avoid when developing a strategy

Show notes

To find out more about Michelle's work on learning strategy, check out her website: https://learninguncut.global/

For details of the Australian Public Service's learning strategy, visit: https://www.apsc.gov.au/learning-and-development/highly-capable-future-ready-aps-learning-and-development-strategy

In WILTW, Ross G shared a story about Utah's novel approach to 'restocking' fishless lakes. You can find out more at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/13/fish-plane-video-utah-lake

The book Michelle mentioned was How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Katy Milkman.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie - @RossDickieEW
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Michelle Ockers - @MichelleOckers

'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-book.com

Clay Christensen's 'milkshake' explanation is on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=sfGtw2C95Ms

This article explains why you only need five users for user testing: nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/

Ger has blogged at: linkedin.com/pulse/jobs-to-be-done-approach-empathy-matters-learning-design-ger-driesen/

And his colleague Corjan Bast also wrote on this topic, at: anewspring.com/professionals-dont-want-training-they-want-the-result-of-the-training/

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen shared a study on 'bullshit ability as an honest signal of intelligence':

Turpin, M. H., Kara-Yakoubian, M., Walker, A. C., Walker, H. E., Fugelsang, J. A., & Stolz, J. A. (2021). Bullshit Ability as an Honest Signal of Intelligence. Evolutionary Psychology, 19(2), 14747049211000317.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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

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Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Ger Driesen - @GerDriesen

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. We cover:

what 'noise' is in the context of judgement
the distinction between noise and bias
strategies for minimising noise
potential implications for L&D

Show notes

Noise is out now and is available from all good booksellers.

The ProPublica article Ross G mentioned can be found at: https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing

He also referred to 'This Place Is Full of It: Towards an Organizational Bullshit Perception Scale', a paper which is explored in this article: https://www.psypost.org/2021/07/researchers-explore-employee-perceptions-of-bullshit-in-the-workplace-with-the-organizational-bullshit-perception-scale-61415

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 - @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Nahdia Khan - @_nahdia_khan
Gemma Towersey - @gemmatowersey

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 small changes that we can make to increase opportunities for social connection.

Show notes

Social by Design is available now. The audio version is available in the US and Canada:

audible.com/pd/Social-by-Design-Audiobook/B097TTWYVJ (US)

audible.ca/pd/Social-by-Design-Audiobook/B097TSRRGZ (Canada)

For more from Mark, visit: sxdsolutions.co

James referenced the Beezy 2021 Digital workplace trends report. Find it online at: beezy.net/2021-digital-workplace-report

He also referenced soundbite.ai and solvable (social by design for ESG and sustainability teams).

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed Github co-pilot. See copilot.github.com for details and fastcompany.com/90653878/github-copilot-microsoft-openai-coding-tool-backlash for backlash.

Mark discussed the impact of chance encounters on innovation: nytimes.com/2021/06/23/upshot/remote-work-innovation-office.html

And Ross combined his two great loves: Star Trek and behavioral science: timharford.com/2021/07/me-spock-is-not-as-logical-as-hed-like-to-think/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 - @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Mark Britz - @Britz
James Tyer - On LinkedIn

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-line takeaways from this year's report
the extent to which Covid-19 has accelerated or reversed pre-pandemic trends

Show notes

If you're interested in poring over the benchmark report in more detail, it's due to be launched on 14 July. You'll find a copy of it on our website, www.emeraldworks.com.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Gent mentioned Google's '20% Project'. You can find out more about the project at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20%25_Project

Ross D recommended the Jeff Tweedy episode of the Ezra Klein Show, which you can find at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/01juWYlRq8LuckUJscRASq?si=LuE7Mq17SiOoiOT18GBnkw&dl_branch=1

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 @RossDickieEW
Gent Ahmetaj @GentAhmetaj
Nahdia Khan @_nahdia_khan

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
strategies for encouraging employees to take part in such initiatives.

Show notes

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen recommended The Wheel of Time book series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (soon to be a TV series from Amazon): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheel_of_Time

James shared that 4 million Americans a month are quitting their roles: theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/23/people-quitting-jobs-record-numbers-companies-take-note-treat-them-better

And, in a related note, Ross shared predictions on the future of work from Freakonomics, episode 464, 'Will Work-from-Home Work Forever?': freakonomics.com/podcast/work-from-home/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

For more from Peachy Mondays, visit: peachymondays.com

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Donna Hamilton - donna@peachymondays.com
James Anderson - james@peachymondays.com

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 animation created. You can watch it, along with other early animations, by exploring this interactive New Yorker article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/30/the-surprise-and-wonder-of-early-animation

You can read more about Ross' IP discoveries (and his incorrect fact) in the following articles:

Avvo IP discussion: https://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/can-i-sell-my-own-artwork-depicting-a-celebrity--435063.html

The office Licensing Site of Albert Enstein: https://einstein.biz/#licensing

Article about Michael Biehn's image appearing in Alien3: https://www.cbr.com/michael-biehn-paid-more-alien-3-than-aliens/

Selina's work can be found at Ping Creates: https://pingcreates.com/ For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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:

Selina Wagner - @blobina and @pingcreates
Ross Garner - @rossgarnerew
Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey

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'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can chat to us on Twitter using the hashtag #MindToolsPodcast. Or connect with our speakers:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Gemma Paterson - @GemStGem
Danny Seals - @TheDannySeals

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 episode, you can chat to us on Twitter using the hashtag #MindToolsPodcast. Or connect with our speakers:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Sukh Pabial - @SukhPabial

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 us on Twitter using the hashtag #MindToolsPodcast. Or connect with our speakers:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Myles Runham - @MylesRun

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 Legal & General's Gemma Paterson.

We discuss:

what product management is
what L&D can learn from product management
what 'the product' is in L&D - is it L&D itself?

Show notes

Myles has written extensively on product management on his blog, at: mylesrunham.com/tag/product-management/

Sukh also 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/

The product that Danny's working on is Venndorly: venndorly.com/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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, you can chat to us on Twitter using the hashtag #MindToolsPodcast. Or connect with our speakers:

Ross Dickie - @RossDickieEW
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Myles Runham - @MylesRun
Sukh Pabial - @SukhPabial
Gemma Paterson - @GemStGem
Danny Seals - @TheDannySeals

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 to joining a company "in person"
what organisations might consider doing to best support remote newbies

Show notes

Gemma's tomato-based factoids came from James Wong's book, How to eat better.

Simi recommended the book Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala.

David's nugget about door frame heights came from Bill Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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:

Simi Manik - www.linkedin.com/in/simi-manik-b8a763123/
David Sharkey - www.linkedin.com/in/david-sharkey-117319135
Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey

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 notes

In 'What I Learnt This Week', Sami talked about food production in the Victorian era. You can find out more by watching this "Absolute History" YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkQ0RFTHvIo

Gemma's discovery about Gagarin's landing in a potato field came from the BBC podcast "Gagarin and the lost Moon". You can listen in BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09j922z

We also mentioned the CIPD's New Profession Map. This can be found here: https://peopleprofession.cipd.org/profession-map#gref

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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:

Zahra Clarke-Johnney - @ZahraCJ
Sami Chan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantachan
Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey

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!

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 for taking part in a podcast
tips for hosting a podcast.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross shared an article from The Atlantic: 'The Life in The Simpsons Is No Longer Attainable': theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/life-simpsons-no-longer-attainable/617499/

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Laura Watkin - @TalentEdMagpie
Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Ross Dickie - @RossDickieEW

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 increase the chances of innovation taking place
what individuals can do to become more innovative.

Show notes

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen recommended Stephen Johnson's book Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer.

If you're wondering what Ross was talkng about in response to Owen, he was mangling a reference from The Political Gabfest: slate.com/podcasts/political-gabfest/2021/04/biden-first-100-days

Ross recommended Dungeons and Dragons as a team activity.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 SparkWorks at: sparkworks.ch, and SparkAdemy at: sparkademy.com

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Alan Cabello - @AlanSKbyo

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 her experiences at: mindtools.com/blog/working-through-menopause/

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross recommended the podcast 13 Minutes to the Moon, available at: bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2

Katie recommended Kaye Adam's the book STILL HOT!: 42 Brilliantly Honest Menopause Stories.

Erika recommended the book H is for Hawk, by Helen Macdonald.

And Jamie recommended Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery, by Henry Marsh.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 - @RossGarnerEW
Katie Danes - @DanesKatie
Erika Valenti - @Valenti5_Erika
Jamie Thomas - Find him on LinkedIn!

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 explore benchmarking and how it can help you develop your strategy.

We discuss:

what benchmarking is
the benefits of benchmarking
the value of collaboration and competition in a community.

Show notes

You can find details of Emerald Work's Learning Health Check at: emeraldworks.com/research/learning-health-check

Get started now for free!

As a small production note, we were trying a new recording method this week and the sound quality suffered at times. We're always learning! Which brings us to...

...'What I Learned This Week', where Owen talked about Boris Becker's revealing habit. You can watch the video of Andre Agassi discussing this story at: twitter.com/tennistv/status/1387758939534675972?s=21

Ross spoke again about rapid, low-quality Covid testing (previously discussed in episode 208). These are now available for free to anyone living in the UK: nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/regular-rapid-coronavirus-tests-if-you-do-not-have-symptoms/

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 the stats Danny referenced were taken from this infographic by Invesp: invespcro.com/blog/the-importance-of-online-customer-reviews-infographic/

The importance of customer reviews is further covered by Econsultancy at: econsultancy.com/ecommerce-consumer-reviews-why-you-need-them-and-how-to-use-them/

The difficulties created by the 'Spotify Model' are discussed here: agility11.com/blog/2020/6/22/spotify-doesnt-use-the-spotify-model

In 'What I Learned This Week', Gemma spoke about Hans Rosling's book Factfulness: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factfulness:_Ten_Reasons_We%27re_Wrong_About_the_World_%E2%80%93_and_Why_Things_Are_Better_Than_You_Think

Rosling's TED talk is online at: ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen

The podcast that Ross recommended was 'Great Minds on Learning: The Cognitivists with Donald Clark', available online at: johnhelmerconsulting.com/great-minds-on-learning-the-cognitivists-with-donald-clark/

You can find more about Danny's recommendation service, Venndorly, at: venndorly.com/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Gemma Paterson - @GemStGem
Danny Seals - @TheDannySeals

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 Career Off Right via these links:

US: https://amzn.to/3hYb6Sa

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unspoken-Rules-Secrets-Starting-Career/dp/1647820448

Non-US/US: https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Unspoken-Rules-Gorick-Ng/9781647820442

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Ross spoke about the strange, but extraordinary, tardigrade. You can read more about them here: theguardian.com/science/2021/mar/20/tardigrades-natures-great-survivors

He also mentioned this video by John Amaechi OBE on 'The Report of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities': twitter.com/johnamaechi/status/1377545222163472384?s=21

Gemma spoke about research into mental health and creativity referred to Freakonomics episode "How to be creative ep. 354". You can listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts: freakonomics.com/podcast/creativity-1/https://freakonomics.com/podcast/creativity-1/

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
Gorick Ng - @GorickNg

The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right

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 discuss:

effective approaches to diversity training
what organisations need to do to support diversity training
the role of safe spaces and social media in discussions on diversity training.

Show notes

You can find out more about Dana at diversitydana.com. The YouTube playlist she mentioned, 'The Someone Else's Shoes Series', is online at: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwE1U7v2mSBHgGI2cLdeBBFm11Rae3VZe

For more from Emerald Works, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen mentioned the app Fitbod: fitbod.me. It doesn't come across well in an audio format, but Mr F is looking great - and more of the hosting team should have noticed.

Dana shared that last week was the beginning of the Sikh New Year.

Friend-of-the-show Sukh Pabial has blogged about it here: pabial.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/vaisakhi-how-sikhs-became-the-khalsa/. He also produced a publish: threegood.podbean.com/e/special-episode-the-story-of-vaisakhi/

Ross recommended the book No-No Boy by John Okada, which he listened to on Audible: audible.co.uk/pd/No-No-Boy-Audiobook/B07D4LKQQL

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Dana James-Edwards - @DiversityDana

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 good bookshops.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Vicky referenced the book How to Lead a Quest, by Jason Fox.

Ross referenced episode 231 — Should we defund HR? You can find it online (emeraldworks.com/resources/podcast/231-should-we-defund-hr) or in your podcast feed.

For more on the emergence of hierarchies at Wikipedia, see: Lerner, J., & Lomi, A. (2017). The third man: Hierarchy formation in Wikipedia. Applied network science, 2(1), 1-30.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
Vicky Williams - @Emerald_VW
John Yates - @JYLearn

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 details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Gemma talked about bats roosts and you can find out more about them at: https://www.bats.org.uk/about-bats/where-do-bats-live/bat-roosts/what-is-a-roost

Ross' learning came from a Very Short Introduction to Chaos. All titles can be found here: https://global.oup.com/academic/content/series/v/very-short-introductions-vsi/?lang=en&cc=us

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossAGarner
Tameka J. Harris - @HelloTameka
Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey

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 study

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

If you'd like to learn more about the Apprenticeship Levy, this articles answers some frequently asked questions: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/key-facts-you-should-know-about-the-apprenticeship-levy

The CIPD's recent assessment of the Levy's success as a policy can be found at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/about/media/press/010321apprenticeship-levy-reform-budget#gref

The VR tool Mike mentioned in 'What I Learned This Week' was Spatial: https://spatial.io/

You can learn more about Greenland sharks at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_shark

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie - @RossDickieEW
Mike Shaw - @MikeShawLD
Fiona Allison - @EmeraldHRM

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, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

For more from InSync Training, visit insynctraining.com.

We didn't have time to discuss it on the show, but InSync is WBENC and WEConnect certified as a women-owned business. If you'd like to find out more about what this means, visit wbenc.org and weconnectinternational.org.

And don't forget! If you'd like to join the conversation, the team behind The Good Practice Podcast will be on Clubhouse on Thursday, March 25th, at 3pm (UK-time). Search for 'The Mind Tools Club' if you'd like to join.

Finally, in 'What I Learned This Week', Ross shared that he's been playing 4-player chess on chess.com.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
Karen Vieth - karen@insynctraining.com
Jennifer - jfinan@insynctraining.com or @TheLearningBird

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 experiences of joining an organisation during lockdown
the challenges of these experiences
the surprising benefits of of not meeting anyone face-to-face.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 don't forget! We'll be chatting about this topic further, on Thursday, March 18th, at 3pm, on Clubhouse.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross shared that American hitman Charles Harrelson was the father of actor Woody Harrelson. See Wikipedia for details: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Harrelson

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
John Yates - @JYlearner
Laura Watkin - @TalentEdMagpie
Ed Griffin - @EdJGriffin

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 industry
how L&D has adapted in the wake of the pandemic

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

The book James mentioned in 'What I Learned This Week' was All the Young Men by Ruth Coker Burks, which is available through all good booksellers. The book Thomas is reading is Salmon by Mark Kurlansky. You can find it at all good booksellers. If you'd like to give Ross D a one more follower on Instagram, you can find his photography at @ross.dickie. Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie - @RossDickieEW
James McLuckie - @JamesMcLuckie

Being a good Wyoming boy, Thomas stays well clear of Twitter, but you can connect with him on LinkedIn.

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

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Gaëlle mentioned Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind by Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede and Michael Minkov. It's available at all good booksellers.

Jo talked about her experience with online games in 'What I learnt this week'. She mentioned Steam (which is available here: store.steampowered.com/) and Table Top Simulator: store.steampowered.com/app/286160/Tabletop_Simulator/

Gemma referred to Ann Morgan's reading list: ayearofreadingtheworld.com/thelist/ and her BBC Four Thought podcast, which is available here: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000myyp

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey
Gaëlle Watson @Gaelledwatson and @SyncSk
Jo Cook @LightbulbJo

You can also contact Jo via:

LightbulbMoment.online

LightbulbMoment.community

linkedin.com/in/jocooklightbulb/

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&D budgets
some surprising stats around L&D's adoption of tech and digital.

Show notes

A summary of the research is available on LinkedIn as an infographic: linkedin.com/posts/sukhvinder-pabial_infographic-showing-the-impact-of-covid-19-activity-6762297024403574784-Vxjq/

For more from Sukh, visit: challengingfrontiers.com/

If you'd like to continue the discussion, why not have your say by joining us on Clubhouse this Thursday (25 February) at 3pm GMT? You can find the details here: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/MdO9Q8lA

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

We referenced a few previous episodes in this podcast. Check out:

Podcast 232 — What will be hot in workplace L&D in 2021?
Podcast 219 — The GP Book Club: Remote (Office Not Required)
Podcast 189 — Grit and Mindset: Emotion at Work Crossover Special

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed the power of simple tools like SWOT analysis. You can find a template from Mind Tools here: mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05.htm

Sukh recommended Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, whose website is at: ynharari.com/book/sapiens-2/

And what if, after Ross talked about Alien 3 for what felt like 15 minutes, you still want to listen to the radio drama? Well, you can find it on Audible at: audible.co.uk/pd/Alien-III-Audiobook/B07QY1FVDT

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Sukh Pabial @SukhPabial

What ideas are L&D most excited about in 2021? And what impact has Covid-19 had on perceptions within our industry?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Donald Taylor to dig through the results of this year's Global Sentiment Survey. We discuss:

the emergence of reskilling/upskilling as a priority for L&D
the extent to which Covid-19 has amplified or disrupted trends from the past few years
predictions for the year ahead

Show notes

If you'd like to continue the discussion, why not have your say by joining us on Clubhouse this Thursday (18 February) at 3pm GMT? You can find the details here: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/MdO9Q8lA

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

To find out more about the Global Sentiment Survey, or to register for your free copy of the report, head to: https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/survey/

Owen's 'What I Learned This Week' was about the design of the first ever org chart: https://www.wired.com/2014/03/stunningly-complex-organization-chart-19th-century/

He first heard about this in a tweet from former podcast guest Doug Shaw: https://twitter.com/dougshaw1/status/1356881364679819264?s=21

The book Don mentioned was Circe by Madeline Miller, available at all good booksellers.

The podcast and Netflix series Ross mentioned is Song Exploder. You can find out more about the show at: https://songexploder.net/

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Donald Taylor @DonaldHTaylor

Does your HR team add value to your organisation? Has HR spend spiralled out of control? Does HR's willingness to become the mouthpiece of bad news let leaders off the hook?

In this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast, Laurie Ruettimann - host of the Punk Rock HR podcast - joins Ross G and Owen to discuss.

Show notes

We're trying something new! Join us on Clubhouse this Thursday, February 11, at 3pm, if you want to share your thoughts on this topic: joinclubhouse.com/event/P96q3g2e

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 out more about Laurie, her podcast and her book, at: laurieruettimann.com. She also discusses defunding HR on YouTube (youtube.com/watch?v=c43dvTLYbYo) and how this idea relates to 'defund the police' in episode 121 of her podcast (laurieruettimann.com/punkrockhr-121/).

In What I Learned This Week, Owen spoke about employee engagement. The CIPD's report 'Employee Engagement: Definitions, measures and outcomes' is available at: cipd.co.uk/Images/employee-engagement-discussion-report_tcm18-89598.pdf. And the article from Forbes was 'In Defense of Unmotivated Workers', online at: forbes.com/sites/tomaspremuzic/2021/01/19/in-defense-of-unmotivated-workers/?sh=7436e0ea21a3.

Ross discussed a worrying trend in reviews of scented candles: washingtonpost.com/business/2020/12/01/covid-scented-candle-reviews/

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Laurie Reuttimann @lruettimann

What L&D trends, tropes and clichés would you put into Room 101? Back in 2019, we cast the misappropriation of 'agile', learning styles, and cheesy stock imagery into oblivion. Nearly two years on, we've decided it's high time for another clear-out!

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen, Gemma and Ross G to make the case that existential crises, gratuitous fun and retrofitted 'evidence' all belong in Room 101.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

The app Owen mentioned is Hush - Noiseless Browsing: https://oblador.github.io/hush/

The book Gemma received for her birthday was Word Perfect by Susie Dent, available from all good booksellers.

Ross G referenced the calorie-burning prowess of chess grandmasters: https://www.espn.co.uk/espn/story/_/id/27593253/why-grandmasters-magnus-carlsen-fabiano-caruana-lose-weight-playing-chess

... he also talked about Cloudflare's novel approach to data encryption: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/encryption-lava-lamps

... and made up some stuff about Rasputin, which is corrected here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grigori_Rasputin

Ross D made some less dubious Rasputin-related claims about the origins of 'this is a work of fiction' movie disclaimers: https://slate.com/culture/2016/08/the-bizarre-true-story-behind-the-this-is-a-work-of-fiction-disclaimer.html

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey
Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson

If you're looking to change up your approach to learning and development, or just seeking quick tips to focus on performance, this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast is for you.

Author Michelle Parry-Slater joins Ross G and Owen to share insights from The Learning and Development Handbook, her new book out this February.

We discuss:

problems with treating face-to-face training as the 'default'
advice for being a 'critical friend' to your organisation
string theory (as a metaphor for considering organisational relationships).

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Michelle's book is available from Kogan Page at: koganpage.com/product/the-learning-and-development-handbook-9781789663327

In What I Learned This Week, Ross G spoke about an ongoing eLN study to shape the future of L&D. If you'd like to take part, you can do so here: elearningnetwork.org/shaping-the-future-of-ld-the-eln-launches-exploratory-research-study

And, from our listeners, Jo Cook recommended this article on how trade shaped the modern human: fee.org/articles/trade-is-what-makes-us-human/

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Michelle Parry-Slater @MiPS1608

Are you an L&D specialist running a small business? Or are you thinking of becoming one?

On this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast, Lightbulb Moment's Jo Cook and Syncskills' Gaëlle Delmas-Watson join Ross G to share their experiences and advice.

We discuss:

the advantages and disadvantages of running a small business
the importance of values
tips and advice for people who are thinking of setting up their own L&D business.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 out more about Lightbulb Moment at: lightbulbmoment.online.

You can find out more about SyncSkills at: syncskills.net/About.

In What I Learned This Week, Ross G shared the story of Helen Viola Jackson, the last remaining US Civil War widow. Find out more at: theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/08/last-civil-war-widow-dies-helen-viola-jackson

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Jo Cook @LightbulbJo
Gaëlle Delmas-Watson @GaelleDWatson

We're back! In this first podcast of 2021, Ross G and Owen speak to digital learning consultant Myles Runham.

We discuss:

the success most organisations experienced when moving rapidly to distributed working in 2020
the much needed shift from synchronous to asynchronous working and learning
the role of learning and development in 2021.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 out more about Myles at mylesrunham.com.

The collaborative tools we referenced were Skype, Teams and Slack (communication), SharePoint (file sharing), Miro (shared whiteboards) and Jira (ticketing system).

In What I Learned This Week, Owen referenced an article from UX Tools: uxtools.co/survey-2020

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Myles Runhan @MylesRun

It's customary at this festive time of year for well-meaning podcasts hosts to call upon their friends to participate in the annual Good Practice Podcast! And this year, we're playing 'Blankety Blank'!

Phil Willcox sits in as host, with contestants Jo Cook and Julie Drybourgh in competition for the prize.

And our panel are: Ross G, Owen, Sukh Pabial and Jo Wainwright.

Listen now for fun and frolics - and perhaps a surprise visit from George Bailey!

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, off-the-shelf e-learning, and custom work.

The Learner Intelligence Report, referenced in the show, is available online at: emeraldworks.com/resources/research-and-reports/behavioral-research/learner-intelligence-report

Thanks to our friends at zapsplat.com for the sleigh bells sound effect.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Phil Willcox @PhilWillcox
Jo Cook @LightbulbJo
Julie Drybrough @fuchsia_blue
Jo Wainwright @Jo_Coaches
Sukh Pabial @SukhPabial
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW

Data and analytics have long been hot topics in L&D, frequently finding themselves the subjects of conference keynotes, fierce Twitter debates and enlightening podcasts... So why aren't we implementing them more successfully?

This week on the show, Looop's David James and Mike Collins join Ross D to discuss their whitepaper, 'Achieving More with Data & Analytics in L&D'. We cover:

the lessons L&D can learn from the world of marketing
the challenges associated with data and analytics
some of the keys to effective data analysis

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

To learn more about Looop, or to download a copy of their new whitepaper, head to: https://www.looop.co/ebooks-whitepapers/

If you'd like to hear 'Jesus Refulsit Omnium' for yourself, you can listen to a recording of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMJnlPHqch0

Barack Obama's memoir, A Promised Land, is available in all good bookshops. You can also find the audiobook at: https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/A-Promised-Land-Audiobook/0241991420

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
David James @DavidInLearning
Mike Collins @Community_Mike

When it comes to gender parity, we've made progress but have some way to go. Our guests on today's show believe it's not just up to women to make it happen: men need to get involved.

This week on the show, authors of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace, Brad W. Johnson and David Smith, join Gemma and Ross G to talk about practical ways men can hurry along gender equality by becoming allies for women.

We discuss:

what it means to be a male ally
challenges in being a male ally
what effect male allies might have.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Our Learning Health Check is open until the end of December. This free tool will help you benchmark your organization against others. Try it now! emeraldworks.com/research/learning-health-check

Find out more about Brad and David's research by visiting their website: https://www.workplaceallies.com/

You can buy the book Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace from any bookstore.

In our What I Learnt This Week feature, David spoke about his niece's allergy to exercise. You can read about this condition in this "Allergic to exercise?" article from NBC News: nbcnews.com/healthmain/allergic-exercise-1C9926288

Brad gave us an example of a man being an ally to a woman in Doug Emhoff. This BBC article tells Doug's story, "Doug Emhoff: The first 'second dude' in the White House". Access it here: bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2020-54899230

Ross gave a shout out to The Crown: a series about the British Royal family on Netflix. You can find the episodes here: netflix.com/gb/title/80025678

Gemma talked about some of the unique features of Stonehenge. Her information came from the BBC Podcast "You're Dead to Me - Stonehenge". You can listen to it here: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08zqq6y

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter / LinkedIn:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey
David Smith @Davidgsmithphd
Brad W Johnson - LinkedIn

Author, speaker and presenter Kevin M. Yates last joined The Good Practice Podcast back in episode 117 to share his insights into whether we can measure the impact of training. This week, he's back with a new e-book to help you do just that.

This week on the show, Kevin joins Ross G and Owen to unpack his L&D Detective Kit for Solving Impact Mysteries.

We discuss:

the secrets behind why impact often isn't measured
how impact measurement starts with planning upfront
the basics of good survey design.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Our Learning Health Check is open until the end of December. This free tool will help you benchmark your organisation against others. Try it now! emeraldworks.com/research/learning-health-check

You can download The L&D Detective Kit, for free, from Kevin's website at: kevinmyates.com/l%26d-detective-kit

You can find more from Kevin at his website (kevinmyates.com) or on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/today/author/kevinmyates).

The paper that Owen recommended was: Denrell, J., & Kovács, B. (2020). The Ecology of Management Concepts. Strategy Science. Available online at: researchgate.net/publication/344519162_The_Ecology_of_Management_Concepts

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Kevin M. Yates @KevinMYates

Covid-19 has profoundly altered our lives. Some changes have given us the space and time to build more positive habits; others have been purely restrictive.

Our Head of Research has been monitoring the effect of Covid on learning and L&OD teams across the globe. In this podcast, Gent joins Gemma and Owen to discuss his findings - the good and the somewhat troublesome.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

The research we discussed in this podcast will be published in a series of infographics. Look out for the first one on our website and through our social media channels towards the end of this month.

In What I Learned This Week, Owen shared his surprise and delight in the series Ted Lasso, available on Apple TV+. You can find it online at: https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ted-lasso/umc.cmc.vtoh0mn0xn7t3c643xqonfzy

Gent's movie recommendation was Alpha Go, available on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXuK6gekU1Y&ab_channel=DeepMind

Gemma's mycelium fact came from Fantastic Fungi, a film available on Amazon Prime Video: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fantastic-Fungi-Brie-Larson/dp/B08DK1Q9TJhttps://fantasticfungi.com/

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Gent Ahmetaj @GentAhmetaj
Gemma Towersey @GemmaTowersey
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson

None

Sorry everyone, there's no podcast today! Instead, Ross G is here with a brief reminder to complete your Learning Health Check.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 a link to the Emerald Works Learning Health Check by following this link:

How does your L&D strategy compare with your peers?

