Does everyone have a book in them? How hard it is to take an idea to publication?

In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, authors Andy Lancaster, Nelson Sivalingam, Michelle Parry-Slater and Gary Cookson join Ross G to share their experiences. We discuss:

·       why they wanted to write a book in the first place

·       how to get started

·       advice for overcoming the stress of a deadline.

Andy’s book is Driving Performance Through Learning.

Nelson’s is Learning at Speed.

Michelle’s is The Learning and Development Handbook.

Gary’s is HR for Hybrid Working.

All four are available from Kogan Page and Amazon.

During the discussion, Gary referenced Rob Baker’s book Personalization at Work, available at: tailoredthinking.co.uk/personalizationatwork

Michelle recommended Scrivener for writing: literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview

In What I Learned This Week, Nelson referenced the ‘Eisenhower Matrix’. You can see our article on this at: mindtools.com/al1e0k5/eisenhowers-urgentimportant-principle

Michelle discussed her new podcast series, Learning from the Edge.

Andy, while recovering from surgery to his shoulder, recommended the paper: Roberts, C. E., Phillips, L. H., Cooper, C. L., Gray, S., & Allan, J. L. (2017). Effect of different types of physical activity on activities of daily living in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of aging and physical activity, 25(4), 653-670. Online at: p653.xml">journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/japa/25/4/article-p653.xml

Gary recommended Aftermath by Harald Jahner: waterstones.com/book/aftermath/harald-jahner/shaun-whiteside/9780753557884

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

·       Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT

·       Andy Lancaster - @AndyLancasterUK

·       Nelson Sivalingham - @ThatNelsonDude

·       Michelle Parry-Slater - @MiPS1608

·       Gary Cookson - @Gary_Cookson

What do business leaders think about L&D? What do they expect? What’s the reality for L&D?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by Nahdia and Anna to discuss our latest Leadership report – Turning pressures into opportunities. We cover:

·       what questions we asked

·       the headline takeaways from this year’s report

·       the practical implications.

To read the report in full, download it from our Research reports site: mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-reports/turning-pressures-into-opportunities

In WILTW, Gemma talked about the three definitions of twilight. You can read more about this on the Royal Museums Greenwich website: rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/when-dawn-dusk-twilight 

Nahdia mentioned a book she’s reading called The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom: amazon.co.uk/Happiness-Hypothesis-Finding-Modern-Ancient/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

·       Nadhia Khan - @NahdiaKhan

·       Gemma Towersey - @gemmatowersey

·       Anna Barnett - @drannabarnett

What are L&D practitioners excited about in 2023? Is it the rise of artificial intelligence? Or is it the Metaverse? What about skills-based talent management? Or learning analytics?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D is joined by Donald Taylor to discuss the results of the Global Sentiment Survey 2023. We cover:

·       what the GSS is (and what it isn’t)

·       the headline takeaways from this year’s survey

·       regional differences in the data

If you’re interested in reviewing the results of the Global Sentiment Survey, Don shared a breakdown, along with some initial reflections, on his website. donaldhtaylor.co.uk/insight/gss2023-results/

Ross D also shared some of his own reflections on this year’s results in the latest edition of The L&D Dispatch: lddispatch.com/p/local-sentiment-survey

In WILTW, Ross D discussed his success propagating a Monstera plant, by following the steps in this article: pottedpixie.com/how-to-propagate-a-monstera-in-water/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

·       Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT

·       Donald Taylor - @DonaldHTaylor

How do you pick from the hundreds of platforms out there? What questions might you ask to refine your options?

If you’re looking for a learning platform, then you’ve got quite the decision to make! Not only is the market huge and complicated, but it can also be an expensive purchase. Help is at hand this week in The Mind Tools L&D Podcast. Ross G and Gemma are joined by EdTech Consultant Stella Lee, an expert in navigating the decision process.

We explore:

·       key questions to answer before you go shopping

·       “red flags” to look out for

·       the role of AI in learning platforms.

Stella’s LMS selection toolkit is free for anyone to download here: https://paradoxlearning.com/resources/

She’s also shared two of her articles “How to future proof your edtech investment” https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/winter-2023/how-to-future-proof-your-edtech-investment/

“The role of ethics in edtech” https://www.easygenerator.com/en/blog/podcast/stella-lee-edtech-ethics-podcast/

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross spoke about how OpenAI made ChatGPT less sexist, racist and violent than it would be otherwise. You can read about it in this Time article: https://time.com/6247678/openai-chatgpt-kenya-workers/

Gemma talked about the Cairngorms National Park. Facts and figures (and some beautiful photography) can be discovered here: https://cairngorms.co.uk/discover-explore/facts-figures/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

And, this week, we’re giving a special shout out to our Learning Performance Benchmark. Not sure how your L&D function is performing? Find out now, for free: https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

·       Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT

·       Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson (or https://mastodon.scot/@owenferguson)

·       Stella Lee - @stellal

Stella can also be found through other channels via her website: https://paradoxlearning.com/

What do employees and managers care about in 2023? How do we keep them feeling happy, interested and safe?

A new report from Reward Gateway offers six human-centred strategies to build strong, resilient teams. So, this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Chief People Officer Nebel Crowhurst to discuss their findings.

We explore:

·       - whether it’s important that your manager ‘cares’ about you

·      -  the role of mental, physical and wellbeing support in engaging employees

·      -  if it’s OK just to turn up and do your job.

You can find the full report online at: 2023-employee-engagement-trends-report.pdf"> https://www.rewardgateway.com/hubfs/Resources-eBooks/uk-2023-employee-engagement-trends-report.pdf

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen discussed Mastodon and Mark Gilroy’s YouTube tech reviews: https://www.youtube.com/@ThatMarkGilroy

Nebel discussed Australia’s new approach to domestic violence leave: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/leave/family-and-domestic-violence-leave

Ross discussed Glasgow City Council’s plans to build a ‘feminist’ city: https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/glasgow-becomes-uks-first-feminist-city-as-town-planning-motion-from-councillor-holly-bruce-passes-3896633

For more from Nebel and Reward Gateway, visit: https://www.rewardgateway.com/uk

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

And, this week, we’re giving a special shout out to our Learning Performance Benchmark. Not sure how your L&D function is performing? Find out now, for free: https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

·       Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT

·       Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson (or https://mastodon.scot/@owenferguson)

·       Nebel Crowhurst - @HR_Nebel

With inflation high, and high profile redundancies hitting the headlines, L&D is once again under pressure to demonstrate the value it offers and to have an impact in our organisations. So what can you do if your budget is slashed?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, David James shares his experiences of managing the L&D team at The Walt Disney Company during the 2008 financial crisis.  David is the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning and host of The Learning & Development Podcast, and joins Ross G and Owen to discuss:

• the impact that recessions and cost savings typically have on L&D
• actions you can take when budgets are tight
• how the lessons of 2008 can be applied today.

David has also written about this topic for Forbes, which you can read at: forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2023/01/04/heres-how-ld-can-achieve-more-with-less/

During the discussion, David referenced a LinkedIn post from Ross Stevenson, which you can see here: linkedin.com/posts/rstevensonuk_learninganddevelopment-education-humanresources-activity-7019651016069410816-tAGI?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross mentioned a LinkedIn post from Dr Philippa Hardman on ChatGPT for educators. See: linkedin.com/posts/dr-philippa-hardman-057851120_chatgpt-for-educators-a-practical-guide-activity-7020331313136074752-xxik

For more from David, see 360learning.com/ or subscribe to his podcast: looop.co/podcast

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

You can find out more about The Mind Tools Expert Voices Podcast, including where to subscribe, at: https://www.mindtools.com/podcast/

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• David James - @DavidInLearning

Last week on the show we had James McLuckie join us to share his advice for winning an award, and this week - as we're approaching Oscars season - we thought we'd host our own award show: where the nominees haven't entered, the winners don't get anything, and the only criteria is what we think was interesting or cool in 2022.

So, in this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Gemma, Nahdia and Owen are going to reveal their winners from the following shortlists:

Book of the Year

• The Business of Race, by Gina Greenlee and Margaret Greenberg
• Smart Growth, by Whitney Johnson
• The Digital Mindset, by Paul Leonardi and Tsedal Neeley
• HR for Hybrid Working, by Gary Cookson
• How to Work Remotely, by Gemma Dale
• Learning at Speed, by Nelson Sivalingam
• Decisions Over Decimals, by Paul Magnone, Oded Netzer, Christopher J. Frank
• The Expectation Effect, by David Robson

Guest of the Year

• Margaret Greenberg and Gina Greenlee
• Nathalie Nahai
• Professor Doctor Jonathan Wilson
• Oded Netzer
• Bedford Falls’ own George Bailey

Episode of the Year

• Christmas Special: Home Alone
• Halloween Special: Edgar Allan Poe and ‘unity of effect’ in learning design
• 300 — Celebrating live from London!
• Live from the Metaverse: VR for learning
• What will be hot in workplace L&D in 2022?

Technology of the Year

• ChatGPT
• The Metaverse
• Miro
• Dall-e 2, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion

Tweet of the Year

• Elon Musk - Let that sink in
• Sam Altman - Today we launched Chat GPT
• Rob Briner - 18 things I think I got wrong in trying to promote evidence based practice
• Rob Lennon — Everyone's stuck in beginner mode with ChatGPT

L&D Pro of the Year

• Nelson Sivalingam
• Ross Dickie
• Michelle Ockers
• Donald Clark

During the discussion, Gemma referenced the book Statistics without Tears, from Penguin: penguin.co.uk/books/13568/statistics-without-tears-by-derek-rowntree/9780141987491

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Gemma recommended the book Cairngorm John, by John Allen: sandstonepress.com/books/cairngorm-john-pb-1

Ross recommended the film Cliffhanger.

At Mind Tools, we're continuing to offer 10% off your first custom project if commissioned in January 2023. This offer only applies to new custom learning customers and work must be commissioned before midnight, January 31 for discount to apply. Contact Ross and Gemma from our Custom team for details: custom@mindtools.com

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf elearning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT    
• Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan

Industry awards offer a chance to reflect on your work, raise your profile and win some prestige, but they also take a lot of work. So if you’re going to enter, you want to maximise the chances of winning.

In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, former co-host James McLuckie of MAPAL joins Ross G and Ross D to share his insights and entrant and judge. We discuss:

• how the process works
• advice for structuring your submission
• how to deliver a persuasive presentation.

If you’re interested in entering an award, check out the Learning Technologies Awards (learningtechnologies.co.uk/learning-tech-awards) and the Learning Awards (thelearningawards.com/)

For details of Ross D’s recent win, see: mindtoolsbusiness.com/resources/blog/ross-dickie-wins-bronze-learning-technologies-awards-2022

At the top of the show, Ross G referenced the Learning Performance Benchmark, a free tool that can help you take a data-based approach to evaluating your team’s L&D performance. To find out more, visit: mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D recommended Deep Work by Cal Newport: amazon.co.uk/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/dp/0349411905

James discussed #SpedUpSounds and an article from The Guardian: theguardian.com/music/2023/jan/10/sped-up-songs-spotify-youtube-tiktok

Ross G recommended Stephen L Chew and William J Cerbin’s article on the need for a theory of how people learn, published by Inside Higher Ed: insidehighered.com/views/2017/12/05/need-theory-learning-opinion

Thanks @NeilMosley5 on Twitter for that one.

For more from MAPAL, see: os.com/en/">mapal-os.com/en/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

And if you’re looking for help designing digital learning experiences in 2023, why not contact our Custom team at custom@mindtools.com

We're offering 10% off your first custom project if commissioned in January 2023. This offer only applies to new custom learning customers and work must be commissioned before midnight, January 31 for discount to apply. 

