The Mindtools L&D Podcast

Is it possible to bring different functions together to enhance the employee experience? Or are we doomed to live in a world where all 20 cartons of milk have a different department name written on them? In this week's GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by EPIC's Gary Cookson to explore the impact that interactions across departments have on the employee experience. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @Gary_Cookson. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus. You can find more from Gary at epichr.wordpress.com. The paper Owen discussed was: Camerer, C. F., Dreber, A., Holzmeister, F., Ho, T. H., Huber, J., Johannesson, M., ... & Altmejd, A. (2018). Evaluating the replicability of social science experiments in Nature and Science between 2010 and 2015. Nature Human Behaviour, 1. The man behind the concept of 'statistical significance' was William S. Gosset. He was not a fan on the 5% threshold. You can find out more here: https://priceonomics.com/the-guinness-brewer-who-revolutionized-statistics/ Playing with your statistics in an effort to find a significant result is often referred to as 'p-hacking', a practice that is somewhat encouraged by the existence of the 5% threshold. You can find out more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_dredging Ross also discussed American Sign Language (ASL), based on an episode of The West Wing Weekly podcast: https://thewestwingweekly.com/episodes/220

Way back in episode 103 ("We need to stop overcomplicating learning"), Owen and Ross D proposed a special episode focused on the non-fiction books that thought an L&D professional could learn from. This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, we're releasing that episode. As well as recommendations from Ross D, Owen, Gemma and Ross G, we've got a long list of books that our extended podcast family have suggested via Twitter. So dust off your library card and prepare to fill your tote as we dive in to the world of non-fiction books for L&D folks. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @Ross__Dickie, @OwenFerguson, @GemmaTowersey and @RossGarnerGP. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus. Owen recommended Bad Science (by Ben Goldacre) and Creativity Inc. (by Ed Catmull). Gemma recommended Critical Thinking (by Richard Paul & Linda Elder), Visual Storytelling (published by Gestalten) and Happy City (by Charles Montgomery). Ross G recommended Factfulness (by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund) and Freakonomics (by Stephen Levitt and Stephen Dubner). He also claimed that Rosling's main points were captured in his excellent TED talk, somewhat ruining his own book recommendation. The talk is excellent though: https://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_shows_the_best_stats_you_ve_ever_seen?language=en Ross D recommended Checklist Manifesto (by Atul Gawande) and What Money Can't Buy (by Michael Sandel). The books recommended via Twitter were: Black Box Thinking (by Matthew Syed), recommended by David Hayden and Michelle Parry-Slater. The 4-Hour Workweek (by Tim Ferris), recommended by Lloyd Dean and Wes Atkinson. Turn This Ship Around (by David MarQuet), recommended by Garry Turner and Michelle Parry-Slater. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (by Greg McKeown), recommended by Danny Seals and Jamie Good. The Drunkard's Walk (by Leonard Mlodinow) recommended by David D'Souza. And The Tiger that Isn't (by Blastland & Dilnot), recommended by Rachel Burnham. With thanks to everyone else who made recommendations. We may revisit them in the future. Also this week, we managed to squeeze in our regular feature: What I Learned This Week. The article on wellness programs discussed by Owen was from the New York Times at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/upshot/employer-wellness-programs-randomized-trials.html Ross G learned the word 'zeugma', a word that received so little enthusiasm from the wider team that he took his belongings and his leave. He first heard this word on The West Wing Weekly podcast episode "Ellie", available at: http://thewestwingweekly.com/episodes/215 Gemma learned that coconut oil, according to one professor, is actually like 'pure poison': https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/ae331eb1-8576-4228-8562-569efc2a9ee7 And Ross D filled us in on the history of the 'interrobang', as heard on the 99% Invisible podcast: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/interrobang/ UPDATE (29/08/18): Ross' panic about the dangers of alcohol have subsequently been addressed by David Spiegelhalter here: https://medium.com/wintoncentre/the-risks-of-alcohol-again-2ae8cb006a4a

As political rhetoric becomes more divisive, public and private organisations have been moving in the opposite direction: putting diversity and inclusion centre stage. But who is responsible for ensuring that such programmes actually make a difference to organisations and people? And how do we make sure that words translate into action? In this week's episode of The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G is joined by Cat MacLeod and Reed Business Information's Sukh Pabial to share their ideas. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @CatGoodPractice and @SukhPabial. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus. Sukh podcasts at threegood.podbean.com. The blog by Daniel Juday that Ross referenced is available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/inclusion-isnt-being-asked-dance-daniel-juday/ The Harvard Implicit Association Test is at: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/ The study Ross referenced, comparing the callback rate for resumes with 'white names' vs 'African-American names' is a little old, from research carried out between July 2001 and January 2002: http://www.nber.org/digest/sep03/w9873.html A more recent study, from 2016, found similar results: https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/minorities-who-whiten-job-resumes-get-more-interviews Sukh's thoughts on Starbucks' racial bias training are captured in this thread: https://twitter.com/sukhpabial/status/1003535776146165760 The growth mindset article Sukh mentioned is at: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2018/05/24/growth-mindset-theory-doesnt-translate-directly-from-kids-to-adults-telling-an-adult-they-are-a-hard-worker-can-backfire/ The Lancaster bomber VR experience Ross discussed is covered in more detail here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/internet/entries/3098c1cd-36e7-4d35-bfbf-8687c8ba2872. This link includes details for where you can try it yourself.