Connect with us

If you'd like to share your thoughts, connect with us on Twitter:

Emerald Works @Emerald_Works

Do you find learning science dry, academic and inaccessible? Then fear not: Learning Science Weekly is an email newsletter that provides short and practical advice... every seven days.

This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Learning Science Weekly author Dr. Julia Huprich (Vice President of Learning Science at Intellum) joins Gemma and Owen to share her insights into the role of science in learning.

We discuss:

the importance of research in learning design
common approaches to learning design that are not supported by research
the role of practitioners in shaping our evidence base.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 sign up for Learning Science Weekly at: learningscienceweekly.com

Learning Science Weekly is on Twitter at @LearnSciWeekly.

The books that Julia recommended were:

e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning, by Ruth Clarke and Richard Mayer, available from Amazon at: amazon.co.uk/Learning-Science-Instruction-Guidelines-Multimedia-dp-1119158664/dp/1119158664
Evidence-Informed Learning Design: Creating Training to Improve Performance by Mirjam Neelen and Paul A Kirschner, available at: amazon.co.uk/Evidence-Informed-Learning-Design-Creating-Performance/dp/1789661439

Mirjam also spoke to Ross G and Owen about her book in episode 177: podcast.goodpractice.com/177-evidence-informed-learning-design

Owen's evidence-informed 'people to follow' were friends-of-the-show Dr Will Thalheimer (@WillWorkLearn) and Clark Quinn (@Quinnovator).

He also recommended Bad Science by Ben Goldacre: amazon.co.uk/Bad-Science-Ben-Goldacre/dp/000728487X

If you're interested in the calculation for 'blue Monday', see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Monday_(date)#Calculation Note that there are two different formulas, so you can pick one or suffer both.

In What I Learned This Week, Owen recommended 'Your job application was rejected by a human, not a computer', by Christine Assaf of HR Tact: hrtact.com/2020/10/05/your-job-application-was-rejected-by-a-human-not-a-computer/

Gemma's 'word of the week' was 'empleomania': a mania for holding public office.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Gemma Towersey @GemmaTowersey
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Dr. Julia Huprich @juliahuprich

e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning

Evidence-Informed Learning Design: Creating Training to Improve Performance

Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks

Back in 2013, Basecamp's Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson published Remote (Office Not Required), a beautifully concise insight into how remote working had shaped their business.

Seven years and one global pandemic later, remote working has become a lot more common. But are we making the most of the opportunities that remote working presents?

In this edition of The GP Book Club, Ross G is joined by Gemma and Owen to share their thoughts.

We discuss:

a brief overview of the book's main points
the advantages of remote work for businesses and employees
how the way organisations communicate during the pandemic is shaping reactions to remote working.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Remote: Office Not Required, is available on Amazon: amazon.co.uk/Remote-Required-David-Heinemeier-Hansson/dp/0091954673

In What I Learned This Week, Owen shared FiveThirtyEight's 2020 US presidential election poll tracker. You can find it online at: projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2020-election-forecast/

Gemma recommended the book The Making of the English Landscape, by WG Hoskins. It's available from Amazon at: amazon.co.uk/Making-English-Landscape-Classics-Library/dp/1908213108

Ross shared his observations on the romantic sounding 'winter halo', described on Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/22%C2%B0_halo

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Gemma Towersey @GemmaTowersey
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson

The Making of the English Landscape

Remote: Office Not Required

Where do learners and managers experience 'pain points' at work, and how can organisations take steps to remove these?

This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Emerald Works Senior Research Analyst Gent Ahmetaj joins Ross D and Owen to share practical insights from our 2020 Learner Insights research.

We discuss:

what managers can do to address pain points
what organisations can do to address pain points
the characteristics of 'inspiring' learning content.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Our 2020 Learner Insights report will be available soon.

Gent referred to a paper from the UK Behavioural Insights Team describing learning content:

Team, B. I. (2014). EAST: Four simple ways to apply behavioural insights. Behavioural Insight Team, London. Online at: https://www.bi.team/publications/east-four-simple-ways-to-apply-behavioural-insights/

In What I Learned This Week, Owen shared some insight into LinkedIn's new (for them) 'story' feature: https://medium.com/@efeng/why-media-formats-like-snapchat-stories-and-tiktok-music-videos-become-hits-c6d2b9c79371

Ross shared the story of the QWERTY keyboard, based on 99% Invisible's podcast episode 'The Next Billion Users', online at: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/the-next-billion-users/

In reference to the above, Gent discussed the 'Library of Babel' project: https://futurism.com/meet-the-digital-library-of-babel-a-complete-combination-of-every-possible-combination-of-letters-ever

You can find the Library of Babel online at: https://libraryofbabel.info/

If you really want to do a deep dive, then Owen also discussed the 'infinite monkey theorem': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_monkey_theorem

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Gent Ahmetaj @GentAhmetaj

Being able to empathise helps us to better connect, communicate and respond to each other. It's a skill that can be developed through practice.

This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Gemma and Ross G speak to Mark Davies from See Learning about using video to build empathy.

We discuss:

the benefits of building empathy at work
why video is an effective tool for building empathy
how to encourage people to share their stories on video filming on a smartphone.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

In his first answer, Ross referred to Robert Putnam's book Bowling Alone, which is summarised on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_Alone

In What I Learned This Week, Ross continued his sporadic series on space-based toilet anecdotes with the news that NASA has invented a device that supports 'dual ops': https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/10/space-toilet-nasa-women/616686/

He previously discussed NASA's list of US material on the Moon: https://history.nasa.gov/FINAL%20Catalogue%20of%20Manmade%20Material%20on%20the%20Moon.pdf (in Episode 133)

And, more recently, how astronaut pee can be used as a construction material: https://www.wired.com/story/on-the-moon-astronaut-pee-will-be-a-hot-commodity/ (in Episode 199)

Gemma mentioned the podcast "Something rhymes with purple". You can find it on most podcast streaming services, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and acast.

Mark spoke about his video series "You are Pure Story". You can access it here: https://www.lifebooth.co.uk/free

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 Garner @RossGarnerEW

Mark Davies is contactable via email: mark@seelearning.co.uk

Love your Mac? Find your vacuum cleaner cumbersome? Despair at the booking system of your local leisure center? User experience design (or lack of) plays a significant part in whether you love or loathe the products and services you interact with. This week on the Good Practice podcast, Gemma and Ross D talk to Rhys Pendred, Emerald Work's Lead UX designer. We focussed on the what, why and how of user experience, discussing: * What UX is * UX fundamental principles * How we might think about and improve the UX of our products / learning.

Show notes
For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. Rhys mentioned Jacob Neilson's "10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design". This article can be found online at https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/

If you'd like to find out more about UX in learning design, we would recommend listening to our previous podcast "Design thinking for instructional design" with Connie Malamed. You can find it here https://podcast.goodpractice.com/78-design-thinking-for-ld

Rhys talked about Eddie Van Halen's quirky, brown M&Ms stipulation. This is mentioned in The Independent's Eddie Van Halen obituary. You can read the obituary at https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/obituary-eddie-van-halen-39608991.html

Gemma referred to a piece of research on muscle loading. It was mentioned in Tom Goom's video "What muscles should runners strengthen". The video is found online at https://www.running-physio.com/muscles/

Connect with our speakers
If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter / LinkedIn: * Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey * Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW * Rhys Pendred linkedin.com/in/rhys-pendred

Earlier in the year, a report by academics at Cardiff and Southampton Universities found that a majority of people would like to continue working from home in some capacity, even after social distancing is no longer a requirement. But what would a permanent shift to distributed work look like? And what would it mean for organisational performance?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Dr Kerstin Sailer, Reader in Social and Spatial Networks at University College London, to discuss:

the relationship between workplace design and communication
the implications of a more permanent move away from the physical office
considerations when adapting existing spaces to allow for social distancing

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

The report referenced above can be found at: https://wiserd.ac.uk/publications/homeworking-uk-and-during-2020-lockdown

To learn more about Kerstin's work, head to: https://brainybirdz.net/

The Nature article Owen referenced can be found at: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02558-0

Kerstin is currently reading The Lonely Century by Noreena Hertz.

For an overview of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine's research into dogs' ability to detect Covid-19, head to: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/using-dogs-to-detect-covid-19

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Kerstin Sailer @kerstinsailer

A lot of ink has been spilt over the issue of workplace learning: what it is, when and why it happens, and the impact it has on organizations. But what does it mean to learners themselves?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen and Emerald Works CEO John Yates to discuss our forthcoming 'Learner Intelligence Report'. We cover:

what/who motivates learners to seek out development opportunities
the role L&D can play in facilitating self-directed learning
how Covid-19 has amplified or reversed the trends of the past few years

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. It's also the best place to keep up with news on the Learner Intelligence Report.

The book John mentioned was The Overstory by Richard Powers.

If, like Ross D, you enjoy spending time alone in the wilderness, you should definitely download the What Three Words app: https://what3words.com/

Ross D also mentioned Driving Performance Through Learning by Andy Lancaster, which the Custom Learning team at Emerald Works are studying in their book club.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
John Yates @JYlearn

As the saying goes, "a problem shared is a problem halved". To create a safe space for L&D professionals to talk about their challenges and find solutions, Emerald Works runs a regular Learning Innovation Group (LIG).

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Gemma asks LIG curator and facilitator, Nahdia Khan and LIG participant, Victoria Winter, Learning Strategist from Cerner, about the value of the LIG.

We discussed:

What the LIG involves
The value of a community of practice
The professional, personal and organisational benefits of attending the LIG.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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
Nahdia Khan @NahdiaKhan
Victoria Winter @_VictoriaWinter

Giving learners access to training does not guarantee any behavioural change whatsoever. Even the most engaging piece of learning doesn't necessarily shift one's thoughts or actions. So how can we plan, create and support training in a way that learning is transferred?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Gemma and Owen are joined by Dr Ina Weinbauer-Heidel, founder and chief executive officer of the Institute of Transfer Effectiveness. We discuss:

the challenge of learning transfer
how Dr Ina's "12 levers" can be used to encourage learning transfer
project examples that use the 12 levers
measuring learning transfer

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Dr Ina Weinbauer-Heidel book, What makes training really work includes the 12 levers and associated questions. Available online at https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Makes-Training-Really-Work/dp/3746942993

Gemma mentioned Roger Deakin’s book, Waterlog. Available online at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterlog-Roger-Deakin/dp/1784700061/ref=asc_df_1784700061

The glass shape research Owen cites is found in the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest. The title of the research is “The Shape of a glass can influence how much we drink”. Langfield, T., Pechey, R., Gilchrist, P. T., Pilling, M., & Marteau, T. M. (2020). Glass shape influences drinking behaviours in three laboratory experiments. Scientific reports, 10(1), 1-11. Found online at https://digest.bps.org.uk/2020/08/13/the-shape-of-a-glass-can-influence-how-much-we-drink/

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson

What Makes Training Really Work

Waterlog: A Swimmer's Journey Through Britain

Before a job candidate ever submits an application or attends an interview, they will likely have several interactions with their prospective employer that shape how they feel about the organisation. Together, these touchpoints make up the 'candidate experience'.

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by their Emerald Works colleague Esh Jugal, along with guest Matt Alder, host of the Recruiting Future podcast. We discuss:

what we mean when we talk about 'candidate experience'
the similarities between candidate experience and customer experience
examples of good and bad candidate experiences
how organisations can shape the candidate experience

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 the Recruiting Future podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or learn more at: https://recruitingfuture.com/

To discover 'The Laws of UX', and maybe even apply them to your candidate experience, head to: https://lawsofux.com/

The New Yorker article Ross D mentioned was 'Lost in Translation: What the First Line of "The Stranger" should be': https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/lost-in-translation-what-the-first-line-of-the-stranger-should-be

You can find out more about Roam Research at: https://roamresearch.com/

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Esh Jugal @eshworld
Matt Alder @mattalder

We're five months on from the start of the UK Government's 2020 furlough scheme, so this week on The Good Practice Podcast we're discussing what it's been like for those who have experienced it.

Knowledge Pool's Scott Fellows joins Gemma and Ross G to share his story, while David Hayden from the CIPD shares more general insights into how people have experienced the scheme.

We discuss:

how organizations have supported employees who are furloughed
what we've learned about how people adapt to dramatic change
support available to organizations and individuals at this time

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

The CIPD's Coronavirus hub is online at: cipd.co.uk/news-views/coronavirus

Mind Tools' COVID-19 support page is online at: mindtools.com/pages/article/covid-19_support_pack.htm

Scott blogs at: learningperformancearchitect.wordpress.com and has collected free learning experience design tools at learningperformancearchitect.wordpress.com/resources/

In What I Learned This Week, Ross G shared a blog from The People Experience Hub about word clouds: thepeopleexperiencehub.org/post/head-in-the-clouds

David shared an online percentage calculator: calculatorsoup.com/calculators/algebra/percent-difference-calculator.php

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
GemmaTowersey @GemmaTowersey
Scott Fellows @Fellows_Scott
David Hayden @HaydenDavidhrd

The Black Lives Matter movement has helped bring some of the issues surrounding diversity and inclusion to the fore, sparking conversations in and outside of the workplace.

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Ricky Benjamin from TSB to discuss:

TSB's approach to diversity and inclusion
the organisation's response to the killing of George Floyd and the BLM movement
the impact of recent events on TSB's broader D&I agenda
the benefits and challenges associated with promoting D&I to a distributed workforce

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.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 all of Ricky's LinkedIn posts at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricky-benjamin-319303b9/detail/recent-activity/shares/

The growth mindset article Owen mentioned can be found at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494419307546

You can find out more about Maria Lax's photography on her website (www.maria-lax.com) or through her Instagram (www.instagram.com/maria_lax_).

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Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Ricky Benjamin @rickyAKAmcRB

As it's become increasingly apparent that we'll be living with coronavirus for some time, organisations have started to think about what that means for workplace culture. Is it possible to hold on to what came before, or do we need to think differently about 'how we do things around here'?

To answer these questions, Ross G and Owen are joined by Bruce Daisley, former Twitter VP, author of 'The Joy of Work', host of the 'Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat' podcast and workplace culture enthusiast.

We discuss:

how organisations are adapting to coronavirus
the changing role of 'the office'
the impact that managers have on workplace culture, both online and offline.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

For more from Bruce, including access to his podcast, books and newsletter, see: eatsleepworkrepeat.com

The growth mindset paper that Owen discussed was:

Li, Y., & Bates, T. C. (2020). Testing the association of growth mindset and grades across a challenging transition: Is growth mindset associated with grades?. Intelligence, 81, 101471. Online at: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289620300490

The podcast Ross discussed was This Week in Virology, episode 640, featuring Michael Mina: https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-640/

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Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Bruce Daisley @BruceDaisley

Here at Emerald Works, we recently spent some time setting objectives for the remainder of the year. One of the areas Ross D wanted to work on was his productivity, so he turned to his colleagues on the Custom Learning team for advice.

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross G, Tracey and Gemma share some of the techniques they use to keep on top of projects and 'get things done'. We discuss:

The hallmarks of a good to-do list
The benefits of chunking tasks down, Italian style
Useful online and offline productivity tools
The difference between productivity and time management

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

If you're interested in joining Tracey, Gemma and the two Rosses on the Custom Learning team, you can find the full job listing at: https://emeraldgroup.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/Advert/1976853

You can learn more about David Allen's 'Getting Things Done' methodology at: https://gettingthingsdone.com/

You can listen to 'The Susurrations of Trees' podcast through BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000b6sm

Ross G's Twitter conversation about the future of the A4 page can be found at: https://twitter.com/RossGarnerEW/status/1291111207588552708?s=20

The Kate Prince episode of Imagine can be found at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000lbqd.

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Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Tracey McDonald @TraceyMcDonald
Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey

Working within a global L&D network has both opportunities and challenges. But how do they differ within the social sector? How do global organizations deliver learning in rural areas with poor internet connections? And what impact has COVID-19 had on their approach?

This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Nicola Boyle and Ross Garner are joined by Claire Wilson, Head of Global Learning Lab at the Social Enterprise Academy. She shares her experiences of working in global L&D in the social sector.

We discuss:

how the Social Enterprise Academy deliver L&D globally
the challenges of delivering learning in developing countries
the impact of COVID-19 on global L&D in the social sector.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

To find out more about Social Enterprise Academy, check out their website: socialenterprise.academy/scot/

In What I Learned This Week, Nicola recommended the BBC Radio 4 programme Soul Music. The episode on 'I will Survive' can be found here: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000l7zc

The book that Ross recommended was The Hardest Job in the World by John Dickerson, available at: amazon.co.uk/Hardest-Job-World-American-Presidency/dp/1984854518

John Dickerson co-hosts the Slate: Political Gabfest. Listen at: slate.com/podcasts/political-gabfest

For a somewhat twee reminder of how we used to consider the Presidency, see The American President, directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin: imdb.com/title/tt0112346/

Claire recommended The Happy Newspaper, online at: thehappynewspaper.com/

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Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW
Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Claire Wilson on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/clairelwilson/

The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency

This week on The Good Practice Podcast we're joined by instructional designer Cara North, who shares her experiences of working in both corporate and Higher Education environments.

What are the similarities? What are the differences? And what can these two domains learn from each other?

We discuss:

the impact of working with subject matter experts who are educators
designing for students vs designing for colleagues
the learner as consumer.

Show notes

You can find out more about Cara at: caranorth.com

Cara referenced Cammy Bean's book The Accidental Instructional Designer, available from Amazon: amazon.co.uk/Accidental-Instructional-Designer-Learning-Digital/dp/1562869140

James referenced a number of researcher/practitioners who write publicly about instructional design and online learning. These were: Jane Bozarth, Jane Hart, Harold Jarche, and Clark Quinn. Ross would add Will Thalheimer and Patti Shank to that list.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

In What I Learned This Week, James bemoaned the number of 'no shows' to UK restaurants: bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-53496326/coronavirus-restaurants-struggle-with-overwhelming-no-shows

Cara recommended Kath Ellis and Kim Tuohy's learning design competition 'The Show', with episodes available on YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCQrSBktwEPqsfM4iYZkv1Tw

From this, Cara learned about the apps Appy Pie (appypie.com) and WebFlow (webflow.com).

Ross shared his 70(plus)-year-old "hot take" on Disney's back catalogue, giving capsule reviews of Snow White (1937, 83 minutes), Pinocchio (1940, 88 minutes), Bambi (1942, 70 minutes) and Cinderella (1950, 74 minutes). All available on Disney+.

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Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
James McLuckie @JamesMcLuckie
Cara North @CaraNorth11

The Accidental Instructional Designer: Learning Design for the Digital Age

Coaching has historically only been available to senior leaders, but new digital platforms are creating opportunities to provide access for everyone.

This week on The Good Practice Podcast, CoachHub's Svenja Haus joins Ross D and Owen to share her experiences.

We discuss:

how coaching can be delivered at scale
the role of the manager when coaching is 'outsourced'
the opportunities and drawbacks of 'digital' coaching.

Show notes

You can find out more about CoachHub at coachhub.io

Tim Harford's new book, How to Make the World Add Up, is available this September: amazon.co.uk/How-Make-World-Add-Up/dp/1408712237

Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers (which was released over 10 years ago but is new to some podcast hosts), has been available for years: amazon.co.uk/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0141036257

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Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Svenja Haus is on LinkedIn or @CoachHub_IO

Outliers: The Story of Success

How to Make the World Add Up

Consulting duo Albina Shashyna and Chris Watt use the story of Alice in Wonderland to create disruptive learning experiences that break from the norm. But like many practitioners, they had to quickly pivot to online when lockdown was introduced in March 2020.

This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Albina and Chris join Ross D and Owen to share their experiences.

We discuss:

How the story of Alice can be used to frame development conversations
The challenges presented by the move online
How constant reflection creates an opportunity to improve.

Show notes

You can find out more about Albina, Chris and Alice at: freeyourinneralice.com

The email client that Owen recommended was hey.com

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Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Albina Shashyna @Albina_Shashyna

Chris is on LinkedIn at: linkedin.com/in/chris-watt-7971b929/

In this special episode of The Good Practice Podcast, we say farewell to retiring CEO Peter Casebow.

Joined by Nicola, Owen, James and Ross G, Peter reflects on what's changed in workplace learning, and what hasn't.

We discuss:

the early days of digital learning
how GoodPractice introduced 'performance support' before there was a term for it
our memories of Peter as CEO.

Show notes

Ross shared news of the death of Professor K. Anders Ericsson. You can read about his career here: news.fsu.edu/news/2020/06/24/fsu-psychology-professor-anders-ericsson-the-worlds-top-expert-on-expertises-dies/

Nicola shared a story about the evolution of foxes: bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-52892194

And for Peter's last 'What I Learned This Week', he discussed the book On The Trail of Wolves by Philippa Forrester, available from Amazon: amazon.co.uk/Trail-Wolves-British-Adventure-Wild/dp/147297204X

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
James McLuckie @JamesMcLuckie
Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
and Peter Casebow @PeterCasebow

Apologies for Ross' poor audio throughout.

On The Trail Of Wolves

In the past few months, many organisations have completely changed their approach to L&D because of the COVID-19 situation. But to what extent were these changes already in the pipeline? What has worked and what hasn't? And how long-lasting will these changes be?

This week, Alan Brown, Learning and Development Consultant at Standard Life Aberdeen, joins Nicola Boyle and Owen Ferguson to share his team's experiences.

We discuss:

How Standard Life Aberdeen moved their global L&D offering to virtual
How to combat the challenges and measure the success of switching to virtual
How permanent this transition to virtual will be

Show notes

The podcast Nicola mentioned is How to Fail by Elizabeth Day - the Mo Gowdat episode on managing anxiety through the COVID-19 situation can be found here -https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-gmyyz-d6e065

The Twitter thread on 'meetings light fortnight' from Gem Dale (@HR_Gem) that Owen referred to can be found here https://twitter.com/HR_Gem/status/1275364636146257920

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Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Alan Brown - alan.brown@aberdeenasset.com

Covid-19 has had a huge impact on organisations. We're constantly told that things won't go back to the way they were, rather that there will be a 'new normal'. So, what will that ‘new normal’ look like for L&D?

This week on the 200th episode of the Good Practice Podcast, the team are joined by Andy Lancaster, Hannah Gore, Kenny Temowo and a live Zoom audience to discuss the future of:

working life
learning and development
workplace culture

Show notes

Andy's book Driving Performance through Learning can be found here - https://www.koganpage.com/product/driving-performance-through-learning-9780749497439

To find out more about Hannah, visit her website https://drhannahgore.com/

To find out more about Edgar Schein's Humble Inquiry - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Humble-Inquiry-Instead-Telling-Leadership/dp/1609949811

Nicola recommended Educated by Tara Westover https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35133922-educated

To find out more about the Learning Health Check visit - https://bit.ly/GPPod-LHC

To find out more about Emerald Works, visit our website - https://emeraldworks.com/

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW
Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Hannah Gore @HRGore
Andy Lancaster @AndyLancasterUK
Kenny Temowo @K_temowo

Humble Inquiry: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling

In the past few months, we've all become fast friends with the concept of 'change'. But do you resist change when it occurs, or do you ask probing questions to shape your understanding - then act as a change superhero?

In this episode of The Good Practice Podcast, author Lucinda Carney joins Ross G and Owen to discuss her new book: How to be a Change Superhero.

We discuss:

superpowers that can help us become change agents
our reactions to change
the use of models for managing change.

Show notes

How to be a Change Superhero is available now from Amazon: amazon.co.uk/How-Change-Superhero-business-toolkit-ebook/dp/B0869LV2NP

Lucinda also hosts The HR Uprising Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts.

You can find out more about Lucinda's company, Actus, at: actus.co.uk

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen shared the video of 'The Miracle Sudoku': youtu.be/yKf9aUIxdb4

Ross discussed the many uses of astronaut urine: wired.com/story/on-the-moon-astronaut-pee-will-be-a-hot-commodity/

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Lucinda Carney @LucindaCarney

How to be a Change Superhero: The business toolkit to help you to 'do' change better

We've talked on this podcast about how L&D professionals can use storytelling techniques to create more engaging, memorable learning experiences. But what about the stories we tell ourselves every day? How do these stories shape our identity at work?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Simon Arrowsmith, founder of Grow the People, to discuss:

the relationship between storytelling and wellbeing
the role that stories can play in helping us adapt to life under lockdown
the ways L&D can incorporate storytelling into their working practices

Show notes

If you'd like to join us for our live show, you can find all the details here: https://emeraldworks.com/resources/events-webinars/webinars/podcast-200-episode

To find out more about Simon's work, head over to the Grow the People website: https://growthepeople.co/

For a summary of the history behind 'Juneteenth', go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juneteenth

The podcast Ross mentioned was Articles of Interest: https://99percentinvisible.org/aoi/

Tired of Fortnite and Call of Duty? Then why not check out the game everyone's talking about (mainly just Owen) and 'Guess the Correlation'? - http://guessthecorrelation.com/

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Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Simon Arrowsmith @thesoundstories

Learning and development conferences tend to follow a predictable format: an exhibition hall full of vendors, hour-long sessions from experts, and fringe events where people can socialise. The introduction of social distancing has disrupted that format, but might it also create an opportunity to try something different?

This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Dr. Will Thalheimer and Matthew Richter, president of The Thiagi Group, join Ross G and Owen to share details of the online-only 'L&D Conference'.

We discuss:

Some of the challenges associated with traditional conferences
The format and line-up of The L&D Conference
The benefits of this approach for speakers and attendees.

Show notes

Details of The L&D Conference are online at: learningdevelopmentconference.com

During the conversation, we discussed both evidence-informed practice and learning styles. For more on these topics, see our episodes:

The No.1 L&D Detective Agency, with Rob Briner at: podcast.goodpractice.com/163-evidence-the-no-1-ld-detective-agency
Evidence-informed learning design with Mirjam Neelen at: podcast.goodpractice.com/177-evidence-informed-learning-design
Does the language of L&D matter? With David Kelly, at: podcast.goodpractice.com/135-does-the-language-of-ld-matter

In What I Learned This Week, Owen discussed the opportunities that Transistor FM offers for private podcasts. Find out more at: transistor.fm

Will shared a quote from journalist Jack Newfield, who did indeed die in 2004. You can find out more about Newfield, and the quote, at Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Newfield

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Dr Will Thalheimer @WillWorkLearn

For more on Matt see thiagi.com or linkedin.com/in/matthew-richter-0738b84

For more from Will, see worklearning.com or presentationscience.net

Will and Matt podcast at truthinlearning.com.

You can follow Emerald Works on Twitter @Emerald_Works and LinkedIn.

Conversations are at the heart of everything we do: whether it's dealing with customers, managing team members or influencing our leaders.

This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Sarah Harvey - author of Savvy Conversations - joins Ross G and Owen to discuss how thinking purposefully about our approach to conversations can lead to better outcomes.

We discuss:

Sarah's tools for approaching a conversation
The difference between 'manipulation' and 'influence'
The impact that an increase in digital communication has had on our relationships.

Show notes

Find out more about Sarah, and the book, at: savvyconversations.co.uk

In What I Learned This Week, Ross recommended the Alt+D shortcut to quickly navigate to your browser window.

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Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Sarah Harvey @SavvySarahSPM

You can follow Emerald Works on Twitter @Emerald_Works and LinkedIn.

The design of workplace learning typically requires input from a wide range of stakeholders, including HR, Legal and IT. But this week on The Good Practice Podcast, we hear from two people who decided to go it alone.

Bushcraft instructor Paul Kirtley and YouTuber Craig Taylor share their experiences of designing online learning content, with Ross G and Owen.

We discuss:

The use of 'content splintering' to repurpose material on different platforms
The use of links to drive traffic from one platform to another
The importance of developing a relationship with your audience.

Show notes

You can find out more about Craig at: about.me/craigtaylor

For more from Paul, see:

His website: frontierbushcraft.com
His online courses: onlinebushcraftcourses.com/online-elementary
His podcast: paulkirtley.co.uk/Topics/pkpodcast/
His YouTube channel: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZd0Jw9pFXqWC0M1g73AGS49i7KtCK_v4
His Instagram: instagram.com/paulkirtley
His Wikipedia page: wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Kirtley
One of his online courses: identificationmasterclass.com

For more from Emerald Works, see: https://emeraldworks.com/

Owen recommended The Last Dance on Netflix.

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Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Paul Kirtley @PKirt
Craig Taylor @CraigTaylor74

You can follow Emerald Works on Twitter @Emerald_Works and LinkedIn.

In Shape Up, Ryan Singer shares the methodology that he and his colleagues at Basecamp use to 'ship work that matters'. The book presents itself as a guide for software developers, but what lessons does it hold for L&D?