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT    

Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT

James McLuckie - @JamesMcLuckie

In January, many of us like to take stock, reflect on the last twelve months, and make plans for the year ahead. In this spirit, we’re kicking off 2023 with a few early insights from our Learning Performance Benchmark.

On the podcast this week, Ross D is joined by Gent Ahmetaj and Anna Barnett from our Insights team to discuss the state of the profession, and what this means for L&D practitioners. We cover:

• what the Learning Performance Benchmark is, and the value benchmarking offers organizations
• early insights from this year’s Benchmark report, with a focus on capabilities, barriers, and strategy

To learn more about the Learning Performance Benchmark, or to start benchmarking your organization’s L&D capabilities, head to: mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark

In WILTW, Anna recommended the game ‘Settlers of Catan’: catan.com/

Gent described how he was led astray by a fake research paper, cited by ChatGPT. You can generate your own A.I. truths and lies at: chat.openai.com/chat

Looking for help designing digital learning experiences in 2023? Why not contact our Custom team at custom@mindtools.com

We're offering 10% off your first custom project if commissioned in January 2023.

Terms and Conditions 

• Offer only applies to new custom learning customers 
• Work must be commissioned before midnight, January 31 for discount to apply. 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:   

Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT

Gent Ahmetaj - @GentAhmetaj

Anna Barnett - @DrAnnaBarnett

Back by popular demand (ish), the Mind Tools L&D Podcast team are wrapping up this year with a tenuous spin on festive favourite Home Alone! This time it isn’t Macaulay Culkin getting left behind: it’s Ross G, Ross D, Nahdia and Owen!

What would WE do if left for Christmas in the L&D department of a large organisation? When our colleagues return, what will they find?

We discuss:

• the laughs we’d share if we could get hold of IT admin privileges
• how stock photography haunts us still
• the benefits of an AI personal assistant on every device.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D recommended the Scrubs podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends: open.spotify.com/show/6qckOLN3q2qpZilM6i1MKv

And for something festive, he shared ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ by Zach Braff and Donald Faison: youtube.com/watch?v=ZAGCZMQUeXo

Nahdia shared a Dolly Parton fact. If you don’t already love Dolly, check out the Dolly Parton’s America podcast: wnycstudios.org/podcasts/dolly-partons-america

And Ross G shared a Twitter thread from @Ammaar, who wrote a children’s book in a weekend with ChatGPT, MidJourney and other AI tools: twitter.com/ammaar/status/1601284293363261441?s=20&t=I60XsKrPtGFMEQi7uUwA2A

For the last time this year: you can find more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:    

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan

‘Big data’ promised us an end to uncertainty, but we realise now that this is a myth. Uncertainty will always remain, and intuition can help us navigate it.

That’s the claim of Oded Netzer, one of the authors of Decisions Over Decimals: Striking the Balance Between Intuition and Information. On this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Oded joins Ross G and Ross D to discuss:

• Why looking for a ‘perfect’ answer isn’t helpful
• How ‘quantitative intuition’ (QI) can help us make decisions
• Techniques for identifying the data you do need to make decisions.

You can find out more about Decisions Over Decimals, including where to buy a copy, at dodthebook.com/

During the discussion, Ross D referenced the website FiveThirtyEight.com. You can find it here: fivethirtyeight.com/

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Oded discussed Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History episode ‘My Little Hundred Million’: pushkin.fm/podcasts/revisionist-history/my-little-hundred-million

Ross D referenced FiveThirtyEight (again) to explore the technology within a football: fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-world-cups-new-high-tech-ball-will-change-soccer-forever/

Ross G encouraged all of you to follow him on Mastodon (the hottest new social network, pew-pew!). Check out: mastodon.scot/@rossgarner

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:    

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT (or @rossgarner@mastodon.scot)
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Oded Netzer - @OdedNetzer

Bonus content! Check out this photo of Ross D with his award: twitter.com/MindToolsFB/status/1593232298358763521?s=20&t=BXnJsjoQ0bYR1_DzvPdjpg

At Mind Tools, we pride ourselves on our ability to create visually rich learning experiences that drive performance. Often, these experiences will include a mix of video, audio, and illustration. But why do these things matter? And how do they serve the outcomes we define with our clients?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D is joined by Tracey, Claire and Alison to discuss the use of multimedia in learning design. We cover:

• the role of multimedia in effective learning design
• creating an emotional connection through storytelling
• what ‘good’ multimedia looks like in a learning context

In WILTW, Tracey described a recent family trip to a model-railway exhibition. A full breakdown of modelling scale standards can be found here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rail_transport_modelling_scale_standards

Claire mentioned the Netflix show A Trip to Infinity: netflix.com/title/81273453

This led her to explore the so-called “coastline paradox”. If you were as befuddled by this concept as Ross D, you can find more information here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastline_paradox

Alison talked about the ability of dogs to sense when their owners are unwell. You can find more information here: wagwalking.com/sense/can-dogs-sense-if-youre-sick

Ross D recommended the video game Immortality, which is available on Xbox, PC and mobile devices.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:    

• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Tracey McDonald – @TraceyMcDonald
• Claire Gibson - @Claireisdigital
• Alison Perrott - @allyperrott

In the UK, 84% of workers who had to work from home because of the Coronavirus pandemic have said they plan to continue working at home, at least some of the time, in the future. That poses a problem to those of us responsible for workplace learning.

This week on The Mind Tools Podcast, Ross G and Ross D are joined by Phill Miller, Managing Director of Open LMS, to explore solutions. We discuss:

• The impact that a shift to hybrid and remote working has had on L&D professionals
• The advantages of remote learning
• The disadvantages of remote learning – and how to address them!

The stats that Ross G mentioned were taken from the Office for National Statistics, ‘Is hybrid working here to stay?’. See: ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/articles/ishybridworkingheretostay/2022-05-23

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D discussed his experiments using DALL·E to create images from text. See: openai.com/blog/dall-e-now-available-without-waitlist/

Ross also shared the image he created with the prompt 'Oil painting of two nerdy guys recording a podcast in a studio.' on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RossDickieMT/status/1590310719832354816

For more about Open LMS, see: openlms.net/about-us

To learn more from Open LMS about online learning engagement in the workplace, see: openlms.net/blog/education/collaborative-online-learning-improve-retention-and-engagement 

You can also find Phill at: linkedin.com/in/phillmiller

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:    

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Phill Miller - @PhJMille

Here at Mind Tools Towers, we love podcasts. We’ve produced our own for six years! But what role do they have to play in workplace learning?

This week on The Mind Tools Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Adam Lacey from podcasts-for-learning-provider Assemble You. We discuss:

• The evolution of podcasts as a technology and as a market
• The solutions that now exist to organisational security barriers
• Workplace learning contexts where podcasts are ideal.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen discussed some internal insights from Meta’s development of VR application Horizon Worlds: theverge.com/2022/10/6/23391895/meta-facebook-horizon-worlds-vr-social-network-too-buggy-leaked-memo

Adam discussed decision-making speed, based on insights from the Brain Food newsletter: fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/

Ross G discussed the ‘digital dark age’, recently discussed on Twitter by @CulturalTutor: twitter.com/culturaltutor/status/1553789465881202690?s=21&t=aByJZxFkW0QeyyrF1nwcEg

For more from Adam, visit:

• His LinkedIn page: linkedin.com/in/adamlacey/
• The Assemble You LinkedIn page: linkedin.com/company/assemble-you/
• The Assemble You website: assembleyou.com/
• The Power Skills Project: assembleyou.com/podcast

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Adam Lacey - LinkedIn

Once upon a midnight dreary, Ross G pondered, weak and weary Whether Ross D might consider him a dry and awful bore—

If he proposed some gentle chatting, sprinkled with some caveating,

A pod with almost no formatting, on an essay he’d adored.

“’Tis about unity of effect in learning design,” he muttered, “by Edgar Allan Poe—

Only this and nothing more.”

We discuss:

• why we are dedicating our Halloween Special to the application of Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘Philosophy of Composition’ to modern-day learning design
• the impact of ‘unity of effect’ on design decisions
• how to create an emotional response in learning experiences.

To read Poe’s essay, see: poetryfoundation.org/articles/69390/the-philosophy-of-composition

To read the full text of ‘The Raven’, see: poetryfoundation.org/poems/48860/the-raven

For The Simpsons version of this tale, see: youtube.com/watch?v=bLiXjaPqSyY

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross D shared his insights from his recent marathon. Ross G discussed Paul Fairie’s (@Paulisci) Twitter thread on the many issues caused by bicycles: twitter.com/paulisci/status/1561848479470694403

If you’re interested in the poem that Ross G’s wife wrote, Edgar Allan Poem, see: instagram.com/p/Chwy4eLLecV/ (It inspired this episode!)

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.   

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Edgar Allan Poe - @Poe_Quotes_Bot

As learning professionals, we can rely on people always needing support to do their jobs more efficiently and more effectively. We can also rely on the hows, whats, whens, and wheres of that support changing. It's up to us to make sure we have the skills, knowledge and attitude to keep pace with changes in learning science, technology and learner demands. 

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma and her teammates in the learning experience team are joined by digital learning designer and developer Ed McLean to share how they keep pace. 

We discuss: 

• The skills and knowledge we're using now
• How we anticipate what we'll need to develop in the future
• How we find learning and development opportunities.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Gemma recommended The Rest is Politics podcast. You can find this wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Ed prompted discussion about the Swiss legal requirement of buying guinea pigs in pairs. You can find out more by reading 'Why it's illegal to own only one guinea pig in Switzerland' in the NY Post.  

Sean's fact about the first VR headset came from this brief-history-of-virtual-reality-in-patents.html">'A brief history of Virtual Reality, In patents' article. 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.   

Connect with our speakers   

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

• Gemma Towersey- @gemmatowersey 
• Sean Brown - @Seanbrownhrtech
• Claire Gibson - @Claireisdigital
• Ed McLean - @em_learning

English is the world’s lingua franca, but the 400 million native-English speakers are a minority compared to the 2 billion people who learned English in a classroom. With these numbers, it’s no surprise that most people speak English ‘badly’.

The problem is that, when people speak with a strange accent, pronounce words wrong, or use unusual grammar, we form an impression of their intelligence and capability that has nothing to do with their actual abilities. So this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, we’re joined by author, consultant and TEDx speaker Heather Hansen to explore the benefits of speaking English badly!

We discuss:

• Why ‘accent bias’ is a problem
• How to become better listeners in a global setting
• How we can better communicate with others.

You can watch Heather’s TEDx talk at: ted.com/talks/heather_hansen_2_billion_voices_how_to_speak_bad_english_perfectly

Find out more about Heather at: globalspeechacademy.com/ 

You can also find Heather on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hansenheather/

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross discussed Alan Rickman’s showbiz diaries: theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/24/alan-rickmans-secret-showbiz-diaries-harry-potter

Nahdia discussed research into accent bias in Britain: Bias-Britain-Report-2020.pdf">accentbiasbritain.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Accent-Bias-Britain-Report-2020.pdf

We opened today’s show with a clip from Mind Your Language.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
• Heather Hansen - @HeatherHansen

How do you set your projects up for success? Does the SME and learning designer relationship really follow the buddy cop movie trope?

In this episode of the Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Claire, Sean, Tracey and Ross G share their experiences of working with SMEs and their insights into what makes a great working relationship.

We discussed: 

• How to build a solid learning designer and SME relationship
• Ways to engage SMEs effectively
• The power of positive challenge

In WILTW, Sean shared some facts linked to the latest Frozen Planet.

Tracey told us about her planet-gazing, join her in finding out more facts about Jupiter on the NASA website.  

