Learning While Working Podcast

About Ant PughAnt is a self-employed learning design consultant and instructional designer, with a career in learning and development spanning twenty years, with experience working in several continents, and global clients including ANZ, Westpac, Link Group, Microsoft and Carnival. He is renowned for using a performance-based approach to design training, passionate about implementing human-centred solutions to change behaviour, improve performance and deliver measurable business results.Key takeaways:The vast majority of learning is ineffective. Ant unpacks how a great learning designer questions everything and trusts their instincts. It’s very easy to just copy what others are doing, but if you ‘break out’ of the L&D world and review how else you learn in your day-to-day life, it’s easier to think outside of the box.Writing is a great way of teaching (and learning). From writing a daily email to his mailing list, Ant has become a better writer and has learnt a lot more about learning design. Find your medium where you can capture – or report – daily on what you have learnt or thought about to a community, no matter how small.Some of the biggest blockers for writing are not knowing who you are writing to and your mindset around writing. Ant has reframed what writing is to him – it’s about documenting, not creating content. This has been a powerful way to beat overwhelm for Ant, which enables him to write so frequently in a flow state. Focus on being a reporter rather than a leader or teacher, and simply share with others what has worked for you so far.Chapters:(00:00:00) Introduction.(00:02:26) How to become a better learning designer.(00:04:34) Ant’s strategy to seeing things differently.(00:07:10) How to move forward in new ways of thinking.(00:13:57) Why learning designers should write more.(00:17:41) Making the time to write daily and Ant’s writing process.(00:21:20) Some of the biggest blockers for writing – and how to overcome them.Links from the podcast:Subscribe to Ant’s daily newsletterConnect with Ant on LinkedInFind more about Ant PughCheck out GaryVee’s YouTube channel,Watch GaryVee’s ‘Document, Don’t Create’ video on youtubeWatch recording of Sprout Labs webinar ‘Creative thinking for learning designers’

About Dani JohnsonDani is the Co-founder and Principal Analyst for RedThread Research. Before starting RedThread, Dani led the Learning and Career research practice at Bersin, Deloitte. Her ideas can be found in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, CLO Magazine, HR Magazine, and Employment Relations. Dani holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Brigham Young University.Key TakeawaysRedThread's Next-gen Learning Method Report demonstrates that the ways people work are changing – and that the methods companies use to learn must keep pace with those changes. Their research shows that there are more than 60 methods that enable employee L&D, from the way employees consume information to how they can learn from one another.When it comes to analysing data, it’s important to be able to ‘sift through’ and identify actionable information. Dani gives a great example of benchmarking, and that it shouldn’t be a primary influence for an organisation, but a consideration. She also stresses the importance of being tech-agnostic.Dani also shares how skills development is important as L&D roles are becoming more central to organisations. The need for durable skills such as critical thinking, communication and leadership will be needed for such roles.Chapters:(00:00:00) Introduction.(00:01:50) Why RedThread produced the next generation learning report.(00:03:20) The RedThread Employee Development framework.(00:04:46) On how they conducted their research and what surprised them most from their findings.(00:07:54) Some key takeaways for L&D professionals.(00:11:56) Why L&D experts are making use of what they already have in organisations.(00:15:25) On the need for skills development.(00:17:10) The need for mindset shifts for L&D professionals.Links from the podcast:Connect with Dani on LinkedInFind more about RedThread ResearchCheck out RedThread’s Learning Methods Infographic