On this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen, Nicola and Ross G for the third in our series of bimonthly 'book club' episodes. We discuss:

our general impressions of the book
the differences between Basecamp's approach and other product development methodologies
key takeaways for L&D

Show notes

All of Basecamp's books, including Shape Up, can be downloaded for free on their website: https://basecamp.com/shapeup

The macOS app Owen mentioned was 'Alfred': https://www.alfredapp.com/

You can find out more about Chefs in Schools by visiting https://www.chefsinschools.org.uk/

You can listen to This American Life's Pulitzer-winning episode, 'The Out Crowd', on their website: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/688/the-out-crowd

If you work in UX/UI and you're interested in joining a team that doesn't report to Ross Garner, check out these job listings: https://emeraldgroup.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/Advert/1931140

https://emeraldgroup.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/Advert/1931141

For more from Emerald Works, see: emeraldworks.com

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Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW

Self-management is increasingly seen as the most diplomatic way to run an organisation. But how does this work when critical, time-sensitive decisions have to be made? What structures do these organisations need to have in place to succeed? And how do they overcome the challenges they are presented with?

This week, Nicola Boyle and Owen Ferguson are joined by organisational self-management coach Lisa Gill.

We discuss:

The critical success factors of running a self-managing organisation
The challenges of running a self-managing organisation
The benefits of shifting to self-management

Show notes

To find out more about Lisa, visit her website: https://www.reimaginaire.com/
Listen and subscribe to Lisa's Leadermorphosis podcast at: http://leadermorphosis.co/
The Leadermorphosis episode with Miki Kashtan can be found here: http://leadermorphosis.co/ep-37-miki-kashtan-on-the-three-shifts-needed-for-self-managing-organisations-to-thrive
To find out more about the Liberating Structures app, click here: https://www.liberatingstructures.app/en/
For information on Helen Sanderson's Dare to Lead interactive course, click here: http://helensanderson.net/dare-to-lead/
Helen Sanderson's podcast A Cup of Teal can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/show/43iANzrV228opoHuom16HA

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Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Lisa Gill @disruptandlearn

You can follow Emerald Works on Twitter @Emerald_Works and LinkedIn.

Evidence has shown that part-time workers can outperform full-time workers. So why is it that they often feel stigmatized or second-tier within their organization? And what can leaders and managers do to challenge this?

This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Nicola Boyle and Lucy Bishop are joined by Nikki Slowey and Lisa Gallagher from Flexibility Works.

We discuss:

How to challenge the stigma of part-time work
How to effectively manage part-time staff
How to go part-time and job-share in senior roles

Show notes

To find out more about Flexibility Works, visit their website - https://www.flexibilityworks.org/

The Acas code of practice on flexible working requests can be found here: https://www.acas.org.uk/acas-code-of-practice-on-flexible-working-requests

To make your own kitchen quarantine beans-based cake, follow this recipe here: http://annajones.co.uk/recipe/amazing-lemon-cannellini-cake

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Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW
Lucy Bishop - http://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-bishop-0821764b/
Lisa Gallagher - @_LisaMaclean
Nikki Slowey - @nikkislowey73

You can follow Emerald Works on Twitter @Emerald_Works and LinkedIn.

What ideas are L&D most excited about in 2020? Artificial intelligence? Learning experience platforms? Curation?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D and James are joined by Don Taylor to pore over the latest Global Sentiment Survey, and discover what's 'hot' (and what's not) in learning and development.

We discuss:

the top-line takeaways from GSS 2020
the key regional differences in the data
the trends that have emerged over seven years of the survey

Show notes

To download a copy of the Global Sentiment Survey 2020, head over to Don's website: https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/research_base/the-global-sentiment-survey-2020/

If you're interested in revisiting our last GSS episode, you can find it at: https://podcast.goodpractice.com/137-what-will-be-hot-in-workplace-ld-in-2019

For more from Emerald Works, see: emeraldworks.com

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Ross Dickie - @RossDickieEW
James McLuckie - @JamesMcLuckie
Donald Taylor - @DonaldHTaylor

You can follow Emerald Works on Twitter @Emerald_Works and LinkedIn.

This week on The Good Practice Podcast, e-learning specialist, author and consultant Clive Shepherd joins Ross G and Owen to discuss the promise of e-learning.

Where has it succeeded? Where has it gone wrong? And with authoring tools now giving anyone the ability to create great e-learning, might the problem be... well... us?

We discuss:

the evolution of e-learning
the business barriers to effective e-learning
the opportunities created by personality, humour and storytelling.

Show notes

The text-based game that Owen has been playing is Lifeline, available online at: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/lifeline/id982354972

The Cards Against Humanity Family Edition is online at: https://www.cardsagainsthumanityfamilyedition.com/

You can find out more about Clive at skillsjourney.com. He blogs at cliveonlearning.com.

For more from Emerald Works, see: emeraldworks.com

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Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Clive Shepherd @CliveShepherd

You can follow Emerald Works on Twitter @Emerald_Works and LinkedIn.

Carol Dweck's Mindset (2006) and Angela Duckworth's Grit (2016) are two of the most influential social science texts of this century, but difficulty implementing their ideas and a failure to replicate their findings has left them open to criticism.

In this special crossover edition of The Good Practice and Emotion at Work podcasts, hosts Nicola Boyle and Phil Willcox are joined by Owen Ferguson, Ross Garner and Gemma Towersey to discuss.

We explore:

the extent to which we feel we demonstrate grit and growth mindset
the problems posed by the popularity of these ideas
the impact of grit and mindset on L&D.

Show notes

Mindset - Updated Edition: Changing the Way You Think to Fulfil Your Potential, by Carol Dweck, is available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mindset-Updated-Changing-Fulfil-Potential/dp/B07NQLQDWN

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth, is available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grit-Passion-Perseverance-Angela-Duckworth-ebook/dp/B019CGY2ZG

A useful review of mindset literature is: Burgoyne, A. P., Hambrick, D. Z., & Macnamara, B. N. (2020). How Firm Are the Foundations of Mind-Set Theory? The Claims Appear Stronger Than the Evidence. Psychological Science, 0956797619897588. Online at: https://www.gwern.net/docs/psychology/2020-burgoyne.pdf

A study looking at mindset in the workplace is: Campbell, A. (2019). Effects of Growth and Fixed Mindset on Leaders' Behavior during Interpersonal Interactions (Doctoral dissertation, Pepperdine University). Online at: https://search.proquest.com/openview/f227f221ad725ab6802a70bb2d192d83/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

Professor Dweck has responded to criticism of her work here: http://theconversation.com/growth-mindset-interventions-yield-impressive-results-97423

Two papers critiquing the 'grit' concept are:

Credé, M. (2018). What shall we do about grit? A critical review of what we know and what we don’t know. Educational Researcher, 47(9), 606-611. Online at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1051&context=psychology_pubs

Lee, C. S. (2018). Authentic leadership and organizational effectiveness: The roles of hope, grit, and growth mindset. International Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics, 118(19), 383-401. Online at: https://acadpubl.eu/jsi/2018-118-19/articles/19a/27.pdf

The paper that Ross and Owen discussed was: Yeager, D. S., Hanselman, P., Walton, G. M., Murray, J. S., Crosnoe, R., Muller, C., ... & Paunesku, D. (2019). A national experiment reveals where a growth mindset improves achievement. Nature, 573(7774), 364-369. Online at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1466-y?fbclid=IwAR3eSTiOiVc3v8LARTfGwxTzlSDz4AiAFpLK-jK4VcJr57wI0eO8zyvwkEc

The blog by David D'Souza that Phil mentioned was: https://daviddsouza.com/2020/02/03/the-surprising-truth-about-obvious-truths/

In What I Learned This Week, the gang discussed:

Security issues associated with Zoom. Find out more at https://tidbits.com/2020/04/03/every-zoom-security-and-privacy-flaw-so-far-and-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself/ and https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/04/03/thousands-zoom-video-calls-left-exposed-open-web/

Ross' reflections regarding Dr Catherine Calderwood's resignation, covered online at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52181221

The book Ross recommended was Jon Ronson's So You've Been Publicly Shamed, available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/So-Youve-Been-Publicly-Shamed-ebook/dp/B00L9B7IRC

The paper Phil discussed, on the mindsets intervention, was: Foliano, F., Rolfe, H., Buzzeo, J., Runge, J., & Wilkinson, D. (2019). Changing mindsets: effectiveness trial. National Institute of Economic and Social Research. Online at: https://www.niesr.ac.uk/sites/default/files/publications/Changing%20Mindsets_0.pdf

The book that Gemma recommended was The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sense-Style-Thinking-Persons-Writing/dp/1846145503

If you'd like to Give Blood during the current crisis, you can! See: https://www.blood.co.uk/

For more from Emerald Works, see: https://emeraldworks.com/

For more from Phil, see: https://www.emotionatwork.co.uk/

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You can find Phil's podcast at: https://www.emotionatwork.co.uk/podcast/ and on iTunes.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW
Phil Willcox @PhilWillcox
Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
Gemma Towersey @GemmaTowersey

You can follow Emerald Works on Twitter @Emerald_Works and LinkedIn.

Emotion at Work is @EmotionAt_Work.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

None

The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century

So You've Been Publicly Shamed

In Social by Design, an upcoming book from Mark Britz and James Tyer, the authors argue that we should purposefully build social connections within organisations.

In this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast, they join Ross G and Owen to discuss:

the serendipitous nature of many workplace social connections
the opportunities created by digital tools
the impact of coronavirus on social connectedness.

Show notes

The book James referenced was The Connected Company by Dave Gray, available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Connected-Company-Dave-Gray/dp/1491919477

'Chatroulette' is an online service that pairs you with another person for a video call. We recommend reading this Wikipedia article before Googling it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatroulette

The Social Network Analysis report from SWOOP, that James mentioned, is online here: https://www.swoopanalytics.com/benchmarking/microsoft-teams-benchmarking/

The video Owen referenced, on the iPad trackpad, is online at: https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/18/21185188/ipad-trackpad-how-to-support-mouse-cursor

The Recode Decode podcast mentioned by James, featuring Social Capital CEO Chamath Palihapitiya, is on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chamath-palihapitiya-investing-landscape-is-done-taxes/id1011668648?i=1000469424578

Bill Gates' pandemic prediction has been covered in many places. You can see it here: https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_gates_the_next_outbreak_we_re_not_ready?language=dz

The book, Social by Design, is due for publication this Spring. You can find details at Sense & Respond Press: https://www.senseandrespondpress.com/social-by-design

For more from James, see: https://jamestyer.com/

Mark blogs at: http://markbritz.com/

For more from Emerald Works, see: https://emeraldworks.com/

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Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Mark Britz @Britz
James Tyer @JimBobTyer

You can follow Emerald Works on Twitter @Emerald_Works and LinkedIn.

The Connected Company

To what extent are our decisions at work based on data and testing, versus hunches and gut feelings? In Experimentation Works, Stefan Thomke argues that the scientific method should drive business decisions and has the potential to improve performance.

On this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen, Ross G and Nicola for the second in our series of bimonthly 'bookclub' episodes. We discuss:

our general impressions of the book
the opportunities created by experimentation at work
the challenges associated with workplace experiments.

Show notes

The paper Ross G and Owen discussed on the minimum user count for online experiments is (on review) a little vague on what counts as an 'active user', but can be found here: Kohavi, R., Deng, A., Frasca, B., Walker, T., Xu, Y., & Pohlmann, N. (2013, August). Online controlled experiments at large scale. In Proceedings of the 19th ACM SIGKDD international conference on Knowledge discovery and data mining (pp. 1168-1176).

Experimentation Works is available from Amazon and, hopefully at some point in the future, your local bookseller: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Experimentation-Works-Surprising-Business-Experiments/dp/163369710X

Ross G's 'deep cut' was to episode 30 of our show: https://podcast.goodpractice.com/compliance-training-ticking-a-box-or-having-an-impact

The book Ross referenced was The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary, by Simon Winchester: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Professor-Madman-Simon-Winchester/dp/0060175966

The film version of this book, The Professor and the Madman starring Mel Gibson, is streaming now on Amazon Video.

Ross G also recommended the FIIT app for yoga: https://fiit.tv/

Shakespeare's quarantined writing efforts have been covered thoroughly in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/mar/22/shakespeare-in-lockdown-did-he-write-king-lear-in-plague-quarantine

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW

Experimentation Works: The Surprising Power of Business Experiments

The Professor and the Madman

In the past few weeks, the rapid spread of Covid-19 has made 'self-isolation' an everyday term. 'Working from home' has stopped being a perk, and become a necessity (for those of us fortunate enough to be able to do so).

But how do you adjust to working in isolation and communicating via remote meetings? On this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen, Ross G and Emerald Workser Craig Dutton to share their advice for coping with coronavirus. We discuss:

our strategies for productive home working
making the most of technology
overcoming organisational hurdles to built trust and rapport quickly online.

Show notes

Craig's guidance on getting the best from remote meetings is online at: https://goodpractice-podcast.s3.amazonaws.com/craig-dutton-remote-meetings.pdf

Owen's coronavirus simulations are from the Washington Post, online at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/?itid=sf_

Ross G's fascinating insight into the world's weird flight paths is online at: https://multimedia.scmp.com/news/world/article/2165980/flight-paths/index.html

And Ross D's tedious insight into air quality on planes is at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51736185

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW

Craig can be found on LinkedIn. Just search for: Craig Dutton, Emerald Works.

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen and Gent Ahmetaj to dig into the latest research report from Emerald Works — Back to the Future: Why Tomorrow’s Workforce Needs a Learning Culture. We discuss:

the purpose of the Learning Health Check
the top-line takeaways from the report
the practical implications for L&D

Show notes

If you're interested in reading the report for yourself, you can download a copy at: https://emeraldworks.com/resources/research-and-reports/strategy/back-to-the-future

The LinkedIn thread about the need for an L&D 'revolution' can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6636178119965454336/?actorCompanyId=468788

Tom Chivers' Twitter feed, including his thoughts on COVID-19, can be found at: https://twitter.com/TomChivers

Gent's book recommendation was Crystallizing Public Opinion by Edward Bernays, and it can be found at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crystallizing-Public-Opinion-Edward-Bernays/dp/1684113040/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QA437F7TFVD1&keywords=crystallizing+public+opinion&qid=1583836784&sprefix=crystalizing+public+opinion%2Caps%2C234&sr=8-1

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Gent Ahmetaj @GentAhmetaj

Crystallizing Public Opinion

Returning to work after parental leave can be a daunting time for parents. What can managers do to ease this process and support returners in the best way possible?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Nicola Boyle and Cat MacLeod speak to Nikki Slowey from Family Friendly Working Scotland and Camden Council's Tom Spencer.

In the episode we discuss:

tips for managers supporting parental leave returners
some of the classic pitfalls managers fall into
the perceived (or actual) gender differences in attitudes towards returners

Show notes

To find out more about Nikki Slowey and Family Friendly Working Scotland, check out their website https://www.familyfriendlyworkingscotland.org.uk/

The Harvard Business Review article Cat mentioned can be found at https://hbr.org/2020/03/whats-really-holding-women-back?sf117680049=1

To find out more about more Katherine Johnson and her career at NASA, click here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/science/katherine-johnson-dead.html

Tom's book recommendation was 'You're not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters' by Kate Murphy - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Youre-Not-Listening-Missing-Matters/dp/1787300951

To learn more about Aviva's parental leave policy, click here - https://www.aviva.co.uk/business/business-perspectives/featured-articles-hub/equal-parental-leave/

To find out your own unique 3-word address, click here: https://what3words.com/

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW
Cat MacLeod @CatGoodPractice
Nikki Slowey @nikkislowey73
Tom Spencer @TomBSpencer

You're Not Listening

Working in L&D, we spend a lot of time focusing on the development of others. But how much time do we spend thinking about our own development?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross Garner and Owen Ferguson are joined by Lightbulb Moment's Jo Cook to discuss:

the benefits of formal training for L&D professionals
the value of experience over expertise
how people working in L&D can support each other.

Show notes

The book Owen recommends is Shape Up by Ryan Singer, and it can be found at: https://basecamp.com/shapeup

The article Jo mentions regarding the demise (or not) of the smartphone is available at: https://www.trustedreviews.com/opinion/fast-charge-over-for-smartphones-3973705

The Exponent podcast can be found at: exponent.fm

How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen is available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Will-Measure-Your-Life/dp/0007449151

To find out more about Jo's work, head over to her website: https://www.lightbulbmoment.online/

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Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
Jo Cook @LighbulbJo

You can follow Emerald Works on Twitter @Emerald_Works and LinkedIn.

How Will You Measure Your Life?

Learning Technologies is one of the biggest industry conferences in the L&D calendar. But what did we learn from attending?
This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Nicola Boyle, James McLuckie and Gemma Towersey discuss their highlights and key takeaways from the conference.

In the episode we discuss:

Personalisation
The ethics of AI
Getting back to the basics of learning design

Show notes

The Good Practice podcast episode that James referenced, featuring Nick Robinson, was episode 89 'Introducing Learning Design' - https://podcast.goodpractice.com/89-introducing-learning-design

To find out more about Learning Technologies 30 under 30 -https://www.learningtechnologies.co.uk/learning-thirty-under-30

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW
James McLuckie @JamesMcLuckie
Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey

You can follow Emerald Works on Twitter @Emerald_Works and LinkedIn.

For many organisations, the workplace is no longer local. Technology has helped create a global talent market, where the primary job requirements are a computer and a stable internet connection.

There are obvious benefits to this, but what does it mean for L&D? How do you deliver a consistent experience to a multilingual, multicultural workforce, spread across different regions?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross Dickie and Gemma Towersey are joined by Emily Decker from Comtec Translations to discuss:

the specific challenges of translating e-learning content
the benefits of working with a translation agency
when and when not to use machine translation

Show notes

The National Geographic article Gemma mentioned can be found at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2020/01/scientists-are-unraveling-the-mysteries-of-pain-feature/

For those who wish 'to Meghan Markle' like the lady herself, this article covers the nuances of the new verb: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jan/24/to-meghan-markle-verb-how-to-use-it

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Ross Dickie @ross__dickie
Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey
Emily Decker @ComtecTranslate

What are some of the L&D challenges faced by the not-for-profit sector? And how do they overcome these challenges on restricted budgets? This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Nicola Boyle and James McLuckie are joined by Cat Kernohan, Head of L&D at Oxfam, and Kate Kellaway Moore, Head of Talent and Resourcing at Oxfam to discuss. In this episode you'll find out: * How Oxfam deliver their L&D initiatives on restricted budgets * How not-for-profit organisations can attract and retain talent in the workplace * How Oxfam increase women's opportunities for promotion and senior leadership

Show notes

The article Kate highlighted on Gender Equality can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gender-equality-at-work-research-on-the-barriers-to-womens-progression

To find out more about beauty brands use of AR: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/01/28/l-oreal-signs-up-pinterest-s-roll-out-ar-t

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Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW
James McLuckie @JamesMcLuckie
Cat Kernohan - www.linkedin.com/in/catherinekernohan
Kate Kellaway Moore - www.linkedin.com/in/kate-kellaway-moore

This week, we're taking a break from our usual format to bring you some exciting news!

Tune in to hear CEO Peter Casebow speak to regular hosts Ross Garner, Nicola Boyle and Ross Dickie about what's changing.

You can also check out our new website at emeraldworks.com

Or get in touch on Twitter @Emerald_Works.

The LPI recently surveyed learning leaders, asking them to name their toughest workplace challenges. The results? Creating a learning culture, developing the workforce of the future, digital transformation and digital learning, leadership and management development, and self-directed learning.

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Owen and Ross G are joined by LPI CEO Ed Monk to discuss what these findings mean for learning organisations.

We discuss:

increased confidence among learning professionals
the meaning of 'learning culture' and how it is created
and the longer-term meaning of 'performance'.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, and @EdmundMonk.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

The LPI are online at: thelpi.org and run a free social network at: https://learningprofessionalnetwork.com/

The article that discussed Ed, Owen and Ross discussed was 'Driving performance through learning in 2020', from TrainingZone, available online at: https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/develop/business/driving-performance-through-learning-in-2020

The Google project Ed referenced was 'Project Aristotle', described by Google at: https://rework.withgoogle.com/print/guides/5721312655835136/

The podcast that Owen recommended was 'Keeping Track Of Your HEART – Tomer Sharon on The Product Experience', from The Product Experience, available online at: https://www.mindtheproduct.com/keeping-track-of-your-heart-tomer-sharon-on-the-product-experience/

The podcast that Ed recommended was 'How Did We Get Here?', online at: https://podtail.com/en/podcast/how-did-we-get-here/

Our Women in Learning Special, referenced by Ross, is online at: https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-145-women-in-learning-special

The film that Ross recommended was 1917, directed by Sam Mendes.

Can learning and development ever adopt the same rigour as clinical research? And how should we judge the usefulness of existing research?

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen welcome return guest Mirjam Neelen to discuss her new book (co-written with Paul A. Kirschner): Evidence-informed learning design

We discuss:

the problems with research into learning
the mis-use of terms like 'neuroscience' to justify beliefs
the difference between corporate learning and academia.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, and @MirjamN.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

Mirjam's book is available from Kogan Page and she blogs at: 3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com

The blog Mirjam referenced, by Robert Slavin, was 'Why Can’t Education Progress Like Medicine Does?', available online at: https://robertslavinsblog.wordpress.com/2020/01/09/why-cant-education-progress-like-medicine-does/

The Willingham (2012) book Mirjam referenced was When Can You Trust the Experts?, available from Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Can-You-Trust-Experts/dp/1118130278) but summarised here: https://3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com/2018/06/26/working-in-an-evidence-informed-way/

The summary of the 'growth mindset' debate, referenced by Owen, is online here: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/debate-arises-over-teaching-growth-mindsets-to-motivate-students/

Ross' recommendations were:

11.22.63 (novel), by Stephen King
Little Women (film), directed by Greta Gerwig
and Dolly Parton's America (podcast), available on all your usual podcast feeds.

When Can You Trust the Experts?: How to Tell Good Science from Bad in Education

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, it's the return of our much beloved Christmas episode! This year, GoodPractice guardian angels Nicola, Owen, Ross G and Ross D share their favourite clips from the past year in an effort to help Bedford Falls' own George Bailey rediscover his love of learning and development.

We discuss:

the L&D community
behaviour change
remote working
learning analytics
and women in learning.

The episodes we referenced were:

Podcast 150 — Live from London: The past, present and future of learning!, with Andy Lancaster (https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-150-live-from-london-the-past-present-and-future-of-learning)

Podcast 137 — What will be hot in workplace L&D in 2019?, with Don Taylor (https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-137-what-will-be-hot-in-workplace-ld-in-2019)

Podcast 168 — Inside ‘Messengers’: Are attractive people more believable?, with Joseph Marks (https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-168-inside-messengers-are-attractive-people-more-believable)

Podcast 157 — Why should we care about behaviour change?, with Julie Dirksen (https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-157-why-should-we-care-about-behaviour-change)

Podcast 152 — How can we support remote workers?, with Chris Coladonato (https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-152-how-can-we-support-remote-workers)

Podcast 158 — Attention spans: With apologies to goldfish, with Jonathan Marshall (https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-158-attention-spans-with-apologies-to-goldfish)

Podcast 163 — Evidence: The No. 1 L&D detective agency, with Rob Briner (https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-163-evidence-the-no-1-ld-detective-agency)

Podcast 145 — Women in learning special, with Barbara Thompson and Sharon Kaliouby (https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-145-women-in-learning-special)

Referenced, but not played, were:

Podcast 146 — How do people learn?, with Nick Shackleton-Jones (https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-146-how-do-people-learn)

Podcast 171 — If only I had the time: achieving work-life balance, with Stephanie Hubka (https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-171-if-only-i-had-the-time-achieving-work-life-balance)

In What I Learned This Week, we discussed:

quadratic voting, explained in more detail at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadratic_voting
In Our Time's podcast on coffee: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000c4x1
David D'Souza's daughters planet rap: https://twitter.com/dds180/status/1205438446921306112

With apologies to James Stewart and Frank Capra.

What do the Ancient Greeks, Viking warriors and World War II munition factories have to tell us about modern learning and development? More than you might think!

On this week's episode of The GoodPractice Podcast, Michelle Parry-Slater joins Ross G and Owen to explore lessons from the history of L&D.

We discuss:

how modern L&D developed
the benefits of exploring our history
evolution vs revolution in L&D.

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @RossGarnerGP and @OwenFerguson or @MiPS1608.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAUS.

To find out more about what we do, visit goodpractice.com.

Ross' slightly dubious fossil fuel assertion was in part based on: https://www.forbes.com/sites/walvanlierop/2019/12/06/yes-fossil-fuel-subsidies-are-real-destructive-and-protected-by-lobbying/

For more on the secret history of the Girl Guides, see:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11005064
https://owl-and-toadstool.blogspot.com/2011/11/role-of-girl-guides-during-war-time.html
https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Girl-Guides-Won-War/dp/0007356323

How the Girl Guides Won the War

What should we know about the people we don't? Through a series of thematically related anecdotes, this is the question Malcolm Gladwell sets out to answer in his latest book, Talking to Strangers.

On this week's episode of the GoodPractice Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen, Ross G and Nicola for the first in a series of bimonthly 'bookclub' episodes. We discuss:

our general impressions of the book
whether it has changed the way we interact with strangers
key takeaways for L&D professionals

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, @RossGarnerGP and @NicolaBoyle_GP.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of Talking to Strangers, simply tell us what you learned this week by sending a direct message to @GoodPractice, or by emailing beinspired@goodpractice.com. The most interesting response wins the book!

To understand why nobody will build a statue of you, head over to David D'Souza's website: https://daviddsouza.com/2019/11/29/why-you-wont-get-your-own-statue/

The Guardian interview Owen mentioned can be found here: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/01/malcolm-gladwell-interview-talking-to-strangers-apolitical

Richard Feynman's personal reflections on the Challenger shuttle disaster can be found at https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/51-l/docs/rogers-commission/Appendix-F.txt

If you're not lucky enough to win a copy of Talking to Strangers in our giveaway, you can also find it in all good bookshops.

In this special video episode of The GoodPractice Podcast, we're at eLN Connect 2019, the annual e-Learning Network conference for developers and instructional designers.

We discuss:

our instructional design mistakes
relationships between clients and vendors
good and bad applications for virtual reality
problems with the traditional conference format.

As well as the usual 30-minute audio cut, we've also released a 7-minute video version on our YouTube channel. You can see that here: bit.ly/GPPod_videospecial

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP and @Ross__Dickie.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can get more from the eLearning Network at elearningnetwork.org/

At face value, FC Barcelona look like any other top-tier football club. They've got an army of devoted fans, deep pockets and a roster of world-class players. So what sets them apart from the competition? According to Damian Hughes, the answer is culture.

This week on the podcast, Damian joins Ross D, Owen and Stewart to discuss his latest book, The Barcelona Way. They cover:

how FC Barcelona created a culture of high performance
how these lessons can be applied in different contexts
the role L&D/HR play in shaping organisational culture

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, @shardie15 and @LiquidThinker.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

For more from Damian, check out his website: www.liquidthinker.com

If you're interested in picking up a copy of The Barcelona Way, you can find it at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Barcelona-Way-Create-High-performance-Culture/dp/1509804420/ref=sr_1_1?crid=7N5Y9ZHXPVLH&keywords=the+barcelona+way&qid=1573927147&sprefix=the+barcelo%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-1

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How do we achieve work-life balance? Is there even such a thing? And should we treat 'work' and 'life' as two separate entities or are they more integrated than we would like to believe?

This week return guest Stephanie Hubka, world traveller and managing partner at Protos Learning, joins Nicola Boyle and James McLuckie to discuss. We talk about:

How taking time off can improve our performance at work
How we can integrate 'work' and 'life' effectively
How organisations can foster a work-life balance culture

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @NicolaBoyle_GP, @JamesMcLuckie and @StephanieHubka.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

For travel inspiration, visit Stephanie's website: https://www.roadunraveled.com/

To find out more about Protos Learning - https://www.protoslearning.com/

To learn more about the words recently added to the Oxford English Dictionary: https://public.oed.com/blog/new-words-notes-for-october-2019/

To find out more about why life (apparently) becomes less fun at 45: https://www.studyfinds.org/survey-life-least-fun-at-45/

Back in Episode 150, the CIPD's Andy Lancaster told us he was writing a book. Now that he's written that book, Driving Performance Through Learning, we thought we'd invite him back to chat about it.