Ross talked about recent Economist article he’d read which introduced the new phenomenon of ‘champing’ camping in churches. You can read it here, ‘Britain’s empty churches are turning into campsites’.

Claire mentioned the SS Explorer currently docked in Leith, check out the preservation society page here.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers  

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Claire Gibson - @Claireisdigital
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Tracey McDonald – @TraceyMcDonald
• Sean Brown - @SeanBrownHRTech

This week The Mind Tools Podcast team are travelling through another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop: Extended Reality.

In this episode, Ross G and Nahdia speak to technologist, TEDx speaker, author and designer Myra Roldan about how new technologies are shaping the way we interact with the world, and with each other. We discuss:

• VR, AR, XR and mixed realities
• Applications of XR for learning
• The impact of XR on empathy.

During the discussion, we discussed several VR experiences:

• Five Nights at Freddy’s: oculus.com/experiences/quest/3162101440489458
• Vader Immortal: oculus.com/vader-immortal/?locale=en_GB
• Richie’s Plank: oculus.com/experiences/quest/1642239225880682/

For more on how The Mandalorian was shot, see: youtube.com/watch?v=gUnxzVOs3rk

For Myra’s TEDx talk on VR, see: ted.com/talks/myra_roldan_vr_changing_world_views

You can find Myra on LinkedIn at: linkedin.com/in/myraroldan

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Nahdia discussed the recent flooding in Pakistan, the impact of glaciers, and the effects of climate change: bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62758811

Myra discussed her TikTok channel, learnwithmyra: tiktok.com/@learnwithmyra

And for something completely different, Ross G shared old Hollywood bloopers: twitter.com/NonsenseIsland/status/1550562796458352641

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers  

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:  

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
• Myra Roldan - @MyraMade

Will avatar-based training replace virtual classrooms? Would it make any difference if L&D didn’t even exist?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D, Owen and Nahdia tackle these questions from listeners Ian Younger (@ian5611) and Craig Taylor (@CraigTaylor74).

In WILTW, Owen mentioned the article ‘Good’ posture doesn’t prevent back pain, and ‘bad’ posture doesn’t cause it by Peter O’Sullivan, Leon Straker and Nic Saraceni.

The episode of the Ezra Klein Show which featured a discussion of ‘Larping your job’ was klein-podcast-anne-helen-petersen-charlie-warzel.html">The Office is Dying. It’s Time to Rethink How We Work.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.  

Connect with our speakers  

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Nahdia Khan -@NahdiaKhan

Here at Mind Tools Towers, we’ve been supporting L&D teams for years – and that’s given us plenty of time to reflect on things we could have done better!

So this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Owen, Sean and Ross D are sharing the advice that they wish they’d had when they started out in their careers. We discuss:

• The importance of gathering diverse work experiences
• How to define a problem
• How to speak to others about what you do for a living.

Additionally, we share insights from our Twitter audience. Thanks everyone for sharing your ideas. You can find these responses on Twitter at: twitter.com/SeanBrownHRTech/status/1559833708441620482

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Owen recommended an article from Ben Thompson: stratechery.com/2022/instagram-tiktok-and-the-three-trends/

Sean discussed the world's first animated feature film, El Apóstol: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Ap%C3%B3stol

Ross D discussed a lost trove of Civil War gold: theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/07/pennsylvania-civil-war-treasure-gold-hunt-fbi/638445/

And Ross G recommended the '(Not Boring) Habits' app: apps.apple.com/us/app/not-boring-habits/id1593891243

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Sean Brown - @Seanbrownhrtech
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT

Many organizations responded to the global pandemic by adopting digital technologies that enabled different ways of working. This sudden, unanticipated change has created opportunities for L&D, but it's also posed challenges. 

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen and Anna to dive into this year's L&D Benchmark Report: 'Is your learning culture keeping pace with rapid digitalization?' They discuss:

• the history of the Annual L&D Benchmark Report, and its relationship to our Learning Performance Benchmark
• the emergence of culture and digitalization as the key themes of this year's report, and what this tells us about the state of L&D
• the characteristics of top-performing organizations, and what we can learn from them
• practical advice for applying the report's findings.

To explore the Annual L&D Benchmark Report for yourself, head to our website: mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-reports/keeping-pace-with-digitalization

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen recommended the Abba Voyage concert experience. Full details can be found at: abbavoyage.com

Ross D referenced the FiveThirtyEight article 'Why the Same Temperature Can Feel Different Somewhere Else' by Maggie Koerth: fivethirtyeight.com/features/heat-index-temperature

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
• Anna Barnett @DrAnnaBarnett

Have learners engaged? Learnt what we set out for them to learn? More importantly, have they bought that learning into how they perform? Is this having the wider impact we wanted?

All the questions. So, how do we, as learning professionals, measure the impact our learning experiences have?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma discusses with teammates Claire, Sean and Tracey, about measuring impact.

We discuss:

• what measuring impact means
• tools and methods we use
• some of the challenges involved.

During our chat, Sean mentioned that more than 95% of CLOs know it’s important to measure impact, but less than 5% know how. The statistic came from this blog ways-to-measure-the-impact-of-learning-for-the-ultimate-roi.html">netcomlearning.com/blogs/55/10-ways-to-measure-the-impact-of-learning-for-the-ultimate-roi.html

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Gemma spoke about the first woman who summited Mont Blanc, Marie Paradis. You can find out more about her here chamonixallyear.com/lady-legends-women-in-mountaineering

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

• Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
• Claire Gibson - @Claireisdigital
• Sean Brown - @Seanbrownhrtech
• Tracey McDonald – @Traceymcdonald

Rather than defaulting to pre-pandemic habits, or continuing with pandemic arrangements, we now have an ideal opportunity to rethink how and where we work.

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Nahdia and Gemma talk to Gem Dale, author of How to work remotely, about working well, in and out of the office.

We discuss:

• why we need to be strategic and purposeful in how and where we work
• challenges for organisations and managers in balancing organisational and individual needs
• skills for effective remote working.

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Nahdia told us why some houses in Amsterdam are so narrow amsterdamhangout.com/why-do-houses-in-amsterdam-are-so-narrow/

Gemma mentioned an episode from the language learning podcast series Coffee Break German coffeebreaklanguages.com/2022/07/cbg-mag-2-06-labskaus

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

To find out more about Gem, see hrgemblog.com/ and her book koganpage.com/product/how-to-work-remotely-9781398606111

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

• Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
• Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
• Gem Dale – @HR_Gem

Who knows why anyone does anything? Well… people who craft psychometrics claim that they can answer this question. And this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Owen and Ross G are going to find out how!

We’re joined by Lucie Ilbury, a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Head of Client Enablement at Sova Assessment.

We discuss:

• What psychometric assessments are for
• The characteristics of an effective assessment
• How psychometric assessments can be linked to an organization’s competency framework.

In ‘What I Learnt This Week’, Owen shared that decisive people are no more accurate than doubters: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jun/01/its-decided-decisive-people-no-more-accurate-than-self-doubters

Then he cast some doubt of his own on that headline, with the actual paper: Zajkowski, W., Bielecki, M., & Marszał-Wiśniewska, M. (2022). Are you confident enough to act? Individual differences in action control are associated with post-decisional metacognitive bias. PLoS one, 17(6), e0268501. Available at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0268501

Lucie recommended the The Psychology Podcast, featuring Whitney Goodman on ‘toxic positivity’: https://scottbarrykaufman.com/podcast/whitney-goodman-toxic-positivity/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

To find out more about Sova and gain access to thought leadership, complementary training courses and a network of experts in assessment, join the community here: https://community.sovaassessment.com/

For Sova e-books, see: https://sovaassessment.com/reports-guides/assessment-fundamentals-ebook

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

• Ross G - @RossGarnerMT
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Lucie Ilbury – LinkedIn

Our mental wellbeing can depend in part, on our role at work. How do stress levels of colleagues, managers and directors compare, for instance? What is it about those roles that influences stress levels?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Emotion at Work’s Phil Willcox shares the findings of his latest research report “Managers feel the pinch”.

We discuss:

• The research findings on roles and stress
• What “levers” influence poor mental wellbeing
• What we can do to stay healthy

You can find out more about Emotion at Work at emotionatwork.co.uk

To check out Phil's report, see: manage.com/subscribe?u=09d92d7e2e59615c9c15131b0&id=11b6f33586. Click or tap if you trust this link." href="https://emotionatwork.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=09d92d7e2e59615c9c15131b0&id=11b6f33586">emotionatwork.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=09d92d7e2e59615c9c15131b0&id=11b6f33586 

For more on our competition, where you could win a six month Mind Tools for Business subscription, see: https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/competition

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Ross’ nugget about declining eye health in children came from The Economist’s ‘Short-sightedness has become an epidemic’: economist.com/leaders/2022/06/09/short-sightedness-has-become-an-epidemic

Phil backed up his research with findings from a paper titled, ‘We have emotions but can’t show them!: Authoritarian Leadership, Emotional Suppression Climate, and Team Performance’:  eprints.lse.ac.uk/104058/1/We_have_emotions_but_can_t_show_them.pdf

Owen’s learning came from the UK Government’s research and analysis into online choice architecture called, ‘Evidence review of Online Choice Architecture and consumer and competition harm.’ : gov.uk/government/publications/online-choice-architecture-how-digital-design-can-harm-competition-and-consumers/evidence-review-of-online-choice-architecture-and-consumer-and-competition-harm

You can find Ross' blog on choice architecture at: mindtoolsbusiness.com/resources/blog/tips-and-expertise/how-nudge-theory-can-lead-to-better-workplace-learning 

Gemma’s magpie facts were from the RSPB’s ‘Magpie life cycle’ webpage: rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/magpie/life-cycle/ 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

• Ross G - @RossGarnerMT
• Gemma T - @GemmaTowersey
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Phil Willcox - @PhilWillcox

We’re all familiar with one-off learning events like e-learning modules, workshops and virtual classrooms. They’re common because they’re logistically easier for everyone, but how we can adapt these to embed learning after the event?

To discuss, Ross G and Owen are joined by Paul 'Westy' Westlake, Digital Director at PeopleUnboxed, and host of the PeopleUnplugged Podcast.

We discuss:

• Problems with one-off events
• Techniques to ensure they have greater impact
• What it looks like to embed learning more systemically within a workplace.

Show notes

During the discussion, Ross referenced the work of Immersive Interactive: https://immersive.co.uk/

We also referenced the Mind Tools report ‘Google it: The secret online lives of UK managers’: https://mindtoolsbusiness.com/research-and-reports/google-it-the-secret-online-lives-of-uk-managers

You can find out more about People Unboxed at: https://peopleunboxed.co.uk/

The People Unplugged podcast is online at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1718614

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed the ‘(Not Boring) Habits’ app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/not-boring-habits/id1593891243

For the blog he recommended, see: https://www.andy.works/words/the-most-satisfying-checkbox

Ross mentioned the video game Lego Star Wars Skywalker Saga, and Paul shared that the world’s largest tyre manufacturer is in fact Lego: https://www.coruba.co.uk/blog/lego-the-worlds-largest-tyre-manufacturer/

Ross learned about the 65537-gon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/65537-gon

And Owen spoke briefly about knot theory and proteins: Adams, C., Devadoss, J., Elhamdadi, M., & Mashaghi, A. (2020). Knot theory for proteins: Gauss codes, quandles and bondles. Journal of Mathematical Chemistry, 58(8), 1711-1736. Online at: https://arxiv.org/abs/1912.09353

A wide-ranging discussion this week!

