Leading Learning Podcast

The topic of mindfulness is likely one you’ve heard a lot about in recent years. But what does it mean to be mindful? And what is the connection between mindfulness and learning? Dr. Ellen Langer is a social psychologist and a Harvard professor. She’s also a Guggenheim Fellow and the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her work on mindfulness that spans more than 40 years. She’s written 11 books and more than 200 research articles for general and academic readers on mindfulness. Her best-selling books include Mindfulness, The Power of Mindful Learning, On Becoming an Artist: Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity, and Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility. In this redux episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with Ellen about what it really means to be mindful, the benefits that come with mindfulness, and ways you can encourage mindfulness in your own life and in the design of learning experiences. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode336.

With the end of the year quickly approaching, it’s a natural time to pause and reflect. Even though it can be easy to put reflection low on the priority list since it doesn’t necessarily lead to concrete outcomes, it’s an important practice and can have tremendous value for learning businesses. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, we reflect on 2022, our biggest milestones as a company, and bigger-picture trends impacting society more broadly. We also discuss the related challenges and opportunities these trends represent for learning businesses in the new year. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode335.

Diana Howles is an award-winning speaker, global virtual facilitator, and master trainer with 25 years of experience in the talent development field. Diana is CEO and co-owner of Howles Associates and author of Next Level Virtual Training: Advance Your Facilitation. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Diana about Next Level Virtual Training, the capability model she developed for virtual facilitators, and the pros and cons of hybrid or, as she prefers to call it, “live mixed” learning. Diana also shares practical tips and strategies for anyone looking to improve their virtual facilitation. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode334.

Dr. Prasad Ram (Pram) is founder and CEO of Gooru, a non-profit research and technology organization on a mission to honor the human right to education. Gooru Navigator, a GPS for learning, guides learners to their goals along personalized learning pathways. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with Pram about Gooru, its app, and the philosophy behind it. They also talk about education as a fundamental human right, the inherent complexity of learning, and the importance of knowing where a learner is in order to effectively help her on her learning journey. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode333.

With COVID concerns drastically decreased, many learning businesses are focused on how to effectively implement blended learning and strike the balance between in-person and online learning. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, we share our definition of blended learning, how it’s different from hybrid learning, and why it’s of particular focus for us in the current moment. We also offer a four-step framework for designing effective blended learning experiences, referenced in our related executive briefing, “Why and How to Build Your Blended Learning Playbook.” Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode332.

Jim Goodell, co-editor of Learning Engineering Toolkit: Evidence-Based Practices from the Learning Sciences, Instructional Design, and Beyond, is a passionate proponent of learning engineering. He’s the director of innovation at Quality Information Partners and chairs chairs the Learning Technology Standards Committee at the IEEE Standards Association and IEEE ICICLE. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Jim about learning engineering: what it is, its relationship with learning science, its ethical considerations, and how it can be used to design and improve learning experiences. They also discuss the Learning Engineering Toolkit and what learning businesses can do to adopt a learning engineering approach. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode331.

Hilary Marsh, president and chief strategist at Content Company, is a seasoned content and digital strategy expert. Her work focuses on helping content-rich organizations better plan, create, and leverage their content through improved and effective content strategy. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with Hilary about the importance of a whole-organization content strategy, the different levels of content strategy maturity, and the rise in the role of content strategists. They also discuss content management tips and tricks and why learning businesses should view their content from the consumer's point of view. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode330.

Social learning is natural and highly effective. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged many traditional approaches, so now more than ever people are craving the return of social learning. And that represents a huge opportunity for learning businesses. In this seventh episode in our tool talk series, we dive deeper into the topic of social learning: why it’s important for learning businesses, four dimensions that define it, and how to design it strategically using the Social Learning Mixer. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode329.

Pamela Slim is a writer, a speaker, and a business coach who works with small business owners ready to scale their businesses and intellectual property. She’s the author of Escape from Cubicle Nation, Body of Work, and, most recently, The Widest Net. Pam and her husband Darryl co-founded the Main Street Learning Lab in Mesa, Arizona. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Pam about the need for businesses to adopt an ecosystem point of view; how to find your ideal clients and customers; and the importance of using problems, challenges, or aspirations to identify ideal customers. They also discuss four categories of obstacles that typically prevent customers from solving their own problems; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and more. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode328.

Dr. Bucky Dodd is passionate about helping people learn and designing world-class learning experiences. He’s assistant vice president for education, strategy, and innovation with LX Studio at the University of Central Oklahoma, and he created Learning Environment Modeling®, a visual collaboration system for the design and evaluation of learning experiences. He’s also published a playbook called “Supercharge Your Webinar Strategy,” which explores five specific strategies for better Webinars. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks to return guest Bucky about learning environments, learning experience design, learning campaigns, and a strategic approach to creating better Webinar experiences. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode327.