Future-Focused with Christopher Lind

Just because we work in the field of skills doesn’t mean we’re immune from having to develop our next generation of skills. If anything, there’s an even greater need to stay ahead of the curve to ensure we can keep pace with the rest of the organization. A quick Google search demonstrates there’s no shortage of blogs,  research articles, and graphics highlighting what skills we and others believe need to be developed. Unfortunately, too few provide broader context around the need to change and the barriers often contributing to the lack of desire for change. There’s also a particular nuance to what those new skills may look like depending on the role within an L&D function. After all, an  L&D professional isn’t universal. There’s a diverse portfolio of roles within the ever-expanding L&D function. In this Learning Tech Talks, I’m flying solo to talk about how the significant changes to business and technology directly impact our work and how those changes translate to the need to grow and evolve our existing skills. I’ll also address directly how some of the changes can be perceived as threats but better leverage the higher-order skills we enjoy.

YOU are more capable of acquiring skills and unlocking potential than you think you are. Can’t is a simple contraction I’m not very familiar with. One echo chamber  I’ve noticed lately is the confidence of individuals whom I surround myself with regarding their adaptability and learning. I believe this to be a positive thing, but I’m also aware of the blind spot in my perception as others around me may not have the confidence in themselves to learn and adapt to new skills. How, as learning leaders, do we identify and encourage confidence in learners to believe in themselves to acquire new skills regularly? Tomorrow on Learning Tech Talks, I’m joined by Rashim Mogha from Skillsoft to talk about confidence in learning and how a next-gen learning experience that is personalized, immersive, and accessible to anyone has the potential to transform the workforce faster and prepares today’s learners for the skills of tomorrow.

Does anyone think that it’s time to slowly retire the buzzword “Gamification” from the L&D industry?   Just to clarify, I’ve used this term liberally to describe organizations providing creative digital solutions in the enterprise learning space.   There are some fantastic products, AND some not so fantastic. Organizations that have created a sustainable competitive advantage are ones that don’t focus too heavily on virtual Band-Aids, but create a continual experimental, multiplatform solution to continually move forward and  produce results.   Effective progress comes from a change in our language to describe what is in front of us and not the same thing in a  repetitive echo chamber.   In this Learning Tech Talks, I’m joined by Dan White from Filament Games to talk about the value of staying curious as an educational game developer and how to create playful experiences that improve people’s lives and delivery through whatever medium is best.

Where is AI today and where is AI headed for the future? I think I speak for many that it's a word that has been absorbed into our vocabulary even though we don't all mean the same thing.   That leaves an opportunity for a continual dialogue regarding AI in the corporate space as definitions and applications vary greatly among different products and markets. Unfortunately, a lot of noise and blind ambition can have the ability to overshadow strong organizations with an impactful product that effectively creates change in the workplace with AI.    In this Learning Tech Talks, Kian Katanforoosh from Workera joins me again to go deeper into their AI solutions and provide clarity on the benefits and applications it has in a forward learning culture. We'll also get some Workera updates and talk about some of the successes and challenges that they’ve faced since we last talked and possibly where the future of AI is headed from the company’s perspective.

Where could your team be in a month if everyone improved every single week? I ask myself this question daily, and I’m constantly looking for ways to improve myself and others in a positive and uplifting way. As learning leaders, this task is often easier said than done, particularly at scale. There is an everyday sludge between you and the things you’re trying to do that makes this challenging. What are some ways that you remind yourself and others of the goals and changes you want to see? In this Learning Tech Talks, I’m talking with Leslie Caputo from Humu to learn how to move from intention to action and how ‘nudges’ build habits that help accomplish your most important goals and to develop the behaviors and skills proven to drive mission-critical outcomes.,

"Are we there yet?" A common question hurled aimlessly from the back seat of our family hauler once the excitement of a long journey has worn off and boredom has set in. It sometimes feels like we are in that part of the journey for AR/VR. The excitement is starting to fade, and the reality that we have a long way to go is making the progress we are experiencing today feel slow. I imagine people who saw the vision for the internet in the 90’s felt that too. On this Learning Tech Talks, I’m joined by Dr Alexander Young from Virti to talk about his journey as a surgeon, who encountered countless real-world high-pressure scenarios, and his vision to make those situations and others available to learners to best prepare for their roles using cognitive decision-making research combined with immersive video.

Does anyone remember taking a keyboarding class? Mavis Beacon and I go way back. Typing is a learned skill many developed in the classroom that allowed us to function as adults. However,  editing audio/video wasn’t something my generation was ever taught in school. There are technical aspects that my children know better than I  do. Given content creation plays a vital role in the workplace and as learning leaders, how are we making editing easy and accessible to everyone equally? In this Learning Tech Talks, I’m hanging out with Jeff Rozic from Descript to talk about how they're taking the technical aspects of a/v editing  and making it as simple as editing a Word document. All this to help content creators create faster with more professional results. As a user, I'm also excited to hear about their big update being released this week and hopefully get some details on their complete redesign.

In the last five seasons of the Premier Football League, there was an average of 2.74 goals scored per game. In a 90-minute match, teams grind for roughly 30  minutes before they accomplish their goal of getting the ball in the opponent's net. Everyone goes insane. Can you imagine having that kind of energy pouring into you and your team when you accomplish a goal? Maybe you can, but it’s just a matter of perspective.    In this Learning Tech Talks, I’m joined by Michael Kester from Lead Belay to talk about what it means to take leaders to a higher level of thinking and give them the keys to unlock their own confidence to lead while helping others climb to provide support, guidance, and feedback as they ascend.

How does your learning technology leverage your spatial cognitive ability to lead learners effectively? Problems surrounding spatial ability with regard to learning performance have been the focus of many learning technology debates over the years. However,  the conversation is almost exclusively centered around the learner with little attention given to leaders and instructors. There is an underlying expectation for leaders to inherently understand and be proficient with the tech that we are provided with. Spatial ability needs to be a two-way street for both the instructor and learner to provide sustainable learning in the #futurowork.    In this Learning Tech Talks, I'm excited to meet with Chris Olson from Class to hear more about some of the concerns and solutions for instructors as they seek to change the way the world learns and address some of the remaining band-aids from the pandemic and how to leverage existing tools to meet the needs of both the instructor and learner effectively and efficiently.

“Technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backward” – Aldous Huxley    I’ve often wondered about the rate of change with regards to learning technology and solutions. Somewhat analogous to Moore’s Law of Computing, ideally humans should have some formula that demonstrates how technology increases our ability to learn better and faster. With the advent of AI and data processing, the ability to consistently track learning programs should provide us with this information, and it is our duty as learning leaders to leverage that information for continual progress.    In this Learning Tech Talks, I’m catching up with my friend Judy Albers from Area9 Lyceum to talk about an academic approach to learning that is grounded in years of research enabling organizations to create a high-impact transformative learning experience that allows learners to achieve their full potential through a truly personalized experience.