Everyone loves workplace learning. It means two days away from the office with the potential for a decent lunch! But it shouldn't actually involve 'learning', should it? In this week's episode of The GoodPractice Podcast, Nick Shackleton-Jones from PA Consulting joins Ross G and Owen to ask if we need to reposition workplace learning so that it can truly make a difference in our colleagues' lives. We ask what 'proper' L&D would look like, and discuss the importance of discomfort. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @ShackletonJones. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus. Nick blogs on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/shackletonjones/detail/recent-activity/posts. PA Consulting can be found at www.paconsulting.com. The blog post on feedback that Nick mentioned can be found at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stop-giving-feedback-start-asking-nick-shackleton-jones/. For a crash course on Piaget's theory of assimilation, visit the Wikipedia page at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaget%27s_theory_of_cognitive_development#Assimilation_and_Accommodation. The interview with James Dyson that Owen discussed is at: https://www.recode.net/2018/6/16/17114742/james-dyson-design-technology-vacuum-interview. Ross' examples of New York soda jerk lingo were taken from an article on Atlas Obscura: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/soda-jerk-slang

Managers in many organisations are increasingly encouraged to adopt a 'coaching' approach to team development. But what does this mean? Can you 'be a coach' after just a two-day workshop? And how do you navigate the power dynamic that exists between manager and team member? On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, coach Jo Wainwright joins Ross G, James and Gemma to share her experiences. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @JamesMcLuckie, @GemmaTowersey and @Jo_Coaches. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus. The wedding photography guidance from the New York Times is available here: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/fashion/weddings/howtosubmitwedding.html Ross heard about it on an episode of The West Wing Weekly podcast, which he strongly recommends: http://thewestwingweekly.com/

Everyone and their uncle is a learner, but does this mean that everyone knows about learning? Our guest this week, Mirjam Neelen, thinks not. This week, she joins Ross G and Owen to talk about the evidence base that we should all be referring to when designing experiences. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @MirjamN. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus. Mirjam blogs at 3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com. The article that Owen referenced, on the need for evidence in surgery, was from The Guardian. It's available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jul/05/uks-top-surgeon-calls-new-procedures-undergo-clinical-trials The Ben Goldacre reference is at: https://fivebooks.com/best-books/best-books-unexpected-economics-tim-harford/ Ross' 'What I Learned This Week' was based on a discussion in the Song by Song podcast, about Tom Waits' 'Burma Shave'. You can listen to the podcast at http://www.songbysongpodcast.com/. The song is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug7DZG1F6bs. And, for more background on Burma-Shave billboards, check out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma-Shave#Roadside_billboards. The book that Ross referenced, The Surprising Truth About How We Learn, does not exist. It was meant as a comment on pop science titles but, if anyone wants to use this title, feel free.

After nearly 20 years of implementing learning technologies, we've successfully found more and more elaborate ways to dump content that no one needs. Is there a better way? On this week's podcast, Fosway's David Perring joins Ross G and Owen to explore their research into how organisations are using digital technologies. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson and @DavidPerring. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus. To find out more about Fosway, visit fosway.com. The research the team discussed is available from Fosway at: http://www.fosway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/FOSWAY_Digital-Learning-Realities-2018_Handout.pdf David has also written extensively for Training Zone: https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/content/fosways-2018-digital-learning-realities The TV show Ross recommended was The Defiant Ones, available on Netflix.

Learning styles, right-brain vs. left-brain, brain training — for those working in learning and development, cognitive psychology can seem like a minefield. On this week's episode of the GoodPractice podcast, Ross D and James are joined by Dr Rebecca Gordon to find out what L&D professionals really need to know about cognitive psychology. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie, @JamesMcluckie or @DrRebeccaGordon. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus.

If you work in Learning and Development for a large organisation, there's a good chance that at some point you've spent years putting a programme together, only to find that by the time it launches the original stakeholders have left. On this week's podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Steph Clarke to ask if this approach is overcomplicating learning - or oversimplifying it. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the podcast, you can find us on Twitter @Ross__Dickie and @OwenFerguson. Steph isn't on Twitter, but you can find her at stephclarke.com. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus. Owen's WILTW, on what constitutes 'well read', came from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/may/12/book-clinic-what-constitutes-well-read The book Steph recommended, New Power: How It's Changing The 21st Century - And Why You Need To Know by Jeremy Heimans, is available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Power-Changing-21st-Century-ebook/dp/B076T8MJ83 And the book that Ross recommended was The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande, available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Checklist-Manifesto-Things-Right-Gawande/dp/1846683149 Incidentally, Atul Gawande was recently appointed CEO of a new healthcare venture from Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase. That story was covered by GeekWire here: https://www.geekwire.com/2018/atul-gawande-starts-first-day-ceo-amazon-berkshire-hathaway-jpmorgan-health-venture/ And if Ross G was here, he'd point out that Gawande also recently featured on the Freakonomics podcast, and is well worth a listen: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/atul-gawande/

For over a decade, SCORM has been the industry standard for e-learning, helping learning and development professionals track the completion of courses and recording assessment scores. But now there's a new standard in town: xAPI, offering far larger data sets and the ability to connect multiple platforms. On this week's podcast, Ben Betts from HT2 Labs and Andrew Downes from Watershed join Ross G and Owen to ask what opportunities xAPI creates. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the podcast, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP, @OwenFerguson, @BBetts and @MrDownes. To find out more about GoodPractice, visit goodpractice.com or tweet us @GoodPractice and @GoodPracticeAus. HT2 Labs offer free resources on xAPI at: https://www.ht2labs.com/resources/ For examples of xAPI in action, see Watershed's client stories at: https://www.watershedlrs.com/resource-center/topic/client-story We discussed learning ecosystems with ASOS's Adam Harwood in episode 92: http://podcast.goodpractice.com/podcast/92-best-of-breed-ecosystems-vs-the-lms The article Owen referenced, on relativity, is at: https://gizmodo.com/einsteins-theory-of-gravity-passes-enormous-test-on-a-g-1827026239 The article Ross referenced to move the conversation away from dogs and onto cats was: http://news.mit.edu/2010/cat-lapping-1112