About Geoff RipGeoff Rip is the Founder and Principal Designer at Training That Works. He is a highly experienced and passionate learning professional with rich and diverse knowledge. He specialises in quality production of end to end learning, utilising social learning and technology, with a dedicated focus on increasing capability resulting in performance uplift.Key takeaways:Geoff’s methodology is 'performance first', meaning it is applicable if there is a performance need that requires a learning solution that is best met with a training program. It also starts with a clear picture of successful on-the-job performance. Two key models that are part of the methodology are the Training Effectiveness Equation (Formation x Transformation = Results) and the Ready-Set-Go-Show Model.Geoff shares his Six Lenses Evaluation Model:LENS 1 is Participation, which includes Attendance and Activity and is common to many other approaches to training evaluation.LENS 2 is Perceptions, i.e. participant reactions to the learning process in the READY and SET Phases, e.g. perceptions of psychological safety.LENS 3 is Realistic Performance. If we don't move people as closely as possible to workplace performance, the chances of them actually using their new knowledge and skills is significantly diminished.LENS 4 is Recall Performance. It relates to Imperative 1 in the GO Phase and is based on research into retrieval practice. Training designs that don't incorporate retrieval practice will inevitably be followed by a steep forgetting curve.LENS 5 is Real-world Performance. This relates to Imperative 2 in the GO Phase. There are three components (or levels): Perceptions, Process and Competence or Proficiency.LENS 6 is Performance Outcomes. This includes productivity measures and financial measures/metrics. It also includes ROI (as a financial measure).Geoff recommended a storytelling technique as participants find it easy to tell stories about application. A practical guide for storytelling is SHOW - Situation, How, Outcomes, and Wisdom. We need to evaluate real-world performance, even if it's only at the level of perception, and we need to treat this performance as a learning process.Chapters:(00:00:00) Introduction.(00:01:37) What most learning evaluation activities miss – and how Geoff designed a model to measure competency.(00:06:32) The three phases to Geoff’s evaluation model: Ready, Set, Go, Show.(00:11:00) Geoff’s approach to learning flow over using templates.(00:14:25) The Six Lenses Evaluation Model.(00:34:55) Measuring ROI on select parts of a learning process, as opposed to the entire process.(00:36:44) How to evaluate learning effectiveness by telling a story through the SHOW acronym.(00:38:12) Geoff’s key advice to improving your evaluation process.Links from the podcast  Connect with Geoff on LinkedInRead Geoff’s LinkedIn article on the Ready-Set-Go-Show for Effective TrainingRead Geoff’s LinkedIn article based on the podcast: Six Lenses Evaluation ModelBrowse the Learning Scientists websiteDownload Geoff's Six Lenses Evaluation Model

About Jeff KortenboshJeff has over 20 years of experience in Learning and Development, working for global organisations like Philips, AkzoNobel, and IKEA. He is currently working at de Volksbank. Jeff is the author of the acclaimed book ‘20 questions Learning and Development should ask before talking about training’, where he unpacks measurable performance and business outcomes and relevant solutions that go beyond training. He is also an illustrator of digital explainer visuals.Key takeaways:See if your client already has a solution in mind, to help identify what they really want. As the learning designer, give them space to articulate ideas and get a sense for how committed they are to those ideas.Consider reverse engineering exercises to help identify the bigger picture, and the tangible steps needed to get there. Jeff suggests asking questions such as ‘What does success look like?’.  And it’s okay if you clients don’t know what good looks like yet – just focus on getting the team together to work it out for themselves.It’s important to find the key learners to work with from the beginning of the training process, as it helps prevent potential pushback from employees. Jeff’s advice is to start small, for example seek the five key learners that you can begin working with, then build up from there.Chapters:(00:00:00) Introduction.(00:02:03) How Jeff’s 20 Questions training works.(00:05:59) The Parking Lot question.(00:09:11) Getting to the route answer by defining success.(00:13:06) Getting access to the right learners.(00:16:12) Jeff’s learning process of co-creation.(00:22:58) Jeff’s strategy for potential pushback from employees.Links from the podcast:Connect with Jeff on LinkedInRead the book  20 Questions Learning & Development should ask before talking about training!

About Warren Kennard    Warren Kennard is a globally connected higher education professional and reformer with extensive leadership experience across EdTech, strategy, marketing, business development and partnerships, principally in last-mile learning institutions positioned to scale.  He is currently Principal Consultant of Digital at Melbourne Business School.  Key takeaways:We are undergoing a rapid pace of change in society that demands certain skills. Transformation needs to happen within Higher Education to ensure that there isn’t  a broadening gap with market requirements. Higher Education needs to also review its own business models to keep up with the pace.The ‘disruptors’ of the traditional education model, such as tech boot camps, are offering training that is more practical and project-based. Consider ways to work together with these boot camps that provide such technical skills.Organisations and universities can leverage the future skills in workplaces by working together. Even though they operate very differently, hence the rise of third-parties like boot camps, it’s important to be patient, clear on each other’s expectations and establish a partnership of learning.Chapters:(00:00:00) Introduction.(00:01:56) Why Higher Education is rethinking the way its working with industries.(00:04:30) Working with the ‘disruptors’ of Higher Education.(00:07:27) Bootcamps versus university short courses.(00:15:00) Advice for organisations who are considering working with universities.(00:17:54) Innovation labs at universities.(00:20:15) Exploring the different learning styles across programs.(00:23:01) How would Warren like to see the development of future skills in workplaces.Links from the podcast  Connect with Warren Kennard on LinkedIn 