This week on the podcast, Andy joins Ross D and Owen to discuss everything you always wanted to know about learning (but were afraid to ask). We cover: * the changing role of L&D professionals * the impact of technology as an approach to supporting workplace performance * the factors required to support workplace social networks

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, and @AndyLancasterUK.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can get hold of Driving Performance Through Learning at https://www.koganpage.com/product/driving-performance-through-learning-9780749497439

If you order a copy before the end of November and enter the code AHRDL15 at checkout, you'll receive 15% off your purchase.

Fellow basketball nerds can geek out over FiveThirtyEight's new statistical metric here: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/introducing-raptor-our-new-metric-for-the-modern-nba/

For more on 'America in One Room', you can check out the Helena website: https://helena.org/projects/america-in-one-room

How do you challenge your colleagues and clients to think deeply about the problems they bring to you, and how can you gain the credibility to help solve those problems?

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by author and performance consultant Nigel Harrison to find out.

We discuss:

what performance consulting is
how it differs from traditional approaches to HR and L&D
how to act as a performance consultant without being confrontational.

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @RossGarnerGP and @OwenFerguson, or can email nigel@performanceconsult.co.uk.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAUS.

To find out more about what we do, visit goodpractice.com.

For more from Nigel, see: performconsult.co.uk

The paper Owen mentioned was: Antonakis, J. (2017). On doing better science: From thrill of discovery to policy implications. The Leadership Quarterly, 28(1), 5-21.

The pithier news source Ross talked about was Beautiful News, from Information is Beautiful, online at: https://informationisbeautiful.net/beautifulnews/

How effective are we at separating the 'messenger' from the 'message'? Do we truly listen to what people have to say, or are we overly focused on how they say it and who they are?

These are the questions up for discussion on this week's GoodPractice Podcast, as Nicola, Ross G and Cat are joined by Joseph Marks, co-author of Messengers.

In this episode, we discuss:

the difference between 'hard' and 'soft' messengers
who we trust and why we trust them
how gender affects how messages are received

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @NicolaBoyle_GP, @RossGarnerGP, @CatGoodPractice and @JoeMarks13.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAUS.

Messengers, by Stephen Martin and Joseph Marks,is out now: https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/stephen-martin/messengers/9781541724396/

Details of the 'America in One Room' project are online at: https://helena.org/projects/america-in-one-room

For more on the menopause, see the British Menopause Society at: https://thebms.org.uk/

The Menopause Cafe, covered in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/apr/01/welcome-to-the-menopause-cafe-now-i-know-im-not-alone-im-not-going-mad

The CIPD's 'Let's talk menopause' resource: https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/well-being/menopause

A clip of Kirsty Wark discussing the menopause at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpawvMbqBVw

For more information on giving blood: https://www.blood.co.uk/why-give-blood/

The humble course was once the go-to solution for learning and development teams across the world, but in recent years it has suffered from a damaged reputation.

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, we discuss whether traditional formal learning has a role in the modern workplace. And, if so, when?

To dig into this topic, Ross G and James are joined by author and learning designer Patti Shank.

In this episode we discuss:

why courses are so unpopular
when a course is a good solution
the characteristics of a good course

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @RossGarnerGP, @JamesMcLuckie and @PattiShank.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAUS.

To find out more about what we do, visit goodpractice.com.

The book Ross mentioned, by Don Norman, was The Design of Everyday Things, available on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-Everyday-Things-MIT-Press/dp/0262525674

The learning platform Patti referenced was New Zenler. You can request early access at: https://www.zenler.com/

Ross' 'zip file' life hack came from Twitter, courtesy of @Helena_LB via John MacMillan (@_jmac_).

The Design of Everyday Things (The MIT Press)

For many of us, working life is based around five days of energy depletion, followed by two days of recharging. But does it have to be this way?

This week on the podcast, Ross D, Nicola and Peter are joined by guest Perry Timms to discuss:

what the title 'Chief Energy Officer' means
how to manage our own energy levels
how we can design more energy-giving jobs

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @ross__dickie, @NicolaBoyle_GP, @petercasebow and @PerryTimms.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAUS.

To find out more about what we do, visit goodpractice.com.

If you're interested in finding out more about Perry's work, visit his website: https://www.pthr.co.uk/

The episode of The Life Scientific that Nicola mentioned can be found at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008y3y

Not quite L&D, not quite HR, OD sits somewhere in between (or perhaps above?) the two. But what does 'organisation development' actually mean, and what skills do you need to do the job effectively?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and Ross G are joined by return guests Julie Drybrough and David D'Souza to discuss:

how OD differs from L&D and HR
the skills of a successful OD practitioner
the extent to which the name 'organisation development' is about internal branding

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @ross__dickie, @RossGarnerGP, @fuchsia_blue and @dds180.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAUS.

To find out more about what we do, visit goodpractice.com.

The book Ross D mentioned is Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez.

Criado Perez was also interviewed in a recent episode of the podcast 99% Invisible, which you can find at https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/invisible-women/

We know that in a lot of organisations, learning and development still means training, and training still means classroom. How do we overcome resistance to the alternatives? Should we overcome that resistance?

On this week's episode of The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Camden Council's Tom Spencer and Sarah Sedley.

We discuss:

the challenges of delivering learning for a diverse audience
historic approaches to learning
new opportunities created by technology and a changing mindset.

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, @TomBSpencer or email learning@camden.gov.uk.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAUS.

To find out more about what we do, visit goodpractice.com.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen's nature paper was found via Max Roser, and was:

Song, X. P., Hansen, M. C., Stehman, S. V., Potapov, P. V., Tyukavina, A., Vermote, E. F., & Townshend, J. R. (2018). Global land change from 1982 to 2016. Nature, 560(7720), 639.

The story Ross shared, about the Polish village of Miejsce Odrzanskie, is online at: https://theconversation.com/polish-village-hasnt-seen-a-boy-born-in-nearly-10-years-heres-how-that-computes-122176

We all like to think our decisions are based on a methodical appraisal of the available evidence. But how do we know what 'good evidence' looks like in the context of L&D?

This week on the podcast, Ross D, Nicola and Owen are joined by Rob Briner, Professor of Organizational Psychology at Queen Mary University of London, to discuss evidence-based practice.

In this episode, we cover:

the meaning of 'evidence-based practice'
how 'EBP' can be applied to learning and development
how to identify 'good' evidence

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @ross__dickie, @NicolaBoyle_GP, @owenferguson and @Rob_Briner.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAUS.

To find out more about what we do, visit goodpractice.com.

FREE Difficult Conversations Bundle:

Breeze through your next difficult conversation with ease by downloading your FREE bundle of resources: http://www2.goodpractice.com/dcpodcast

The paper Owen mentioned is 'Meyer, M. N., Heck, P. R., Holtzman, G. S., Anderson, S. M., Cai, W., Watts, D. J., & Chabris, C. F. (2019). Objecting to experiments that compare two unobjectionable policies or treatments. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(22), 10723-10728'. It can be found at: https://www.pnas.org/content/116/22/10723

The FiveThirtyEight article Ross D references can be found at: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/most-personality-quizzes-are-junk-science-i-found-one-that-isnt/

You can learn more about Stonewall's 'Workplace Allies' programme at: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/workplace-allies-programme

You can find the Centre for Evidence-Based Management's website at: https://www.cebma.org

We've often talked on this show about how few people actively seek out a career in learning and development. So, how exactly did we end up here?

This week on the podcast, Ross D, Ross G and James are joined by Richard Dawson of Virgin Trains and Jilly Julian of Horwich Farrelly to share their origin stories.

We discuss:

our professional backgrounds
the challenges of getting started in L&D
the qualities that make someone suited to a role in L&D

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @ross__dickie, @RossGarnerGP, @JamesMcLuckie, @dawsonrichards and @JillyTats.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAUS.

To find out more about what we do, visit goodpractice.com.

FREE Difficult Conversations Bundle:

Breeze through your next difficult conversation with ease by downloading your FREE bundle of resources: http://www2.goodpractice.com/dcpodcast

You can find out more about Mary Anning here: http://www.lymeregis.org/mary-anning.aspx

The book Ross G mentioned is I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron.

You can find all the episodes of The Allusionist at https://www.theallusionist.org/

This week the GoodPractice team visited Turing Fest 2019, one of Europe's top tech conferences, to learn about product development, leadership, marketing - and skateboards.

Ross G, Ross D and Owen are joined by podcast newcomers Jade Stewart and Tracey McDonald to share their reflections.

We discuss:

how marketing techniques can optimise your L&D output
the importance of seeking user feedback
the tech sector's approach to diversity and inclusion

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, @Ross__Dickie and @TraceyMcDonald.

Want to get in touch with Jade? She's the wizard behind the @GoodPractice curtain. You can also tweet @GoodPracticeAUS.

To find out more about what we do, visit goodpractice.com.

FREE Difficult Conversations Bundle:

Breeze through your next difficult conversation with ease by downloading your FREE bundle of resources: http://www2.goodpractice.com/dcpodcast

You can find out more about Turing Fest at turingfest.com

In What I Learned This Week, Owen shared the public and open source frameworks for career progression at progression.fyi

And Ross shared the Twitter account @JustSaysInMice, which aims to increase the accuracy of science reporting.

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, it's the return of our L&D book bag. Nicola Boyle and Ross G are joined by Owen and James to share insights from the books that we think are a must-read for L&D professionals.

We discuss:

Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure by Tim Harford
An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield
The Accidental Instructional Designer by Cammy Bean
How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life by Caroline Webb

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @NicolaBoyle_GP, @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @JamesMcLuckie.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAUS.

To find out more about what we do, visit goodpractice.com.

FREE Difficult Conversations Bundle:

Breeze through your next difficult conversation with ease by downloading your FREE bundle of resources: http://www2.goodpractice.com/dcpodcast

In What I Learned This Week, Owen shared the article 'Why it's time to stop worrying about the decline of the English language', available online at: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/aug/15/why-its-time-to-stop-worrying-about-the-decline-of-the-english-language

This made him revisit his views on Lynn Truss' book Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.

James shared his reflections on a show by @GreekComedian.

Nicola has been learning about different road crossings for her driving test: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/105231/uk-pedestrian-crossings-explained-zebra-puffin-pelican-toucan-and-how-to-use-them

And Ross shared the designs for the new Virgin Galactic space port: https://www.virgingalactic.com/articles/virgin-galactic-opens-the-doors-to-the-gateway-to-space/

The modern office, based largely on a 'factory' model, is constantly being re-organised in a bid to optimise output. But how far have cubicles, hot desks and pods been effective? What principles should guide these design choices?

On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G, Ross D and Owen are joined by author and workplace designer Neil Usher.

We discuss:

factors to consider when designing an effective office space
the relationship between spaces and the meanings we attach to them
the pros and cons of working from home.

If you'd like to get in touch with us about any of the things we've said on this show, you can tweet @RossGarnerGP, @Ross__Dickie, @OwenFerguson and @WorkEssence.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAUS.

To find out more about what we do, visit goodpractice.com.

Neil's book, The Elemental Workplace, is available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Elemental-Workplace-fantastic-workplace-everyone/dp/1911498649

He blogs at workessence.com

The study Ross G discussed, on the effect that working from home had on a Chinese travel company, was:

Bloom, N., Liang, J., Roberts, J., & Ying, Z. J. (2014). Does working from home work? Evidence from a Chinese experiment. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(1), 165-218.

Owen's WILTW on the 3-click rule was from The Nielson Norman Group: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/3-click-rule/

The podcast episode Neil talked about was '157 — Why should we care about behaviour change?' with Julie Dirksen, available online at: https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-157-why-should-we-care-about-behaviour-change

For more on 'libertarian paternalism', see the book Nudge by Thaler and Sunstein, or the paper:

Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2003). Libertarian paternalism. American economic review, 93(2), 175-179.

The podcast episode that Ross D recommended was from Reply All: https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/xjhx3l/146-summer-hotline

The film that Ross G discussed was Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. If you want to know some background before you go in, see the Tate Murders Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tate_murders

The Elemental Workplace: The 12 Elements for Creating a Fantastic Workplace for Everyone

You may have seen headlines claiming that the average human attention span has dropped below that of a goldfish. But what does the evidence actually tell us, and how should we apply it to learning design?

This week on the podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen and Jonathan Marshall, Head of Learning at the UK's Diplomatic Academy, to discuss:

what we mean when we talk about 'average attention spans'
how environment affects our ability to focus
how L&D can win (or at least not lose) the battle for attention

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, and @LearningFCO.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

The growth mindset study Owen mentioned can be found at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1466-y

'How Not to Run a Panel' by Yascha Mounk can be found on The Atlantic's website: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/how-not-run-panel/594814/

For a frustrating example of what UI means and why it matters, check out https://userinyerface.com/

Many learning interventions start out from the position that people would perform much better in their roles if they just did what we told them. But what if this approach is misguided?

What if the mistakes that people make aren't due to a lack of awareness, but because of a host of environmental factors that incentive the wrong behaviour?

On this week's episode of The GoodPractice Podcast, instructional designer and author Julie Dirksen joins Ross G and Owen to ask why behaviour change matters - and how we can nudge it along.

We discuss:

why behaviour change should often be our goal, rather than learning
why it's so hard to change behaviour
techniques for encouraging behaviour change

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @UsableLearning.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

The book the team kept referencing was Thaler and Sunstein's Nudge, available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/0141040017

The podcast episode Owen recommended, on cellophane, was from 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3csz2w3

Julie's website, usablelearning.com, has links to her book: Design for How People Learn. She has also launched a course at designbetterlearning.com

Ross doesn't want to link to his What I Learned This Week, because he doesn't want anyone to see the film.

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

The range of emotions we are allowed to show in the workplace is fairly limited. We can be happy, we can be passionate, we can be enthusiastic. But anything beyond that is often seen as unprofessional or inappropriate. Is it time we rethink the role of emotion at work?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and Ross G are joined by Emotion at Work's Phil Willcox to discuss:

how emotion manifests itself in the workplace
the range of emotions that are acceptable at work
the role HR/L&D can play in creating emotional 'safe spaces'

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @RossGarnerGP and @PhilWillcox.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

If you're interested in digging a little deeper into the topic of emotion at work, Phil's website is a good place to start: https://www.emotionatwork.co.uk/

Nick Shackleton-Jones appeared on episode 146 — How do people learn? (Not 149, as Ross G claimed). You can find download links here: https://www.goodpractice.com/blog/podcast-146-how-do-people-learn

Ross G's holiday recommendations were:
- The documentary film Apollo 11. Details online at: https://www.apollo11movie.co.uk/
- The podcast 13 Minutes to the Moon from the BBC World Service. All episodes online at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xttx2/episodes/downloads
- The album of Tom Waits covers Anywhere I Lay My Head, by Scarlett Johansson, on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/album/2bBRv5VJOPSIHmSMhzfHXm
- The book Wild Harbour by Ian MacPherson, on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wild-Harbour-Ian-Macpherson/dp/086241234X

Wild Harbour (Canongate Classics)

As a function, HR has a role to play in developing talent and protecting employees. But it's also responsible for disciplining and dismissing staff, as well as implementing and enforcing top-down policies. Does this put it in an ethically precarious position?

This week on the podcast, Ross D is joined by James and guest Gary Cookson of EPIC HR to discuss:

what 'ethics' mean in the workplace
the role of HR as the moral heart of organisations
the ability of HR to foster ethical behaviour

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @JamesMcLuckie and @Gary_Cookson.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can find out more about EPIC HR at https://epichr.wordpress.com/

The podcast Ross mentioned is 'Without Fail': https://gimletmedia.com/shows/without-fail

Learning interventions are typically evaluated based on metrics like attendance and completion. But how much does this actually tell you? How do you know if your interventions are effective?

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Dr Will Thalheimer joins Ross G and Owen to discuss:

what 'evaluation' means
why it matters
common evaluation mistakes
alternatives to 'happy sheets'

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @WillWorkLearn.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can read Will's blog on common evaluation mistakes on his website: https://www.worklearning.com/2018/11/03/common-mistakes-in-workplace-learning-evaluation/

You can also find out more about Will at www.smilesheets.com

More details on LTEM (Learning Transfer Evaluation Model) can be found at: https://www.worklearning.com/2018/02/14/the-learning-transfer-evaluation-model-ltem/

The BMC study Owen mentioned is available at https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-019-1324-7

The full Atlas Obscura article on Buckfast can be found at https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/buckfast-scotland

When we talk about diversity and inclusion, we often frame it in terms of gender, ethnicity, age or social class. But what about diverse ways of thinking? Where does neurodiversity fit into the equation?

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G is joined by Mike Shaw from Emerald Publishing and Jill Miller from the CIPD to discuss:

what 'neurodiversity' and 'neurodivergent' mean
the benefits of neurodiversity for organisations
practical steps leaders can take to promote neurodiversity in the workplace

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @MikeShawLD and @MillerJillC.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can read the full report, Neurodiversity at Work, on the CIPD website: https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/neurodiversity-at-work_2018_tcm18-37852.pdf

'No Such Thing As A Fish' is available wherever you get your podcasts.

The book Ross G mentioned is Born A Crime by Trevor Noah: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Born-Crime-Stories-African-Childhood/dp/1473635306/ref=sr_1_1?crid=291644CVEZ1CO&keywords=born+a+crime&qid=1562606879&s=gateway&sprefix=born+a+cr%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-1

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

Technology is making it easier and easier for people to work remotely. But what challenges does that pose for learning and development?

This week on the podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen and Chris Coladonato from Farmer's Insurance to discuss:

how remote workers access development opportunities
the gap between the in-office and remote-worker experience
whether remote workers need to take more responsibility for their development than office-based colleagues

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, and @chriscola.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can find out more about Owen's 'Scary and nasty beasts' on the British Psychological Society's website: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2019/06/25/psychologists-have-created-a-league-table-of-scary-and-revolting-creatures/

The book Chris mentions is Matthew Walker's Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

For decades, 'lifelong learning' has been the clarion call of governments, employers and higher education institutions - but what has that achieved? And is it in tension with the push for greater performance at work?

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Activate Learning's Helen Blunden joins Ross G and Owen to discuss:

what 'lifelong learning' means
how different organisations respond to the new for new skills
how far individuals need to take ownership of their own learning.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @ActivateLearning.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

To find out more about Helen, see: activatelearning.com.au

Mary Meeker's 2019 report is online at: bondcap.com/report/itr19/ See slide 260 for the section Owen discussed.

Ross was pleased to recommend the Intex Explorer K2 Two-Person Kayak with Oars and Pump, on Amazon at: amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AIQ8LGG He received nothing in return for this recommendation, but will take your thanks as a given.

Helen 'Booktubes' at: youtube.com/watch?v=sqnOk2GXJuI&list=PL0lQrWZ-C72FcEIBNk7SPAkPL32P5ziTj

Editorial note: At the time of recording, Rory Stewart was still a Conservative Party leadership contender.

Intex Explorer K2 Kayak, 2-Person Inflatable Kayak Set with Aluminum Oars and High Output Air Pump

For three years, we've had the ridiculous privilege of producing The GoodPractice Podcast. It's given us the opportunity to speak to some of the biggest names in Learning & Development, it's challenged our thinking, and - we hope - contributed in some small way to the conversations that are shaping our industry.

In this, our 150th episode, we asked some of our favourite guests to join Ross G and Owen for our 3rd birthday party at The Hand & Flower pub in London.

We were joined by Michelle Parry-Slater, founder of Kairos Modern Learning; by Gemma Critchley, Head of Technology & Innovation for Learning at Aviva; and by Andy Lancaster, Head of Learning & Development Content at the CIPD, who is writing a book.

We discussed the past, present and future of learning, including:

how traditional classroom education has shaped what we do today
the tension between the need to learn from mistakes and organisations' tolerance for risk
what the future of learning and development holds.

A special shout-out this week to those faces behind-the-scenes who make this podcast possible, but are never mentioned: Jade Stewart, Nicola Boyle, Sai Cook, Yaz Serrano and Al Roy.

Also to Ross Dickie, in absentia.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, @MiPS1608, @GemStGem and @AndyLancasterUK.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

To find out more about Kairos, see: kairosml.co.uk

Gemma's blog on learning innovation is a few years old but remains a must-read: linkedin.com/pulse/9-tips-help-learning-innovation-gemma-critchley

And the CIPD are online at: cipd.co.uk

What can L&D professionals learn from the likes of Mary Poppins, Jaws and Inception?

This week on the podcast, Ross D is taking Owen, Ross G, Gemma and Stewart on a trip to the movies.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @OwenFerguson, @RossGarnerGP, @gemmatowersey and @shardie15.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

The 'Superchickens' TED Talk that Ross referenced was by Margaret Hefferman.

The Forbes article Owen mentioned is 'Understanding Fake Agile'.

The book Stewart referenced, 'How Many Socks Make a Pair?', is by Rob Eastaway.

Robert Macfarlane's latest book is called 'Underland: A Deep Time Journey'.

Last but by no means least, if you are a keen listener of the podcast, there may still be time to get hold of tickets to our live show on 12 June. You can reserve your place at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-goodpractice-podcast-live-tickets-61576647410

Underland

How Many Socks Make a Pair?: Surprisingly Interesting Everyday Maths

In Learning & Development, we love shiny objects: VR, AR, microlearning - surely one of these tools will turn out to be the key to unlocking higher performance?

In this episode of The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Axonify's JD Dillon to discuss.

We explore the attraction of the 'silver bullet', the conditions that have created this mindset, and vendors' responsibility to have more nuanced conversations with prospective clients.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @JD_Dillon.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

To find out more about JD, see learngeek.co. Axonify at are: axonify.com

This episode was inspired by an article JD wrote for Learning Solutions at: https://learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/in-real-life-get-rid-of-the-boxes

If you want to know more about ornamental hermits, see: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-history-of-hermits-in-gardens

IMDb reviews for Game of Thrones last and lowest-rated episode can be read here: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6027920/reviews?ref_=tt_urv As an editorial insert from Ross, those reviewers are totally wrong and in years to come the ending will be held up as a masterpiece that has been foreshadowed for eight seasons.

And finally, the Axonify Phoomba can be seen in this tweet from @MelMilloway: https://twitter.com/MelMilloway/status/1130475243548680192?s=20

Lean methodology has been widely applied in manufacturing, business and software development. But what role can it play in L&D?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and Ross G are joined by return guest Ajay Pangarkar to discuss his work on 'Lean Learning', and what L&D can do to deliver business impact.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @RossGarnerGP and @bizlearningdude.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

To learn more about the time Prince changed his name to a symbol, see: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/prince-dead-when-prince-changed-his-name-to-a-symbol-warner-bros-had-to-mass-mail-floppy-disks-with-a6995196.html

Tickets for our live show at the Hand & Flower in London on June 12, following the first day of CIPD Festival of Work, are available now. You can reserve your place at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-goodpractice-podcast-live-tickets-61576647410

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, we're talking fundamentals: how do people learn?

Nick Shackleton-Jones joins Ross G and Owen to discuss his new book, How People Learn, in which he argues that people don't learn anything if they don't care. Or, to put it in Nick's term, if they don't have an 'affective response'.

What does this mean and how should Nick's insights change our approach to designing courses, resources and experiences?

Also: we argue about e-learning for ten minutes.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @ShackletonJones.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

Nick's book, How People Learn, is available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-People-Learn-Designing-Performance/dp/0749484705

Or from the Kogan Page website: https://www.koganpage.com/product/how-people-learn-9780749484705

This episode was reference-heavy, but in most part the references can be found in Nick's book.

The TED Radio Hour episode Ross recommended was 'Jumpstarting Creativity', online at: https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/719553183/jumpstarting-creativity

The source for the London tube study was: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/cp455.pdf

The product Owen discussed was GitPrime: https://www.gitprime.com/

How People Learn: Designing Education and Training that Works to Improve Performance

According to research published this year, women fill 2/3s of all roles in learning and development - but only 1/3 of senior positions.

Why is this? And what can we do to encourage and promote women in learning?

This week, Ross G and podcast regular Gemma Towersey are joined by Sharon Claffey Kaliouby, Barbara Thompson and Kate Graham to discuss.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @GemmaTowersey, @Sharon_Kaliouby, @CaribThompson and @KateGraham23.

Barbara blogs at: https://medium.com/@ba_thompson

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

Don Taylor's research on women in L&D is online at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/women-ld-still-top-donald-h-taylor/

If, like Ross, you don't know who Elliott Masie is: where have you been? There's a bio on his website: https://masie.com/information/who-is-elliott-masie The film that Sharon referenced was Battle of the Sexes: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4622512/

The podcast Gemma recommended was Radio 4's Planet Puffin: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07881qf

Carol Dweck's book Mindset is on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mindset-Updated-Changing-Fulfil-Potential/dp/147213995X

You can join the #WomeninLearning LinkedIn Group at: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12210548/

Mindset - Updated Edition: Changing The Way You think To Fulfil Your Potential

There's a lot of buzz around technologies like AI, bots, virtual reality and voice recognition. But which of these has the most potential for learning and development?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and Peter are joined by writer and consultant John Helmer to discuss everything from chatbots to the 'digital sensorium'.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @petercasebow and @johnhelmer.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

The article Peter mentions, Tech's raid on the banks, can be found in The Economist.

To find out more about John's work, visit his website: johnhelmerconsulting.com

When we talk about uncertainty in the workplace, we often frame it in terms of the associated risks and threats. But are we looking at it the wrong way?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and James are joined by artist and consultant Doug Shaw to discuss the role uncertainty can play in learning and development.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @JamesMcLuckie and @dougshaw1.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus

For more on Doug's work, his articles 'Overcoming the Fear of Creativity' and 'When Creative Thinking Meets Creative Practice' are a good place to start.

You can watch Emilia Clarke's stock-photo parody on YouTube.

Recruitment, talent development, employee engagement and performance management are just a few of the areas where L&D and HR overlap. But are the functions in competition with one another?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Steve Browne to talk about how L&D and HR can work together more effectively.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, and @sbrownehr.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus

For more from Steve on all things HR, check out his website: sbrownehr.com

Structured courses are great for learning new skills, but they also tend to be expensive, time-consuming and focused on teaching content that most workers don't need. So why are they our 'go-to' solution for every L&D challenge?

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen discuss alternatives to 'the course' with Qunnivation's Clark Quinn.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @Quinnovator.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can read more from Clark at quinnovation.com or learnlets.com. His book, Revolutionize Learning and Development, can be found at revolutionizelnd.com.

This week, Owen recommended The Economist piece 'Mistakes: We've drawn a few', online at: https://medium.economist.com/mistakes-weve-drawn-a-few-8cdd8a42d368

And Ross recommended Isaac Asimov's I, Robot, a science fiction short story collection about troubleshooting that's more fun than it sounds. Available from Amazon and other book shops: https://www.amazon.co.uk/I-Robot-Isaac-Asimov/dp/000753227X

I ROBOT PB

A couple of years ago, James, Owen and Ross G consigned order-taking, visionary thought leaders and other sins of our profession to L&D's Room 101. This week on the podcast, we add a few more items to the list.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @RossGarnerGP and @OwenFerguson.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

If you want to follow in Ross G's footsteps and join Zak George's Dog Training Revolution, you can do so here.

To delve down the rabbit hole of lorem-ipsum generators, head over to loremipsum.io

Is your learning and development department transactional, taking orders and ensuring compliance? Or does it focus on building capability with targeted initiatives that have support from the senior team?

In this week's GoodPractice Podcast, GP Strategies' Barbara Thompson (formerly of BP and PA Consulting) joins Ross G and Owen to share her insights working both internally and externally.

We discuss the challenges to transforming learning functions, the role of technology and how coaching techniques can help gain the support of senior colleagues.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @BarbaraThompson. This week we had production support from our own @Ross__Dickie.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

Barbara was too modest to plug anything, but blogs at: https://medium.com/@ba_thompson

Barbara recently shared her advice as a female leader in the business world at: https://www.stratxcorporate.com/industry-insights/how-to-rise-the-ranks-advice-from-a-female-leader-on-making-it-to-the-top?hs_amp=true

Deloitte's 2014 summary on learning transformation is online at: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/HumanCapital/gx-cons-hc-learning-transformation-placemat.pdf

The Towards Maturity 2019 benchmark is a great place to get started if you're interested in this topic, with guidance on what top performing L&D teams are doing differently. Their latest benchmark, The Transformation Journey, came out in February and is available online at: https://towardsmaturity.org/2019/02/14/the-transformation-journey-2019-annual-research-report/

And for something completely frivolous, you can find out the actors who have made the most money at the US box office at: https://www.businessinsider.com/actors-with-highest-box-office-2016-9?r=US&IR=T This list is heavily skewed by how many films the actors have been in, and how many of those films were produced by Marvel.

