The Learning & Development Podcast

As the last episode of 2020, we pause for reflection, summarise some of the learning from 26 episodes so far and look forward to next year. The first episode of 2021 will be released on 5th January. KEY TAKEAWAYS Many priorities from the world of 2019 were put aside in the wake of the COVID pandemic. It has forced us to re-evaluate what's important, and how we work in the world of today. Emerging trends have had a chance to shine in the new working landscape, including agile, experimentation and digital resources. Things have accelerated almost ten years in the space of a mere few months. Expectations of L&D have allowed us to modernise solutions at a never before seen pace. BEST MOMENTS 'We talked through the opportunities for L&D as organisations needed to adapt - and fast' 'We're moving fast to address the emerging needs of employees' 'L&D should become more proficient in its use of data' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

It’s a comparison that provokes strong reactions from L&D professionals who see mostly distinctions between Digital Marketing and Workplace Learning. But both seek to be where people are looking for answers to their questions in order to influence their behaviour, via education and prompts. Not only does L&D have more in common with Digital Marketing than we’d like to admit but Marketers have also been on a journey we’d be wise to follow. We explore all of this and more in this episode. KEY TAKEAWAYS We are competing for the attention of our people. There is a significant amount of noise in the world right now. The key is to prove the value of learning experiences, and start to build trust in order to win that attention back. There is a huge transformation occurring that has meant a powerful learning for marketing forces, who are able to use this to adapt and evolve as impacts are required to be proven. Far too often, we zero in on the sinister, and some would say intrusive side of digital marketing, instead of looking at the grand opportunity to provide the help that people so clearly crave. Data must never be treated as absolute, but as a tool to help us hypothesise. Data does not mean everything. It merely helps us to gather an informed perspective on proposed outcomes. BEST MOMENTS 'We are in an attention economy' 'It is at that point of need that we have the biggest opportunity to influence' 'The biggest thing is understanding your audience' 'The best decisions I make are based on data' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Ashley has extensive experience of building Marketing functions and is an expert in Marketing automation, search engine optimisation (SEO) and content marketing. Ashley is a Marketing Consultant delivering Marketing skills and solutions for L&D and learning technologies. Branding. Strategy. Original, lead-generating campaigns. Copywriter and storyteller. HubSpot expert; enablement coach. You can follow and connect with Ashley via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashsinclair/ Website: https://www.maas-marketing.co.uk/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

DESCRIPTION L&D is as renowned for not knowing the impact that interventions have as the training that's delivered. For some stakeholders and organisations it’s enough to know that training took place but that’s becoming less and less the case. In this episode, Kevin brings his experience of investigating learning impact via his latest ebook: The L&D Detective Kit For Solving Impact Mysteries. KEY TAKEAWAYS Impact is the extent to which training and learning is activating performance and business goals. The aim of the book is help L&D teams to help measure how training and learning are activating behaviour and performance. Before trying to solve a problem or measure the impact, we must use the impact standards in order to ascertain whether or not it was designed for impact at all. There are six questions designed to define this. We must seek to challenge the ingrained L&D approach, by where a set schedule for training is established, but also the expectations of stakeholders, who see development in a more analogue way, by returning to the question of “What is the business goal?” We must build training and learning solutions with intention, with purpose and specificity, for activating performance in business goals. It is not enough to simply reserve training time and assume that it is enough. We are better to narrowly focus on communication skills that the business has identified as critical. BEST MOMENTS ’This is my way of giving back to the L&D community’ ‘You don't want to put too much work into something and then find that it wasn’t designed for impact’ ‘If all we’re talking about is providing more water-cooler moments, then we’re diminishing our value’ ’The greater opportunity is when we are investing in employees in a way that helps them achieve business goals' VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Kevin is the Learning & Development detective, solving the mystery: “What is the impact of learning?” He does this by investigating how learning activates performance and business goals. He is also author of the eBook, 𝘓&𝘋 𝘋𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘔𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, in which he shares the secrets to his success. for investigating and measuring impact.  You can follow and connect with Kevin via: Your free copy of The L&D Detective Kit For Solving Impact Mysteries:  https://kevinmyates.com/l%26d-detective-kit Twitter: @KevinMYates LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmyates/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevmyates/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevmyates/ Website: https://kevinmyates.com/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

