In a volatile, highly competitive business environment, organisations need to do more than just provide great customer service. They need to provide a great customer experience. But what exactly is CX and what does it mean for L&D?  This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen and River Island's Mike Collins to discuss how L&D can contribute to the customer experience. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie @owenferguson and @Community_Mike. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. You can watch the Jimmy Kimmel video Owen mentions on YouTube.  

Who do you turn to when you need to learn something new? The person sitting next to you? Your manager? A former colleague? By developing a Personal Learning Network (PLN), you can expand this list as wide as you like. On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, L&D consultant Fiona McBride joins Owen and Ross G to share her advice and experiences with her PLN. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @FionaMcBride. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. Fiona's website is fionamcbride.com. The book Ross referenced was Bowling Alone, by Robert Putnam, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bowling-Alone-Collapse-American-Community/dp/0743203046  The Brene Brown 'marble jar' story is online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6442YcvEUH8  If you want to talk to a random Swede, dial +46 771 793 336. Details are here: https://www.theswedishnumber.com/  The paper Owen discussed was: Whiten, A., Allan, G., Devlin, S., Kseib, N., Raw, N., & McGuigan, N. (2016). Social learning in the real-world:‘over-imitation’occurs in both children and adults unaware of participation in an experiment and independently of social interaction. PloS one, 11(7), e0159920. Available online at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0159920   And the autobiography of David Scott and Alexei Leonov was Two Sides of the Moon, available from: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-Sides-Moon-David-Scott/dp/1480449237 

At face value, webinars seem pretty great. They're cost-effective, they're accessible and they can be recorded for later use. So, why are they always so rubbish?  This week on the podcast, Ross D is joined by James McLuckie and Jo Cook to look at what ails the webinar, and what can be done to make it better.  If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @JamesMcLuckie and @LightbulbJo. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. To learn more about Lightbulb Moment, visit lightbulbmoment.online.

Two weeks ago we spoke about how all of our training efforts have the potential to create data. This week, we're discussing what that looks like in practice. Sky's Derek Mitchell joins Owen and Ross G to discuss how we can collect and visualise data so that it can help us shape our learning engagements. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP and @OwenFerguson. Derek is on LinkedIn. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. You can see Derek's data dashboard by following this link: https://s3.amazonaws.com/goodpractice-podcast/sky-dashboard.pptx  If you were intrigued by the use of the term 'Luddite', the BBC has an excellent article explaining the origin of the term. It explains that the Luddites were not anti-technology, but were anti-wage-cuts, which could be a useful lesson for those of us embracing automation at work. The article is available here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17770171  The book that Owen recommended was Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process by Ken Kocienda, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Selection-Inside-Apples-Process-ebook/dp/B07F18HYX3  Ross recommended Adam Kay's This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Going-Hurt-Secret-Diaries-ebook/dp/B06XWDJRGS  With thanks to Mike Koenig for his 'Happy Halloween' sound effect, downloaded from http://soundbible.com/2080-Halloween-Vocals.html / CC BY 3.0.

Technology has made remote working a reality in many organisations, unchaining us from our desks and freeing us to get stuff done no matter where we are. But what does that mean for learning? How do you develop a workforce dispersed across different regions and time zones?  To help answer this question, Ross D is joined by Jonny Anderson and Stewart Hardie from GoodPractice, alongside return-guest Gina Lodge, CEO of the Academy of Executive Coaching. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @biofractal, @shardie15 or @theaoec. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. The book Gina mentioned is Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. To learn more about the AoEC, visit their website.  

Around the globe, billions are spent on workplace training. Some people even do it for a living. But does it have an impact on performance? On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by McDonald's Kevin M. Yates to discuss. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @KevinMYates. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. You can find out more about Kevin at kevinmyates.com. Contact Kevin at kevin@kevinmyates.com for a free copy of 10 Questions that Forecast Training's Impact. The study Ross cited was: Milligan-Saville, J. S., Tan, L., Gayed, A., Barnes, C., Madan, I., Dobson, M., ... & Harvey, S. B. (2017). Workplace mental health training for managers and its effect on sick leave in employees: a cluster randomised controlled trial. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(11), 850-858. The book Owen recommended was Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Turn-Ship-Around-Building-Breaking/dp/1591846404  The book Ross recommended was The Consolations of Physics by Tim Radford, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Consolations-Physics-Wonders-Universe-Happy/dp/1473658160 

This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Mike Prokopeak, Editor in Chief at Chief Learning Officer magazine, to discuss what it takes to be a great learning leader.  If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson and @Prokotweet.   To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. If you're interested in checking out the Chief Learning Officer Breakfast Club Podcast for yourself, you can listen to all the episodes at clobreakfastclub.com

It's been six years since the Learning & Performance Institute put out their first Capability Map. So what's changed? This week on the GoodPractice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by guests Michelle Ockers and Donald Taylor to discuss their work on the 2018 Capability Map, and the skills L&D practitioners need to be successful.  If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @owenferguson, @MichelleOckers and @DonaldHTaylor. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice or @GoodPracticeAus. To check out the Capability Map for yourself, visit the LPI website.  You'll find the FiveThirtyEight article Owen referenced here. And, if you want to learn more about the discrepancies between men's and women's pockets, you can read the full piece on The Pudding.  

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, we're revisiting inclusion with a focus on gender. How do we understand the phrase 'gender gap' and what can be done to make equality a feature of our organisations? Ross G and Cat from the GoodPractice team are joined by Emerald Publishing CEO Vicky Williams and AoEC CEO Gina Lodge to discuss. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @CatGoodPractice and @Emerald_VW. You can get in touch with Gina via LinkedIn or by tweeting @TheAoEC. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus. The article Cat referenced on one couple's decision to raise a gender neutral child is here: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/theyby-gender-neutral-child-parents-raise-couple-kyl-myers-zoomer-a8286876.htm  She also recommends this clip on 'gender neutral education': https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05d9kmz The New Zealand Prime MInister's maternity leave was covered here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-45027923 The book Cat referenced was Inclusive Leadership by Charlotte Sweeney and Fleur Bothwick: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inclusive-Leadership-Definitive-Developing-Executing/dp/1292112727  The World Economic Forum published 'The Global Gender Gap Report 2017' here: https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-gender-gap-report-2017  Lord Davies' report on the composition of FTSE 350 boards is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lord-davies-ftse-350-boards-should-be-33-female-by-2020  For more on the composition of boards, check out the work of the 30% Club at: https://30percentclub.org/  The 'Heidi vs Howard' clip referenced by Gina is online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqZA8hu4jN8 

In our second visit to the land of xAPI, Ross G and Jonny from the GoodPractice team are joined by experts from overseas. Author and performance strategist Ajay Pangarkar and Instructional Developer for the Internet of Things Anthony Altieri share their views, with a focus on leveraging data to improve performance. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @BioFractal, @BizLearningDude and @AA_Altieri. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus. Ajay regularly speaks and writes on performance topics. You can find out more about him at about.me/ajay.pangarkar or read his articles at elearningindustry.com/members/ajay-pangarkar-ctdp-cpa-cma. He's also an instructor for LinkedIn Learning at www.linkedin.com/learning/instructors/ajay-pangarkar. You can follow the latest on xAPI adoption at: www.ieeeicicle.org/  The book that Jonny recommended was Parasite Rex, available from: www.amazon.co.uk/Parasite-Rex-New-Epilogue-NaturesMost/dp/074320011X  Ross recommended 'The Morality of Diversity', from the BBC's Moral Maze: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bbr3zs