Owen wanted to point out that this list is not adjusted for inflation.

What is innovation? Can anyone be creative? On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, full-time doodler Simon Heath joins Ross G and Owen to discuss.

We ask why the concept of 'innovation' is so attractive and debate the notion that we should bring our creative pursuits into the workplace.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @SimonHeath1.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus

The Ken Robinson TED Talk that Simon referenced was: 'Do schools kill creativity?', online at: https://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?language=en

Harold Jarche's blog discussing this talk is online at: https://jarche.com/2019/02/education-does-not-destroy-creativity/

The subreddit that Owen recommend was r/fantasy, at: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/

He recommends the Apollo App for using Reddit: https://apolloapp.io/

The paper Ross recommended was: Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases. science, 185(4157), 1124-1131.

It's incredibly readable, and available online at: http://psiexp.ss.uci.edu/research/teaching/Tversky_Kahneman_1974.pdf

What will be hot in workplace L&D in the year ahead?. Will it be Artificial Intelligence? Or maybe performance support? What about learning analytics?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Donald Taylor to discuss the results of the 2019 Global Sentiment Survey.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson and @DonaldHTaylor.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus

To download a copy of the report, head to www.donaldhtaylor.co.uk/report19

The book Don mentions is The Spy and The Traitor by Ben MacIntyre.

The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War

In Learning & Development, we love a good buzzword: 'blended learning', 'micro learning', 'learning management systems'... anything with 'learning', really. Is this a problem? Or just a time-wasting argument?

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by the eLearning Guild's David Kelly to discuss.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @LnDDave.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

For everything eLearning Guild, visit: elearningguild.com

The Learning Solutions Conference and Expo runs March 26-28. See: learningsolutions19.com

The Realities360 Conference and Expo runs June 25-27. See: realities360.com

The DevLearn Conference and Expo runs October 23-25. See: DevLearn19.com

For Owen's WILTW on Einstein and Feynman, see: https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/8742/did-einstein-say-if-you-cant-explain-it-simply-you-dont-understand-it-well-en

Dave recommended the Cooper Hewitt Museum, online at: https://www.cooperhewitt.org/

For a review of the learning styles literature, see: Pashler, H., McDaniel, M., Rohrer, D., & Bjork, R. (2008). Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological science in the public interest, 9(3), 105-119.

The article is available online, but for those seeking a short version, the key paragraphs are:

"Although the literature on learning styles is enormous, very few studies have even used an experimental methodology capable of testing the validity of learning styles applied to education. Moreover, of those that did use an appropriate method, several found results that flatly contradict the popular meshing hypothesis.

"We conclude therefore, that at present, there is no adequate evidence base to justify incorporating learning-styles assessments into general educational practice."

This does not mean that learning styles do not exist, but that there is not yet any evidence for the concept making an effective contribution to how people learn.

At this year's Learning Technologies conference, we asked delegates what they thought was missing from the learning-tech industry. Better authoring tools? More interactive video? Dogs as learning stimulants?

On this week's show, Ross D, Ross G and Owen discuss a few of the more interesting responses.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @RossGarnerGP and @owenferguson.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

For an overview of single sign-on, check out this entry on Wikipedia.

The Freakonomics episode Ross G refers to is 'The Future of Meat'.

Many organisations regard digital transformation as a strategic priority. But what exactly do we mean when we talk about digital transformation, and where does culture fit into the equation?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Julie Drybrough from Fuchsia Blue and Daniel Caborn from Manchester Metropolitan University to discuss the role L&D can play in supporting digital transformation.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, @fuchsia_blue and @DanielCaborn.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

A summary of the Deloitte research Ross D mentions can be found on the HBR website.

If you'd like to brush up on your physics, the two podcast episodes Dan refers to are The Measurement of Time and The Physics of Time.

The Dropout podcast, charting the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, is available on the ABC Radio website.

If you're interested in learning more about Manchester Metropolitan University's programme to improve the student journey, more details can be found here.

Manchester Metropolitan University also have their own podcast, MetCast, including a recent episode on Industry 4.0.

Think of an experience that triggered such an emotional reaction that your behaviour was permanently changed. Such experiences often happen by accident, but they can also be designed.

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G is joined by Owen and PA Consulting's Kenny Temowo to discuss experience design in detail, and ask whether it can be scaled to reach larger audiences.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @K_Temowo.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

Kenny blogs on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ktem1/detail/recent-activity/posts/

The 'crossing the line' experience to demonstrate privilege can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K5fbQ1-zps

Cathy Moore's Haji Kamal scenario is discussed on Cathy's blog: http://blog.cathy-moore.com/2010/05/elearning-example-branching-scenario/

The College of Extraordinary Experiences in Poland is online at: https://www.extraordinary.college/

Kenny's work-in-progress acrostic for 'experience design' is:

U - Unexpected (Do people know it is going to happen?) S - Setting (Where will you set the experience?) H - Humour (Can you disarm, without harming?) I - Interaction (Can you focus on the interaction, rather than tech?) F - Frame (How will you frame the experience?) T - Task (What will the challenges be during the experience?) The paper Owen discussed was: Morehead, K., Dunlosky, J., & Rawson, K. A. (2019). How Much Mightier Is the Pen than the Keyboard for Note-Taking? A Replication and Extension of Mueller and Oppenheimer (2014). Educational Psychology Review, 1-28.

You can find out more about China's moon-based botany at: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/plants-flowers-international-space-station-moon-mars/581491/

NASA's surprisingly comprehensive list of U.S. material on the Moon is online at: https://history.nasa.gov/FINAL%20Catalogue%20of%20Manmade%20Material%20on%20the%20Moon.pdf

It's widely accepted that storytelling can be a powerful tool for L&D professionals. But what do we actually mean when we talk about storytelling and how does it apply to learning design?

This week on the podcast Ross D and James are joined by guest Stephanie Hubka of Protos Learning.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @JamesMcLuckie and @StephanieHubka.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

Information on Stephanie's session at ATD 2019 can be found here.

You can watch Luke Merrick's storytelling webinar on the ELN website.

The article Stephanie mentions about the relationship between learning and discomfort can be found on Inc.com.

The travel website Stephanie runs with her husband is called Road Unraveled.

A great onboarding experience involves plenty of forms, a few handshakes, and a small chance of a working laptop - or so it might seem. But does it have to be so bureaucratic?

We think not. On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by the CIPD's David Hayden and GP Strategies' Danny Seals to explore a better approach.

We discuss the link between recruitment and onboarding, the role of the manager, and the characteristics of a great experience. And we take a stab at defending the word 'onboarding'.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @owenferguson, @HaydenDavidhrd and @DannyBoy83.

The article David referenced from Personnel Today is available at: https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/new-hires-not-getting-what-they-need-from-onboarding/ David also recommended The Building Centre, at: https://www.buildingcentre.co.uk/

The last time Ross mentioned Freakonomics was in episode 110: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/110-whats-in-your-ld-book-bag

And the source for Ross' fact about Alexei Leonov's handgun was The Two Sides of the Moon, by Leonov and David Scott, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-Sides-Moon-David-Scott/dp/1480449237

The CIPD's podcasts are available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/podcasts

And Danny's MindChimp podcast is on Podbean: https://mindchimp.podbean.com/

Two Sides of the Moon

The robots are coming for our jobs and we should all be very afraid. Or should we?

This week on the podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen, Jonny and guest Marcia Conner to discuss how technology is changing the way we work.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, @biofractal and @marciamarcia.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

If you're inclined to learn more about the impact of screens and potatoes on mental health, you can read Amy Orben's summary of the research here.

To expand your hibernal vocabulary, check out this article on Merriam Webster.

After recording, Marcia sent us two of her favourite robot-related books: The Fourth Age by Byron Reese and The Piketty Problem by Garth Hallberg.

The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity

The Piketty Problem: or The Robots Are Coming, The Robots Are Coming

M, Yoda, Mr Miyagi - we all know a good mentor can make a big difference. But what makes a good mentee? Does everyone need a mentor?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and Peter are joined by Jessi Schatz from Emerald Publishing and Margaret Burnside from CAKE to talk about how you can make the most of a mentoring relationship.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @petercasebow and @MargaretBurnsid. You can get in touch with Jessi by contacting her on LinkedIn.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

The book Peter mentions is The Unwomanly Face of War by Svetlana Alexievich.

The Kaizen Training blog Margaret refers to can be found here.

You can listen to the 'Victorian Orchidelirium' episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class on their website.

The Yo-Yo Ma episode of Song Exploder can be found here.

The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II

As more jobs become automated and the way we work changes, there's a need to constantly adapt. So this week on The GoodPractice Podcast, we're looking at how to develop learning agility: or the ability to learn, unlearn, and re-learn.

Ross G, Owen and Giorgio are joined by Learn2Learn founder Arun Pradhan to discuss.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, @CoachGiorgio and @ArunZPradhan.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can find out more about Arun at arunpradhan.com, or visit learn2learnapp.com.

The book Arun mentioned was Atomic Habits, by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits

The article Owen discussed on the productivity gap is available at: https://www.ft.com/content/017a99aa-fc72-11e8-ac00-57a2a826423e

We also made reference to Mirjam Neelen's appearance on this show, way back in episode 106: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/106-evidence-based-ld

The completion rate for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is famously low, and in many cases these courses are neither 'massive' nor 'open'. But nothing attracts the GoodPractice Podcast team like the end of a long-running fad, so we're kicking off 2019 by asking how learning designers can make sure their MOOCs are relevant and engaging.

Ross G and Owen are joined by Solera's Dr Hannah Gore, formerly of The Open University, to discuss.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, and @HRGore.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

China's trade success was covered by the Wall Street Journal here: https://www.wsj.com/graphics/china-emergence-of-a-trade-leviathan/

The Chinese village, where many of the residents make Christmas decorations, was covered by The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2014/dec/19/santas-real-workshop-the-town-in-china-that-makes-the-worlds-christmas-decorations

And the top 50 worst passwords of 2019 were revealed at: https://www.teamsid.com/100-worst-passwords-top-50/

Come in and know us better, man! It's time for the GoodPractice Podcast Christmas Special!

Always a holiday favourite (and, for many, the true start of the festive season), this year we're hosting a panel quiz. Rosses D and G are hosting, with Owen Ferguson and Keira Hodge pitted against Jonny Anderson and Jo Cook.

Topics include L&D trends, automation and the end of face-to-face training. And we reveal a definitive answer to the question: 'Did virtual reality transform L&D this year?'

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @Ross__Dickie, @OwenFerguson, @KezzaFarley, @BioFractal and @LightbulbJo.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can find out more about Jo at lightbulbmoment.info.

If you're wondering what the buzzer noises are, check out episode 49 in evidence-based practice (which also happens to be one of our most popular episodes): http://podcast.goodpractice.com/evidence-based-practice-for-hr-and-ld

If you're just looking for a quick definition:

Handschuhschneeballwerfer (n.): a coward willing to criticize and abuse from a safe distance

Fremdschämen (n.): the almost-horror you feel when you notice that somebody is oblivious to how embarrassing they truly are

See Hello Giggles for more: https://hellogiggles.com/lifestyle/10-fabulous-german-words-english-equivalent/

Cathy Moore, who Jo referenced, has appeared on the GoodPractice Podcast here: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/112-how-do-you-design-for-behaviour-change

... and on the Training Journal podcast, here: http://blog.cathy-moore.com/action-mapping/audio-interviews-about-action-mapping/action-mapping-interview-january-2018/

You can download our latest research into 70:20:10 here: https://www.goodpractice.com/ld-resources/the-evolution-of-702010/

We'll be back in the new year. Until then, have a great Christmas!

Every year we discuss hot trends and the latest fads, but are we failing our profession by always chasing the shiny and new?

On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by HMRC's Andrew Jacobs to discuss.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @AndrewJacobsLD.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

Andrew blogs at lostanddesperate.com.

For more on why people love horoscopes so much, check out the 'Barnum Effect' on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnum_effect

The Innovators Dilemma is available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Innovators-Dilemma-Technologies-Management-Innovation/dp/142219602X

The book Ross referenced was Chess by Stefan Zweig: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chess-Modern-Classics-Stefan-Zweig/dp/0141196300

Andrew told us all about the word 'procrastiworking': https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Procrastiworking

The Lexus ad, written by AI, is covered here: https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/lexus-creates-the-worlds-first-filmed-advert-entirely-scripted-by-ai

If you were wondering what Ross' 'electric sheep' comment was about, it's a reference to the Philip K. Dick book that was filmed as Blade Runner.

Finally, the Sourtoe Cocktail was covered by Atlas Obscura: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/sourtoe-cocktail

Sleigh bells used courtesy of GowlerMusic (https://freesound.org/people/GowlerMusic/sounds/265458/) / CC BY3.0

Mini Modern Classics Chess (Penguin Mini Modern Classics)

The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail (Management of Innovation and Change)

"What if we train people and they leave? What if we don't, and they stay?"

This phrase is a terrible cliché, but it has some truth. So this week on the GoodPractice Podcast we're digging into it to explore the relationship between recruitment and development.

Ross G and Owen are joined by Radial Recruitment's Susan Lindsay and CIPD's David Hayden to discuss.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @HaydenDavidhrd. Susan is available on LinkedIn.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

The article David referenced from Forbes is available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2018/07/23/developing-your-employees-is-the-key-to-retention-here-are-4-smart-ways-to-start/#1a0a36bc3734

The CIPD Podcast he mentioned on rethinking staff inductions is online at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/podcasts/rethinking-staff-inductions

We didn't have time to discuss it on this podcast, but workers are not switching jobs more often (or not as often as it's fashionable to claim): https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2017/10/21/workers-are-not-switching-jobs-more-often

The Guardian Implant Files are available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/series/the-implant-files

If you're in to herbs and spices, the KFC story Susan discussed is online at: https://www.adweek.com/digital/kfc-quietly-followed-11-herbs-and-spices-on-twitter-then-waited-to-see-if-anyone-would-notice/

And to escape from all that is horrendous, check out the finalists in the Comedy Wildlife Awards 2018. As good as it sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-46302730

As GoodPractice launch their new report, 'The Evolution of 70:20:10 – Will L&D Survive or Thrive?', Ross G and Owen are joined on stage by two L&D practitioners keen to share their stories.

In front of a live audience, Aaron Bradley from multinational law firm Ashurt and Mercy Kesiena Clement-Okooboh from Veolia Ireland discuss implementation, working with stakeholders and changing budgets.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @KesienaMercy. Aaron isn't on Twitter, but message Ross and he'll make sure to pass the message on.

To download the report, visit: http://bit.ly/evolution-702010

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

The 'sprint' concept that Owen shared can be found online at: http://www.gv.com/sprint/. Friend-of-the-show Phil Willcox was tweeting about this, so follow him @PhilWillcox.

To find out more about Chan Hong Meng, the street food vendor in Singapore who was awarded a Michelin star, see: https://mymodernmet.com/chan-hon-meng-street-food-michelin-star/

If you really want to know more about Darwin's finches, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin%27s_finches

The recipes Mercy learned were 'Matse's plantain bread' (http://matsecooks.co/plantain-bread) and 'Fruits of the Sea Dodo' (http://matsecooks.co/fruits-of-the-sea-dodo/).

In a volatile, highly competitive business environment, organisations need to do more than just provide great customer service. They need to provide a great customer experience. But what exactly is CX and what does it mean for L&D?

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen and River Island's Mike Collins to discuss how L&D can contribute to the customer experience.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie @owenferguson and @Community_Mike.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can watch the Jimmy Kimmel video Owen mentions on YouTube.

Who do you turn to when you need to learn something new? The person sitting next to you? Your manager? A former colleague? By developing a Personal Learning Network (PLN), you can expand this list as wide as you like.

On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, L&D consultant Fiona McBride joins Owen and Ross G to share her advice and experiences with her PLN.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @FionaMcBride.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

Fiona's website is fionamcbride.com.

The book Ross referenced was Bowling Alone, by Robert Putnam, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bowling-Alone-Collapse-American-Community/dp/0743203046

The Brene Brown 'marble jar' story is online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6442YcvEUH8

If you want to talk to a random Swede, dial +46 771 793 336. Details are here: https://www.theswedishnumber.com/

The paper Owen discussed was: Whiten, A., Allan, G., Devlin, S., Kseib, N., Raw, N., & McGuigan, N. (2016). Social learning in the real-world:‘over-imitation’occurs in both children and adults unaware of participation in an experiment and independently of social interaction. PloS one, 11(7), e0159920. Available online at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0159920

And the autobiography of David Scott and Alexei Leonov was Two Sides of the Moon, available from: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-Sides-Moon-David-Scott/dp/1480449237

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community

Two Sides of the Moon

At face value, webinars seem pretty great. They're cost-effective, they're accessible and they can be recorded for later use. So, why are they always so rubbish?

This week on the podcast, Ross D is joined by James McLuckie and Jo Cook to look at what ails the webinar, and what can be done to make it better.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @JamesMcLuckie and @LightbulbJo.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

To learn more about Lightbulb Moment, visit lightbulbmoment.online.

Two weeks ago we spoke about how all of our training efforts have the potential to create data. This week, we're discussing what that looks like in practice.

Sky's Derek Mitchell joins Owen and Ross G to discuss how we can collect and visualise data so that it can help us shape our learning engagements.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP and @OwenFerguson. Derek is on LinkedIn.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can see Derek's data dashboard by following this link: https://s3.amazonaws.com/goodpractice-podcast/sky-dashboard.pptx

If you were intrigued by the use of the term 'Luddite', the BBC has an excellent article explaining the origin of the term. It explains that the Luddites were not anti-technology, but were anti-wage-cuts, which could be a useful lesson for those of us embracing automation at work. The article is available here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17770171

The book that Owen recommended was Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process by Ken Kocienda, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Selection-Inside-Apples-Process-ebook/dp/B07F18HYX3

Ross recommended Adam Kay's This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Going-Hurt-Secret-Diaries-ebook/dp/B06XWDJRGS

With thanks to Mike Koenig for his 'Happy Halloween' sound effect, downloaded from http://soundbible.com/2080-Halloween-Vocals.html / CC BY 3.0.

This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Medical Resident

Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs

Technology has made remote working a reality in many organisations, unchaining us from our desks and freeing us to get stuff done no matter where we are. But what does that mean for learning? How do you develop a workforce dispersed across different regions and time zones?

To help answer this question, Ross D is joined by Jonny Anderson and Stewart Hardie from GoodPractice, alongside return-guest Gina Lodge, CEO of the Academy of Executive Coaching.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @biofractal, @shardie15 or @theaoec.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

The book Gina mentioned is Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson.

To learn more about the AoEC, visit their website.

Remote: Office Not Required

Around the globe, billions are spent on workplace training. Some people even do it for a living. But does it have an impact on performance?

On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by McDonald's Kevin M. Yates to discuss.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @KevinMYates.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

You can find out more about Kevin at kevinmyates.com. Contact Kevin at kevin@kevinmyates.com for a free copy of 10 Questions that Forecast Training's Impact.

The study Ross cited was: Milligan-Saville, J. S., Tan, L., Gayed, A., Barnes, C., Madan, I., Dobson, M., ... & Harvey, S. B. (2017). Workplace mental health training for managers and its effect on sick leave in employees: a cluster randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(11), 850-858.

The book Owen recommended was Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Turn-Ship-Around-Building-Breaking/dp/1591846404

The book Ross recommended was The Consolations of Physics by Tim Radford, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Consolations-Physics-Wonders-Universe-Happy/dp/1473658160

Consolations Of Physics

Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Mike Prokopeak, Editor in Chief at Chief Learning Officermagazine, to discuss what it takes to be a great learning leader.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson and @Prokotweet.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

If you're interested in checking out the Chief Learning Officer Breakfast Club Podcast for yourself, you can listen to all the episodes at clobreakfastclub.com

It's been six years since the Learning & Performance Institute put out their first Capability Map. So what's changed?

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by guests Michelle Ockers and Donald Taylor to discuss their work on the 2018 Capability Map, and the skills L&D practitioners need to be successful.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, @MichelleOckers and @DonaldHTaylor.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

To check out the Capability Map for yourself, visit the LPI website.

You'll find the FiveThirtyEight article Owen referenced here. And, if you want to learn more about the discrepancies between men's and women's pockets, you can read the full piece on The Pudding.

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, we're revisiting inclusion with a focus on gender. How do we understand the phrase 'gender gap' and what can be done to make equality a feature of our organisations?

Ross G and Cat from the GoodPractice team are joined by Emerald Publishing CEO Vicky Williams and AoEC CEO Gina Lodge to discuss.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @CatGoodPractice and @Emerald_VW. You can get in touch with Gina via LinkedIn or by tweeting @TheAoEC.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

The article Cat referenced on one couple's decision to raise a gender neutral child is here: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/theyby-gender-neutral-child-parents-raise-couple-kyl-myers-zoomer-a8286876.htm

She also recommends this clip on 'gender neutral education': https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05d9kmz

The New Zealand Prime MInister's maternity leave was covered here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-45027923

The book Cat referenced was Inclusive Leadership by Charlotte Sweeney and Fleur Bothwick: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inclusive-Leadership-Definitive-Developing-Executing/dp/1292112727

The World Economic Forum published 'The Global Gender Gap Report 2017' here: https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-gender-gap-report-2017

Lord Davies' report on the composition of FTSE 350 boards is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lord-davies-ftse-350-boards-should-be-33-female-by-2020

For more on the composition of boards, check out the work of the 30% Club at: https://30percentclub.org/

The 'Heidi vs Howard' clip referenced by Gina is online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqZA8hu4jN8

Inclusive Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Developing and Executing an Impactful Diversity and Inclusion Strategy: - Locally and Globally

In our second visit to the land of xAPI, Ross G and Jonny from the GoodPractice team are joined by experts from overseas.

Author and performance strategist Ajay Pangarkar and Instructional Developer for the Internet of Things Anthony Altieri share their views, with a focus on leveraging data to improve performance.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @BioFractal, @BizLearningDude and @AA_Altieri.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

Ajay regularly speaks and writes on performance topics. You can find out more about him at about.me/ajay.pangarkar or read his articles at elearningindustry.com/members/ajay-pangarkar-ctdp-cpa-cma. He's also an instructor for LinkedIn Learning at www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/ajay-pangarkar.

You can follow the latest on xAPI adoption at: www.ieeeicicle.org/

The book that Jonny recommended was Parasite Rex, available from: www.amazon.co.uk/Parasite-Rex-New-Epilogue-NaturesMost/dp/074320011X

Ross recommended 'The Morality of Diversity', from the BBC's Moral Maze: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bbr3zs

Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures

It's an exciting week on The GoodPractice Podcast as Cathy Moore joins Ross G and James to explore her 'action mapping' technique.

Action mapping is an outcomes-focused approach to behaviour change that we use at the start of every project. It was a real thrill to discuss it in detail (and check that we were doing it right!).

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @JamesMcLuckie and @CatMoore.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

Cathy is speaking at the OEB conference later this year if you want to hear from her in person. Find out more at: https://oeb.global/

She blogs at blog.cathy-moore.com

The assessment concept Ross discussed, 'consequential validity', is covered here: Boud, D. (1995). 'Assessment and learning: contradictory or complementary'. In: Knight, P. ed. Assessment for Learning in Higher Education. London: Kogan Page/SEDA. pp. 35-48.

Yes, Ross is back at uni, so look forward to another 10 weeks of academic references.

Is it possible to bring different functions together to enhance the employee experience? Or are we doomed to live in a world where all 20 cartons of milk have a different department name written on them?

In this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by EPIC's Gary Cookson to explore the impact that interactions across departments have on the employee experience.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @Gary_Cookson.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

You can find more from Gary at epichr.wordpress.com.

The paper Owen discussed was:

Camerer, C. F., Dreber, A., Holzmeister, F., Ho, T. H., Huber, J., Johannesson, M., ... & Altmejd, A. (2018). Evaluating the replicability of social science experiments in Nature and Science between 2010 and 2015. Nature Human Behaviour, 1.

The man behind the concept of 'statistical significance' was William S. Gosset. He was not a fan on the 5% threshold. You can find out more here: https://priceonomics.com/the-guinness-brewer-who-revolutionized-statistics/

Playing with your statistics in an effort to find a significant result is often referred to as 'p-hacking', a practice that is somewhat encouraged by the existence of the 5% threshold. You can find out more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_dredging

Ross also discussed American Sign Language (ASL), based on an episode of The West Wing Weekly podcast: https://thewestwingweekly.com/episodes/220

Way back in episode 103 ("We need to stop overcomplicating learning"), Owen and Ross D proposed a special episode focused on the non-fiction books that thought an L&D professional could learn from.

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, we're releasing that episode.

As well as recommendations from Ross D, Owen, Gemma and Ross G, we've got a long list of books that our extended podcast family have suggested via Twitter.

So dust off your library card and prepare to fill your tote as we dive in to the world of non-fiction books for L&D folks.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @Ross__Dickie, @OwenFerguson, @GemmaTowersey and @RossGarnerGP.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

Owen recommended Bad Science (by Ben Goldacre) and Creativity Inc. (by Ed Catmull).

Gemma recommended Critical Thinking (by Richard Paul & Linda Elder), Visual Storytelling (published by Gestalten) and Happy City (by Charles Montgomery).

Ross G recommended Factfulness (by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund) and Freakonomics (by Stephen Levitt and Stephen Dubner). He also claimed that Rosling's main points were captured in his excellent TED talk, somewhat ruining his own book recommendation. The talk is excellent though: https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen?language=en

Ross D recommended Checklist Manifesto (by Atul Gawande) and What Money Can't Buy (by Michael Sandel).

The books recommended via Twitter were:

Black Box Thinking (by Matthew Syed), recommended by David Hayden and Michelle Parry-Slater.

The 4-Hour Workweek (by Tim Ferris), recommended by Lloyd Dean and Wes Atkinson.

Turn This Ship Around (by David MarQuet), recommended by

Garry Turner and Michelle Parry-Slater.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (by Greg McKeown), recommended by Danny Seals and Jamie Good.

The Drunkard’s Walk (by Leonard Mlodinow) recommended by David D’Souza.

And The Tiger that Isn’t (by Blastland & Dilnot), recommended by Rachel Burnham.

With thanks to everyone else who made recommendations. We may revisit them in the future.

Also this week, we managed to squeeze in our regular feature: What I Learned This Week.

The article on wellness programs discussed by Owen was from the New York Times at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/upshot/employer-wellness-programs-randomized-trials.html

Ross G learned the word 'zeugma', a word that received so little enthusiasm from the wider team that he took his belongings and his leave. He first heard this word on The West Wing Weekly podcast episode "Ellie", available at: http://thewestwingweekly.com/episodes/215

Gemma learned that coconut oil, according to one professor, is actually like 'pure poison': https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/ae331eb1-8576-4228-8562-569efc2a9ee7

And Ross D filled us in on the history of the 'interrobang', as heard on the 99% Invisible podcast: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/interrobang/

UPDATE (29/08/18): Ross' panic about the dangers of alcohol have subsequently been addressed by David Spiegelhalter here: https://medium.com/wintoncentre/the-risks-of-alcohol-again-2ae8cb006a4a

As political rhetoric becomes more divisive, public and private organisations have been moving in the opposite direction: putting diversity and inclusion centre stage.

But who is responsible for ensuring that such programmes actually make a difference to organisations and people? And how do we make sure that words translate into action?

In this week's episode of The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G is joined by Cat MacLeod and Reed Business Information's Sukh Pabial to share their ideas.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @CatGoodPractice and @SukhPabial.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

Sukh podcasts at threegood.podbean.com.

The blog by Daniel Juday that Ross referenced is available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inclusion-isnt-being-asked-dance-daniel-juday/

The Harvard Implicit Association Test is at: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

The study Ross referenced, comparing the callback rate for resumes with 'white names' vs 'African-American names' is a little old, from research carried out between July 2001 and January 2002: http://www.nber.org/digest/sep03/w9873.html

A more recent study, from 2016, found similar results: https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/minorities-who-whiten-job-resumes-get-more-interviews

Sukh's thoughts on Starbucks' racial bias training are captured in this thread: https://twitter.com/sukhpabial/status/1003535776146165760

The growth mindset article Sukh mentioned is at: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/05/24/growth-mindset-theory-doesnt-translate-directly-from-kids-to-adults-telling-an-adult-they-are-a-hard-worker-can-backfire/

The Lancaster bomber VR experience Ross discussed is covered in more detail here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/entries/3098c1cd-36e7-4d35-bfbf-8687c8ba2872. This link includes details for where you can try it yourself.

