The Mindtools L&D Podcast

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

Zahra Clarke-Johnney, Sami Chan, and Nahdia Khan discuss forging a career in L&D. They talk about varied paths to L&D, finding inspiration, overcoming challenges, starting a career in L&D, remote learning and hybrid working, interesting facts about Yuri Gagarin and adulterated food, appreciating small victories, binge-watching Fargo, and casual conversation on TV series, learning, and gratitude.

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!