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Owen Ferugson - @OwenFerguson
• Paul Westlake - @PaulWestlake

Back in episode 279 of this podcast (February 1, 2022: ‘Why work is the ideal place to talk about race’), we spoke with authors Margaret Greenberg and Gina Greenlee about their book The Business of Race. But while we talked extensively about personal experiences and inner work, we didn’t have a chance to dig into what L&D can do to promote an anti-racist workplace.

So this week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Margaret and Gina are back with Ross G and Nahdia to discuss:

• The pre-work required for organizational change
• The extent to which diversity training is effective
• Tools that can help L&D promote an anti-racist workplace.

Show notes

Find out more about The Business of Race, including links to order a copy, at: businessofrace.com 

The LinkedIn page is: linkedin.com/company/the-business-of-race 

The Facebook page is: facebook.com/businessofrace 

The tools that Margaret discussed were:

• Deborah Plummer's Antiracist Style Indicator (ASI) - https://asi.dlplummer.com
• Annie E. Casey Foundation's Organizational Self-Assessment (OSA) - https://www.aecf.org/resources/race-matters-organizational-self-assessment

In 'What I Learned This Week', Nahdia recommended the Adam Curtis document The Century of Self: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEsPOt8MG7E

Gina recommended The 1619 Project: america-slavery.html"> https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html

Margaret recommended Obasan by Joy Kagawa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obasan

Ross referenced No-No Boy by John Okada: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No-No_Boy

And Ross shared that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky voiced Paddington Bear, prior to his current role: https://variety.com/2022/film/news/ukrainian-president-zelenskyukrainian-president-volodymyr-zelensky-voiced-paddington-bear-1235191660/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
• Gina Greenlee - @TheGinaGreenlee / LinkedIn
• Margaret Greenberg - LinkedIn

Gamification promises fun activities, increased user engagement and – ultimately – better workplace learning. But do points and badges really make a difference?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Sean, Tracey and podcasting n00b Sam Brown tackle this issue.

We discuss:

• The difference between ‘gamification’ and ‘game-based learning’
• Good and bad examples of gamification
• Common gamification mistakes.

Find out more about Twitter Data Dash at: https://twitterdatadash.com/

For more on gamification, including examples, see:

• com, ‘What is gamification’?, at: https://www.gamify.com/what-is-gamification
• Growth Engineering, ‘The ultimate definition of gamification (with 6 real world examples)’, at: https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/definition-of-gamification/
• Training Industry, ‘Game-Based Learning vs Gamification: Do You Know the Difference?’, at: https://trainingindustry.com/articles/learning-technologies/game-based-learning-vs-gamification-do-you-know-the-difference

In ‘What I Learned This Week’, Sean shared the origins of the croissant: https://lesaffre.uk/2020/07/27/what-are-the-origins-of-the-croissant

Tracey discussed the origins of Neptune balls: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/15/seagrass-neptune-balls-sieve-millions-of-plastic-particles-from-water-study-finds

And Ross discussed the meaning of sailor tattoos: https://mymodernmet.com/traditional-sailor-tattoos-decoded/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

• Ross Garner @RossGarnerMT
• Tracey McDonald @TraceyMcDonald
• Sean Brown @SeanBrownHRTech
• Sam Brown @SBrownMT

There are more and more people working in a hybrid way. What does this mean for how we meet, develop relationships and support learning?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma T and Owen explore these questions with HR for Hybrid Working author and Director of Epic HR, Gary Cookson.

We discuss:

• What makes for an effective hybrid meeting
• Experiences that tend to be better 100% remote / 100% in-person
• The skills we might need to develop as HR and L&D professionals.

You can find out about Gary at: epichr.co.uk/ 

Gary's book is now available to buy: koganpage.com/product/hr-for-hybrid-working

In WILTW, Owen talked about research findings on the efficacy of “expert” advice. Here’s the research paper www.harvard.edu/~dtg/LEVARIETAL2022.pdf">“Tips from the Top: Do the best performers really give the best advice?”

Gary learnt that the word “viking” was once used as a verb: What does the word Viking mean?

Gemma’s bluetooth titbit came from Twitter: Susie Dent: King Harald Bluetooth

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

• Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey
• Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
• Gary Cookson @Gary_Cookson

Why is chronic stress, or burnout, on the rise? Who suffers the most? Is it an individual or an organisational problem?   

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, author Jennifer Moss speaks to Gemma and Ross about the problem of burnout. 

• What burnout is
• What causes such chronic stress
• What does and doesn't help ease the problem?

You can find out more about Jennifer's work, and her book The Burnout Epidemic, at moss.com/">jennifer-moss.com  

In ‘What I Learnt This Week’, Ross told us about Shakespeare's missing skull https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-shakespeare-idUSKCN0WQ192 

Gemma talked about Dan Gilbert's End of History illusion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End-of-history_illusion 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

Connect with our speakers 

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter: 

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Gemma - @gemmatowersey
• Jennifer Moss - @jenleighmoss

What is a digital mindset? Why is it important? And can non-technical people really contribute in digital roles?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Ross G explore these questions with researcher, consultant and author of Digital Mindset, Dr Paul Leonardi.

We discuss:

• How anyone can adopt a digital mindset
• The importance of collaboration, computation and change
• How much you need to know to ‘sniff test’ statistical claims.

The Digital Mindset: What It Really Takes to Thrive in the Age of Data, Algorithms, and AI, by Paul Leonardi and Tsedal Neeley, is available now.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D shared a tweet from Adam Grant: twitter.com/AdamMGrant/status/1523656067838021632

Ross G shared the paper: Brucks, M. S., & Levav, J. (2022). Virtual communication curbs creative idea generation. Nature, 1-5. Available online at: nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04643-y

Paul discussed the paper: Shih, K. (2017). Do international students crowd-out or cross-subsidize Americans in higher education?. Journal of Public Economics, 156, 170-184. Available online at: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047272717301676 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

You can find out more about Paul at: tmp.ucsb.edu/people/paul-leonardi

Find out more about Tsedal Neeley at: tsedal.com

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• Ross G - @RossGarnerMT
• Ross D - @RossDickieMT
• Paul Leonardi - @PLeonardi1

Why is it so difficult to start something new and stick with it? How do we gain and maintain momentum? And why do we tire of what we're doing? 

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Ross G explore these questions with Smart Growth author and disruption theorist Whitney Johnson.

We discuss:

• what we mean by 'smart growth'
• the 'S Curve of Learning' model
• what L&D teams can do to create an ecosystem where smart growth is possible.

Find out more about Whitney at: whitneyjohnson.com 

The Disrupt Yourself wth Whitney Johnson podcast is on Spotify at: open.spotify.com/show/7cn2cgc34znzwPkkwH58sQ 

The Grieg piece that Ross G mentioned was 'Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op 16': youtube.com/watch?v=I1Yoyz6_Los 

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G discussed 'What Can TV Teach L&D? - Star Wars', by friend-of-the-show Tom Hickmore: youtube.com/watch?v=42aDTxlmklY 

Whitney discussed Emma Seppälä's insight that happiness impacts three degrees of separation away from the happy person. You can see her TEDx talk at: youtube.com/watch?v=WZvUppaDfNs 

And Ross D asked 'are gimmicky airline safety videos putting passengers in danger?': wired.co.uk/article/korean-air-k-pop-safety-video-superm 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Ross G - @RossGarnerMT
• Ross D - @RossDickieMT
• Whitney Johnson - @JohnsonWhitney

Interactive checklists, immersive VR games, bitesized elearning and so many possibilities in between. Learning designers are spoilt for choice when it comes to interventions. How to choose the "right" one? 

Gemma, along with Tracey, Sean and David  from the Mind Tools Custom team discuss:

• what we mean by interventions 
• who and what to take into account when making a decision
• examples of interventions and the decisions that led to them.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Sean referenced the tinniest mammal, the bumblebee bat. You can read more about it here: guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/70467-smallest-mammal

David's nifty keyboard shortcuts: renaming a file = select file > F2; deleting a file = select file > shift DEL.

Tracey talked about her visit to Loch Garten. You can find out more about the flora and fauna at this magical place here, rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/loch-garten/

Gemma mentioned Yester Castle and the army of goblins that built and now haunt it. Wikipedia expands on the myth here wikipedia.org/wiki/Yester_Castle 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Tracey McDonald - @TraceyMcDonald
• Sean Brown - @SeanBrownHRTech
• Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey

You'll find David on LinkedIn - David Sharkey 

• the importance of values for retaining talent and attracting customers
• how an organisation's values are shaped
• whether 'values training' has any benefits.

For tickets to our live show in London, on the evening of May 4, see: eventbrite.co.uk/e/live-show-mind-tools-300th-podcast-episode-tickets-315236830847 

For more on the 'Theory of Basic Human Values', see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Basic_Human_Values

For more on the 'Great Resignation', see: theguardian.com/business/2022/jan/04/great-resignation-quitting-us-unemployment-economy 

If you were curious about HP's values and mission, see: information.html">hp.com/uk-en/hp-information.html 

For more from Nathalie, see: nathalienahai.com

Identify, develop and communicate your organisation's with 'The Values Map': thevaluesmap.com

Find out more about Nathalie's book, Business Unusual, at: businessunusualthebook.com

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross referenced episode 268: open.spotify.com/episode/5wSAM8zTPvKlAIkkSoKB8Z, where he discussed Ezra Klein's podcast episode 'A Crypto Optimist Meets a Crypto Skeptic': klein-podcast-katie-haun.html">nytimes.com/2021/10/15/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-katie-haun.html

He's now followed that up with another Ezra Klein episode, 'A Viral Case Against Crypto, Explored': ezra-klein-interviews-dan-olson.html">nytimes.com/2022/04/05/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-interviews-dan-olson.html

For Dan Olson's YouTube video 'Line Goes Up - The Problem With NFTs', see: youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g

Larry David's FTX commercial, 'Don't Miss Out on Crypto' is here: youtube.com/watch?v=BH5-rSxilxo

The struggle to sell an NFT of Jack Dorsey's first ever tweet is online at: bbc.co.uk/news/business-61102759

Find Neil deGrasse Tyson on Instagram at: instagram.com/neildegrassetyson

The book Ross recommended was Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean, by Jonathan White: amazon.co.uk/Tides-Science-Spirit-Jonathan-White/dp/1595348050

For some insight into the effect that oysters have on sex, see: smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/are-oysters-aphrodisiac-180962148/ 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Nathalie Nahai - @NathalieNahai

These are the kind of questions we're exploring on this weeks episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, as we dig into this year's 'Learner Intelligence' report.

Ross G, Owen and our own Dr Anna Barnett discuss:

• how work across industries has changed since the start of the pandemic
• how learner challenges vary from in-person to remote
• positive shifts in workplace learning during the pandemic.

The 'Learner Intelligence' report will be available from mindtoolsbusiness.com next week.