Everyone loves workplace learning. It means two days away from the office with the potential for a decent lunch! But it shouldn't actually involve 'learning', should it?

In this week's episode of The GoodPractice Podcast, Nick Shackleton-Jones from PA Consulting joins Ross G and Owen to ask if we need to reposition workplace learning so that it can truly make a difference in our colleagues' lives. We ask what 'proper' L&D would look like, and discuss the importance of discomfort.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @ShackletonJones.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

Nick blogs on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/shackletonjones/detail/recent-activity/posts. PA Consulting can be found at www.paconsulting.com.

The blog post on feedback that Nick mentioned can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stop-giving-feedback-start-asking-nick-shackleton-jones/.

For a crash course on Piaget's theory of assimilation, visit the Wikipedia page at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaget%27s_theory_of_cognitive_development#Assimilation_and_Accommodation.

The interview with James Dyson that Owen discussed is at: https://www.recode.net/2018/6/16/17114742/james-dyson-design-technology-vacuum-interview.

Ross' examples of New York soda jerk lingo were taken from an article on Atlas Obscura: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/soda-jerk-slang

Managers in many organisations are increasingly encouraged to adopt a 'coaching' approach to team development. But what does this mean? Can you 'be a coach' after just a two-day workshop? And how do you navigate the power dynamic that exists between manager and team member?

On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, coach Jo Wainwright joins Ross G, James and Gemma to share her experiences.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @JamesMcLuckie, @GemmaTowersey and @Jo_Coaches.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

The wedding photography guidance from the New York Times is available here: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/fashion/weddings/howtosubmitwedding.html

Ross heard about it on an episode of The West Wing Weekly podcast, which he strongly recommends: http://thewestwingweekly.com/

Everyone and their uncle is a learner, but does this mean that everyone knows about learning? Our guest this week, Mirjam Neelen, thinks not.

This week, she joins Ross G and Owen to talk about the evidence base that we should all be referring to when designing experiences.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @MirjamN.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

Mirjam blogs at 3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com.

The article that Owen referenced, on the need for evidence in surgery, was from The Guardian. It's available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jul/05/uks-top-surgeon-calls-new-procedures-undergo-clinical-trials

The Ben Goldacre reference is at: https://fivebooks.com/best-books/best-books-unexpected-economics-tim-harford/

Ross' 'What I Learned This Week' was based on a discussion in the Song by Song podcast, about Tom Waits' 'Burma Shave'.

You can listen to the podcast at http://www.songbysongpodcast.com/. The song is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug7DZG1F6bs. And, for more background on Burma-Shave billboards, check out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma-Shave#Roadside_billboards.

The book that Ross referenced, The Surprising Truth About How We Learn, does not exist. It was meant as a comment on pop science titles but, if anyone wants to use this title, feel free.

After nearly 20 years of implementing learning technologies, we've successfully found more and more elaborate ways to dump content that no one needs. Is there a better way?

On this week's podcast, Fosway's David Perring joins Ross G and Owen to explore their research into how organisations are using digital technologies.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @DavidPerring.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

To find out more about Fosway, visit fosway.com.

The research the team discussed is available from Fosway at: http://www.fosway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/FOSWAY_Digital-Learning-Realities-2018_Handout.pdf

David has also written extensively for Training Zone: https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/content/fosways-2018-digital-learning-realities

The TV show Ross recommended was The Defiant Ones, available on Netflix.

Learning styles, right-brain vs. left-brain, brain training — for those working in learning and development, cognitive psychology can seem like a minefield.

On this week's episode of the GoodPractice podcast, Ross D and James are joined by Dr Rebecca Gordon to find out what L&D professionals really need to know about cognitive psychology.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @JamesMcluckie or @DrRebeccaGordon.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

If you work in Learning and Development for a large organisation, there's a good chance that at some point you've spent years putting a programme together, only to find that by the time it launches the original stakeholders have left.

On this week's podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Steph Clarke to ask if this approach is overcomplicating learning - or oversimplifying it.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the podcast, you can find us on Twitter @Ross__Dickie and @OwenFerguson.

Steph isn't on Twitter, but you can find her at stephclarke.com.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

Owen's WILTW, on what constitutes 'well read', came from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/may/12/book-clinic-what-constitutes-well-read

The book Steph recommended, New Power: How It's Changing The 21st Century - And Why You Need To Know by Jeremy Heimans, is available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Power-Changing-21st-Century-ebook/dp/B076T8MJ83

And the book that Ross recommended was The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Checklist-Manifesto-Things-Right-Gawande/dp/1846683149

Incidentally, Atul Gawande was recently appointed CEO of a new healthcare venture from Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase. That story was covered by GeekWire here: https://www.geekwire.com/2018/atul-gawande-starts-first-day-ceo-amazon-berkshire-hathaway-jpmorgan-health-venture/

And if Ross G was here, he'd point out that Gawande also recently featured on the Freakonomics podcast, and is well worth a listen: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/atul-gawande/

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

New Power: How It's Changing The 21st Century - And Why You Need To Know

For over a decade, SCORM has been the industry standard for e-learning, helping learning and development professionals track the completion of courses and recording assessment scores. But now there's a new standard in town: xAPI, offering far larger data sets and the ability to connect multiple platforms.

On this week's podcast, Ben Betts from HT2 Labs and Andrew Downes from Watershed join Ross G and Owen to ask what opportunities xAPI creates.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the podcast, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, @BBetts and @MrDownes.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

HT2 Labs offer free resources on xAPI at: https://www.ht2labs.com/resources/

For examples of xAPI in action, see Watershed's client stories at: https://www.watershedlrs.com/resource-center/topic/client-story

We discussed learning ecosystems with ASOS's Adam Harwood in episode 92: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/podcast/92-best-of-breed-ecosystems-vs-the-lms

The article Owen referenced, on relativity, is at: https://gizmodo.com/einsteins-theory-of-gravity-passes-enormous-test-on-a-g-1827026239

The article Ross referenced to move the conversation away from dogs and onto cats was: http://news.mit.edu/2010/cat-lapping-1112

Curation tools allow organisations to deliver high-quality, relevant content to learners. But is this how they're actually being used?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Jam Pan's David Wood to drain the content swamp.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the podcast, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson and @jampanlearn.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

The book Owen mentioned in What I Learned This Week was Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester.

You can listen to ReplyAll on their website, or wherever you get your podcasts.

David recommended the book 24 Assets by Daniel Priestley.

To find out more about Jam Pan, visit jam-pan.com

24 Assets: Create a digital, scalable, valuable and fun business that will thrive in a fast changing world

Exactly How Precision Engineers Created

For two years we've been chatting work, performance and learning in the cramped confines of our office - but no longer. For our 100th episode, Ross G, Owen and James sloped off to the Raeburn Hotel in Edinburgh to reflect on favourite episodes, greatest guests and, of course, what we learned this week

And, as it's our anniversary, we filmed that discussion for a one-off special: Podcasters in Pubs Getting Pints.

You can watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/_sKUx3DEJSQ

To share your thoughts on the podcast, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @JamesMcLuckie.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

The episodes mentioned were:

17 — AI and jobs: What is the future of work?, with David D'Souza at: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/ai-and-jobs-what-is-the-future-of-work

30 — Compliance training: Ticking a box or having an impact?, with Sukh Pabial at: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/compliance-training-ticking-a-box-or-having-an-impact

32 — How should L&D respond to millennials?, with Ross' brother Grant Garner at: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/how-should-ld-respond-to-millennials

49 — Evidence-based practice for HR and L&D, with Mark Hendy at: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/evidence-based-practice-for-hr-and-ld

59 — How can L&D support performance?, with JD Dillon at: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/59-how-can-ld-support-performance

66 — Discernment in L&D, with Simon Heath at: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/66-discernment-in-ld

80 — How do we make digital learning accessible?, with Michael Osborne and Mike Shaw at: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/80-how-do-we-make-digital-learning-accessible

87 — Building a learning culture, with Michelle Ockers at: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/87-building-a-learning-culture

89 — Introducing learning design, with Nick Robinson at: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/89-introducing-learning-design

92 — Best of breed ecosystems vs the LMS, with Adam Harwood at http://podcast.goodpractice.com/92-best-of-breed-ecosystems-vs-the-lms

94 — Challenge trends in L&D, with Anthony Williams at http://podcast.goodpractice.com/94-challenging-trends-in-ld

The paper Owen referenced for 'What I Learned This Week' was:

Cullen, D., & Gotell, L. (2002). From orgasms to organizations: Maslow, women’s sexuality and the gendered foundations of the needs hierarchy. Gender, Work & Organization, 9(5), 537-555. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227501292_From_Orgasms_to_Organizations_Maslow_Women's_Sexuality_and_the_Gendered_Foundations_of_the_Needs_Hierarchy

The Twitter conversation that Owen referenced was: https://twitter.com/wildejoanna/status/1002583221006106624?s=21

Ross discussed 'asymmetrical polling', a concept he learned about on The West Wing Weekly podcast's crossover episode with Five Thirty Eight. You can listen to that here: http://thewestwingweekly.com/episodes/002

The transcript of the West Wing episode discussed is online at: http://www.westwingtranscripts.com/wwscripts/1-21.php

With thanks to The Raeburn, Edinburgh.

Have you ever completed a project, only to find that someone else had already done it? Have you ever spent hours trying to learn something new, only to find that the person across the hall could have explained it in two minutes?

On this week's show, Ross D and James are joined by author Jane Bozarth to discuss social learning and the challenges of managing knowledge in organisations.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @JamesMcluckie or @JaneBozarth.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

Jane's latest book, Show Your Work, is available here.

Show Your Work

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Hello2morrow's Chloe Walton to ask how far we can generalise 'millennials'.

We explore just some of the benefits to be found when organisations encourage conversations across generations, and ask what those of us in L&D, HR and OD do to facilitate these conversations.

To share your thoughts on the podcast, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @owenferguson and @Chloe2morrow.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

Hello2morrow can be found at www.hello2morrow.co.uk. Her research can be found at www.hello2morrow.co.uk/research.

Ross' John Adams quote is nicely dissected by Freakonomics at: freakonomics.com/2011/08/25/john-adams-said-it-first/

The podcast that Owen recommended was Malcolm Gladwell's interview with Adam Grant, available at: overcast.fm/+NG9LuTWQE

The article Chloe referenced on the home field advantage was: zidbits.com/2012/01/is-home-field-advantage-real/

And the travelling musical Ross recommended was Isle of Love, featuring the music of Adam Ross and Randolph's Leap. Tickets are available at rightlines.net/rightlines/the-isle-of-love/ and Randolph's Leap are on Spotify at: open.spotify.com/artist/2rdghy8NeNCFZcDyAlkRFb.

In this episode, Ross D and Owen are joined by Craig Taylor of HT2 Labs to discuss the success of his YouTube channel, 'The Bushcraft Padawan'.

How effective is YouTube at delivering 'learning' content? What does it take to build an audience? What even is bushcraft anyway? All these questions and more are tackled on this week's show.

To share your thoughts on the podcast, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson and @CraigTaylor74.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

To check out Craig's channel for yourself, click here or search for 'Bushcraft Padawan' on YouTube.

Blockchain is an open, distributed ledger, that records transactions in such a way that it is nearly impossible to edit. That might sound technical, but it creates a level of trust that could reconstruct the architecture of the internet and change the nature of banking, government and education.

Will this foundational technology have an impact on Learning and Development? In this week's podcast, aNewSpring's Ger Driesen joins Ross G and Owen to discuss.

If you want to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @GerDriesen.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

Find out more about the aNewSpring platform at www.anewspring.com.

The Open University produced a report on innovating pedagogy which includes a nice summary of blockchain's potential at: https://iet.open.ac.uk/file/innovating_pedagogy_2016.pdf

Digital Trends ran a series of articles on blockchain that cover some of the opportunities and challenges this technology faces: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/beyond-bitcoin-how-blockchain-will-reshape-the-future/

You can see the LeBron James shot that Owen referenced at: https://www.inc.com/john-brandon/this-one-quote-from-lebron-james-could-change-your-life-seriously.html

It was discussed in more detail on USA Today at: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2018/05/06/lebron-james-iconic-game-winning-shot-cavaliers-raptors-game-3/584519002/

The Freakonomics episode Ross referenced is at http://freakonomics.com/podcast/misused-psychology-terms/. The original academic paper was:

Lilienfeld, S. O., Sauvigné, K. C., Lynn, S. J., Cautin, R. L., Latzman, R. D., & Waldman, I. D. (2015). Fifty psychological and psychiatric terms to avoid: a list of inaccurate, misleading, misused, ambiguous, and logically confused words and phrases. Frontiers in psychology, 6, 1100.

This was also covered, with a handy graphic, on Stack Exchange: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/6209/what-is-meant-by-steep-learning-curve

Finally, the site Ross referenced where you can buy designers a cup of coffee was ko-fi.com.

Smart recommendation systems are commonplace across consumer sites like Amazon, Netflix and Facebook. But how do they compare with recommendations from a trusted human?

In this episode of the GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Filtered's Marc Zao-Sanders to discuss some of the difficulties around machine recommendations and their place in learning.

If you want to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @MarcZaoSanders.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

The Tim Harford blog that Ross suggested (literally a list of recommendations) can be found at: http://timharford.com/2018/04/understanding-algorithms/

If you're interested in 'hardening', check out: https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/profile?PID=386

The Washington Post article Owen discussed is at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/05/04/one-space-between-each-sentence-they-said-science-just-proved-them-wrong-2

And Ross' Guardian story about Sainsbury's can be found at: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/may/06/rotten-results-sainburys-drops-project-to-halve-food-waste

Following last week's live episode, Ross G and Owen revisit some of the topics covered with the help of our friend Anthony Williams. We discuss whether L&D professionals really reflect on their practice, how design decisions can exclude certain groups, and whether L&D has a God complex.

If you want to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us at @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @Bullsboy.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

With thanks to @Jo_Coaches, @AndyLancesterUK, @PhilWillcox and @Dannyboy83 for prompting these discussions.

If you want to know what a 'God complex' is, check out Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_complex

The origin of the phrase 'the willies' is explained by How Stuff Works: https://people.howstuffworks.com/the-willies.htm

The Kineo 'Stream of Thought' podcast is available on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kineos-stream-of-thought

You can find out more about the Kernit typeface at Gizmodo: https://gizmodo.com/kernit-is-the-jim-henson-inspired-typeface-muppet-fans-1825719538

And, finally, you can find Anthony's podcast 'Reality TV Warriors' on Twitter @RTVWarriors.

In our second LIVE episode, Ross G and Owen pitched up on the first night of the CIPD Learning and Development Show to ask: What is the state of our profession in 2018?

We tackled this question in front of a live audience of L&D professionals, with special guests Andy Lancaster from CIPD; Jo Cook from Training Journal; and Phil Willcox from Emotion at Work.

If you want to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us at @RossGarnerGP and @OwenFerguson, or @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

Our guests can be found @AndyLancasterUK, @LightbulbJo and @PhilWillcox.

The CIPD 'UK Working Lives' survey for 2018 is available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/work/trends/uk-working-lives

CIPD's joint research with Towards Maturity, 'Driving the New Learning Organisation', is:

Overton, L. (2017). Driving the new learning organisation. Training & Development, 44(4), 9, available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/driving-the-new-learning-organisation_2017-how-to-unlock-the-potential-of-Land-d_tcm18-21557.pdf

Jo summarised her ideas in a couple of blog posts for Training Journal. Part 1 is at: http://www.trainingjournal.com/articles/opinion/your-ld-department-business-focused-enough

Part 2 is at: https://www.trainingjournal.com/articles/opinion/your-ld-department-business-focused-enough-pt2

She also referenced LinkedIn Learning's '2017 Workplace Learning Report': http://ilpworldwide.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/LLS-2017-Workplace-Learning-Report.pdf

And Leo's 'Measuring the Business Impact of Learning - 2018 Survey Results': https://leolearning.com/resources/measuring-business-impact-learning-2018-survey-results/

The papers Owen cited were:

Gal, D., & Rucker, D. (2017). The Loss of Loss Aversion: Will It Loom Larger Than Its Gain?, available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jcpy.1047

Yechiam, E. (2018). Acceptable losses: the debatable origins of loss aversion. Psychological research, 1-13, available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00426-018-1013-8

Jeff Bezos' letter to shareowners is online at: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1018724/000119312518121161/d456916dex991.htm

Marni from Google referenced a paper on the 'hidden curriculum in digital education':

Edwards, R. (2015). Software and the hidden curriculum in digital education. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 23(2), 265-279, available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14681366.2014.977809

For years the Learning Management System (LMS) has been the foundation of corporate learning but, instead of asking one technology to do everything, why don't we pick and choose the best tools for each job?

This week on the podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by ASOS' Adam Harwood to ask whether a 'best of breed ecosystem' is a better approach to learning platforms.

If you want to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us at @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @AdamHarwood26. You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com. If you're in the mood for an egg coffee while you listen, check out BBC Good Food: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/vietnamese-egg-coffee The book Owen recommended was The Secret Barrister, available online from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Barrister-Stories-Law-Broken/dp/1509841105 A good summary of Nudge, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, can be found on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudge_(book) From the archives, we heartily recommend an evening of fun with the app 'My Talking Pet': http://wobamedia.info/

The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken

We’re all familiar with terms like ‘return on investment’, but do we really understand what they mean? Or are we the ‘nerd in the schoolyard’, pretending to know what the cool kids are talking about so they won’t steal our lunch money?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by guest Ajay Pangarkar to discuss the business impact of L&D.

If you want to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us at @ross__dickie, @owenferguson and @bizlearningdude. You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com. The free version of the VSCO app can be downloaded for IOS or Android here. The book Ajay mentions is The Fifth Discipline by Peter M Senge. Finally, for tickets to our upcoming live show, visit goodpractice.com.

What lessons can L&D practitioners learn from the world of marketing? What are the specific challenges of marketing in a learning context?

This week on the podcast, Ross D and Stef are joined by Yvonne Chen, VP of Marketing at Udemy for Business, to discuss tactics for engaging and inspiring learners.

If you want to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us at @ross__dickie, @Stefania_Scott and @ChenEnnovy. You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com. You can take the 'Great British Creativity Test' here.

The book Yvonne mentioned is 'The 100-Year Life' by Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott.

Finally, for tickets to our upcoming live show, visit goodpractice.com.

The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity

For nearly two years, we've been discussing work, performance and learning on this podcast. But we've never yet tackled 'learning design'. This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and James are joined by ELTjam's Nick Robinson to do just that. We explore the controversial idea that you can't design 'learning', compare approaches, and ask whether compliance training can be 'delightful'. If you want to share your own thoughts or ask questions about learning design, you can tweet us at @RossGarnerGP, @JamesMcLuckie and @ELTjam. You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com. For more from ELTjam, visit eltjam.com or check out their Barcelona conference at ielt18.innovateevents.com. Vygotsky's 'zone of proximal development' is explained well on Wikipedia. The podcasts Ross recommended were: Song by Song and Houston, We Have a Podcast. Both are available on iTunes. Finally, for tickets to our upcoming live show, visit goodpractice.com.

Machine learning is something you probably hear a lot about these days. But what is it? And more to the point, what can it do, and what questions should L&D be asking suppliers?

GoodPractice Technical Director Jonny Anderson joins Justin and Owen on this week’s show to demystify machine learning and talk through its great potential.

If you want to share your own thoughts or ask questions about machine learning, you can tweet us at @WriterJustin, @owenferguson, and @biofractal.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

What is a learning culture? Why should we want one? And most importantly, how do we build one?

Michelle Ockers joins Justin and Owen this week to lay out a roadmap for creating a learning culture in any organisation.

If you want to share your own thoughts and experiences with learning cultures, you can tweet us at @WriterJustin, @owenferguson, and @MichelleOckers.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

The papers about ‘growth mindset’ that Owen talked about are here: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797617739704?journalCode=pssa

and here: http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2018/03/growth-mindset-replicates.html

Learning technologies are a familiar part of modern life. But how effectively are these technologies actually being used to support learning in organisations?

In this week's episode, Ross G and Owen are joined by Donald Taylor to discuss all things learning tech.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, and @DonaldHTaylor

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

The Fosway Group research Don references can be found on their website.

You can learn more about Ben Goldacre's work with the Evidence-Based Medicine DataLab here.

The two books Don mentioned were So You're Going to Wear the Kilt! and Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams

Want to know more about the complexity of book production? A beautiful part of this was captured in the paper I, Pencil.

So Youre Going to Wear the Kilt

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams

This week’s podcast covers the thorny topic of microlearning. We struggle to even define microlearning, so does the term have any real value? Is it ‘chunking’? ‘Performance support’? Can we agree on a definition that makes it useful? If so, what is it, and how can we help clients understand it?

Ross G and Owen thrash out the answers with microlearning aficionado Shannon Tipton.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @rossgarnerGP, @owenferguson, and @stipton.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

The EHRC article Owen mentions is here: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/our-work/news/employers-dark-ages-over-recruitment-pregnant-women-and-new-mothers

And the crosstabs that break down the data are here: https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/aik7dvvqb0/YG-Archive-041217-Equality%20and%20Human%20Rights%20Commission.pdf

You can listen to the Freakonomics podcast on the Uber gender pay gap report here: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/what-can-uber-teach-us-about-the-gender-pay-gap/

Shannon’s article about the gender pay gap in restaurants is here: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/line-cook-nycs-fanciest-restaurants/amp

And the article regarding competency and leadership models is here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2013/03/28/the-most-common-leadership-model-and-why-its-broken/#23e8a94f51d6

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, we're continuing our discussion around 'design thinking' with a focus on complexity. How can we make the complicated simple? Should this always be our objective? And can we prepare people for chaos?

Learning design guru Julie Dirksen returns to the podcast to share her experiences with Ross G and Owen.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, and @UsableLearning.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

Julie's book, Design for How People Learn, is a must-read for anyone working in our field. It's available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-People-Learn-Voices-Matter/dp/0134211286

More from Julie can be found at her website: designbetterlearning.com

Much of this discussion was based on the Cynefin Framework. Wikipedia provides a good overview here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynefin_framework

The Apgar Score for checking the health of newborn babies is also explained on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apgar_score

If you were interested in Owen's example of a simple, life-saving algorithm developed at a hospital in Cook County, the full paper reference is:

Reilly BM, Evans AT, Schaider JJ, Das K, Calvin JE, Moran LA, Roberts RR, Martinez E. Impact of a Clinical Decision Rule on Hospital Triage of Patients With Suspected Acute Cardiac Ischemia in the Emergency Department. JAMA. Available at: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/195118

CB Insights research into earnings calls is at: https://www.cbinsights.com/research/artificial-intelligence-earnings-calls/

Clark Quinn's book, Millennials, Goldfish & Other Training Misconceptions, is available from ATD: https://www.td.org/books/millennials-goldfish-other-training-misconceptions

And, for something completely different, Romesh Ranganathan's interview with Doc Brown is available from the Hip Hop Saved My Life podcast at: https://www.mixcloud.com/hiphopsavedmylife/episode-46-doc-brown/

Design for How People Learn (Voices That Matter)

Machine learning means that computers can teach themselves without the help of a human programmer, offering tremendous opportunities for justice, medicine and - more everyday - Netflix recommendations. In Learning and Development, it's often cited as the hot new tech.

But is our industry ready to embrace such technology? Do we need it? And are we truly making the most of the existing technology we already have?

Appitierre co-founder Wes Atkinson returns to discuss with Justin and Owen.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @WriterJustin, @OwenFerguson, and @WesAtkinsonUK.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

For more from Wes and Appitierre, see appitierre.com.

Google's difficulty with image-recognition was recently revisited by Wired at: https://www.wired.com/story/when-it-comes-to-gorillas-google-photos-remains-blind/

Owen's book recommendation was Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker.

The augmented writing app that Owen mentioned, used to create better job descriptions, was Textio. It's available at: https://textio.com

Last week on the podcast we gave our thoughts on the Learning Technologies conference. Today, we ask whether we should resist the urge to jump on the latest tech and focus on learners instead.

Author and consultant Patti Shank joins Ross G and Owen to discuss.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, and @PattiShank.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

For more from Patti, see pattishank.com.

The chess paper that Ross described was: Chase, W. G., & Simon, H. A. (1973). Perception in chess. Cognitive psychology, 4(1), 55-81, available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0010028573900042

Learn Better, by Ulrich Boser, is available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-Better-Mastering-Business-Anything/dp/1623365260

Tim Harford's guide to statistics in a misleading age is online at: https://www.ft.com/content/ba4c734a-0b96-11e8-839d-41ca06376bf2

The Freakonomics podcast on Harold Pollack's financial advice is here: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/everything-always-wanted-know-money-afraid-ask/

Footage of the two Space X booster rockets landing in unison can be found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-42969020

Scott Kelly's biography, Endurance, is available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Endurance-Year-Space-Lifetime-Discovery/dp/1524731595

The Apollo 11 transcript is available at: https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a11/a11transcript_tec.html

And Public Service Broadcasting's album, The Race for Space, can be heard on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/65KwtzkJXw7oT819NFWmEP

Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery

Learn Better: Mastering the Skills for Success in Life, Business, and School, or How to Become an Expert in Just About Anything

Learning Technologies is Europe's leading conference for those of us working in learning and development, so this week on the GoodPractice Podcast we're sharing our thoughts on the 2018 event.

Ross G, Owen and James discuss Artificial Intelligence (AI), chat bots, Virtual Reality (VR), evaluation and microlearning. We also share our main takeaways in 'What I Learned at Learning Technologies This Week'.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, and @JamesMcLuckie.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

Will Thalheimer's article on the Kirkpatrick Model can be read here: https://www.worklearning.com/2018/01/30/donald-kirkpatrick-was-not-the-originator-of-the-four-level-model-of-learning-evaluation/

JD Dillon's piece on the hype cycle is at: http://www.learngeek.co/2018/01/jds-workplace-learning-hype-cycle/

Our 'Working Out Loud' episode, number 69, is available at: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/69-working-out-loud-to-build-new-skills-and-relationships

As online learning designers we're often tempted to experiment with new functionality, but sometimes our enthusiasm for innovative approaches can create a barrier for users.

On this week's episode of the GoodPractice Podcast, eLearning Developer Michael Osborne and Learning and Development Advisor Mike Shaw join Ross G and Gemma to discuss their tips for creating accessible learning.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @RossGarnerGP, @GemmaTowersey, @MikeOzzy and @MikeShawLD.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

Michael's accessibility blogs can be found on LinkedIn, here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/accessibility-disabilities-what-michael-osborne/

Don Norman's discussion on the design of Hawaii's missile warning system is at: https://www.fastcodesign.com/90157153/don-norman-what-went-wrong-in-hawaii-human-error-nope-bad-design

And the article that Mike referenced, on AI in Black Mirror, can be read here: http://mashable.com/2018/01/12/black-mirror-ai-ethics-opinion/#XhkS9bYF2PqB

In the early stages of our careers we learn how to do our jobs, manage office politics and earn promotion. But those habits and behaviours that initially help us advance can become a burden. We end up in meetings because it used to be important to show face, and not because they're an effective use of our time.

In this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen speak to Dom Price, Futurist at software developer Atlassian, about his approach to 'unlearning' habits and behaviours.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @DomPrice.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

The Atlassian Team Playbook is available at: https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook

For a fun insight into how Atlassian team members speak to one another, see: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/inside-atlassian/teamwork-data-visualization

Owen's 'What I Unlearned This Week' covered Johann Hari's Guardian piece on depression. The original article is here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jan/07/is-everything-you-think-you-know-about-depression-wrong-johann-hari-lost-connections

And, for balance, the counter argument is here: https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2018/jan/08/is-everything-johann-hari-knows-about-depression-wrong-lost-connections

When we're asked to create a learning solution, how often do we think about the context within which that solution will sit? Design thinking prompts us to take a wider view, collaborating with learners and stakeholders to co-create a course or resource.

