The Learning & Development Podcast

Ross Stevenson, technology expert and AI enthusiast, discusses the potential of ChatGPT in L&D. Topics include turbocharging efficiency, being a research assistant, custom generative AI systems, using it as an educational tool, and enhancing data analysis with Microsoft Co-Pilot.

The latest CIPD report on the Learning & Development profession is both revealing and inspiring. L&D practitioners and leaders have had a huge amount to deal with, in recent years, with many using circumstances to make radical changes. For others, not so much. So, what does this all mean and what do we need to do about it? In this conversation, we unpack the report and highlight some key findings - as well as provide commentary and insight ourselves. KEY TAKEAWAYS The CIPD report seeks to uncover what´s changing, what´s new, and what is important for the L&D community. Despite challenges, the industry is optimistic. There is now more emphasis on digital. It will soon no longer be possible to recruit yourself out of the skills gap, a fact that is driving businesses to invest in training their personnel. When it comes to organizational priorities and alignment there has been some slippage. Learner time constraints and a lack of engagement are still issues. Line managers are still not playing a key role in learning. Ongoing learning, reflection, and adaptation are all essential. 57% of L&D professionals seek to understand performance issues before recommending a solution. Zoom out on the data to get the bigger picture. Use the report to look at things through a different lens and learn from it on a personal level. BEST MOMENTS 'Leaders recognize the value we have on organization priorities.' 'The hardest way to do L&D is to tell somebody a different way to do the job without understanding the job.' 'By increasing your value, you increase your currency.' VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/ Laura Overton Bio Laura Overton is an experienced international speaker, author, facilitator, and award-winning learning analyst dedicated to uncovering and sharing effective practices in learning innovation that lead to business value. Her work is based on 30 years of practical experience and a commitment to supporting evidence-based learning decisions and has shared her ideas as the author of over 40 reports and hundreds of articles over that time. As the founder of Towards Maturity, she is also known for leading the first 15 years of a longitudinal study program (2004 – February 2019) respected for uncovering and sharing learning strategies that lead to business success. You can follow and connect with Laura via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraoverton/ Twitter: @lauraoverton CIPD Learning at Work 2023 Report: https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/reports/learning-at-work/ ABOUT THE HOST David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/ Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/ L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/  

Since Shannon first appeared on the podcast in 2021, podcasting has grown exponentially into a mainstream channel for organisations and individuals. However, despite this growth, it is still a marginal tool in corporate learning and not fully embraced for its potential to make culture accessible and make exclusive conversations open for employees to hear. In this episode we address some of the challenges organisations face - and overcome - to make podcasting work for them. KEY TAKEAWAYS  There are about 5 million podcasts out there.   Over 460 million people regularly listen to one. Studies show that people absorb what they hear through audio. There is enormous potential for L&D teams to use podcasts in-house to help people learn from others and understand the diverse opportunities on offer in their organisation. Mapping out episodes in advance helps to keep things flowing in the right direction. Record at least 6 before you launch. The technical side of recording podcasts is not complicated, and it is not expensive. Sharing more about what is going on behind important decisions via internal podcasts improves transparency. Podcasts are evergreen but can also be recorded and sent out within an hour to address urgent issues. You need to know your audience and promote your podcast. BEST MOMENTS'Podcasts have the unique ability to allow the listener to multitask. ''At its very essence, it is learning from colleagues.''Understand your internal audience. ' Shannon Martin BioShannon is a podcast and communications specialist working with podcasters and organisations to share their message and make the best possible impact. Shannon has worked with creators of all types and sizes in creating and growing their podcasts. This experience has led to helping companies/brands develop the best possible podcasts for their goals, both for external and internal audiences. Having worked on the platform side at Podbean Shannon is now in production, strategy, and growth with Lower Street.You can follow and connect with Shannon via:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannonmartinwrites/ VALUABLE RESOURCESThe Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/ ABOUT THE HOSTDavid James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

As organisations face disruption from digital advancements, a parallel skills shortage is being experienced in the labour market. In the face of these two challenges, Learning & Development teams are seeking ways to make a predictable and reliable impact on developing their people. In this episode, we explore what Aviva is doing to upskill and re-skill in digital skills to ensure the company thrives in the future. KEY TAKEAWAYS  All 22,000 colleagues at Aviva have access to learning, so they can perform at their best and develop their careers. Take a collaborative approach, consult the experts in your business and understand what your learners want to achieve. Start small to learn what works for your organisation. Initially, focus on a few roles. Take a multi-prong approach, provide the learning in a range of formats. Once you have identified what works best you can potentially dispense with some programmes. Some people are resistant to being educated about digital tools. One-hour immersion sessions are a good way to ignite interest and overcome this reticence. Make sure that those who engage in the learning process can actually progress in their careers. BEST MOMENTS'Learning for the future is where we're really focused right now. ''Our digital boot camps are split into two different sectors – software engineering and product.''Start with a handful of roles, ' ABOUT THE GUESTSarah Allen BioSarah is Head of Learning at Aviva and previously Head of Learning, Talent & Leadership for AXA UK, having risen through the ranks of the L&D team at AXA Investment Managers.You can follow and connect with Sarah via:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahnelsonallen/ Molly Howes BioMolly is Foundry Project Lead at Aviva having joined the company in 2015 and transitioned into roles including Team Leader and Digital Product Owner. The Aviva Foundry is a learning community, developing the knowledge and skills Aviva needs to succeed in an increasingly digitised world. You can follow and connect with Molly via:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-howes-3a76a71b2/details/experience/ EPISODE RESOURCESUK Skill Gap Report - https://industrialstrategycouncil.org/sites/default/files/attachments/Rising%20to%20the%20UK%27s%20skills%20challenges.pdfhttps://decoded.com/ VALUABLE RESOURCESThe Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/ ABOUT THE HOSTDavid James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