For tickets to our live show in London, on the evening of May 4, see: eventbrite.co.uk/e/live-show-mind-tools-300th-podcast-episode-tickets-315236830847 

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed DALL·E 2, an AI system that creates images from natural language: openai.com/dall-e-2

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Dr Anna Barnett - @DrAnnaBarnett
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson

In a first for The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, we are coming to you this week LIVE FROM THE METAVERSE. Gemma, Mike, Jonathan and Claire met in Horizon Workrooms to discuss:

• what it feels like to meet in VR
• applications of VR that go beyond health and safety training
• which VR experiences are meaningful, and which are still 'fluff'.

ross.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/vrcombined.png" alt="Split screen image of the Mind Tools team with their headsets on, and as VR avatars in Horizon Workrooms" width="1015" height="894">

The VR experiences discussed were:

• Richie's Plank (oculus.com/experiences/quest/1642239225880682/)
• Bodyswaps (bodyswaps.co)
• Training for nuclear plant employees (ans.org/news/article-3164/virtual-reality-in-the-nuclear-community)
• The National Autistic Society's Too Much Information experience (autism.org.uk/shop/products/merchandise/too-much-information-virtual-reality-headset)
• VirtualSpeech (virtualspeech.com)

In 'What I Learned This Week', Jonathan discussed the 'Mandela Effect'. Are you living in an alternate reality? telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/20/are-you-living-in-an-alternate-reality-welcome-to-the-wacky-worl

And Gemma discussed ptarmigans: wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/grouse-partridges-pheasant-and-quail/ptarmigan 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
• Mike Shaw - @MikeShawLD
• Claire Gibson - @ClaireIsDigital
• Jonathan Hancock - @J_B_Hancock

In this podcast, you'll learn:

• what learning outcomes are
• how to write learning outcomes
• and why presenting outcomes as a bulleted list is boring at best, and ineffective at worst.

But seriously, this week join Ross D, Ross G, Tracey and Sean as they explore the characteristics of good learning outcomes and their connection to business objectives.

For more on this topic, see Dr Will Thalheimer's blog 'Rethinking Instructional Objectives': worklearning.com/2013/05/13/rethinking-instructional-objectives/

For more on 'advance organizers', see: Gurlitt, J. (2012). Advance organizer. Encyclopedia of the sciences of learning, 148-151. Online at: link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_157

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G discussed the Peter Principle, and why there are so many bad bosses. Check out Freakonomics for details: freakonomics.com/podcast/why-are-there-so-many-bad-bosses/ 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Tracey McDonald - @TraceyMcDonald
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Sean Brown - @SeanBrownHRTech

What are L&D practitioners excited about in 2022? Will we be drawn to bright, shiny objects like skills-based talent management? Or will we continue to focus on the lasting impact of Covid-19?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Donald Taylor to discuss the results of this year's Global Sentiment Survey. We cover:

• the headline takeaways from the report
• regional differences in the data
• the long shadow of the pandemic
• predictions for the future

To find out more about the Global Sentiment Survey, head to Don's website: https://donaldhtaylor.co.uk/research_base/global-sentiment-survey-2022/

In WILTW, Owen mentioned the rise of the email newsletter platform Substack: https://substack.com/

Ross D talked about 'steam bending', a woodworking technique his friend Alice Dudgeon uses to create artwork: https://www.alicedudgeon.com/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
• Donald Taylor @DonaldHTaylor

We discuss:

• What curiosity is
• What stops us being curious at work
• How we can develop our curiosity.

For more from Stefaan, including access to his free diagnostic, visit: globalcuriosityinstitute.com 

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross shared fun Mad Hatter facts from the 'Killer Fashion' episode of podcast The Rest is History: play.acast.com/s/the-rest-is-history-podcast/158-lethal-fashion 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

And here's a thing! The free Learning Performance Benchmark is now open for another season. If you're curious to benchmark your learning function against other organisations, check it out now: mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark 

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• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Owen Ferugson - @OwenFerguson
• Stefaan van Hooydonk - @StefaanVanHooyd

Why do learning professionals tell stories? How do we tell them to greatest effect? And where can we find them?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Ross D find answers to these questions with the help of instructional designer, learning strategist and author Hadiya Nurridin.

We discuss:

• Where stories are more effective than 'telling it straight'
• How to identify the stories that you can share
• How to help others find and craft their stories.

For more from Hadiya, visit: duetslearning.com 

Or check out her book, StoryTraining: Selecting and Shaping Stories That Connect.

For more on the #KyivNotKiev campaign, see: wikipedia.org/wiki/KyivNotKiev

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Hadiya Nuriddin - @HadiyaNuriddin

Today is International Women's Day and we're celebrating it in partnership with Working Chance, a UK-based charity set up to help women with criminal convictions to find jobs. Today on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma and Nahdia talk to Helen Sweet, Head of Employability at Working Chance. We discuss:

• Employability barriers facing women with convictions
• What the Employability Programme comprises
• How you can support Working Chance

To go directly to Working Chance's BIG GIVE campaign for International Women’s Day, please visit workingchance.org/IWD You can also find out more about Working Chance via its social media channels: instagram.com/working_chance

twitter.com/WorkingChance

facebook.com/workingchance

Nahdia's discovery about our changing sleep patterns came from "The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps'" article from the BBC. You can read it by following this link bbc.com/future/article/20220107-the-lost-medieval-habit-of-biphasic-sleep

Gemma's bog factoid came from the Scottish Wildlife Trust's 50 for the Future publication. The 'Peatland blanket bogs' article is online at scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/2015/10/50-for-the-future-peatland-blanket-bogs/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
• Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan

Today on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma, Ross G, Ross D and Sean look at how nudge theory can be applied to workplace learning. We discuss:

• What nudge theory is
• How understanding learner context helps us identify nudges
• Criticisms of nudge theory.

The book we based most of this discussion on has just been revised. Check out the latest version of Nudge here: yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300262285/nudge 

We also referenced Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman: wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow 

We mentioned Dan Pink's Drive: danpink.com/books/drive 

And Deci and Ryan on 'Self Determination Theory': wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory 

If you want to hand over cash to help you make commitments, then stickK offers this service: stickk.com (We've never tried it, so this isn't an endorsement).

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross G discussed The Book of Boba Fett, now streaming on Disney+. For more on spinning space stations, you nerds, check out: wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotating_wheel_space_station 

And Gemma discussed her experience of Julie Drybrugh's Write Nights: fuchsiablueblog.wordpress.com/write-nights-at-fuchsia-blue/ 

Julie joined us to discuss writing back in episode 278. You'll find that episode in this podcast feed.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Sean Brown - @SeanBrownHRTech

Is 'education' a liberating force that prepares children for a rapidly changing world? Or a system of control that kills their enthusiasm for learning.

On this week's Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Ross D are joined by Patrick Cootes, Co-Founder and Chief Learning Officer of Mindstone, to debate. We discuss:

• Traditional perspectives on education
• The purpose of education
• How systems reinforce one another.

During the discussion, Ross D mentioned a podcast segment about students who wondered what it would be like to live on the moon. This was a reference to The Ezra Klein Show: klein-podcast-johann-hari.html">nytimes.com/2022/02/11/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-johann-hari.html 

Ross G referenced the Freakonomics episode 'Freakonomoics goes to college: Part 1': freakonomics.com/podcast/freakonomics-goes-to-college-part-1 

And research from Pew: pewresearch.org/social-trends/2011/05/15/chapter-5-the-monetary-value-of-a-college-education 

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D shared the story of Lena Forsen, covered by Wired: wired.com/story/finding-lena-the-patron-saint-of-jpegs

And the story of Shirley Page, covered by 99% Invisible: 99percentinvisible.org/episode/shirley-cards 

Ross G shared trivia from the Martin Scorsese film Casino: imdb.com/title/tt0112641/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv

For more from Patrick, see: mindstone.com

Patrick has also written about education at: medium.com/@patrick_85173/the-future-of-learning-3196b05452a3 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Patrick Cootes - @MindstoneHQ | LinkedIn

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Nahdia are joined by branding expert Professor Doctor Jonathan Wilson to explore these questions. We discuss:

• personal branding
• the benefits of building a brand
• the effort required to connect with your audience.

For more from Jonathan, see: drjonwilson.com

Jonathan offers a course on personal branding at: futurelearn.com/experttracks/developing-your-personal-brand

The book Ross mentioned, by Dorie Clark, was Stand Out: dorieclark.com/books

In 'What I Learned This Week', Nahdia discussed research from McKinsey into 'The rise of the inclusive consumer': mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-rise-of-the-inclusive-consumer

Jonathan shared Jason Bell and Osi Umenyiora of The NFL Show discussing racism in hiring practices: linkedin.com/posts/drjonwilson_black-coaches-have-to-be-great-and-it-is-activity-6896410129554554880-fuyX

See more at: linkedin.com/posts/drjonwilson_flores-sues-nfl-teams-in-racism-claim-activity-6894754539036061696-khgA 

Jon also discussed the ongoing Joe Rogan backlash. See: linkedin.com/posts/drjonwilson_what-the-joe-rogan-backlash-reveals-about-activity-6894645124333133824-LtY7

And: edition.cnn.com/2022/02/05/media/joe-rogan-racial-slur-apology-india-arie/index.html

Ross discussed Allison Robicelli's night at Chicago O'Hare airport: washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/01/11/ohare-airport-things-to-do

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
• Jonathan Wilson - @DrJonWilson | LinkedIn

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ger Driesen joins Ross G and Owen to explore what's possible. We discuss:

• what the metaverse(s) is(are)
• how blockchain and NFTs can shape the metaverse economy
• whether your digital avatar needs to look like your physical body.

See Facebook's announcement about their rebrand as 'Meta' at: about.fb.com/news/2021/10/facebook-company-is-now-meta/

Owen referenced Moxie Marlinspike's blog post on web3: first-impressions.html">moxie.org/2022/01/07/web3-first-impressions.html

The 'let the tiger eat me' anecdote was taken from: futurism.com/neoscope/vr-injuries

For a longer discussion on blockchain, with Ger, see our earlier episode 'Blockchain for L&D (Yes, really!)': podcast.goodpractice.com/96-blockchain-for-ld-yes-really 

For 'How to Troll an NFT Owner', see: image-ownership-right-clicking-saving-copying-trolling.html">slate.com/technology/2021/11/nft-image-ownership-right-clicking-saving-copying-trolling.html

Mike Howard, of Oculus, has described the difficulty of creating a digital avatar at: tech.fb.com/avatars-the-art-and-science-of-social-presence/ 

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed criticism of Johann Hari's latest book. See: twitter.com/StuartJRitchie/status/1480219761824915461 

You can find out more about Hari at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Hari

Ger shared his thoughts on 'labyrinthitis'.

And Ross discussed survey results on what a 'dream job' looks like: rajaworkplace.co.uk/dream-job 

You can find more from Ger on LinkedIn and at: anewspring.com/author/ger 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Ger Driesen - @GerDriesen

In The Business of Race, authors Gina Greenlee and Margaret Greenberg argue that the workplace is the ideal place to talk about race, racism, and anti-racism. This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, they join Ross G and Nahdia to explain why. We discuss:

• opportunities for teachable moments
• the moral case vs business case for racial equity
• the reasons to separate conversations about racial diversity from other diversity initiatives.

Show notes

Find out more about The Business of Race, including links to order a copy, at: businessofrace.com 

The LinkedIn page is: linkedin.com/company/the-business-of-race 

The Facebook page is: facebook.com/businessofrace 

In 'What I Learned This Week', Nahdia discussed the Edelman Trust Barometer 2022, online at: edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2022-01/2022%20Edelman%20Trust%20Barometer%20Global%20Report_Final.pdf 

Gina shared Akala's Oxford Union address, available online at: youtube.com/watch?v=WUtAxUQjwB4 

Akala's website is: akalamusic.com 

Margaret recommended The Winternight Trilogy, from Katherine Arden: katherinearden.com 

And Ross discussed 'The accessibility stalemate', by Christian Heilmann: christianheilmann.com/2021/07/20/the-accessibility-stalemate 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
• Gina Greenlee - @TheGinaGreenlee / LinkedIn
• Margaret Greenberg - LinkedIn

What is it about writing that fires up our souls? And, for those who hate it, is there any hope?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Ross D and Gemma are joined by friend-of-the-show Julie Drybrough to answer these questions.

We discuss:

• writing for work, fun and reflection
• techniques to spark creativity
• how writing in groups can give you more freedom.