As organisations adapt to the challenges of COVID and Lockdown, L&D has adopted the essence of Agile by responding quickly to emerging needs, working closely with those expected to perform differently and being accountable for enabling performance and results.  This has been necessary to play our part but there’s more we can do to develop ourselves and extend our value further. In this episode, Natal breaks it down for us to experiment further with Agile. KEY TAKEAWAYS HR have found themselves on the front line of leading business response to the pandemic. They are not only shaping the future of care for our workforce, but also leading the charge in terms of development and how this is implemented and deployed. The syntax of agile can overwhelm, and in some cases cause us to refute altogether, as the learning curve can sound too steep. If we simply return to the core elements and mindset, it is far easier to implement and understand. Agile is a way of working that has already proven successful in transforming not just functions, but entire organisations. It is far more than a buzzword, and far more effective than micro-learning. Agile is intimately linked with digitalisation. It comes from software development and accelerating so many of the digital products we have in our lives. We cannot separate agile and digital. BEST MOMENTS ‘All eyes on HR!’ ‘What do people need to solve, what are the problems they face, and how do we help them get better?’ ‘It’s the end of the operating model as we know it, and I think that’s a great thing!’ ’The opportunities of what we can now do with connected learning in a digital space is so amazing' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Following over a decade working in senior HR, Talent and Organisational Development roles, Natal Dank is now a leading figure in Agile HR and People Experience. Natal heads up learning, coaching, and community at PXO Culture and is seen as a pioneer in the Agile HR movement. In 2016 Natal hosted the first Agile HR Meetup in London with the aim of building a community of like-minded disrupters, which has since grown into a regular event held across the world from Sydney to Paris and online. A year later she co-founded the Agile HR Community and has recently published the book, Agile HR. Now, through PXO Culture, Natal is focused on defining modern HR for the 21st Century.   You can follow and connect with Natal via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataldank/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/NatalDank Website: https://www.pxoculture.com/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Transitioning to a senior leadership position can be hugely challenging as experienced managers enter unchartered terrain. Without understanding quite what to expect, professionals are thrust into the most challenging of circumstances and many of them will fail.  In this episode, insight is shed onto this transition, with stories, tips and advice from one of the world’s most renowned CLO’s. KEY TAKEAWAYS We must recognise that the building blocks of any successful learning begins with being great business colleagues and partners. A more product-centric approach weakens the strategy. Delivering learning well is of primary focus. We must also consider the potential impact of this learning, and then tell this story in way that demonstrates value. We must consider capability building so that we can source initiatives, externally or internally, in order to meet the needs of the business. Saying yes to any request has almost been seen as validation by learning professionals. But we should never be afraid to say no. We must make each decision meaningfully, and for the good of the business. If we recognise that it is not, we must not compromise. BEST MOMENTS ’The focus starts always with the business’ ‘Don’t be afraid to say no’ ‘First and foremost we must always be aligned to the business’ ‘Being agile is at the core of our being able to grow our business for the future' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Kimo Kippen is a thought leader, speaker and advocate for life-long learning and talent development. A native of Hawaii, Kimo was Chief Learning Officer at Hilton, recognised by CLO Magazine as Chief Learning Officer of the year - 2015, and former VP of HR at Marriott International. 
 You can follow and connect with Kimo via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimokippen/ Website: https://www.alohalearningadvisors.com/ Email: aloha@pobox.com ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Learning Games have been popular in L&D for a number of years but whilst the number of games designed and launched for organisational use has been significant, whether they’ve achieved what they’re designed for is another matter. So what does it take to design Learning Games that affect performance and results - and when is it most appropriate? We explore these questions and much more in this episode. KEY TAKEAWAYS Learning games are still very basic, not user-centric, and not even considered to be game-centric. People seem to expect that the addition of leaderboards or the like are enough to create a lasting, impactful experience. Games must be designed around business objectives. We must clearly and initially identify the problem we need to solve before thinking about how to use games to get there. We must design for success. Why are we looking at learning, and what can we do to design true innovation into the learning experience we hope to offer? Games help with specific needs, and aid in a targeted way. For maximum effectiveness, they must be deployed en masse, and if no other type of learning will suit the audience and need. While many L&D budgets are low, it is simply not good enough to produce something lacking in quality and effectiveness. It must meet expectations.  BEST MOMENTS ‘In learning game terms, we’re still in the Pong era’ ‘It’s really hard to build a game that gets any kind of traction’ ‘What does success look like? What is it that you want your learners to do differently?' ‘Games are not a silver bullet’ ‘Game learning is incredibly effective if done well' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Deborah Baird is Learning Design Lead at Philip Morris International as well as a Game Learning Producer and Lecturer. A self-confessed game fanatic, Deborah combines her passion for Learning and Gaming to produce solutions that solve real business problems. 
 You can follow and connect with Deborah via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gamelearndebs/ ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

