Courtney Vital, vice president of learning at the Association for Talent Development, describes herself as a learning leader for learning leaders—and for good reason. ATD is the largest association for professionals who develop others in the workplace, and its membership reflects individuals from all over the world, in all industries and sectors. ATD is focused on advancing talent development, convening a community of people who do talent development work, and supporting them with the necessary knowledge and resources. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Courtney about how the pandemic forced us to rethink in-person learning as the default, the need for equitable experiences in hybrid learning, and the role of credentials in elevating the learning and development industry. They also discuss ATD’s Talent Development Capability Model, a future-focus for the learning profession, and the skyrocketing importance of intentionality in learning design. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode293. We are grateful to our sponsor for this episode, Web Courseworks. *** Web Courseworks is a learning technologies company with an ever-evolving learning management system, CourseStage. CourseStage LMS is leveraged by organizations of all sizes to build a learning business and track education outcomes for proven success. Download the Web Courseworks guide “Four Ways an LMS Can Help Build a Revenue-Generating Learning Business,” and learn how your organization can leverage a learning management system to generate revenue for your learning practice.

As CEO of Web Courseworks, Amber Winter is committed to helping their clients maximize value and deliver high-quality, impactful professional development to their learners. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, Jeff talks to Amber about her transition to the CEO role, the state of the learntech industry, and which trends are having an impact on learning businesses and learntech. They also talk about opportunities and threats for associations in the current learning landscape and what learning businesses can do to stand out. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode292. We are grateful to our sponsor for this episode, Web Courseworks. *** Web Courseworks is a learning technologies company with an ever-evolving learning management system, CourseStage. CourseStage LMS is leveraged by organizations of all sizes to build a learning business and track education outcomes for proven success. Download the Web Courseworks guide “Four Ways an LMS Can Help Build a Revenue-Generating Learning Business,” and learn how your organization can leverage a learning management system to generate revenue for your learning practice.

Learning businesses often rely on subject matter experts (SMEs) to develop and deliver learning products. But those SMEs—although highly regarded experts in their particular field—likely don’t know how to develop and deliver products in ways that align with brain science and adult learning principles. In this episode, we focus on the importance of going beyond telling presenters what they need to do to be effective to playing an active role in showing them how. We discuss the tremendous opportunity for learning businesses in helping SMEs understand and apply learning science, key reasons this can be a challenge, and solutions, including resources, such as our new video-based online course offering, “Presenting for Impact,” to help make it happen. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode291. We are grateful to our sponsor for this episode, Web Courseworks. *** Web Courseworks is a learning technologies company with an ever-evolving learning management system, CourseStage. CourseStage LMS is leveraged by organizations of all sizes to build a learning business and track education outcomes for proven success. Download the Web Courseworks guide “Four Ways an LMS Can Help Build a Revenue-Generating Learning Business,” and learn how your organization can leverage a learning management system to generate revenue for your learning practice.

Longtime listeners of the Leading Learning Podcast have heard us talk about the Learning Business Maturity Model™ before. We’ve dedicated entire episodes to it in the past, covering what it is and how to leverage it. In this episode, we focus less on the logistics and specifics of the model and more on the purpose of the maturity model. We explain how the model can be used by learning businesses for three interrelated purposes: dialogue, diagnosis, and direction. We also share how our latest offering, the Maturity Accelerator Program (MAP), can help organizations effectively manage this process and why using the maturity model is an inherent reminder that it’s not just about reaching a desired state as a learning business. It’s the journey to get there that matters most. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode290. We are grateful to our sponsor for this episode, Web Courseworks. *** Web Courseworks is a learning technologies company with an ever-evolving learning management system, CourseStage. CourseStage LMS is leveraged by organizations of all sizes to build a learning business and track education outcomes for proven success. Download the Web Courseworks guide “Four Ways an LMS Can Help Build a Revenue-Generating Learning Business,” and learn how your organization can leverage a learning management system to generate revenue for your learning practice.

As CEO of Vista Cova and a Certified Professional Facilitator, Lowell Aplebaum collaborates with organizations to create transformative dialogue around vision, strategic planning, community, and value. He’s passionate about building a better future and his inclusive, learning mindset carries through in his work helping others recognize their potential for lasting impact. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, Celisa talks with Lowell about the components of an effective strategy, how strategy has evolved related to learning and education, and the importance of having an invitation mindset to involve others on the journey set by the strategy. They also discuss inclusion as a silver lining from the coronavirus pandemic, what to consider about hybrid events going forward, and the difference between doing things for those we serve versus doing things with those we serve. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode289.

