

L&D Disrupt
HowNow
The world and the L&D space are changing faster than ever, but are you evolving with it?
L&D Disrupt brings you tactical advice, proven tactics and honest experiences from people in the industry, helping you drive more impact every day.
Every Monday join Nelson Sivalingam for the podcast that's powered by HowNow, to empower every L&D professional.
L&D Disrupt brings you tactical advice, proven tactics and honest experiences from people in the industry, helping you drive more impact every day.
Every Monday join Nelson Sivalingam for the podcast that's powered by HowNow, to empower every L&D professional.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 28, 2022 • 57min
Why Audio Content Is Underserved In L&D And How To Fix It | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 29
Audio content is underserved in L&D, but it doesn't have to be! Assemble You's Richard Ward joined us this week to discuss how you can capture what people love about podcasting in your audio content without breaking the bank.
From internal podcasts to creating your own fireside-chat style listens, we spoke about how, why, and when to use audio effectively.
Running order
0:00 Introduction to the show
1:31 Is audio content underserved in corporate learning?
7:42 What makes podcasts such a useful learning tool?
11:54 Does podcasting better connect us to our audience?
17:31 Internal podcasts.
25:05 Mini pods, storytelling and using existing podcasts better.
33:45 The challenges and future of audio content
40:59 Audience question: Mindset and audio-first content.
44:35 Can AI help create new audio content?
46:27 Audience experiences with audio content.
51:27 Audience question: How to structure audio content?
How To Connect
Find Richard and Assemble You on:
Richard’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardpward/
Assemble You’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/assemble-you/
Their website: https://www.assembleyou.com/
Find Nelson on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude
Find Gary on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-a78b2186/
Find HowNow on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/
Our Website: https://gethownow.com/
Recommended resource as mentioned by Carl: http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2019/06/podcasts-20-reasons-why-we-should-be.html

Oct 14, 2022 • 45min
Ask Nelson Anything - Performance Conversations, Legacy Tech, Free Trials And Flexible Working | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 28
Why is every performance conversation a chance to spot learning opportunities?
Do we need to scrutinise our existing tech with current challenges in mind?
Does competence breed confidence? And what’s L&D’s role?
These are just some of the questions we put to Nelson in our first Q&A episode!
And helpfully, the full list of questions make up the running order for the show - so you can either hit play for the whole conversation or jump ahead to anything that caught your eye!
Running order
0:00 Intro to the show
1:53 Why is augmented reality so useful for learning transfer and performance support?
9:25 The problem with performance reviews and driving learning.
12:08 Every performance conversation is a learning conversation.
14:11 Which mindsets are L&D folks missing to take advantage of emerging tech?
19:20 Maximising the trial period of any product or tool.
24:05 Does Your Old Tech Solve The Current Challenges?
25:15 The importance of flexible working and learning.
32:20 Is an excessive meeting culture the enemy of learning?
36:50 Are employees causing the end of compliance culture?
39:44 The competence-confidence loop.
How To Connect
Find Nelson on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude
Find Gary on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-stringer-a78b2186/
Find HowNow on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/
Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

Sep 29, 2022 • 54min
Learning Culture Already Exists! What L&D Does With It Matters Most | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 27
If there's one takeaway from this conversation, it's that learning cultures are about a lot more than just learning...
They're about how we manage change, the environment we build and foster, if we can tap into current behaviours, how well we communicate our L&D strategy to others and so much more.
We covered all of this in a very flowing episode with Sara Stevick, so use the episode timestamps if any particular aspects caught your eye.
Running Order
0:00 Intro to Sara and the show
3:02 Discovery mode: Where to start analysing your learning strategy and culture
11:40 Creating a detailed strategy and boiling it down for different audiences
21:29 The Learning Canvas: Capturing your strategy on 1 page.
29:10 Building an environment that empowers learning.
41:40 Change management’s role in learning culture.
47:37 Building better feedback loops with The Learning Flywheel.
Submit your questions for our Ask Nelson Anything episode!
Use this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-Hb4H2Nd1HWYQZwsWHGp36JScAwQj6Av_z6DC1WlO8lXxAQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
Email: gary@gethownow.com with the subject line 'Ask Nelson Anything'.
And save your spot: https://lu.ma/ask-nelson-anything
How To Connect
Find Sara on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarastevick/
Find Nelson on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude
Find HowNow on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/
Our Website: https://gethownow.com/
Sara recommend several documents and articles throughout the episode and kindly sent the links our way:
https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/creating-learning-cultures-1_tcm18-75606.pdf
https://www.panopto.com/blog/the-evolution-of-the-high-impact-learning-organization/
https://www.richardswanson.com/textbookresources/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/TBAD-r9b-Watkins.-DLOQ-Demonstrating-Value.pdf
https://joshbersin.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2010_LEARNING_CULTURE.pdf
https://joshbersin.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EX-21_07-DefGuide-1.pdf