On this week's podcast, Connie Malamed from The eLearning Coach podcast joins Ross G and Owen to share her insight into design thinking.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @eLearningCoach.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

Harvard Business Review covered design thinking in some detail here: https://hbr.org/2015/09/design-for-action

Connie's NICU and HDX examples from Frog Design can be found at https://www.frogdesign.com/press-release/aspect-imaging-frog-collaborate-mri-technologies and https://www.frogdesign.com/work/un-ocha-humanitarian-data-exchange

We covered agile methodology way back in episode 13. You can listen here: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/agile-ld-lessons-from-coding

Owen's 'Little UI Details' Twitter moment recommendation can be found at: https://twitter.com/i/moments/880688233641848832?lang=en

Ross' '1 Second Everyday' video for 2017 is on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hg9skphCdsE

You can find out more about Connie by visiting theelearningcoach.com or by listening to The eLearning Coach podcast.

What is self-care, and why is it important? Can organisations play a role in self-care for their employees? And should they?

On this week's show, Justin and Owen are joined by Sukh Pabial to discuss how we can all look after ourselves a bit better.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you’ll find us all on Twitter: @writerjustin @owenferguson and @sukhpabial.

For more from GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet @GoodPractice and @GoodpracticeAus.

The articles Owen and Sukh refer to in What I Learned This Week are available here:

Stop Asking Me ‘What About Men?’

The Dangers of Dark Nudging

Over the past year, we've had regular feedback on our feature 'What I Learned This Week'. For us, as learning professionals, it's a challenge to keep on learning; to practice what we preach. So for this special Christmas episode, we've expanded this feature to 'What I Learned This Year'.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet @GoodPractice and @GoodpracticeAus.

We'd love to hear what youhave learned this year, so get in touch!

For more from GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

Until next year, Merry Christmas from the GoodPractice team!

As an industry, we like to think we're getting better and better at delivering effective learning solutions at the point of need. But how often do these interventions actually translate into behavioural change in the workplace?

On this week's show, Ross D and Owen are joined by Lever Learning's Emma Weber to discuss the topic of learning transfer in L&D.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson and @emmaweber

For more from GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet @GoodPractice and @GoodpracticeAus.

A full copy of the 2017 Learning Transfer Research: Insights For Impact can be downloaded here.

We often talk about workplace culture on the GoodPractice Podcast but, this week, that word is banned as author Jon Ingham joins us to discuss his new book: The Social Organization.

Jon argues that 'culture' is too vague, and what we actually need to focus on is the cultivation of relationships.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Ross on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, Owen @OwenFerguson and Peter @PeterCasebow.

Jon's book is available from Amazon, he tweets @JonIngham and his website is www.joningham.com.

For more from GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet @GoodPractice and @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about US driving deaths, see: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/19/opinion/america-is-now-an-outlier-on-driving-deaths.html

The Gartner Hype Cycle for Education, 2017, is available behind at paywall at: https://www.gartner.com/doc/3769145/hype-cycle-education-

The OECD PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is available at: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-volume-v-9789264285521-en.htm

Because Ross' description of 'single sign-on' was a little vague, see the Wikipedia page for details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_sign-on

There’s little argument that collaboration at work improves results. But how do you create a collaborative atmosphere, what are the barriers, and what are the essential ingredients to make it work?

This week, Adele Weaver joins Justin and Owen to discuss the secrets of great collaboration.

If you want to share your thoughts on the show, collaborate with us on Twitter at @adeleweaver1, @owenferguson and @writerjustin.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus or visit our website at goodpractice.com, where you can download our latest research paper, ‘Learning Technologies: What Managers Really Think’.

The article Adele refers to in the show is here: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/16/working-four-day-week-hours-labour

Everyone hates e-learning, mobile learning is the future, and no workplace learning technology can possibly compete with YouTube, right?

In this special episode of the GoodPractice Podcast, recorded in front of a LIVE London audience, Owen Ferguson and Ross Garner reveal the results of our latest research: Learning Technology - What do managers really think?

We debunk some common L&D narratives and take questions from our audience as they put our research under the microscope.

Then, we open up to the room by inviting participants to share What They Learned This Week.

To read the latest report, authored by Owen, Stef Scott and Gemma Towersey, visit: http://www.goodpractice.com/ld-resources/learning-technologies-what-managers-really-think/

For more coverage of our event in London, see: http://www.goodpractice.com/blog/items/new-research-report-now-live/

And of course you can get in touch on Twitter, @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAUS.

Ross' story about Scott Kelly was from Atlas Obscura, available at: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/scott-kelly-astronaut-exit-interview-space-station-nasa

The book Owen recommended was The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris, available from Amazon.

The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine

There's a lot of buzz surrounding the use of virtual reality in learning and development. But how effectively is it being deployed, and how will this change in the years ahead?

On this week's episode, Ross D is joined by Rachel Burnham and Mark Baxter to discuss all things VR.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @BurnhamLandD, and @digitalnauts.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

For more from GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

In this episode, Ross D is joined by Wes Atkinson of Appitierre, Tom Hickmore of Nice Media, and GoodPractice's very own James McLuckie to discuss the use of video in learning and development.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @wesatkinsonuk, @TomHickmore, and @JamesMcLuckie

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

For more from GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

This was the result of Watson's 'Speech to Text' function transcribing our intro:

'Speaker 0: Hello and welcome to the good practice podcast a weekly show her work performance and learning I'm rustic in this is absurd seventy video production for Alan D. I guess this week are was that concern from aft here Tom take more from nice media and good prices very own James McCarthy. Speaker 0: Hello guys area. Speaker 2: Like goats hello hello. Speaker 0: I'm so what if I could just start with you. Speaker 0: I think it's kind of generally held our industry at the time serve as the demand for user lads just in time learning. Speaker 0: Continues to grow at this our video is one way of delivering that experience to users. Speaker 0: And. Speaker 0: Would you say that's actually reflected and. Speaker 0: On the ground I guess is how widespread is video. Speaker 2: Oh yes will flip flip through his listeners that don't know who I am and I I run and a new offering tool I'm that that's them getting normal popular I'm thankfully that's how the industry and it's on the same topics I'm I'm gonna avoid name dropping.'

John Stepper's Working Out Loud is a collaborative approach to building new skills and relationships through a series of weekly meetings and activities. Over the summer, the GoodPractice Podcast's Ross Garner took part in a Working Out Loud circle with Mike Collins, Ady Howes, Chris Coladonato, Hannah Wysome and Sam Burrough.

In this episode, most of that Working Out Loud circle have come together to reflect on the experience and share their thoughts on what makes a successful WOL circle.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Ross on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, Mike is @Community_Mike, Chris is @ChrisCola, Ady is @AdyHowes and Sam is @Burrough.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

For more from GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

To find out more about Working Out Loud, visit http://workingoutloud.com/.

As learning and development professionals, should we focus on learning outcomes or business outcomes? In this week's podcast, GoodPractice Business Development Director Chris Keenan argues that some parts of L&D lack basic business skills. He joins Ross G and Owen to share his experiences and chat about what we could do differently.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Chris on Twitter @Chris_R_Keenan, Owen @OwenFerguson and Ross @RossGarnerGP.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

For more from GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

The graphic Owen referred to, comparing American Airlines and Southwest, can be seen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mitsmr/status/917527621411500032

The audio books he is looking forward to are Niall Ferguson's The Square and the Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power and Bill Bryson's Appliance of Science.

The piece Chris recommended on football academics is available from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/oct/06/football-biggest-issue-boys-rejected-academies

And, for more on ambiguity in Blade Runner, see Mark Kermode's documentary On the Edge of Blade Runner, available online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyWHJ5o60L0

None

The Square and the Tower: Networks, Hierarchies and the Struggle for Global Power

Every digital interaction creates a breadcrumb trail of data, but how far has learning and development mined this data for value?

On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, learning analytics specialist Trish Uhl joins Ross G and Owen to share how modern organisations can use data to drive performance. We ask how complicated this needs to be, and reflect on whether many L&D practitioners are already using data without realising it.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @TrishUhl.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

If you were interested in Owen's example of a simple, life-saving algorithm developed at a hospital in Cook County, the apper is available online:

Reilly BM, Evans AT, Schaider JJ, Das K, Calvin JE, Moran LA, Roberts RR, Martinez E. Impact of a Clinical Decision Rule on Hospital Triage of Patients With Suspected Acute Cardiac Ischemia in the Emergency Department. JAMA. Available at: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/195118

Tim Harford's article on not taking action is available at: https://www.ft.com/content/511c6a84-8e36-11e7-a352-e46f43c5825d

The SNL clip starring Ryan Gosling is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVhlJNJopOQ

If you want to see Trish speak, she'll be at the Adobe Learning Summit, DevLearn and at Learning Technologies. Follow her on Twitter for updates.

In a world of fake news, thought leaders and instant answers, how often do we pause to think critically about facts and ideas?

On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Simon Heath to discuss some of the actions we can take to become more discerning when faced with new information.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @SimonHeath1.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com.

The AR apps Owen referenced this week are ARise and Tap Measure, both available on the Apple App Store.

Simon's innovative use of Twitter can be seen by searching the hashtag #idrewapidgeon, or via this link: https://twitter.com/hashtag/IDrewAPigeon?src=hash

Ross' learning analytics blog for Training Journal can be found at: https://www.trainingjournal.com/blog/getting-started-learning-analytics

How are learning technologies being used in Australia, and what are the challenges facing L&D practitioners?

On this week's podcast, Ross D is joined by Stef Scott and Giorgio Migliaccio to discuss GoodPractice's latest piece of research: Australia's Learning Technology Landscape.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @ross__dickie, @Stefania_Scott or @CoachGiorgio.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To download a full copy of the report, visit goodpractice.com.

Can we use neuroscience to improve learning solutions? And how much neuroscience do we need to understand, in order to usefully apply its lessons?

Stella Collins joins Justin and James to discuss all this and more on this week’s show.

If you want to join in the conversation, you’ll find us all on Twitter: @stellacollins, @jamesmcluckie and @writerjustin.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

*We had some technical issues with recording this week’s show, so the audio is not as good as it should be. We hope this doesn’t affect your enjoyment of the conversation too much!

Do we really need to produce new content in L&D, or should we just teach people how to learn for themselves? How would we then measure success, or demonstrate our output to the board?

Ben Betts of HT2 Labs joins Justin and Owen to discuss the role of curation in L&D on this week’s show.

If you want to join in the conversation, you’ll find us all on Twitter: @owenferguson, @bbetts and @writerjustin.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

The articles Owen discusses are:

The Placebo Effect is a Lie: https://medium.com/the-mission/the-placebo-effect-is-a-lie-61a26df35aae

The Weird Power of the Placebo Effect, Explained: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/7/7/15792188/placebo-effect-explained

Placebo Effects are Weak: Regression to the Mean is the Main Reason Ineffective Treatments Appear to Work: http://www.dcscience.net/2015/12/11/placebo-effects-are-weak-regression-to-the-mean-is-the-main-reason-ineffective-treatments-appear-to-work/

What are the challenges facing L&D today, and how will these challenges evolve in the years ahead?

On this week's show, Manchester Airport Group's Jill Julian joins Ross D and Ian to discuss the future of the profession.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Jill on Twitter @JillyTats, Ross @ross__dickie and Ian @Ianwheelans.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

The report Ross referred to is titled 'In-Focus: Preparing for the Future of Learning', and it can be accessed here.

Are games in elearning a powerful tool for engaging learners or a gimmick that turns them off? Maybe they're a bit of both?

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Emma Barrow from Yorkshire Building Society joins James, Ross G and Eoghan from the GoodPractice team to discuss elearning games.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Emma on Twitter @SavageNoodles, Ross @RossGarnerGP, James @JamesMcLuckie and Eoghan @EoghanScott.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

Ross had to Google the ZX Spectrum after recording this episode, so here is the Wikipedia page if you're interested in doing the same: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Spectrum

The podcast Ross recommended, and where he got the definition of 'diurnal' from, was No Such Thing As A Fish: http://qi.com/podcast

And Eoghan's fact about Edinburgh property prices was covered by the Scotsman: http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/homes-gardens/how-much-do-you-need-to-earn-an-hour-to-buy-in-each-edinburgh-postcode-1-4539977

Are we really undergoing a revolution in the workplace? Is work changing at all? And if it is, what do we need to do to adapt?

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, CIPD's David D'Souza joins Owen and Ross G to discuss the future of work.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find David on Twitter @dds180, Ross @RossGarnerGP and Owen @OwenFerguson.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

You can read about VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatility,_uncertainty,_complexity_and_ambiguity

For more on the "gig economy", see this piece in the Financial Times: https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2017/06/05/2189733/the-gig-economy-is-not-an-innovation/

Owen quoted William Gibson, the originator of the term "cyberspace". You can read more about him here: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Gibson

Owen's Typeform survey app can be found at: https://www.typeform.com/blog/inside-story/typeform-lite-the-making-of-a-new-mobile-app/

The other app he mentioned, MyTalkingPet, is available on the App Store. For an example, Ross took a photo of his cat and added Harry's speech from 'When Harry Met Sally'. Warning: it's incredibly annoying: https://twitter.com/RossGarnerGP/status/898493265116311553

The Future of Work is Human, by CIPD, is available from: https://www.futureworkishuman.org/

And our outro music was provided by our friend Mark Hendy, who blogs at: https://hendyshrblog.wordpress.com/

We speak about performance support almost every week on this show but, for some reason, we've never actually done a deep dive. So this week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Axonify's principal learning strategist JD Dillon joins Ross G and Owen to share his experiences.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find JD on Twitter @JD_Dillon, Ross @RossGarnerGP and Owen @OwenFerguson.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

Will Thalheimer's review of eLearning effectiveness can be found at: http://www.willatworklearning.com/2017/08/major-research-review-on-elearning-effectiveness.html

And Ross' reference to control groups in Daniel 1:12 is available at: http://www.badscience.net/2010/05/politicians-can-divine-which-policy-works-best-by-using-their-special-magic-politician-beam/

For more on Axonify see: https://axonify.com/

And JD blogs at: http://www.learngeek.co/

In learning and development, we're often tasked with solving problems. But how do we know that the client or stakeholder defining the problem is telling the truth? Are they trying to deceive, or are they deceiving themselves? What questions can we ask that could help us find out?

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Phil Willcox from the Emotion at Work podcast returns to the show to share his expertise with Ross G and Owen.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Phil on Twitter @PhilWillcox, Ross @RossGarnerGP and Owen @OwenFerguson.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

For an accessible introduction to 'faces' in self-deception, see: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/philosophy-stirred-not-shaken/201505/self-deception-has-many-faces

A more academic look at self-deception can be found in the paper: Z. Chance, M.I. Norton, The What and Why of Self-Deception, COPSYC (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.07.008. A draft version of this paper, available for free, can be found at: http://faculty.som.yale.edu/zoechance/documents/chancenorton2015currentopinion-acceptedmanuscript_002.pdf

And an in-depth look at self-deception and impression-management can be found here: Farrow, T. F., Burgess, J., Wilkinson, I. D., & Hunter, M. D. (2015). Neural correlates of self-deception and impression-management. Neuropsychologia, 67, 159-174. It is available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269724457_Neural_correlates_of_self-deception_and_impression-management

The Yes, Minister scene demonstrating leading questions is available on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ZZJXw4MTA

The Goffman animation Ross referenced is also available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z0XS-QLDWM

The podcast Ross mentioned, No Such Thing As A Fish, is available on iTunes or here: http://qi.com/podcast

32M's microchipping party was covered by BBC News. You can watch the clip here and decide for yourself if it is a marketing gimmick: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-40806583/wisconsin-company-offers-microchip-implants-to-employees

And, finally, our podcast on evidence-based practice is the most popular episode we've done. To find out more about 'four types of evidence', listen to it here: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/evidence-based-practice-for-hr-and-ld

In learning and development we often accept an organisation's design without criticism. But, if we're in the business of improving performance, don't we have a responsibility to challenge that design if we think it will help?

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Mark Britz from the eLearning Guild joins Ross G and Owen to discuss how far we should push against organisational structures and processes.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Mark on Twitter @Britz, Ross @RossGarnerGP and Owen @OwenFerguson.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

Details of Dave Snowden's Cynefin framework can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynefin_framework

For more on Harold Jarche, see his website: https://jarche.com/

The Realities360 conference ran from July 26 - 28 this year. See the website for details: https://www.elearningguild.com/realities360/content/4900/2017-realities360-conference--home/

Owen's disputed Netflix anecdote can be read about at Digital Spy: http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/news/a834554/netflix-hits-back-20-billion-debt-inaccurate-report/

We pass no judgement on Adam Sandler's movies, but The Verge has an article titled: 'Netflix accuses its users of watching 500 million hours of Adam Sandler films'. Read it here: https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/17/15331674/netflix-adam-sandler-movies-half-a-billion-hours

The Onion's story - 'How Bad For The Environment Can Throwing Away One Plastic Bottle Be?' 30 Million People Wonder - can be read here: http://www.theonion.com/article/how-bad-for-the-environment-can-throwing-away-one--2892

Ross recommended the film Plastic Ocean on Netflix, as an emotional jolt that has made him recycle a lot more. If you want to act as a commitment device, tweet him with the hashtag #IsRossRecycling?

'Inspiration' is a word that means something different to different people, but at GoodPractice we feel that we're constantly looking to inspire and be inspired. So this week on the GoodPractice Podcast, we've invited Sean Brown from Virgin Money to share his thoughts on inspiration.

We discuss approaches you can take to inspire your learners, and look outside our profession for sources of inspiration in the wider world.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Sean on Twitter @SeanBrownHRTech, Ross @RossGarnerGP and Owen @OwenFerguson.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

The film 'Butterfly Circus' can be seen on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_MCwlY6zzg.

Steve Rayson's article on how to write engaging B2B headlines is available from Buzzsumo at: http://buzzsumo.com/blog/write-engaging-b2b-headlines-analysis-10-million-articles-shared-linkedin/.

Details of 32M's decision to chip it's employees can be found at: https://www.sciencealert.com/for-the-first-time-a-us-company-is-implanting-microchips-in-its-employees. The company's own Q&A document can be found at: https://www.32market.com/public/images/QA.pdf.

If you fancy joining a Working Out Loud group, see: http://workingoutloud.com. It could be an excellent source of inspiration for you!

Next week, our guest is Mark Britz, speaking about L&D's relationship with organisational design.

Here at GoodPractice, we often speak about learning tech as if everybody is already using it. This week, we want to take a step back for a discussion on getting started.

So, today, international speaker and trendcatcher Ger Driesen of aNewSpring joins Ross and Stef to share his advice for anyone looking to launch their first online solution.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Ger on Twitter @GerDriesen, Ross @RossGarnerGP and Stef @Stefania_Scott.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

You can subscribe to Ger's learning notes at: https://www.anewspring.com/gers-learning-notes/.

Cathy Moore's 'Is training really the answer?' blog can be found at: http://blog.cathy-moore.com/2013/05/is-training-really-the-answer-ask-the-flowchart/.

Our case study on how Edrington use the GoodPractice toolkit is available at: http://www.goodpractice.com/our-clients/edrington/.

A source for Stef's 'cacti vs cactuses' discussion is available here: http://grammarist.com/usage/cacti-cactuses/.

And the story of Winona Ryder's connection to Polly Klass was covered by Newsweek: http://www.newsweek.com/sad-case-polly-klaas-190468.

Finally, Sam Burrough's excellent blog on instructional design is available at: http://www.transform-elearning.com/duolingo-instructional-design-strategies/.

Remember, to be in with a chance of winning an Amazon Alexa, leave a review on iTunes and send a screenshot of it to support@goodpractice.com. Full terms and conditions are available at https://s3.amazonaws.com/goodpractice-podcast/goodpractice-podcast-prize-draw-tcs.pdf.

Next week, our guest is Sean Brown, from Virgin Money, speaking about inspiration for L&D.

Asking good questions, listening carefully, checking facts: all skills associated with journalists. But these are the exact same skills that can help us improve as learning and development (L&D) professionals.

On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, L&D's editor-in-chief Martin Couzins joins Ross and Owen to share his insight into the crossover between those two professions, and the lessons you can learn from journalism.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Martin on Twitter @MartinCouzins, Ross @RossGarnerGP and Owen @OwenFerguson.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

The Jeremy Paxman v Michael Howard interview that Martin referenced can be viewed on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyqnu6ywhR4.

Mary Meeker's 2017 Internet Trends report can be found at: http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends.

The tl;dr version can be found at TechCrunch, which includes a bullet list of key points and a highlights version: https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/31/mary-meeker-internet-trends-2017/.

A good demo of Hololens can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihKUoZxNClA .

The official Microsoft page for Hololens is at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/hololens.

This video demonstration of a Hololens game demonstrates Ross' point about the relatively low-quality graphics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29xnzxgCx6I.

Remember, to be in with a chance of winning an Amazon Alexa, leave a review on iTunes and send a screenshot of it to support@goodpractice.com. Full terms and conditions are available at https://s3.amazonaws.com/goodpractice-podcast/goodpractice-podcast-prize-draw-tcs.pdf.

Next week, our guest is international speaker Ger Driesen, who will be sharing his advice for getting started delivering online learning.

We recently spoke about the importance of user experience design, but how does this differ in a learning context?

On this week's GoodPractice Podcast: Julie Dirksen, author of 'Design for How People Learn', joins Ross and James to explore the importance of 'desirable difficulty'.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Julie on Twitter @UsableLearning, Ross @RossGarnerGP and James @JamesMcLuckie.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

Julie has written about why 'clear and easy to understand' can be a bad thing at:http://usablelearning.com/2011/07/06/why-clear-and-easy-to-understand-can-be-bad/.

She has also presented on UX for learning, which you can see here: https://www.slideshare.net/usablelearning/ux-for-learning-design.

Finally, if you are interested in the conversation around Ericsson's work on deliberate practice, you can join the Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/designforhowpeoplelearn/ .

Remember, to be in with a chance of winning an Amazon Echo, leave a review on iTunes and send a screenshot of it to support@goodpractice.com. Full terms and conditions are available at https://s3.amazonaws.com/goodpractice-podcast/goodpractice-podcast-prize-draw-tcs.pdf.

Next week, our guest is Martin Couzins, discussing journalism's tips for L&D.

Mobile technology and the growing popularity of freelancing have helped fuel a boom in co-working. But what does this mean for L&D?

This week, Ross Dickie is joined by podcast-regular James McLuckie, along with first-time guests Fiona McBride and Michelle Parry-Slater, to discuss the implications of co-working for L&D.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Fiona on Twitter @fionamcbride, Michelle @MiPS1608, James @JamesMcLuckie and Ross @ross__dickie.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

More information about #LnDcowork can be found at https://about.me/lndcowork. You can also tweet @LnDcowork

To be in with a chance of winning an Amazon Alexa, remember to leave a review on iTunes and send a screenshot of it to support@goodpractice.com. Full terms and conditions are available at https://s3.amazonaws.com/goodpractice-podcast/goodpractice-podcast-prize-draw-tcs.pdf

At GoodPractice, we're big fans of research-based decision-making. So today on the show, we're speaking to Laura Overton from Towards Maturity.

Towards Maturity's annual benchmark gives you an opportunity to reflect on your department's achievements, then compares your performance with every other participating organisation. By doing so, you can come up with a plan for where to go next and learn what works for top performers.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Laura on Twitter @LauraOverton, Peter @PeterCasebow, and Ross @RossGarnerGP.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

You can take part in the Towards Maturity Benchmark by visiting: towardsmaturity.org/benchmark.

The academic paper Ross referenced, on the impact of visualised performance data on learner motivation, was: Gašević, D., Dawson, S., Siemens, G. 2015. Let’s not forget: Learning analytics are about learning. TechTrends, vol 59, no. 1, pp. 64. It's available at: www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/files/19113410/techtrends2015.pdf

And for more on Working Out Loud circles, see: workingoutloud.com/circle-guides.

Over the past year or so, the GoodPractice team have produced 50 podcast episodes. To celebrate this milestone, we've asked three of our favourite L&D podcasters to join us in a panel discussion on: podcasting for learning.

From 'Emotion at Work', we have Phil Willcox.

From 'From Scratch', we have Martin Couzins and Nigel Paine.

And from the GoodPractice team we have Ross Garner and Owen Ferguson.

Thanks for listening.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Phil on Twitter @PhilWillcox, Nigel @ebase, Martin @MartinCouzins, Owen @OwenFerguson, and Ross @RossGarnerGP.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

You can subscribe to 'Emotion at Work' on iTunes. 'From Scratch' is available at fromscratchpodcast.com.

For anyone interested in starting their own podcast, we tend to record using Blue Snowball USB microphones. We speak over Skype or Google Hangouts, with each contributor recording themselves on Audacity (PC) or QuickTime (Mac). The host then collects that week's recordings from all contributors and edits them together in Adobe Audition. Audacity or Garage Band are free alternatives. We host our podcasts on Libsyn. You can submit your podcast to iTunes here.

We all make decisions based on evidence, whether hard data or personal experience. But are we really interpreting that evidence correctly, or are we basing decisions on hunch and opinion?

In HR and L&D, proponents of evidence-based practice (EBP) encourage us to gather the best available evidence from multiple sources and to weight it appropriately. On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, EBP-enthusiast Mark Hendy joins Owen Ferguson and Ross Garner to share his experience with EBP, as well as tips to get you started.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Mark on Twitter @MarkSWHRF, Owen @OwenFerguson, and Ross @RossGarnerGP.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

The Freakonomics podcast episode that Ross referenced makes a case for evidence-based policy. It is available at: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/most-famous-political-operative-america/.

The ASK Manager app that Mark recommended is available from the Apple Store at: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ask-manager/id1143524652.

The two CIPD reports that Owen recommended are available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/rapid-evidence-assessment-of-the-research-literature-on-the-effect-of-goal-setting-on-workplace-performance_tcm18-16903.pdf and https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/rapid-evidence-assessment-of-the-research-literature-on-the-effect-of-performance-appraisal-on-workplace-performance_tcm18-16902.pdf.

The CIPD's 'Evidence-based HR' discussion forum can be accessed at: http://www2.cipd.co.uk/community/discussion-forum/evidence-based-hr.

Other useful resources include the Center for Evidence Based Management (https://www.cebma.org) and Science for Work (http://scienceforwork.com).

Mark's HR blog is available at: http://hendyshrblog.co.uk/.

The article Owen recommended on Deep Blue's psychological battle with Kasparov is available at: https://backchannel.com/what-deep-blue-tells-us-about-ai-in-2017-3284f92b2a93.

And the source for Ross' German word game was: http://hellogiggles.com/10-fabulous-german-words-english-equivalent/.

Finally, because it's 2017, the text-to-speech voice used in this podcast was Google Translate, not Microsoft Sam. Ross apologises for any confusion caused.

At work, a great learning experience doesn't start when they access a course or resource: it starts when they make a decision to become better at their job.

On this week's episode of the GoodPractice Podcast, Gemma Critchley from Aviva joins Ross and Owen to discuss UX design for L&D. What is UX design? How far does it's remit extend and how can you start applying UX principles to your learning solutions?

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, and @GemStGem.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

Gemma's blog can be found at beatifnik.wordpress.com.

Fuchsia, Google's experimental OS, was featured in Fast Company at: https://www.fastcodesign.com/90124729/fuschia-googles-experimental-mobile-os-solves-glaring-problems-that-apple-doesnt-get You can find out about the Concern Task Resource model at: http://www.aconventional.com/2015/03/concern-task-resource-model.html Another useful UX resource can be found from Semantic Studios: http://semanticstudios.com/user_experience_design/ And the Tim Hartford blog that Owen referenced is available at: http://timharford.com/2017/05/why-prize-winners-are-heading-for-a-fall/.

The internet has changed a great deal in the past 10 years, but has e-learning design kept pace with the consumer market? This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Wes Atkinson from Appitierre speaks to Ross and James from the GoodPractice team about the importance of responsive design and the future of the e-learning industry.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @JamesMcLuckie, and @WesAtkinsonUK.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

You can find out more about Appitierre at appitierre.com, or get in touch with Wes @WesAtkinsonUK.

Wes' educational dragon game is available from the http://dragonbox.com/.

James' article on the science of music is available at: https://www.unbelievable-facts.com/2015/04/facts-about-music.html.

And Ross' Freakonomics podcast episode on Google searches is available at: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/big-penis-things-ask-google/.

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast: building an online learning community can be difficult. How do you encourage people to sign up? And how do you make them stay? Ross and Owen speak to Mike Collins and Ady Howes from DPG to learn about their experience with the DPG Community.

Then, in part two, we take a look at Facebook's moderation guidelines to ask if there's anything to be learned for online learning communities in the workplace?

If you want to share your thoughts on anything we discussed on the show, you can tweet @OwenFerguson, @RossGarnerGP, @AdyHowes or @Community_Mike.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAUS, or visit www.goodpractice.com.

