

đ´236. The L&D Detective: Proving Your Workshop Works feat. Kevin Yates (Weekend Rewind)
Weâre all doing great work⌠but is it working? Today I chat with Kevin M. Yates, the global L&D detective who measures whether learning fulfills its purpose. He shows us how to move beyond smile sheets and activity metrics to evidence that behaviour changed and business goals budged.
What youâll learn
- North Star clarity: Define results up-front as âmeasurable activation of behaviour/performance that advances a business goal.â
- Discovery before delivery: How to run a pre-workshop âinvestigationâ with stakeholders (goals, performance requirements, gaps, risks, context).
- Performance gaps 101: Establish baselines â agree the âfromâtoâ shift â align measures.
- Fulfilment of purpose > âimpactâ: Avoid the buzzword. Get specific, intentional, and target-led.
- Useful post-workshop data: What to ask (and what to ditch) so your survey reveals actionsânot platitudes.
- Being brave + authentic: Kevinâs personal pivot on showing up as himself (on stage, online, and at work).
Try this â Detectiveâs Checklist
- Define the result (before design):
- Which business goal is at stake?
- Which behaviour(s) must change?
- Whatâs the baseline now? Whatâs the target after?
- Map the chain: Workshop â specific behaviour(s) â performance metric(s) â business goal.
- Co-own measures: With your sponsor, choose 1â3 leading indicators (behavioural) and 1â2 lagging indicators (business).
- Post-workshop, ask better questions (3â5 only):
- âWhich specific action from today will you do in the next 7 days?â
- âWhat could block you, and what support do you need?â
- âHow confident are you to perform X on the job (1â5)? What would raise that by one point?â
- âWhich metric/outcome will this action influence for your team?â
- âWhen will you do a quick check-in on progress (date)?â
- (Skip: food, room, generic âdid you like it?â)
- Follow-up cadence: 30/60/90-day nudges to capture evidence (manager confirmation, system data, quick self-report on behaviours used).
Nuggets I loved
- âNot easy â not possible.â
- Swap âimpactâ for âfulfilment of purpose.â
- Discovery conversations transform us from order-takers to performance consultants.
About Kevin
Kevin solves measurement mysteries for L&D, using facts, evidence, and data to show whether learning changed behaviour and moved business goals. Heâs worked globally for 20+ years and is affectionately known as âThe L&D Detective.â
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Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com
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