Show notes

Details of Julie's 'Write Nights' series can be found on her blog at: fuchsiablueblog.wordpress.com/write-nights-at-fuchsia-blue 

Details of Dr James Pennebaker's 'writing to heal' are online at: to-Heal.pdf">emotionalaffair.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Writing-to-Heal.pdf 

See also: Pennebaker, J. W. (1999). Health effects of expressing emotions through writing.

And, from Positive Psychology: positivepsychology.com/learned-optimism 

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D shared that he'd started taking notes with Evernote: evernote.com 

Gemma discussed the VR app 'Notes on Blindness', based on the film of the same name: notesonblindness.co.uk/vr 

And Ross discussed The Paper Sky, by Eleanor Mansell: canterburypress.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9781848257672/the-paper-sky 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Julie Drybrough - @Fuchsia_Blue

By some measures, the last two years have seen a surge in demand for consumer learning platforms like Masterclass, CreativeLive and Skillshare. Often, these platforms position themselves as an alternative to streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Is this part of a broader trend towards learning as entertainment? If so, what does that mean for learning in the workplace? 

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D, Owen, Nahdia and Ross G discuss:

• whether there truly is increased demand for 'edutainment'
• the difference between entertainment and 'fun'
• the role of entertainment in the design of workplace learning

Show notes

At the start of this week's show, Ross G challenged the premise of Ross D's opening question by citing data from the ONS. You can find these data here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/satelliteaccounts/bulletins/coronavirusandhowpeoplespenttheirtimeunderrestrictions/28marchto26april2020

In WILTW, Ross D recommended Stuart Russell's Reith Lectures on artificial intelligence: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001216k/episodes/player

The Netflix series Nahdia mentioned was School of Chocolate: https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81207686

Ross G discussed the history of the burpee, created by Royal Huddleston Burpee Sr. You can find out more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burpee_(exercise)

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT
• Nahdia Khan - @_nahdia_khan 

Five years of this podcast, listening to his co-hosts ramble enthusiastically about the same tired old topics, had left him jaded and disillusioned with the industry he once loved.

And so I say again, that Owen was miserable to begin with. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate...

Starring:

• Ross Garner as Charles Dickens (@RossGarnerMT)
•  
  Owen Ferguson in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge (@OwenFerguson)
•  
  Peter Casebow as the Ghost of Christmas Past (@PeterCasebow)
• Gemma Towersey as the Ghost of Christmas Present (@GemmaTowersey)
• Ross Dickie as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (@RossDickieMT)
• And Hollywood’s Jimmy Stewart as Bob Cratchit

Show notes

In 'What I Learned This Christmas', Peter shared details of a trip he went on with photographer Andy Howard: andyhoward.co.uk 

Gemma shared an episode of Matthew Syed's podcast Sideways on 'Oostvaardersplassen: A Wild Idea': bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0012fp4 

Ross D shared how 'video on-demand' changed the way we think, from the book 1001 Ideas That Changed the Way We Think: amazon.co.uk/1001-Ideas-that-Changed-Think/dp/1844037509 

And Ross G shared the article 'No chips, no problem: Why old video games are better than news one', from Justin Heckert in The Economist's 1843 Magazine: economist.com/1843/2021/11/24/no-chips-no-problem-why-old-video-games-are-better-than-new-ones 

We'll be back on January 11. Until then, you can find our back catalogue of podcasts at mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

From everyone at Mind Tools, we'd like to thank you for listening to us for a whole other year! And if you'd like to thank us, please do leave us a review. Preferably five stars.

Merry Christmas!

Recent announcements from Facebook and Microsoft have brought the 'metaverse' into the mainstream. But what actually is the metaverse, and what are its implications for the way we live, work, and learn?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D, Owen and Ross G discuss:

• what 'metaverse' means, and how it's different from VR or AR
• how it might change the world of work, both positively and negatively
• how it might be applied to digital learning

Show notes

The song Ross D mentioned was Total Entertainment Forever by Father John Misty.

In WILTW, Ross G referenced a recent conversation on the Slate Political Gabfest podcast, focusing on predictions made in a 1997 article from Wired magazine. You can find out more at: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/wired-1997-predictions/

The podcast Ross D recommended was 'The Exponent', including a recent episode titled 'Forecasting the Metaverse'.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT

To solve a complex problem, should we ask a single genius or tap into our networks? It's a question that's answered by Matthew Syed in his book Rebel Ideas: The power of diverse thinking. 

In this episode, Nahdia, Owen, Ross G and Gemma gather to contemplate the book.

We discuss:

• what rebel ideas are
• diversity and its benefits (and what we lose when we don't have it)
• practical ways to harness collective intelligence.

Show notes

In WILTW, Owen shared his finding of an animated introduction to machine learning. You can experience this visual explanation here: http://www.r2d3.us/visual-intro-to-machine-learning-part-1/

Ross mentioned watching the documentary The Beatles: Get back. You can stream this on Disney+.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

Finally, you have until the end of the year to complete the Learning Performance Benchmark. Get started now at: mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark 

What are the challenges of managing a team who are sometimes present and sometimes not? How do we make sure hybrid working is inclusive? Is a hybrid meeting - that's effective for everyone - actually possible?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, speaker and writer Gary Cookson joins Ross G and Owen to share insights from his research.

We discuss:

• what hybrid working is
• the hybrid working challenges faced by employees, managers and organisations
• strategies for developing networks within organisations

Show notes

For background, see 'Most people in the UK did not work from home in 2020, says ONS' at:  theguardian.com/world/2021/may/17/home-working-doubled-during-uk-covid-pandemic-last-year-mostly-in-london 

And, from the ONS: 'Coronavirus (COVID-19) latest insights: Work 19 November 2021' at: ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19latestinsights/work#homeworking 

Gary's book will be published by Kogan Page in June 2022. You can find him at: epichr.co.uk/ 

In WILTW, Owen discussed how Google has made us feel overconfident: Ward, A. F. (2021). People mistake the internet’s knowledge for their own. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(43). Available online at: pnas.org/content/118/43/e2105061118 

This paper is discussed at: 10-online-overconfident.html">phys.org/news/2021-10-online-overconfident.html 

Ross shared insights into the Sheldon Spectrum, covered by Wired at: wired.co.uk/article/ocean-creature-size 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. 

We're used to dilemmas: Do I take path A or path B? But in this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, we rally against binary thinking with the 'tetralemma'.

This 3,000-year-old model for decision making has real-world applications today, and author, coach and TEDx speaker Lior Locher joins us to explain why.

Lior, Ross G and Owen discuss:

• the difference between binary and non-binary thinking
• examples of non-binary thinking in practice
• applications of the tetralemma at work.

Show notes

For more on the tetralemma, see Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetralemma

Andreas Schoetz also has a fascinating blog on the topic: linkedin.com/pulse/tetralemma-3000-year-old-method-21st-century-andreas-schoetz/ 

And Lior has written about non-binary thinking at: liorlocher.me/2019/12/08/how-to-unblock-either-or-thinking/ 

In WILTW, Owen discussed the metaverse: stratechery.com/2021/microsoft-and-the-metaverse/

And he shared details from NVIDIA's keynote: blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2021/11/09/nvidia-ceo-accelerated-computing-ai-omniverse-avatars-robots-gtc/

Ross discussed an episode of The Exponent podcast, where the hosts discussed the metaverse: exponent.fm/episode-196-forecasting-the-metaverse/ 

Lior discussed Peter Davidson's book: The Idea of North: reaktionbooks.co.uk/display.asp?K=9781861892300 

For more from Lior, see: liorlocher.me

Lior's books The DIY Phoenix (amazon.co.uk/dp/B094YPXRDN) and Values-based (amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RNGQQNH) are both available now.

Lior's TEDx talk is online at: ted.com/talks/lior_locher_what_we_lose_through_binary_thinking_and_what_to_do_instead 

How can we make our jobs 1% - or even 2% - better? According to Rob Baker, the answer is 'job crafting'.

Stemming from his work in positive psychology, Rob suggests individuals and teams improve their working lives by taking ownership of their roles and making small changes that have an impact.

He joins Ross G and Owen to discuss:

• the emerging field of positive psychology
• what job crafting looks like in practice
• how L&D and HR teams can promote job crafting.

Show notes

Rob talked about job crafting in his TEDx talk here: youtube.com/watch?v=hz71mDMaVJc 

His website is: tailoredthinking.co.uk 

In WILTW, Owen discussed the paper: Yang, L., Holtz, D., Jaffe, S., Suri, S., Sinha, S., Weston, J., ... & Teevan, J. (2021). The effects of remote work on collaboration among information workers. Nature human behaviour, 1-12. Available online at: nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01196-4 

Ross discussed the website lolmythesis.com

Back in Episode 244, Ross G, Owen, Carrie and Gent discussed the value of benchmarking, as we prepared to launch the Learning Performance Benchmark. A few months on, we thought it would be worth hearing what benchmarking looks like in practice.

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Gent are joined by James Hampton from Seasalt Cornwall to discuss:

• the insights Seasalt Cornwall have unlocked through the benchmarking process
• the action they have taken in response to those insights
• the value of the Learning Performance Benchmark as a recurring, long-term process
• advice for learning professionals who are considering benchmarking for the first time

Show notes

You can find out more about the Learning Performance Benchmark at: mindtoolsbusiness.com/solutions/learning-performance-benchmark 

In WILTW, Gent mentioned the book Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. You can find a copy through all good booksellers.

James' article is called In Pursuit of a Learning Organisation. You can find it here: linkedin.com/pulse/pursuit-learning-organisation-james-hampton-flpi-1f/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit mindtoolsbusiness.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie @RossDickieMT
• Gent Ahmetaj @GentAhmetaj
• James Hampton @ActiveODcoach

In some ways, sales enablement has the ultimate success metric - increased sales! So why is sales training so often a 'hard sell' for L&D?

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Anderson Hirst, Consulting Director at Kojo Academy, to discuss:

• the difference between sales training and sales enablement
• why sales training is so often seen as distinct from other training efforts
• how to measure the impact of sales training
• what good sales training looks like
• advice for small and medium-sized businesses looking to develop their sales teams

Show notes

In WILTW, Owen mentioned the New Yorker article, 'It's Time to Stop Talking About "Generations"': https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/18/its-time-to-stop-talking-about-generations

Ross D recommended the 'A Crypto Optimist Meets a Crypto Skeptic' episode of the Ezra Klein Show. You can find it wherever you get your podcasts.

You can find out more about Anderson's work by visiting https://kojoacademy.com/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with Ross D and Owen on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson

Or you can contact Anderson by searching 'Anderson Hirst' on LinkedIn.

As a concept, spaced repetition has been around for decades. Yet in many organisations, learning is seen in terms of one-off interventions, delivered through a classroom or an LMS.

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Gemma are joined by Sarah Mercier, CEO of Learning Ninjas, to discuss:

• what spaced learning is, and how to design for it
• what good spaced practice looks like
• the technological boundaries to implementing spaced learning

Show notes

When speaking about her project with the US military, Sarah mentioned xAPI. If you're interested in learning more about xAPI, we covered it in episodes 102 and 113.

If you're attending DevLearn and thinking of attending Sarah's session, you can find the full details here: https://devlearn.com/session/spaced-learning-a-design-and-technology-primer/

To learn more about Learning Ninjas, head to https://learningninjas.com/

In WILTW, Ross provided a rundown of the five most populous cities in the world, based on figures from https://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Gemma Towersey - @gemmatowersey
• Sarah Mercier - @sarahmerci

New business models, an increasingly hybrid workforce and the need for constant adaptability are changing what it means to be a learning professional.