In this episode, Bonnie Beresford discusses the concept of business impact in Learning & Development. She emphasizes the importance of aligning learning with business goals and effectively measuring learning effectiveness. The podcast also explores the role of measurement in driving alignment, the challenges of measuring impact, and the importance of addressing critical failures within an organization. Bonnie shares valuable resources for further learning and provides advice on using logic models and performance consulting.

If L&D can’t influence or change behaviour, then we need to ask ourselves “What are we for?” Similarly, if we can’t measure whether behaviour change has occurred then our position should be precarious. In this episode, Laura Paramoure tackles this topic head-on to make it measuring behaviour change accessible and attainable. KEY TAKEAWAYS Giving knowledge to an employee doesn't make any difference unless they apply it in their job. Learning courses are instruments for change. The established measures of learning - attendance, completion, and satisfaction are not sufficient. Measurement needs to be built into the learning. Think of behaviours as standards you want people to meet, so you can measure the level of change. Before designing a course, check if people already have that skill or not. Often, they will but may not know how to apply it. In that case, bridging the application gap is what your course needs to address. Behaviour change has to be measured on the job. Tell people that you will be measuring the impact of the course and will be doing so repeatedly and share that data with them. You must have firm data to use. Labour shortages mean L&D is needed more than ever, but you´ll only keep your job if you can demonstrate that your learning courses are effective. BEST MOMENTS 'It's very important for L&D to understand that behaviour change is the goal. Without this, nothing changes ' 'The before-state and after-state verify our instructional design.' 'They can argue with you all day long, but they cannot argue with the data.' 'It's really simple, but we've not held ourselves accountable for doing it.' Laura Paramoure Bio Laura Paramoure, EdD, has 25 years of experience in performance improvement, training design, and evaluation. She is the author of ROI by Design™ (2014) and a featured speaker on the topic of return on investment for training organizations. Her private sector experience includes Director of Training and Development with Parata Systems where she was responsible for the establishment and deployment of both domestic and international training. She is currently the CEO of eParamus, a company which helps organizations of all types and sizes optimize and verify the impact of their training programs. You can follow and connect with Laura via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-paramoure/ Website: https://www.eparamus.com VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/ ABOUT THE HOST David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/ Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/ L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/  

We kick off our mini-series on Measuring Impact with Kevin answering questions about how we plan to make a measurable difference rather than leaving it to chance or trying to retrospectively seek value once we’ve delivered an agreed - if not largely hopeful - solution. KEY TAKEAWAYS  Start with the end in mind. Intentionally align to the performance requirements that help organisations achieve goals, Don´t measure too many things. One person in the team needs to be assigned to focus on measuring impact. Measuring impact means measuring performance, how effectively people are working, and how that affects business outcomes. Several examples are shared during the episode. There will be times when you cannot measure the impact. Go in with a performance mindset, not just an L&D one. Be realistic about what can be achieved and measured. BEST MOMENTS'If your first discussion with business partners and stakeholders is about training, it's more than likely that you are headed in the wrong direction for alignment. ''In essence, you're then seeing yourself as a performance consultant first, and an l&d practitioner second,''When I talk about performance, I'm talking about skills, capability, talent, behaviour, and actions. ''Training and learning will not do it alone. ' Kevin M.Yates BioKevin is the Learning & Development detective, solving the mystery: “What is the impact of learning?” He does this by investigating how learning activates performance and business goals. He is also author of the eBook, 𝘓&𝘋 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, in which he shares the secrets to his success. for investigating and measuring impact. You can follow and connect with Kevin via:Twitter: @KevinMYatesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmyates/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevmyates/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevmyates/Website: https://kevinmyates.com/ VALUABLE RESOURCESThe Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/ ABOUT THE HOSTDavid James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