Sep 15, 2022 • 59min
5 Golden Rules For Creating Great Learning Content | Kasper Spiro | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 26
No tricks, no clickbait - this episode really gives you 5 rules to take away and apply to your learning content today! Why?
Because creating great learning content trips up businesses time and time again! And if we understand why, nail the context and follow some simple steps with consistency, L&D can deliver resources that drive performance.
Easygenerator Co-Founder Kasper Spiro joined us live and you can expect to learn why context is just as important as content, how to optimise content for discovery using marketing techniques, why best-fit content beats the best-produced content, and so much more.
Running Order
0:00 Why creating great content often plagues L&D.
4:17 How to use internal experts for content creation.
16:02 Think context, context, context.
26:05 How to make content discoverable.
33:20 Curate where you can, create where you need to.
40:03 Timing and relevance beat content perfection.
46:28 Audience questions.
How To Connect
Find Kasper on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kasperspiro/
Learn more about Easygenerator:
https://www.easygenerator.com/en/
Find Nelson on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude
Find HowNow on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/
Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

Sep 1, 2022 • 59min
How L&D Teams Can Do More With Less In An Economic Downturn | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 25
Between hiring freezes and high-profile redundancies, L&D has another opportunity to steer businesses through difficult times… IF we can work out where to add value and how to navigate tricky conversations.
This episode of L&D Disrupt Live helps you build the toolkit for success in this economic downturn.
From working out which problems need solving to identifying missing skills, and building content that tackles challenges preventing success in this crisis, Ajay Jacob and Kevin Alster shared some true L&D wisdom!
Running Order
0:00 Why the economic downturn is both a challenge and opportunity for L&D.
9:14 How can L&D work out where it’ll add value?
16:20 Prioritising your learning efforts and determining the right interventions.
25:07 L&D needs to be more considerate and careful right now.
35:17 Dealing with stakeholder push back on L&D’s value?
43:34 Audience question: Which metrics help L&D measure better?
54:12 Quick tips on creating human-centric learning content.
How To Connect
Find Kevin on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/
Find Ajay on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajaytj/
Find Nelson on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude
Find HowNow on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/
Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

Aug 18, 2022 • 55min
Why L&D Keeps Solving The Wrong Problems With Matt Bradburn | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 24
Pouring your heart into a learning initiative, only for it to go down like a lead balloon - there’s no pain like it. We've all been there. And it's probably because we're not solving the right problem!
In L&D, we’re guilty of making assumptions. Taking action before diagnosing issues. And ending up disappointed when we're not having the impact we want.
But solving business challenges and enabling people hinges on identifying the right problems and defining the right outcomes.
People Collective’s Matt Bradburn joined us to discuss how we can nail that first part (and set ourselves up to smash the second).
Running order
0:00 Introduction to Matt Bradburn
1:38 Why L&D solves the wrong and telltale signs it’s happening.
4:56 How do you work out the problems you need to solve?
8:00 Building a problem statement and communicating it with others.
16:33 Collecting data that empowers you to solve critical problems
22:17 Audience question: How do you get others on board?
28:14 How to have performance-based development conversations.
37:23 Audience question: Adding value when it matters.
44:22 Choosing the right L&D tool for the problem.
46:53 Defining the right problems makes L&D less transactional
How to connect
Find Matt and The People Collective on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-people-collective/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattbradburn/
Their website: https://www.peoplecollective.io/
Find Nelson on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude
Find HowNow on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/
Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

Aug 5, 2022 • 59min
Future Skills Winning L&D Leaders Are Going To Need | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 23
The demands on L&D teams seem to be higher than ever and always evolving! That's because they are...
And more change is around the corner, so if you’re going to capitalise on that demand and help your organisation win, you’ll need to keep building skills, relationships and your L&D team.
But it’s not as simple as listing out skills you need to learn, which is why we’ll be going beyond the L&D buzzwords to give you some truly actionable advice.
From applying personal context to your role to redefining terms like curation for what they mean today, this will be an honest chat about the future of L&D skills.
Ross Stevenson (Founder of Steal These Thoughts) and Lavinia Mehedințu (Founder of Offbeat) joined Nelson Sivalingam (HowNow CEO and Co-Founder) to pick this topic apart and answer your burning questions.
Running Order
0:00 Intro to the show.
1:49 Where L&D is right now from a skills and future perspective.
9:02 How L&D can go beyond buzzwords and master context.
18:11 Curating content, people and career opportunities.
28:20 Audience question: Preparing to build future skills.
38:08 Audience question: L&D’s relationship with sales enablement.
45:38 Audience question: Internal vs external training.
53:09 How L&D can be better performance consultants.
How to connect
Find Lavinia on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laviniamehedintu/
Offbeat: https://offbeat.works/
Find Ross on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rstevensonuk/
Steal These Thoughts: https://stealthesethoughts.com/
Find Nelson on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude
Find HowNow on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/
Our Website: https://gethownow.com/