In this week's episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G meets the eLearning Network's Joan Keevil and Dr Hannah Gore to explore their research into the skills we need to professionalise.

We discuss:

• how the world of work is changing
• personal and professional impact
• evidence-based practice.

Show notes

To find out more about the research Joan and Hannah conducted, in collaboration with Peoplestar's Jane Daly, visit: elearningnetwork.org/the-supercharged-learning-professional-turning-disruption-into-advantage-2/ 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

To find out more about the eLearning Network, visit: elearningnetwork.org/ 

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner @RossGarnerMT
• Dr Hannah Gore @HRGore
• Joan Keevil @Designs_JoanK

Why are boundaries important? How do you set them? And what impact does hybird working have on how we interact with one another?

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G meets Executive Coach Emma Langton to discuss:

• what 'boundaries' are
• how to set boundaries at work
• why the pandemic has made boundaries more important than ever.

Show notes

Ross referenced Erving Goffman's theory of the performed self. There's an excellent animated introduction to this concept, narrated by Stephen Fry, at: open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/philosophy/concepts/erving-goffman-and-the-performed-self 

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross recommended a Twitter thread on life as a lorry driver, from @TheLorryist: twitter.com/thelorryist/status/1439361631872602112?s=21 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

For more from Emma, visit emmalangton.com 

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner @RossGarnerMT
• Emma Langton @EmmaLangtonCoach

This week on the podcast, Ross D, Owen and Ross G are taking another rummage through their L&D book bag. They discuss:

• Nudge by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
• Naked Statistics by Charles Wheelan
• Think Again by Adam Grant
• The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
• 13 Minutes to the Moon, a podcast presented by Kevin Fong
•  How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy

These books are available from all good booksellers, and 13 Minutes to the Moon can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes

Ross G mentioned FiveThirtyEight's p-hacking project, which you can find out more about at: https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/p-hacking/

In What I Learned This Week, Ross G also discussed what would happen if someone died on Mars: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-happens-if-someone-dies-on-mars

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieMT
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT

Published in 2003, Michael Lewis' Moneyball charts efforts by the Oakland Athletics baseball team to use analytics and statistical methods to assemble a competitive team on a comparatively small budget.

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G, Owen, Ross D and Nahdia share their thoughts on the book and it's relevance to L&D and HR professionals. We discuss:

• how General Manager Billy Beane transformed his team's approach to scouting talent
• the impact of statistics and subjective judgement on decision making
• the challenges inherent with implementing a statistical approach to L&D.

Show notes

Moneyball, by Michael Lewis, is available from all good booksellers.

Some of the criticism directed at Moneyball is covered in The Atlantic: theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/09/the-many-problems-with-moneyball/245769/

For details of Mind Tools' 77-page workbook, 'Becoming a Positive Leader' - free to new members - visit MindTools.com.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed potential UI improvements to the Tesco loan calculator: chrisannetts.com/blog/tesco-loan-calculator 

Nahdia discussed the colour of Sesame Street's Big Bird across different cultures: buzzfeed.com/natashajokic1/big-bird-international-colors 

And Ross G revealed that he'd had a most epic morning listening to Hidden Citizens: hiddencitizens.com/ 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieEW
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerMT (new handle!)
• Nahdia Khan - @_nahdia_khan

Creativity in online learning, agile learning frameworks, the role of HR, and business ethics are just some of the topics we tackle on this week's show as we answer questions from the audience.

Mark Baker asked: Do you think as face-to-face trainers move into more virtual learning, is there a risk that they lose creativity in their learning experiences?

Shilpa Nimbalkar asked: How can L&D experts build an Agile Learning framework that supports business requirements (at scale and speed) and ensures learner experience?

Carl Akintola-Davies asked: Is there any value in workplace learning that isn't tied to strict behavioural outcomes?

Sean Brown asked: When push comes to shove, is HR there for the people or the business?

Sharon Green asked: What role does or could L&D and or HR play in business ethics?

Show notes

Owen referenced the '5Di Learning Design Process', which you can find online at: 5di-learning-design-process.html">aconventional.com/2015/04/the-5di-learning-design-process.html

And he discussed the 'Concern Task Resource Model': task-resource-model.html">aconventional.com/2015/03/concern-task-resource-model.html

In What I Learned This Week, Owen discussed the ultra clickbaitly titled academic paper: 'Large Scale Analysis of Multitasking Behavior During Remote Meetings', online at: RemoteMeetingMultitask.pdf">hci.stanford.edu/publications/2021/cao_remote/CHI2021-RemoteMeetingMultitask.pdf (Yes, we're going with 'clickbaitly'!)

Gemma discussed Prisoners of Geography, by Tim Marshall: amazon.co.uk/Prisoners-Geography-Everything-Global-Politics/dp/1783962437 

Nahdia discussed the death of actor Michael K Williams: theguardian.com/film/gallery/2021/sep/07/michael-k-williams-a-life-in-pictures 

And Ross shared the podcast 'The Rest is History', hosted by historians Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland. Their recent two-part episode on the history of Silicon Valley features Netscape co-founder Marc Andreeseen as their guest: play.acast.com/s/the-rest-is-history-podcast/93.siliconvalleypart1 

Fans of the game Risk may also enjoy Polytopia, available from the App Store: polytopia.io/ 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
• Gemma Towersey @GemmaTowersey
• Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
• Nahdia Khan @NahdiaKhan

Creating videos for training purposes is easy; launch a smartphone camera app and hit record. Creating effective pieces of drama that allow viewers to make their own meaning through compelling storylines and characters is not so easy. However, it is a skill that learning designers can study and put into practice.

This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma T and Ross G are joined by Tom Hickmore, to discuss:

• why drama is an effective learning delivery mechanism
• when to use drama
• scripting techniques.

Show notes

Ross' freaky Friday 13th frequency fact came from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th#Occurrence

Gemma found out about the history of Paralympic games in this National Geographic article: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-the-paralympic-movement-evolved-into-major-sporting-event

Tom's book "Watch & learn" can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Watch-Learn-Designing-commissioning-producing-ebook/dp/B09FB4M471

To watch the "What can TV teach L&D" video series that Tom has made, follow these links: 

Series 1: https://www.nicemedia.co.uk/season-1-what-can-tv-teach-ld/

Series 2: https://www.nicemedia.co.uk/season-2-what-can-tv-teach-ld/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Tom Hickmore @nicemediauk
• Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
• Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey

The pandemic has been both a trigger and an opportunity for reflection and ultimately, change. We've had to forget, or "unlearn" our old ways.

This week on the The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma T and Ross D are joined by Mark Gilroy to discuss:

• what 'unlearning' is
• the link between unlearning and curiosity
• how we can help each other to "unlearn" effectively.

Show notes

Mark recommended the following resources:

"How organisations Learn and Unlearn (Hedberg, 1981)" http://johnljerz.com/superduper/tlxdownloadsiteWEBSITEII/id167.html 

The Unpersuadables: Adventures with the Enemies of Science by Will Storr. Available at all good bookstores.

The B=MAT model: https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/bj-foggs-behavior-model/ 

Mark made a surprising claim about rainfall during "What I learned this week". Here's his data source: and-climate.com/average-monthly-precipitation-Rainfall,London,United-Kingdom">https://weather-and-climate.com/average-monthly-precipitation-Rainfall,London,United-Kingdom 

Ross talked about Iceland's four-day week, which you can read more about here: https://autonomy.work/portfolio/icelandsww/

Ross and Gemma referred to Adam Grant's book, Think again: https://www.adamgrant.net/book/think-again/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Mark Gilroy @thatmarkgilroy
• Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
• Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey

You can also find out more about Mark's organisation, TMSDI.

What is organisational learning? Is it the same thing as people in organisations learning? And how does it overlap with learning culture?

This week on the The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Nahdia are joined by Nigel Paine to discuss:

• what 'organisational learning' actually means
• the difference between organisations that learn and individuals that learn
• the role L&D can play in supporting organisational learning
• the distinction between 'learning cultures' and 'cultures of learning'.

Show notes

To find out more about Nigel's work, check out his website: https://www.nigelpaine.com/

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
• Nahdia Khan @_nahdia_khan
• Nigel Paine @ebase

'What did you think of the trainer' and 'How was the lunch?' These are two questions we won't be asking today, as we get stuck into effective learner surveys.

Ross G and Owen are joined by Gent Ahmetaj, Head of Research at Mind Tools for Business, to discuss:

• the problem with traditional learner surveys
• the features of an academically robust survey
• issues with this approach and how to resolve them.

Show notes

For more details on our Insights team, and a delightful photo of Gent, see: https://emeraldworks.com/solutions/mindtoolsinsight

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed The Oatmeal's 'Why the mantis shrimp is my new favorite animal' and 'Why it breaks your brain to take a compliment'.

Gent discussed Veritasium's YouTube video on the '3x + 1' problem: youtube.com/watch?v=094y1Z2wpJg

And Ross discussed the time that the Australian army went to war with the emus, and lost: blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/the-great-emu-war-in-which-some-large-flightless-birds-unwittingly-foiled-the-australian-army/ 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Owen Ferugson - @OwenFerguson
• Gent Ahmetaj - @GentAhmetaj

Over the last two years, L&D has been forced to adapt to rapid, unprecedented change. As learning leaders find new ways of supporting their organizations, is now the perfect time for them to rethink their learning strategy?

This week on the The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, the two Rosses are joined by Michelle Ockers to discuss:

• what we mean when we talk about 'organizational learning strategy'
• what a good strategy looks like in practice
• how to develop a strategy that accounts for uncertainty
• the common pitfalls to avoid when developing a strategy

Show notes

To find out more about Michelle's work on learning strategy, check out her website: https://learninguncut.global/

For details of the Australian Public Service's learning strategy, visit: https://www.apsc.gov.au/learning-and-development/highly-capable-future-ready-aps-learning-and-development-strategy

In WILTW, Ross G shared a story about Utah's novel approach to 'restocking' fishless lakes. You can find out more at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jul/13/fish-plane-video-utah-lake

The book Michelle mentioned was How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Katy Milkman.

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• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieEW
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Michelle Ockers - @MichelleOckers

'Jobs To Be Done' (JTBD) is a framework that can be used to define consumer needs and identify how to meet them. In this week's Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by aNewSpring's Ger Driesen to explore how this can be applied to learning design.

We discuss:

• what 'Jobs To Be Done' is
• examples of Jobs To Be Done
• how to apply this framework to your learning design challenges.

Show notes

Jobs to be Done, by Anthony W. Ulwick, is available as a free e-book at: to-be-done-book.com/">jobs-to-be-done-book.com 

Clay Christensen's 'milkshake' explanation is on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=sfGtw2C95Ms 

This article explains why you only need five users for user testing: nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/ 

Ger has blogged at: linkedin.com/pulse/jobs-to-be-done-approach-empathy-matters-learning-design-ger-driesen/

And his colleague Corjan Bast also wrote on this topic, at: anewspring.com/professionals-dont-want-training-they-want-the-result-of-the-training/

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen shared a study on 'bullshit ability as an honest signal of intelligence':

Turpin, M. H., Kara-Yakoubian, M., Walker, A. C., Walker, H. E., Fugelsang, J. A., & Stolz, J. A. (2021). Bullshit Ability as an Honest Signal of Intelligence. Evolutionary Psychology, 19(2), 14747049211000317.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Ger Driesen - @GerDriesen

We tend to assume that, faced with the same problem on separate occasions, professionals will typically arrive at the same judgements — doctors will make the same diagnoses, mortgage lenders will set the same rates, judges will hand down the same sentences. But is professional judgement really as reliable as we think it is?