So many people talk about where L&D is going but who’s actually doing it? Brian Murphy is.  In this episode (recorded prior to lockdown), Brian explains his approach to L&D, how it focuses on - and seeks to address - performance, his "from courses to campaigns" approach and the journey he’s taken with his teams and organisations. KEY TAKEAWAYS Thinking about the profession through a business lens, and being more marketing oriented, has allowed us to see the elements of L&D that require adjustment and upgrading. We cannot hope to implement the same strategic development across a business that stretches across many divisions. The culture of certain departments will be drastically different, and therefore require a unique approach. Informal learning is a huge part of how we learn and develop. We assimilate information far more effectively through exposure to others, and through experiences. We must seek to learn and understand the language of the people that we are trying to support, and what they are trying to do. Beginning from a place of data helps us to realise the critical points of failure. BEST MOMENTS ’There’s never been a better time to be in L&D’ ‘We want people to actually be ready, and what is it that you can do to help us?’ ’Sometimes we mythologise our own abilities and products’ ’The right answer is the right answer' VALUABLE RESOURC ES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Brian is an experienced and award-winning L&D leader with a reputation for innovation and achieving results. As Head of Learning & Leadership at Citi, Brian achieved the Gold Award for Innovation In Learning from the LPI (2017) and the same standard for Best Use of Social & Collaborative Learning Technologies from Learning Technologies (2016). Now at AstraZeneca, Brian is Head of Learning Transformation.   You can follow and connect with Brian via: Twitter: @bnmurphy14 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murphybrian1 ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

Not many in L&D recognise the opportunity to automate L&D administration, compliance and entire digital learning journeys, saving enormous amounts of time as well as guiding employee performance.  But what does it take to get to this and how do L&D teams take advantage of this opportunity, especially during these tough times? We explore all this and more in this episode. KEY TAKEAWAYS The most rewarding and satisfying results come from helping organisations get to a better place in terms of improvements in culture, performance and communication. There is a low expectation of what learning and development offers. It can be seen as a perk of sorts, which has led to a perceived “dumbing down” of the profession. Spend less time trying to work out what solutions there are out there, and more time understanding the performance problems in your organisation.  One of the main advantages provided by smart technology has been building user insights into any campaign, allowing us to move away from “content play” to a real dialogue. BEST MOMENTS ‘One of the biggest challenges for organisations is data’ ‘It’s about predefining a route that you want people to take’ ’Those conversations are what gets me out of bed in the morning' VALUABLE RESOURCES New eBook: Digital Learning That Works Harder (So You Don't Have To) - https://www.looop.co/digital-learning-that-works-harder/ The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Mike Collins is a pioneering and influential voice in L&D, having been Senior People Experience Specialist at River Island and in the Learning Transformation team at Direct Line. You can follow and connect with Mike via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/communitymike/ Twitter: @Community_Mike ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/

As things have changed in recent months, Learning & Development Leaders have had to adapt too. Whereas before the People Development Strategy could have looked like an incremental build on the existing situation, it now has to speak to equipping people to adapt and perform in extraordinary circumstances. In this episode, Jilly Julian talks about this in the context of Legal Services.   Jilly Julian Bio Jilly is Senior L&D Business Partner at Horwich Farrelly, having previously head People Development roles at MAG (Airports Group), The Co-operative Group, PZ Cussons and Capita.   You can follow and connect with Jilly via: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jilly-julian-71024110/ Twitter: @JillyTats

When Sean Cooper took over L&D at Jet2 he was given a blank sheet of paper to redesign it but to achieve real business outcomes. By believing that he could this with digital-first, rather than classroom-first, and by adopting a data-driven and Agile approach, he transformed L&D, achieving more than he thought he could - and was recognised by the industry.  KEY TAKEAWAYS The traditional form of eLearning is not engaging. Many are simply clicking through until they reach the end with the aim of taking the test so that they can tick a box. They are not truly learning this way. The aim is not to create a single bank of information that is irrelevant to many users. It should be an entirely bespoke resource that fits each worker and their unique journey through business. Not every form of learning has to be set in stone. By making small, incremental changes, even in terms of ease-of-access, we slowly change the face of learning and development for the user. By solving problems that are truly important to the organisation, it becomes important to stakeholders or the individuals we are seeking to influence. BEST MOMENTS ’eLearning: that’s not learning to me’ ‘You need to employ this quickly, otherwise you’ll lose what you’ve learned today’ ‘Where I’ve now seen my passion is looking at the blend; the classroom and the digital’ ‘By challenging whether you need to bring people together for the delivery, you create something that is so fit for purpose' VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 ABOUT THE GUEST Sean is Learning Demand Design & Delivery Manager at Drax Group, having previously been L&D Manager at Jet2. He is a forward-thinking, outcome-focused L&D leader who uses data, experimentation, Agile principles and digital-first solutions to affect the way the work is done and desired results. In recognition of this, he and his team at Jet2 achieved the Silver Award at the Learning Tech Awards ABOUT THE HOST David James David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. As well as being the Chief Learning Strategist at Looop, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D as well as an active member of the CIPD L&D Advisory Board. CONTACT METHOD Twitter:  https://twitter.com/davidinlearning/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin/ Website: https://www.looop.co/