Jul 1, 2022 • 57min
How To Reboot Training Post Pandemic | L&D Disrupt Live | Episode 22
Wait, aren’t we already post-pandemic?
Well, let us ask you a question: Are any of your temporary L&D measures still in place?
Did you introduce something and never really figure out if it worked? Have you rebuilt training based on how you work today, not how you did things before or during the height of COVID?
Well, you’re not alone! A lot of companies are in this position. The better questions are why and how can they get out of it?
Paul Matthews, author and L&D expert, joined us live to discuss the answers and his free ebook: How To Reboot Training Post Pandemic.
And if you've done these things already, we’ll be discussing the theory behind responding to drastic change and building learning to drive behaviours and outcomes, so it’s still a must-listen episode of L&D Disrupt Live.
Running order
00:00 Intro to the show and Paul Matthews.
4:41 Why we needed to reboot L&D during the pandemic and beyond?
9:22 The need continuously question L&D’s purpose.
10:59 Why accepting change is crucial to responding effectively.
14:13 Using face-to-face training more intentionally and driving behaviour change.
25:50 Behavioural needs analyses and why L&D should stop ‘justifying its value’.
35:44 How L&D can course correct when it needs to change direction.
46:22 Audience Q&A and show wrap-up.
How to connect:
Download How To Reboot Training Post Pandemic: https://paul-matthews.com/how-to-reboot-training/
Learn more about Paul and his work: https://paul-matthews.com/
Connect with Paul on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulmatthews100/
Find Nelson on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsiv...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude
Find HowNow on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hown...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/
Our Website: https://gethownow.com

Jun 7, 2022 • 58min
Learning at Speed: Live Book Launch And Q&A | L&D Disrupt | Episode 21
Watch or listen back to our launch party for Nelson’s upcoming book, Learning at Speed, featuring a live Q&A.
With the world changing faster than ever, Learning at Speed provides frameworks and methodologies to drive development at the pace needed to improve business performance.
This episode talks you through some of those, answers audience questions and explains why now is the time to switch up your L&D approach to something lean and agile.
Running order and timestamps
0:00 Intro to the show and Nelson’s thoughts on writing a book.
5:12 Where L&D is going wrong and how you can fix it.
15:45 How to close your Learner Engagement Gap.
18:20 The Learning Canvas: Building an L&D strategy that solves the right problems.
27:47 Using The Learning Flywheel to deliver effective learner experiences.
36:26 Three proven methods for measuring the impact of L&D.
42:41 Audience Q&A.
Get your copy of Learning at Speed:
Get it directly from the publisher: https://www.koganpage.com/product/learning-at-speed-9781398603103
Order on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learning-Speed-Workforce-Business-Performance/dp/1398603120
Or pick it up from your nearest Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/fastest-learner-wins/nelson-sivalingam//9781398603103
How to connect:
Find Nelson on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude
Find HowNow on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/
Our Website: https://gethownow.com

Apr 19, 2022 • 49min
Three Tools For Building A Learning And Growth Culture w/ LifeLabs | Episode 20
When your company’s growing fast, it’s tempting to take a short-term view on learning and development. Or put a pin in it until the dust settles.
Don’t! You’ll be kicking up lots of extra dust because more growth is on the way! So what you do now matters more than you think, it’s your moment to build a learning and growth culture that scales with you.
Culture is essentially the agreed rules for how we’re going to work together and get things done! How fast and effectively we can grow it will influence our success, but it also influences how effective our learning and development efforts are.
So, how can we build a functioning learning and growth culture? LifeLabs Learning's Robleh Kirce joined us to provide three practical techniques for building the right culture and processes in our first community workshop.
How to connect
Find Robleh and LifeLabs Learning on:
Robleh’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirce/
LifeLabs’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lifelabslearning/
LifeLabs’ Website: https://lifelabslearning.com/
Find Nelson on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThatNelsonDude
Find HowNow on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hownowhq/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hownowteam
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hownowhq/
Our Website: https://gethownow.com/
Running Order
0:00 Intro to Robleh Kirce, LifeLabs Learning and today’s workshop.
4:40 Why learning matters more than ever.
6:15 Learning plans and why they’re important.
10:40 An indivudal development plan (IDP) template.
14:00 Audience questions and tips on learning plans.
17:10 Feedback norms: creating actionable, clear feedback.
25:22 Learning extractions: Building in moments to pause and reflect.
31:20 Audience Q&A.