This week on the The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, the team discuss Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgement, the new book from Daniel Kahneman, Olivier Sibony and Cass R. Sunstein. We cover:

• what 'noise' is in the context of judgement
• the distinction between noise and bias
• strategies for minimising noise
• potential implications for L&D

Show notes

Noise is out now and is available from all good booksellers.

The ProPublica article Ross G mentioned can be found at: https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing

He also referred to 'This Place Is Full of It: Towards an Organizational Bullshit Perception Scale', a paper which is explored in this article: https://www.psypost.org/2021/07/researchers-explore-employee-perceptions-of-bullshit-in-the-workplace-with-the-organizational-bullshit-perception-scale-61415

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieEW
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Nahdia Khan - @_nahdia_khan
• Gemma Towersey - @gemmatowersey

It's been 17 months since we last spoke to authors Mark Britz and James Tyer. Since then, the world has shut down - on multiple occasions - and many of us have been working from home on a long-term basis.

In this context, how do we make organizations 'social by design'?

Ross G and Owen are joined once again by Mark and James to debate. We discuss:

• the impact that Covid-19 has had on their earlier predictions
• whether widespread 'working from home' has made organizations more (or less?) social
• the small changes that we can make to increase opportunities for social connection.

Show notes

Social by Design is available now. The audio version is available in the US and Canada:

audible.com/pd/Social-by-Design-Audiobook/B097TTWYVJ (US)

audible.ca/pd/Social-by-Design-Audiobook/B097TSRRGZ (Canada)

For more from Mark, visit: sxdsolutions.co 

James referenced the Beezy 2021 Digital workplace trends report. Find it online at: beezy.net/2021-digital-workplace-report 

He also referenced soundbite.ai and solvable (social by design for ESG and sustainability teams).

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen discussed Github co-pilot. See copilot.github.com for details and fastcompany.com/90653878/github-copilot-microsoft-openai-coding-tool-backlash for backlash.

Mark discussed the impact of chance encounters on innovation: work-innovation-office.html">nytimes.com/2021/06/23/upshot/remote-work-innovation-office.html 

And Ross combined his two great loves: Star Trek and behavioral science: timharford.com/2021/07/me-spock-is-not-as-logical-as-hed-like-to-think/ 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Mark Britz - @Britz
• James Tyer - On LinkedIn

Covid-19 has had a dramatic impact on L&D, super-charging existing trends and forcing learning leaders to re-evaluate pre-pandemic practices. More than a year into 'the new normal', how have perceptions changed within the profession?

This week on the The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D is joined by Gent Ahmetaj and Nahdia Khan to discuss our 2021 L&D Benchmark Report. We discuss:

• the history of the annual benchmark report, and what it tells us about the state of the profession
• the top-line takeaways from this year's report
• the extent to which Covid-19 has accelerated or reversed pre-pandemic trends

Show notes

If you're interested in poring over the benchmark report in more detail, it's due to be launched on 14 July. You'll find a copy of it on our website, www.emeraldworks.com. 

In 'What I Learned This Week', Gent mentioned Google's '20% Project'. You can find out more about the project at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20%25_Project

Ross D recommended the Jeff Tweedy episode of the Ezra Klein Show, which you can find at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/01juWYlRq8LuckUJscRASq?si=LuE7Mq17SiOoiOT18GBnkw&dl_branch=1

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
• Gent Ahmetaj @GentAhmetaj
• Nahdia Khan @_nahdia_khan

Lots of organisations use survey tools to listen to employees, or capture 'employee voice'. But then we hear that no action is taken, or leadership teams don't know what to do with the results. Is there a better approach?

On this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross G and Owen speak to James Anderson and Donna Hamilton from employee listening platform Peachy Mondays.

We discuss: 

• why employee engagement surveys often fail to have an impact
• where employee listening offers value
• strategies for encouraging employees to take part in such initiatives.

Show notes

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen recommended The Wheel of Time book series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (soon to be a TV series from Amazon): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wheel_of_Time 

James shared that 4 million Americans a month are quitting their roles: theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/23/people-quitting-jobs-record-numbers-companies-take-note-treat-them-better 

And, in a related note, Ross shared predictions on the future of work from Freakonomics, episode 464, 'Will Work-from-Home Work Forever?': freakonomics.com/podcast/work-from-home/ 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

For more from Peachy Mondays, visit: peachymondays.com

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Donna Hamilton - donna@peachymondays.com
• James Anderson - james@peachymondays.com

Animations can be beautiful and mesmerising pieces of art. This week on the Mind Tools L&D podcast, Gemma talks to Selina Wagner, Creative Director at Ping Creates, and Ross Garner about how we can use this art form to create impactful learning experiences. 

We discuss:

• when and where animations can become an effective part of a learning solution
• the process of designing and creating animations
• how to think through and overcome challenges

Show notes

Gemma refers to 'Fantasmagorie' - the first animation created. You can watch it, along with other early animations, by exploring  this interactive New Yorker article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/12/30/the-surprise-and-wonder-of-early-animation

You can read more about Ross' IP discoveries (and his incorrect fact) in the following articles:

In the final of three bonus episodes to celebrate our 250th show, Ross G talks to Gemma Paterson and Danny Seals about product management.

This interview was recorded for the episode: 250 — Documentary Special: What can L&D learn from product management?

Find the full episode in your podcast feed.

Show notes

Danny commented that Spotify don't use the Spotify Model. He was referencing this post: agility11.com/blog/2020/6/22/spotify-doesnt-use-the-spotify-model 

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can chat to us on Twitter using the hashtag #MindToolsPodcast. Or connect with our speakers:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Gemma Paterson - @GemStGem
• Danny Seals - @TheDannySeals

In the second of three bonus episodes to celebrate our 250th show, Ross G talks to Sukh Pabial about product management.

This interview was recorded for the episode: 250 — Documentary Special: What can L&D learn from product management?

Find the full episode in your podcast feed.

Show notes

Sukh wrote about the role of a product manager in L&D at: pabial.wordpress.com/2020/01/30/the-role-of-a-product-manager-in-ld/ 

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can chat to us on Twitter using the hashtag #MindToolsPodcast. Or connect with our speakers:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Sukh Pabial - @SukhPabial

In the first of three bonus episodes to celebrate our 250th show, Ross G talks to Myles Runham about product management.

This interview was recorded for the episode: 250 — Documentary Special: What can L&D learn from product management?

Find the full episode in your podcast feed.

Show notes

Myles has written extensively on product management on his blog, at: mylesrunham.com/tag/product-management/ 

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can chat to us on Twitter using the hashtag #MindToolsPodcast. Or connect with our speakers:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Myles Runham - @MylesRun

We're trying something new! For five years, The Mind Tools L&D Podcast (formerly The Good Practice Podcast) has enjoyed a conversational format. Today, for this anniversary special, we thought we'd try emulating the documentary-style podcasts we love: This American Life, Freakonomics and Radiolab.

So this week we're asking: What can L&D learn from product management?

We're speaking to independent consultants Myles Runham and Sukh Pabial, as well as Venndorly founder Danny Seals and Legal & General's Gemma Paterson.

We discuss:

• what product management is
• what L&D can learn from product management
• what 'the product' is in L&D - is it L&D itself?

Show notes

Myles has written extensively on product management on his blog, at: mylesrunham.com/tag/product-management/ 

Sukh also wrote about the role of a product manager in L&D at: pabial.wordpress.com/2020/01/30/the-role-of-a-product-manager-in-ld/ 

The product that Danny's working on is Venndorly: venndorly.com/ 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can chat to us on Twitter using the hashtag #MindToolsPodcast. Or connect with our speakers:

• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieEW
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Myles Runham - @MylesRun
• Sukh Pabial - @SukhPabial
• Gemma Paterson - @GemStGem
• Danny Seals - @TheDannySeals

Back in mid-March we spoke to Emerald Works' CEO John Yates and Frontline Pedagogy Lead, Laura Watkin, about their experience of starting senior roles remotely. This week on the Mind Tools L&D podcast, Gemma talks to freshly recruited team members from the same organisations - Emerald Works team member, David Sharkey and People Coordinator at Front, Simi Manik - on their remote onboard experiences.

We discuss: 

• what remote onboarding involves - the positives and negatives
• how it's different to joining a company "in person" 
• what organisations might consider doing to best support remote newbies

Show notes

Gemma's tomato-based factoids came from James Wong's book, How to eat better.

Simi recommended the book Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala.

David's nugget about door frame heights came from Bill Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life 

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

• Simi Manik - www.linkedin.com/in/simi-manik-b8a763123/
• David Sharkey - www.linkedin.com/in/david-sharkey-117319135
• Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey

As there's no set or prescribed route into or through a career in L&D, no two career journeys are the same.

This week on the Mind Tools L&D podcast, Gemma and her guests, Zahra Clarke-Johnney, Digital L&D Manager at English Institute of Sport, and Mind Tools' very own Sami Chan and Nahdia Khan, consider how to best plot one's way in, and through our evolving profession.

We discuss:

• routes into the profession
• where to find support
• what the profession might hold in the future. 

Show notes

In 'What I Learnt This Week', Sami talked about food production in the Victorian era. You can find out more by watching this "Absolute History" YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkQ0RFTHvIo

Gemma's discovery about Gagarin's landing in a potato field came from the BBC podcast "Gagarin and the lost Moon". You can listen in BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09j922z

We also mentioned the CIPD's New Profession Map. This can be found here: https://peopleprofession.cipd.org/profession-map#gref

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers:

• Zahra Clarke-Johnney - @ZahraCJ 
• Sami Chan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantachan
• Nahdia Khan - @NahdiaKhan
• Gemma Towersey - @GemmaTowersey

In this 1-minute announcement, Ross G, Ross D and Gemma reveal some exciting changes taking place at Emerald Works.

To check out our new-look website, visit: emeraldworks.com 

We'll be back next Tuesday as normal!

In this special episode, the regular Good Practice Podcast team have given up the microphone to Frontline's Laura Watkin, who returns to the show as guest host.

Laura last appeared on episode 236, 'Working with strangers', and wanted an opportunity to reflect on her experience by leading a conversation with Ross G and Ross D. This episode includes some material we would normally cut, in order to provide a behind-the-scenes look at podcast production.

We discuss:

• what makes a great podcast
• tips for taking part in a podcast
• tips for hosting a podcast.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross shared an article from The Atlantic: 'The Life in The Simpsons Is No Longer Attainable': theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/12/life-simpsons-no-longer-attainable/617499/ 

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If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Laura Watkin - @TalentEdMagpie
• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Ross Dickie - @RossDickieEW

When we think of 'innovation', we tend to picture the bright ideas that people have in the bath. In reality, innovation is the product of hard work, collaborative effort and repeated failures.

In this week's episode of The Good Practice Podcast, Ross G and Owen explore innovation with Alan Cabello, Senior Research Fellow and Innovation Lecturer at ETH Zurich, and founder of SparkWorks and Sparkademy.

We discuss:

• the environmental factors required for innovation to happen
• how organizations can increase the chances of innovation taking place
• what individuals can do to become more innovative.

Show notes

In 'What I Learned This Week', Owen recommended Stephen Johnson's book Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer. 

If you're wondering what Ross was talkng about in response to Owen, he was mangling a reference from The Political Gabfest: slate.com/podcasts/political-gabfest/2021/04/biden-first-100-days 

Ross recommended Dungeons and Dragons as a team activity.

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

You can find SparkWorks at: sparkworks.ch, and SparkAdemy at: sparkademy.com 

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner - @RossGarnerEW
• Owen Ferguson - @OwenFerguson
• Alan Cabello - @AlanSKbyo