About Aman Ed    Aman Eid is a social neuroscientist of learning and an organisational designer concerned with how organisations transform via learning efforts. Coming from an interdisciplinary colourful background enabled Aman to have a unique approach to tackling the challenges facing organisations. In the last 14 years, Aman led and contributed to designing and redesigning 100s of learning journeys of agile teams, leadership communities, and organisational landscapes. For organisational reinventing to work, we need to reinvent the ways we learn together in organisations, and for organisational learning to work we need to reinvent the intentions of leading the learning efforts.Key takeaways:As many of us are reimagining the world of work, we also need to reimagine how we learn. Many of us have been caught up in the traditional way of working which focuses more on task mastery, neglecting the human side of work. Aman highlights that organisations are essentially “you and me” – a place where humans work together.We can learn from big tech companies when it comes to reimagining the future of work. As they are growing at an accelerated pace, we can quickly see what their success and failures are, and apply where needed to our workplace. A common weakness of big tech companies is their lack of hiring diverse talent, often due to their pace of hiring, so this helps us stick to the path of maintaining a diverse culture.L&D experts can help organisations reimagine learning by ensuring all employees have a platform to share their voices. By nurturing the “invisible leaders”, the key decision makers can then listen and be open to change.Chapters:(00:00:00) Introduction.(00:01:50) Why we need to reimagine organisational learning(00:04:25) Redefining work relationships(00:06:14) What we can learn from Big Tech companies, including their struggles(00:12:44) Bringing diverse talent to the organisational level(00:15:31) How an L&D expert can help facilitate the “invisible leaders”(00:20:32) Aman’s key advice with reimagining workplace learningLinks from the podcast:Connect with Aman Eid on LinkedInMore about Aman Eid

About Eva KeiffenheimEva Keiffenheim left teaching in Summer 2020 to become an EDUpreneur. Her life’s mission is to make education fairer and better for as many learners as possible. She is a writer, and helps research, consult, and implement education projects. She also co-founded Speed Up, Buddy!, an NGO to support first-gen students. She shares in her weekly newsletter of +3K subscribers, Learn Letter, where she shares useful tools and resources.Key takeaways:Eva shares the three things that organisations can do to help their employees become lifelong learners:Provide opportunities for continuous learning. This might be a formal learning pathway that is made up of courses or collections of resources. It could be structured stretch projects, peer groups or suggested workplace learning activities.Leverage from powerful technologies. Studies have shown low completion rates come from limited engagement, e.g. just watching videos, and there are plenty of EdTech solutions that help provide more active learning, for example Maven, a cohort-based course (CBC) platform. Ultimately, adopt technologies that can help facilitate ways of engagement, e.g. testing, leaderboards and immediate feedback.Make space and time to learn and practice. It helps learners get into the flow of absorbing information, and gets them out of the ‘content consumption’ trap. The main thing is to make sure that learners have enough time to repeatedly practice what they’re learning.The human brain’s ability to recall information diminishes, and it’s no flaw of human memory, so include this fact in your corporate learning designs. E.g. revisit the topics, don't just lecture!Good grades alone don't reflect acquired learning. Having just a visual dashboard and tracking time spent are not enough. Consider accountability systems and ways to embed motivation within your learning platform.Encourage learning exchange and the concept of learning in public through feedback and connections. For example, share your notes or internal blogging.Chapters:(00:00:00) Introduction.(00:02:50) The three things organisations can do to help their employees become lifelong learners(00:05:41) Why it’s important to schedule in time for learning(00:07:47) Key strategies to practise new skills in the corporate environment(00:09:12) Leveraging technology to acquire new skills(00:13:36) The role of dashboards and measuring real progress(00:20:28) How to make the most out of note taking(00:22:27) Applying cognitive science to your learning design(00:27:22) Eva’s key advice to L&D expertsLinks from the podcast:Connect with Eva on LinkedInEva’s WebsiteFollow Eva on MediumFind more about Roam Research  Read the book Make It StickRead the book Atomic HabitsDo a course on MavenDo the course Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects with Barbara Oakley