As professor emeritus and senior fellow at the University of Illinois Springfield and senior fellow at the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), Ray Schroede is a leading expert in higher education and online learning. With decades of experience teaching, leading, curating, and writing, Ray brings unmatched knowledge and passion to the conversation around emerging technologies and the future of education. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, Jeff talks with Ray about COVID’s indelible impact on teaching and learning, the metaverse, blockchain, non-fungible tokens, artificial intelligence, teaching ahead, and how Google’s wildly popular certificates make the case for relevant, efficient, economical learning going forward. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode288.

The turning of a calendar from one year to the next is a natural time for reflection and preparation. In the previous episode, we looked back at the year that was for learning businesses. In this episode we turn forward to focus on the year that is. Drawing on data collected at the end of 2021, we uncover the top areas that learning businesses are prioritizing in the new year. We also reveal three trends and two major barriers that will impact learning businesses in 2022. Full show notes and a transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode287.

As we just said goodbye to 2021 and rang in a new year, it feels only natural to pause and take a moment—or, in this case, an episode—to reflect. And, as learning business leaders, we know what a profound impact reflection can have on learning. That’s why in this first new episode of 2022, we’re looking back at the broader learning landscape and larger trends that shaped the previous year, including how the pandemic impacted learning businesses. We reflect on what we can learn from the year that’s been and what we might carry forward to elevate our learning businesses in the year ahead—and beyond. Full show notes and transcript available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode286.

We’ve covered a lot of ground in the first six “courses” in the series for our mythical learning business MBA, and we’ve mostly focused on what—identifying the key skills and knowledge learning businesses need to survive and thrive. The what is important, but so too is the who—finding people with the key skills and knowledge and cultivating those skills and knowledge in your team. This includes people (the human resources), but it also extends to how to support those people in doing their work. In other words, this is about capacity. In this final installment in our seven-part series before winter break, we dig into the key ideas related to capacity for learning businesses. We discuss the importance of investing in the training and development of your internal team and common barriers preventing this. We also offer a simple but effective tool to help you uncover, track, and achieve your capacity goals. Full show notes and a transcript are available at leadinglearning.com/episode285. We are grateful to our sponsor for this series, Cadmium. *** The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed the merging of events and education for organizations across the globe. Organizations have realized that synergizing their education and events strategies produces immeasurable benefits, but they need a technology solution that facilitates that merge. Cadmium is focused on providing a full suite of technology solutions enabling organizations to meet the changing environment head on. From a host of event technologies to integrated learning management and content creation tools, Cadmium offers everything an organization needs to generate revenue and drive engagement. Learn more, and request a demo to see how Cadmium can help your learning business at gocadmium.com.

We've reached our next-to-last installment in our learning business MBA series, where we're continuing to explore the question "What kinds of skills, knowledge, and behaviors do learning businesses need to be successful?" A common theme has emerged as an answer. (1) You have to know your market and audience, and (2) you have to get product development right. But there's another component that too often does not get added—or doesn't get added with enough discipline and consistency—and that's financial modeling. But it's critical that learning businesses do the financial projections to establish that their right audience and right product add up to a financially viable offering. That's why in this sixth episode in our learning business MBA series we're offering a crash course on the basics of financial modeling for learning products. We discuss why you need to start with an irresistible offer and what to consider in terms of time horizon, projected revenue, cost of sales, and expenses. We also share the many ways financial modeling can be used to help grow and improve your learning business. Full show notes and a transcript are available at leadinglearning.com/episode284. We are grateful to our sponsor for this series, Cadmium. *** The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed the merging of events and education for organizations across the globe. Organizations have realized that synergizing their education and events strategies produces immeasurable benefits, but they need a technology solution that facilitates that merge. Cadmium is focused on providing a full suite of technology solutions enabling organizations to meet the changing environment head on. From a host of event technologies to integrated learning management and content creation tools, Cadmium offers everything an organization needs to generate revenue and drive engagement. Learn more, and request a demo to see how Cadmium can help your learning business at gocadmium.com.