Facebook's secret rules and guidelines were covered by The Guardian at: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/may/21/revealed-facebook-internal-rulebook-sex-terrorism-violence.

The article Owen referenced on film ratings can be found at: https://medium.freecodecamp.com/whose-reviews-should-you-trust-imdb-rotten-tomatoes-metacritic-or-fandango-7d1010c6cf19?gi=1549fcfc768b.

You can find out more about DPG, and join the Community, at dpgplc.co.uk.

New tech, new approaches, new fads: Our industry is awash with exciting developments, but do we approach them with the curiosity of a magpie or the curiosity of a scientist?

On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G is joined by Owen and Giorgio to look at curiosity in Learning & Development. We discuss the importance of questions, the love of learning and the fun of failing (quickly!).

If you have any thoughts on the show and fancy getting in on the discussion, you can tweet us: @OwenFerguson, @CoachGiorgio and @RossGarnerGP.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus.

To find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, and to access our back catalogue of podcasts, visit goodpractice.com.

To find out more about Owen's blue crayon, see: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/05/12/first-new-shade-blue-discovered-200-years-turned-crayola-crayon/

You can find out more about Giorgio's 'survivorship bias' at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-we-dont-see-juan-carlos-soto

And Ross' lesson in basic spelling is available at: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/197173/why-is-it-spelled-curiosity-instead-of-curiousity

If you've enjoyed the show, please remember to leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.

Technology advances at an exponential rate – so how on Earth do you keep up with it? What tech could you be using that you don’t know about? What should you be thinking about using next year, or in five years? What do you need to think about addressing right now? Technical Director Jonny Anderson and Early Adopter Owen Ferguson join Justin Anderson this week to discuss the dizzying world of new technology.

If you have thoughts on the show and fancy getting in on the discussion, you can tweet us: @owenferguson, @biofractal and @writerjustin.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

To find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

The Warren Buffet article Owen mentioned is here: http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/28/what-its-like-working-for-warren-buffett-its-literally-just-reading-about-12-hours-a-day.html

The book Justin is reading is here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seeing-What-Others-Dont-Remarkable-ebook/dp/B01HPVHHJS

And the sites the guys recommended for tech news are:

https://techcrunch.com/

https://www.techmeme.com/

https://www.engadget.com

Seeing What Others Don't: The Remarkable Ways We Gain Insights

The Learning and Development profession is awash with rich terminology, much of it vague and overlapping. But is the language we use a useful shorthand, an opportunity for priming or an unnecessary distraction? Then, we'll be previewing next week's CIPD L&D show. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Owen on Twitter @owenferguson, Louise @LCampbellGP and Ross @RossGarnerGP.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

A good summary of Lera Boroditsky's research can be found at: https://www.edge.org/conversation/lera_boroditsky-how-does-our-language-shape-the-way-we-think

The paper Ross mentioned, covering terminology in e-learning, is available from ScienceDirect at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1096751610000886

Cass Sunstein's article on political biases was published by The Guardian at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/27/challenge-everything-democracy-representative-government

The Bret Stephens article that got NYT subscribers in a fizz is available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/opinion/climate-of-complete-certainty.html

For the peculiarities of Icelandic naming conventions, see: http://wsimag.com/culture/2248-the-peculiarities-of-icelandic-naming

Our top picks for the CIPD L&D show can be found at http://www.goodpractice.com/blog/items/top-picks-for-the-cipd-ld-show-2017/ and http://www.goodpractice.com/blog/items/top-picks-for-the-cipd-ld-show-2017-part-2/.

Contributors this week included: @niallgavinuk, @marielearns, @lorna_clancy86, @gemmatowersey, @paullyv71, @cccubusiness and @innerspiration_. Apologies if we didn't read out all of your names.

You’ll always find a good flaming argument on Twitter, but can it actually be used in a way that’s beneficial for work? Marketing and networking are probably obvious options, but are there better ways to make use of this massive communications medium?

This week, Justin, James and Paul discuss how best to get started with Twitter, and how to personalise it so it works just for you.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can (obviously) find us all on Twitter: @WriterJustin, @JamesMcLuckie and @paullyv71.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

The book Justin mentions, Utopia for Realists, is available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Utopia-Realists-How-Can-There-ebook/dp/B01MQRQG22

Utopia for Realists: And How We Can Get There

Is it important for Learning and Development departments to market themselves internally, or should they operate as wizards behind the curtain of learning?

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast: Owen, Andrew and Ross G discuss internal marketing for L&D. What can we do to encourage adoption of our interventions? And how do we raise the profile of L&D with senior stakeholders?

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Owen on Twitter @owenferguson, Andrew @AMcGlynGP and Ross @RossGarnerGP.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you'd like to find out more about our upcoming events, blogs and whitepapers, visit goodpractice.com.

The book Owen recommended, The Invention of Nature, is available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invention-Nature-Adventures-Alexander-Humboldt-ebook/dp/B00PW4O1SQ.

The book Ross recommended, Judas: The troubling history of the renegade apostle, is available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Judas-troubling-history-renegade-apostle-ebook/dp/B00NLHJLO0.

The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World

Judas: The troubling history of the renegade apostle

Learning and development leaders want to improve performance, while providers are willing to take their cash. So why isn't everybody happy?

On this week's GoodPractice Podcast: Owen, Gemma and Ross D discuss the latest research from Towards Maturity, showing that only 60% of L&D leaders believe that they have a grasp on the critical questions they need to ask providers. What are the knowledge gaps that need to be filled? And what responsibility do providers have to overcome this challenge?

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find Owen on Twitter @owenferguson and can leave Ross a message @ross__dickie.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

The Towards Maturity article discussed on today's show can be found at: https://towardsmaturity.org/2017/03/16/ld-leaders-failing-tap-expertise-providers/.

As technology continues to provide us with more and more ways to stay connected, the boundaries between the office and the home are becoming increasingly blurred. Where once ‘work’ and ‘life’ were regarded as competing forces that had to be held in delicate balance, the focus has now shifted towards finding ways of blending the two.

This week on the podcast, Ross Dickie is joined by Owen Ferguson and Justin Anderson to consider exactly what the trend towards ‘work-life’ integration means for L&D.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, and @WriterJustin.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

Nowadays, self-service is the norm when it comes to shopping for groceries, renting a movie, or even opening a new bank account. The likes of Amazon and Netflix have led us to expect that products and services should be available whenever and wherever we want. But is this trend reflected in learning and development?

On this week’s episode, Ross Dickie is joined by Owen Ferguson and podcast-newcomer Ian Wheelans to answer that question.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, and @Ianwheelans.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

You can find an online version of the ‘Map to the Introvert’s Heart’ by Gemma Correll here.

As automation takes over many of our routine tasks, how should HR and L&D professionals respond? Do they have the skills to focus on improving 'organisational effectiveness' or will they be left behind as business leaders increasingly seek answers elsewhere?

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @petercasebow, @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

Andrew Lambert and Andy Newall's HR Magazine interview can be found here: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/a-blueprint-for-hr-now-and-in-the-future

You can also read articles constituting their 'New HR Blueprint' at the following addresses:

http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/a-new-hr-blueprint-capabilities-and-careers

http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/a-new-hr-blueprint-organisational-effectiveness

http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/a-new-hr-blueprint-from-hr-admin-to-employee-services

Stephen King's On Writing can be purchased through Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Stephen-King-x/dp/1444723251

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Most of us working in L&D will have come across pop psychology in one form or another, but what are the actual psychological insights that can guide our practice? On this week's episode of the GoodPractice Podcast, Sukh Pabial joins Owen and Ross to share his thoughts on psychology and behavioural economics.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @owenferguson, and @SukhPabial. You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus. Sukh's Moana video can be seen here: http://www.ellentv.com/videos/0-n0s4vtdw/ His less cheery dystopian article is available from The Guardian at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/26/robert-mercer-breitbart-war-on-media-steve-bannon-donald-trump-nigel-farage. Nudge by Thaler and Sunstein is available from Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/0141040017 The Guardian's podcast episode on nudge theory is available from: https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2017/feb/22/nudge-theory-the-psychology-and-ethics-of-persuasion-science-weekly-podcast And Freakonomics have also covered this, which you can find here: http://freakonomics.com/tag/david-halpern/ The dates Ross used to describe the division of the Bible into chapters were wildly inaccuarte. Wikipedia has an interesting page on this topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

In the social media age, has print journalism had its day? And is it possible to host a good webinar? On this week's episode of the GoodPractice podcast, Training Journal Deputy Editor Jo Cook joins Ross and James to discuss the ways that learning and development professionals share ideas. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @jamesmcluckie, and @LightBulbJo. You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus. Training Journal can be found at www.trainingjournal.com and Jo's website is www.lightbulbmoment.info. If you want to find out more the blogs and articles we referenced, you can find a complete list below: Laura McCallum's article, '27 Rarely Known Facts About Music And The Music Industry' can be found here: http://www.knowable.com/a/27-rarely-known-facts-about-music-and-the-music-industry Elizabeth Kolbert's article on 'Why Facts Don't Change Our Minds' can be found at: www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/27/why-facts-dont-change-our-minds And Christian Jarrett's blog on how we recall Tweets can be found at: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2016/03/29/did-you-really-understand-that-post-you-just-retweeted/ Incidentally, you should all follow Christian Jarrett on Twitter @psych_writer

What does a facilitator actually do? Who needs one? And what on Earth is an unconference?

In this week’s GoodPractice podcast, Justin Anderson and Owen Ferguson are joined by ‘Delightful Goddess’ ™ Julie Drybrough, director of Fuchsia Blue, founder of the Facilitator Shindig and unconference organiser, to answer these questions and more.

If you have any thoughts on the show, you can tweet us @WriterJustin, @owenferguson, and @fuchsia_blue.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you want to find out more about some of the things we discussed, links are below:

L&D Connect are on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LnDConnect and have their own website: https://ldconnect.wordpress.com/

The article Julie mentions about ‘Contagion in banks’ is here: http://www.thenetworkthinkers.com/2009/02/contagion-amongst-banks.html?m=1

If 2016 saw learning and development professionals gushing about the potential of virtual reality, then 2017 has seen them start to test those ideas. But where does it work well and what are the barriers to us all creating VR content?

On this week's episode of the GoodPractice podcast: Owen and Ross are joined by Marco Faccini from Immerse Learning, one of the few companies actively pursuing VR's potential for learning.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @owenferguson, and @marcoable.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

Immerse Learning can be found at www.immerselearning.com.

If you want to find out more the blogs and articles we referenced, you can find a complete list below:

Stanley Grauman Weinbaum's 'Pygmalion's Spectacles', a short story from his collection A Martian Odyssey and Others, is available for free at http://www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=4543.

The New York Times' 360 Video series is available from their website at https://www.nytimes.com/video/360-video.

The Fourth Transformation, by Robert Scoble and Shel Israel, is available from Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-Transformation-Artificial-Intelligence-Everything-ebook/dp/B01M5JKW3Z.

Daniel Kahneman's response to priming experiments can be found at https://replicationindex.wordpress.com/2017/02/02/reconstruction-of-a-train-wreck-how-priming-research-went-of-the-rails/comment-page-1/#comment-1454.

The Fourth Transformation

We often hear that millennials are changing the workplace, but are they really so different from their older colleagues and how should L&D professionals respond to this challenge if so?

This week on the GoodPractice podcast: Peter, James, Ross and Grant share their views on generational differences and the difficulties of using labels to describe people.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @petercasebow, @jamesmcluckie and @grantjgarner.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you want to find out more the blogs and articles we referenced, you can find a complete list below:

David Attenborough, Life On Air: https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Life-Air-David-Attenborough/1849900019

Donald Norman, The Design of Everyday Things: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-Everyday-Things-revised-expanded/dp/0262525674

Hans Rosling, The Best Stats You've Ever Seen: https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen

Hans Rosling: Don't use news media to understand the world: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYnpJGaMiXo

The Design of Everyday Things (The MIT Press)

Ten years after the introduction of the iconic iPhone, how are our lives different? Where is mobile learning today and where does it have the potential to go? Is “mobile learning” even the right term for what smartphones do for us?

This week on the GoodPractice podcast: Justin, Owen and Jonny discuss whether our digital slaves will continue to revolutionise our lives or leave us all completely useless idiots after the inevitable apocalypse - countered by our usual “What I learned this week” feature!

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @writerjustin, @owenferguson and @biofractal.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you want to find out more about the articles and the company we discuss, you can find them below:

Betsy Sparrow, Jenny Liu and Daniel M. Wegner, “Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips”

Nick Shackleton-Jones, “Post-learning: what to do now learning is dead.”

Immerse Learning

What is the purpose of compliance training? Do we want to protect our organisations from litigation, or do we actually want to make life better for our colleagues? Are those two ideas compatible?

This week on the GoodPractice podcast: Owen and Ross are joined by Sukh Pabial, Head of Organisational Development at One Housing, to discuss a smarter approach to compliance training.

We'll also be sharing our top learning from the past week and discuss building empathy into compliance training.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @owenferguson and @SukhPabial.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus.

If you want to find out more the blogs and articles we referenced, you can find a complete list below:

Carol Dweck, 'Growth mindset is on a firm foundation, but we’re still building the house' (18 January 2017).

Jon Henley, 'Deciphering Article 50 - Brexit means... podcast' (20 December 2016).

Steven Johnson, 'The Ghost Map: A Street, an Epidemic and the Hidden Power of Urban Networks'. Available from Amazon.

Simon Winchester, 'The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A Tale of Murder, Madness and the Oxford English Dictionary'. Available from Amazon.

The Ghost Map: A Street, an Epidemic and the Hidden Power of Urban Networks.

This week on the GoodPractice podcast: Owen, James and Ross preview the Learning Technologies 2017 conference, taking place on February 1 and 2 at London's Olympia venue. Who are we looking forward to hearing at the conference and what do we hope to see at the exhibition?

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @owenferguson and @jamesmcluckie. You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus. You can find out more about GoodPractice by visiting our website: goodpractice.com, or by visiting stand M5 at the conference.

If you want to find out more the blogs, articles and events we referenced, you can find a complete list below:

LearnPatch, 'Two barcamps for Learning Technologies 2017'

Owen Ferguson, 'Healthy scepticism' (24 January 2017).

Stef Scott, 'Top Tips for Learning Technologies 2017' (16 January 2017).

Stef Scott, 'Recommendations for Learning Technologies 2017 - Part 1' (19 January 2017).

Stef Scott, 'Recommendations for Learning Technologies 2017 - Part 2' (23 January 2017).

Jesse Singal, 'Is Mindset Theory Really In Trouble?' (18 January 2017).

Oscar Williams, '3D TV Might Finally Be Dead As LG And Sony Pull Support' (20 January 2017).

This week on the GoodPractice podcast: Owen, James and Ross discuss 'micro learning'. According to Donald Taylor's 2016 L&D Global Sentiment Survey, micro learning was set to be a hot topic over the past year. But has it had an impact on our industry or is it just another in a long line of fads?

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @owenferguson and @jamesmcluckie. You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus. You can find out more about GoodPractice by visiting our website: goodpractice.com.

This week, the following blogs and articles were referenced: Tom Chivers, 'A Mindset "Revolution" Sweeping Britain's Classrooms May Be Based On Shaky Science' (14 January 2017). Available at: https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomchivers/what-is-your-mindset?utm_term=.xpD1GPpGAv#.oo6nXaoXqA Donald Clarke, 'Micro-learning: trend, fad or retred?' (1 February 2016). Available at: http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=micro+learning Donald Taylor, 'Micro learning: Advance or fantasy?' (6 January 2017). Available at: href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/micro-learning-advance-fantasy-donald-h-taylor?published=t Will Thalheimer, 'Definition of MicroLearning' (13 January 2017). Available at: http://www.willatworklearning.com/2017/01/definition-of-microlearning.html With apologies to all the dietitians out there, who Owen referred to as 'nutritionists'.

On this week's episode of the podcast, Ross Dickie is joined by Peter Casebow and Owen Ferguson for a prospective look at 2017. What will be this year's big trends, and what will be happening at GoodPractice in the next twelve months?

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @petercasebow, @owenferguson or @ross__dickie.

You can also get in touch by tweeting @GoodPractice or by visiting our website, goodpractice.com.

The CIPD report on performance management can be found here. You can also find Owen's roast potato recipe on the Serious Eats website.

In this GoodPractice Holiday Special, team members Justin, Peter, Owen, Stef and Ross (G) share their L&D Christmas wishes. We have plenty to say about curiosity, generosity, humour and relationships, but what would you wish for in your role this Christmas?

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @owenferguson, @petercasebow, @Stefania_Scott and @WriterJustin.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or @GoodpracticeAus, and can find out more at goodpractice.com.

Music this week from http://www.freesfx.co.uk.

This week: GoodPractice team members Ross, Owen and James play a round of 'Room 101'. What aspects of the L&D industry do they want to see consigned to the Room's darkest depths?

Professional actors, sporting analogies and visionary thought leaders should all run for cover.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @owenferguson and @jamesmcluckie.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or get in touch through goodpractice.com.

Music this week was produced by bilwiss and used under Creative Commons.

This week: Ross, Owen and Peter from the GoodPractice team discuss our latest research into the online habits of UK managers.

We look at how managers respond to workplace management challenges, how online solutions compare to offline help, and why social networks really haven't caught on as a tool for solving problems.

You can download the report from our website: http://www.goodpractice.com/ld-resources/google-it-the-secret-online-lives-of-uk-managers/

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @owenferguson and @petercasebow.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or get in touch through goodpractice.com.

If you'd like to find out more about Owen's Amazon AI reference, you can visit this link: https://aws.amazon.com/amazon-ai/

The Broadband Commission for Digital Development's 2015 report on worldwide internet access is here: http://www.broadbandcommission.org/Documents/reports/bb-annualreport2015.pdf

In this week's podcast, Ross Dickie is joined by Peter Casebow and Justin Anderson to discuss steps organisations can take to get the most out of internships and work experience.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @petercasebow, @WriterJustin and @ross__dickie.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or get in touch through goodpractice.com.

As teams become more dispersed, and communication technology gets better, the need to work in the same physical space as colleagues has decreased.

This week: Ross, Owen and Jonny from the GoodPractice team are joined by L&D consultant Niall Gavin to share their experiences of working from home, and to discuss the steps that organisations can take to support remote workers.

If you want to share your thoughts on L&D mistakes or anything else discussed on the show, you can tweet @owenferguson, @biofractal or @rossgarnergp. You can get in touch with Niall at @niallgavinuk.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or visit goodpractice.com.

If you want to be at our research launch in London on November 24th, to hear Owen introduce our latest paper on the online learning behaviour of managers, you can read more and sign up here.

In this week's podcast, Owen Ferguson, Peter Casebow and Justin Anderson discuss classic L&D mistakes.

L&D is a challenging profession, but are there persistent errors the industry needs to address, and if so, why do they persist? Are there any mistakes specific to L&D, or are they just normal, human errors manifested in an L&D environment?

If you want to share your thoughts on L&D mistakes or anything else discussed on the show, you can tweet @owenferguson, @petercasebow or @writerjustin.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or visit goodpractice.com.

If you want to be at our research launch in London on November 24th, to hear Owen introduce our latest paper on the online learning behaviour of managers, you can read more and sign up here.

In this week's episode, Ross Dickie is joined by Cat MacLeod and Justin Anderson to discuss the challenges they've faced in creating animated videos for the GoodPractice toolkit.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @CatGoodPractice, @WriterJustin or @ross__dickie. You can also tweet @GoodPractice or get in touch at goodpractice.com.

You can view Justin's video, 'Virtually Perfect Meetings' by clicking here.

In this week's podcast, Justin Anderson is joined by Owen Ferguson and James McLuckie to discuss face-to-face training, and whether it is still relevant in modern L&D. Will it survive? Should it survive; and if so, in what format?

Owen and James also discuss their thoughts on what the future might hold for L&D, with suggestions for what L&D professionals should be doing to evolve with technology.

If you want to share your thoughts on the future of L&D or anything else discussed on the show, you can tweet @owenferguson, @jamesmcluckie or @writerjustin.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or visit goodpractice.com.

In this week's episode of the podcast, Ross Dickie is joined by COO Owen Ferguson and Content Marketing Manager Stef Scott to discuss the second edition of our research paper, New Perspectives on 70:20:10.

As well as providing an overview of the research, Owen and Stef offer some practical tips for applying 70:20:10 to organisational learning.

If you'd like to download a copy of the report, you can do so by visiting the GoodPractice website.

You can also share your thoughts with us by tweeting @owenferguson, @Stefania_Scott or @ross__dickie.

The study Owen referred to in his contribution to 'What I Learned This Week' can be found here.

Artificial Intelligence is already creeping into our workplace and homes through Google search, smartphones and the new Amazon Echo. But what happens to us when it starts to perform our jobs?

This week on the GoodPractice podcast, the CIPD's David D'Souza joins Owen Ferguson, Jonny Anderson and Ross Garner from GoodPractice to discuss the future of work.

Should we embrace AI or fight against it? Will we even need to work in the future?

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can get in touch with us on Twitter at @dds180, @owenferguson, @biofractal and @RossGarnerGP.

You can also tweet at @GoodPractice or visit www.goodpractice.com.

The e-learning industry often suffers from a negative reputation, but why is that and what can we do to change it?

On this week's episode of the GoodPractice Podcast, James and Ross are joined by Fiona Quigley from Logicearth to discuss the current state of e-elearning - as well as the tools and techniques we are looking forward to using in the coming months.

If you'd like to get in touch with us about this episode, you can tweet @RossGarnerGP, @JamesMcLuckie or @FionaQuigs.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or visit www.goodpractice.com.

Logicearth can be found at www.logicearth.com.

The game Ross recommend, Reigns, is available via the App Store.

What are the benefits of belonging to a 'community of practice', and what can you learn by sharing your work with colleagues?

This week on the podcast, Ross Garner is joined by James McLuckie and Ross Dickie to discuss these questions in light of the recent eLearning Network event in Glasgow.

If you'd like to get in touch with us about this episode, you can tweet @RossGarnerGP, @JamesMcLuckie or @ross__dickie

You can also find us @GoodPractice or visit www.goodpractice.com.

This week on the show we're evaluating the performance of our learning interventions. How do we know we've been successful? What do we do if we've failed? How do we overcome our fear of finding out which is the case?

If you'd like to speak to any of us about the things we've discussed on this episode, you can tweet @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson or @AndrewMcGlyn

You can also find us @GoodPractice or visit www.goodpractice.com.

The word 'agile' is tagged on to just about everything these days, but what does it actually mean?

This week, Ross Dickie is joined by Owen Ferguson and Jonny Anderson to discuss the principles of agile project management and how it can be applied in organisations.

Want to ask us a question about agile? Then feel free to tweet us @owenferguson, @biofractal or @ross__dickie .

You can also find us @GoodPractice or visit www.goodpractice.com.

This week the GoodPractice team break open the dark art of Learning Needs Analysis. What is it? How do you do it? And where do you need to just get out of the way?

Then: spell-checking goofs, the political impact of broadband, and Ross' irrational hatred of Jeremy Corbyn.

And finally, what do we do for our own CPD?

Want to share your thoughts on the show? Then feel free to tweet us @owenferguson, @AMcGlynGP or@RossGarnerGP.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or visit www.goodpractice.com.

To read Owen's blog on Learning Needs Analysis, visit: http://www.goodpractice.com/blog/items/learning-needs-analysis-some-useful-techniques

For Fiona McBride's blog on her PLN, see: https://fionamcbride.com/fiona-mcbrides-pln/

When senior executives ask you to provide training, do you take a note of what they want or challenge them to define the problem? In this week's episode of the GoodPractice Podcast, Australian learning performance architect Con Sotidis joins GoodPractice CEO Peter Casebow to discuss the new role of L&D professionals.

We'll be speaking about asking difficult questions, building credibility, and what to do when 'training' isn't the answer.

Then, in part two, we discuss Con's technique for smart curation. If we're all going to act as curators, both personally and professionally, how do we make sure our content is reliable?

Want to share your thoughts on the show? Then feel free to tweet us @petercasebow, @LearnKotch or @RossGarnerGP.

You can also find us @GoodPractice or visit www.goodpractice.com.

For links to our 'What I Learned This Week' topics, see below:

New Roles for L&D: The Reality of 70:20:10 - http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/develop/talent/new-roles-for-ld-the-reality-of-702010.

How Twitter Users Can Generate Better Ideas - http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-twitter-users-can-generate-better-ideas/.

Pokémon GO is a cultural phenomenon. In the space of less than a month, the app has been downloaded more than 100 million times. But what is the secret to its success, and what lessons does it hold for those in the L&D industry?

This week on the podcast, Ross Dickie is joined by Owen Ferguson and Ross Garner to discuss the role augmented reality and gamification can play in the development of learning resources.

Want to share your thoughts on the show? Then feel free to tweet us @owenferguson, @RossGarnerGP or @ross__dickie .

You can also find us @GoodPractice or visit http://www.goodpractice.com/home/

This week, Cat MacLeod is joined by Owen Ferguson and Justin Anderson to discuss ways of overcoming a fear of failure.

There's also the return of 'What I learned this week', as well as some useful tips on how to recover from a mistake.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can get in touch with us on Twitter: @CatGoodPractice @owenferguson, and @WriterJustin .

You can also tweet at @GoodPractice or visit http://www.goodpractice.com/home/

This week, Justin Anderson is joined by James McLuckie and Andrew McGlyn to discuss ways of driving engagement with L&D resources. They also offer some useful tips on how to break the ice when networking.

Want to share your thoughts on the show? Then find us on Twitter: @JamesMcLuckie, @amcglynGP or @WriterJustin .

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or visit http://www.goodpractice.com/home/

This week, Marketing Manager Paul Gray and Online Instructional Designer Ross Garner speak to Ross Dickie about the lessons L&D can learn from the world of marketing.

There's also the return of our feature 'What I learned this week', followed by some practical tips for developing your personal brand.

If you have any thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @paullyv71, @RossGarnerGP and @ross__dickie .

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or visit http://www.goodpractice.com/home/

This week, three GoodPractice team members who have worked here for 10 years or more share their thoughts on how the company - and their roles - have changed.

How has the culture changed as the company has grown? How have they handled the challenges and opportunities that changing technology has presented?

If you want to get in touch with any of us, you can find us on Twitter: @OwenFerguson, @CatGoodPractice, @BlueLee75 and @RossGarnerGP.

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or visit http://www.goodpractice.com/home/

No matter what your role is, you're probably going to need to write eventually. And whether it's an email, performance review or year-end report, communicating clearly should be your goal. In this week's episode of the GoodPractice Podcast, writers Justin Anderson, Ross Dickie and Ross Garner have gathered round their microphones to share their tips for improving your writing.

If you'd like some more advice, then check out this blog post Justin wrote for the GoodPractice website: http://www.goodpractice.com/blog/items/write-right-learn-to-write-like-a-pro/

Want to share your thoughts on the show? Then get in touch with us on Twitter: @RossGarnerGP, @WriterJustin and @ross__dickie

You can also tweet @GoodPractice or visit http://www.goodpractice.com/home/

This week, Owen, Ross and Justin sit down to discuss the latest GoodPractice report: 'Inside the Heads of UK Managers'.

If you have any comments on the report, you can get in touch with us on Twitter: @owenferguson, @RossGarnerGP and @WriterJustin

You can also tweet at @GoodPractice or visit http://www.goodpractice.com/home/

In this third episode of the GoodPractice podcast, Craig Taylor of HT2 joins Owen and Ross to share his experiences of setting up and running Massive Online Open Courses, as well as the results of experiments that his team have run on how to make them more effective.

More details on some of the topics covered can be found in these links:

MOOCs: the C* word is the problem!

I’ll tell you when I’m done On MOOCs, completion rates and The Wire

MOOC Completion Rates: The Data

You can get in touch with us on Twitter: @craigtaylor74, @owenferguson and @rossgarner.

You can also tweet at @GoodPractice or visit http://www.goodpractice.com/home/

In the second episode of the GoodPractice podcast, Owen and James share their thoughts on the CIPD L&D Show 2016. They also offer some practical tips on how to make the most of a conference experience.

Has Learning & Development had it’s day? Or can it adapt to fit the needs of modern organisations? In this first episode of our podcast, GoodPractice’s Owen, James and Ross have gathered round the microphones to give their prognosis. Also this week, we discuss neuroscience. Is it the panacea that it’s claimed to be?