About Britt AndreattaBritt Andreatta is a thought leader who creates brain science-based solutions for today's challenges. As CEO of 7th Mind, Inc., Britt draws on her unique background in leadership, neuroscience, psychology, and learning to unlock the best in people and organizations.Former Chief Learning Officer for Lynda.com and Senior Learning Consultant for Global Leadership and Talent Development at LinkedIn, Britt is a seasoned professional with more than 25 years of experience.Key takeaways:The basal ganglia is a group of structures found deep within your brain. They are activated when you perform habits. This is “autopilot” mode, which helps enable you to do tasks quickly, accurately and without conscious thought.  A useful mindset as a learning designer is to think about design habits.The brain’s reward system is a powerful motivation for humans to complete tasks. As learning designers, it’s important to leverage this concept and implement cues within your learning design.Ensure you are fully analysing what needs to be done and how effective your learning material is. Don’t take clients' analysis at face value, so go back to square one and be clear on what the best solution is.You can apply brain-based strategies to both in-person and online environments. The main thing is giving the learners enough space and time to practise. Britt recommends simulations, role plays and virtual reality for this.Chapters:(00:00:00) Introduction.(00:01:50) The link between habits and workplace learning.(00:05:04) Integrating cues and rewards in learning design.(00:08:08) Brain-based strategies used for building habits.(00:11:10) The importance of analysing the full learning experience.(00:13:24) Strategies for digital learning.(00:16:25) When to consider using VR for learning.(00:21:16) Why learning designers don’t apply enough brain-based strategies.Links from the podcast:Connect with Britt on LinkedInBritt’s WebsiteRead the book ‘Wired To Grow’ by Britt AndreattaBooks and resources Brit recommended‘The Power of Habit’ by Charles Duhigg‘Make it Stick’ by Henry Roediger III, Mark McDaniel and Peter BrownNature Scientific American

About Kuva JacobsKuva is a Learning Design Strategist, Instructional Designer, and the Founding Director of Redpoint Consulting. Her passion for learning design seeded from a PhD in mathematics when she created visual, interactive, flash based modules that brought complex mathematical equations to life.Kuva’s focus is on improving the experience of the learner through interactivity, engagement and creative use of multimedia. She creates highly technical training materials right from the analysis phase through to design and delivery.Key takeaways:Constructivism is a theory that learners construct new understandings and knowledge – integrating with what they already know. Constructivism is the ‘Grandfather’ of human centred design. Constructivism and human centred design helped shift the learner to the centre of the learning experience.It’s important that learners design something for themselves for the product to work effectively. The use of virtual design sprints can help ensure the clients are engaged and involved along the process.Online whiteboards such as Miro enable online remote design sessions. Miro allows users to be all in one space, and you can organise and structure the information really well.Design thinking  gives you a closer connection to your learners. Be open to innovating in ways that suit your audience through working with key learners and identifying what people want to know.Chapters:(00:00:00) Introduction.(00:01:35) How Kuva came to use design thinking in her learning design practice.(00:08:06) A process for using virtual design sprints.(00:12:34) How Miro succeeds a lot more when used virtually than in-person.(00:15:00) Using a survey to gather opinions for the prototype.(00:16:48) Shifting to design thinking in learning projects – and learning from epic fails.(00:22:19) The importance of understanding your audience and identifying how they want to learn.(00:23:05) Advice to people about using design thinking.Links from the podcast:Connect with Kuva Jacobs on LinkedInRedpoint ConsultingRead Kuva's article on How I Applied Human Centred Design principles to Learning DesignMiro

About Trish UhlTrish works with learning & talent development professionals, people leaders, and other businesses executives on engineering dynamic ecosystems to equip and empower their people with data, analytics, and tech to enable the cultural transcendence necessary to power this kind of strategic change.Key TakeawaysOne thing L&D people get wrong when it comes to data is starting by looking at data. Instead, it should be more about starting with a business challenge or opportunity in mind—and then sourcing the data we need, whether it’s already available or needs to be generated or a combination thereof.It’s not about the learning function as much as it is about using data to generate the insights to drive the outcomes that allow others in the organisation to make better decisions.Data should be used to improve our processes. Data should allow us to expand our understanding and the context in which we’re using data to help us make more quality decisions.The whole point of evidence-based practice is to use the best quality data we have available, and this can include:DataOur judgment and expertiseStakeholder’s expertise, experience, and perspectiveScientific literature and academic researchThere are so many other data sources that we can use in addition to learning data, for example, Kirkpatrick’s four levels of evaluation or smile sheets. We can line those pieces up to be able to have a journey that actually helps us over time to drive outcomes.While financial performance has been a critical indicator of organisational success in capitalist countries, the performance metrics are changing as we move into a more sustainable business world.“Even though profit is important, it can’t be the sole focus anymore – it’s about people, the planet, and prosperity for all” – TrishUsing existing logic frameworks and measurement scales that have been academically vetted and rigorously tested in the field can help us collect data and reach conclusions faster.We should use existing logic frameworks to answer the big questions - there are proven ways to measure qualitative data such as employee engagement, culture, safety, leadership, and much more. We just need to become aware of what tools already exist and take advantage of their reliability.“It’s not just about the analyses, and it’s not just about playing with data. It’s also about being able to compel action. We need to take that analytical insight and actually compel action with that” – TrishLinks from the podcast:Connect with Trish Uhl on LinkedInTrish Uhl on LinktreeLearn more about Owl’s LedgeUtrecht Work Engagement Scale -  for reliable, validated instrument for measuring, monitoring, managing employee engagement