We’ve both been in Learning & Development (or Training, as it was known) since the 1990s. It seems that so much has changed and yet so much remains the same. I.e., Classroom training was the primary means of development, tech was emerging but seen as supplementary (and perhaps inferior), and we struggled to demonstrate our value beyond attendance and satisfaction. And yet the nature of work has evolved, technology has advanced enormously, employee expectations have shifted, and work patterns are more flexible. So how has the nature of leading L&D changed and what’s the key to successfully evolving? KEY TAKEAWAYS  Cultural intelligence has become increasingly important for L&D. Blended learning provided with context is greatly improving effectiveness. Identifying the goal and how it will be measured is important, but the measurement needs to be simple. L&D needs to be an integral part of the team. Simulations are proven to be effective in teaching complex skills. AI could be used to generate different scenarios, for people to respond to and test their skills so they can gain confidence. Proving tech before it is rolled out is essential. BEST MOMENTS'We tend to be an industry that moves pretty fast, sometimes too fast. ''Drill down and say what are the real skills and behaviours that are the difference between normal performance and really high performance.''We've seen a huge opportunity with chat GPT now and generative AI in order to plug some of the gaps.' ABOUT THE GUESTJohn Tomlinson BioJohn is Head of Learning & Development at the UK Foreign Office as well as the host of the Trainer Tools podcast, a writer, and a conference speaker. John is also a qualified coach and has extensive experience in leadership development, change management, and partnering with senior leaders to develop and deliver L&D strategies. GUEST RESOURCESYou can follow John via:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johntomlinson/Twitter: @JohnRTomlinsonPodcast: https://trainertools.podbean.com VALUABLE RESOURCESThe Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/ ABOUT THE HOSTDavid James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

Have you ever wanted to hear learning experts with different views explore ways in which they disagree? Respectfully, of course.Well, this is our opportunity to listen in on a couple of L&D titans as they debate.Enjoy Guy Wallace and Nick Shackleton-Jones as they discuss and debate the differences in their opinions and approaches in response to questions posed by Gabrielle Bayme and moderated by David James. KEY TAKEAWAYS L&D can´t be all fun and games. It also needs a challenge. Changing someone's performance is not always about learning, other resources need to be used too. Providing effective guidance means you do not need such a highly skilled workforce. People need context, show them how to apply what they learn to their job. BEST MOMENTS'Effortable learning is critical.''Your analysis has to look at the entire context. ''We've got to start whitewashing the problem. ' VALUABLE RESOURCESThe Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/ ABOUT THE GUESTSGabrielle Bayme BioGabrielle is Chief Learning Officer at the New York City Mayor's Office of Management and Budget and a forward-thinking Learning and Development leader with 20+ years of experience of designing, facilitating, and managing learning programs throughout the entire learning lifecycle and building innovative learning solutions from the ground up. A lifelong learner and promoter of emerging best practices, cutting-edge tools and techniques, and performance consulting approaches. Gabrielle is passionate about helping organisations and other talent development professionals make the shift from "training" to "performance" believing that learning solutions should focus on practice over content and should have a measurable impact on the work itself. You can follow Gabrielle via:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielle-bayme/ Nick Shackleton-Jones BioNick is a genuine thought leader in Learning & Development, responsible for coining the ‘courses to resources’ shift and the effective context model of learning. He began his professional life as a psychology lecturer and went on to lead learning functions at Siemens, BBC & BP. He’s now a consultant and author of ‘How People Learn’ (Kogan Page, May 2019) as well as winning several awards for people development strategy, innovation, and learning content, including the Learning & Performance Institute’s Award for Services to the Learning Industry, 2017. You can follow and contact Nick via:Twitter: @shackletonjonesLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shackletonjones/How People Learn: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-People-Learn-Designing-Performance/dp/0749484705 Guy Wallace BioGuy is a Performance Analyst and Instructional Architect and has been designing and developing Instruction/ Training/ Learning and Performance Support content for Enterprise Learning and business-critical target audiences since 1979. In 2010 he was the recipient of ISPI’s Highest Award, approved by two successive Boards of Directors, Honorary Life Member, for his contributions to the technology of Performance Improvement, and his contributions to the Society.You can follow and connect with Guy via:Twitter: https://twitter.com/guywwallaceLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guywwallace/Website: https://eppic.biz/ ABOUT THE HOSTDavid James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/ Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/ L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/

What does a pivot to performance-oriented L&D look like in a fast-paced high street environment? In this episode, Lila Warren, Global Head of Retail Academy at Pret a Manger, shares her motivations and approaches to affecting performance with learning solutions designed to make a meaningful impact. KEY TAKEAWAYS  L&D should be seen as the experts, somewhere people automatically turn to solve problems. Be relentless about understanding the problem you are solving. If people have not actually used what you taught them 9 months before they have probably forgotten it. Learning needs to be delivered at the point of need. Often, on the job itself. Identify who is going to support the learner when they are doing their job, they will be the ones who can see if the training works.  L&D needs to step into the world of those they are seeking to influence rather than expecting people to step into the world of learning. Training does not have to be a course; it could be a list of resources or a simple memo or short video to remind people of how to deal with an issue or do something.  There is a lot more to development than learning. To solve the problem, you need to collaborate with other departments. BEST MOMENTS'The point of need is extremely important.''The intervention on the reinforcement of learning isn't necessarily with the training department. ''It's you going forward and say, I've noticed that we have a problem with that. And I think we can help.''The trick is to be completely consistent with your approach.' VALUABLE RESOURCESThe Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/ ABOUT THE GUESTLila Warren BioLila is Global Head of Retail Academy at Pret a Manger, a counsellor, and psychotherapist and makes it her goal to create and embed solutions that drive employee engagement and performance.David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/  L&D Collective: https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective/ Blog: https://360learning.com/blog/ L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home/