The LDA Podcast: An Exploration of Evidence-Informed Approaches to Learning and Development (Learning Development Accelerator, Inc.)

Will and Matt continue the name debate, but eventually land on TRUTH IN LEARNING. Segment One explores the usage of assessments like MBTI, DiSC, and other tools used in business. Why them? Are end-users clear about their purposes and the consequences of using them? For example- can these tools be used in hiring situations? They also discuss The Big Five as an alternative model and tool. In the second segment, they target Leadership. What is it, and can it be developed? Should it be. What are the consequences of leadership development absent clear definitions for leadership? The context is everything. In segment three, they explore the responsibility of L&D trade associations. Are they living up to their espoused goals? Are they ethical? Are they useful? And finally, a new epilogue segment... The Best and the Worst.

In Episode Three, we tackle the question of using NPS (Net Promoter Score) as an evaluation tool for learning and development programs. First, we define what it is and explore how it is being applied (too often inappropriately). In segment two, we get philosophical. In practice, in business, and particularly in L&D, is it becoming more and more difficult to disagree with each other? Can we even do so? Should we? Well, of course..., but how should we go about it in a meaningful, yet supportive way? In segment three we are joined by Thiagi. We explore what labels we should use when describing what we do. Trainer, designer, consultant? Other terms? Will offers a solution. Thiagi asks several practical questions. And, finally, we all (Thiagi, too) share our best and worst of the week- although Thiagi shares his from long ago. 

In this episode, Will goes away... to the beach. So, while I waited for him to return, Thiagi and I recorded a segment where we discuss the role of the learner. We share client examples, overcoming pushback from stakeholders who don’t initially accept the idea of learner-led approaches, and effect of leveraging learners in the classroom as evaluators (which helps them cement their comprehension, memory of the material, decision making while applying the concepts, and more. We also detour and talk about the distinction between performance versus and business outcomes. Thiagi refers to Thomas F. Gilbert, a psychologist and the founder of the performance technology- (HPT- Human Performance Technology). Thiagi refers to mindfulness. We don’t talk about it, but if you are interested in the topic, check out Carol Dweck’s book, MINDSET, THE NEW PSYCHOLOGY OF SUCCESS. We also reference Professor Chuck Petranek and his amazing simulation, Sex on the Beach, a social simulation about sexual behavior and AIDS.

Will does eventually return, a bit sunburned. And, for that segment, we are joined by Patti Shank. https://www.pattishank.com. Patti is an evidence-based learning and development expert who focuses on “doing what works.” As she puts it, she “uses science to improve the results from instruction.”

We discuss the merit and method of asking effective questions to drive, as Patti calls it, deeper learning. The conversation, of course, weaves through her typical theme of better practice, feedback, and memory. She discusses mistakes used when developing test questions and how to make those better. We go even deeper exploring what exactly is an assessment and how do questions play into them- which of course leads to a clarification of what are learning objectives. In the episode, Patti refers to Noted nutritionist, Zoe Harcombe, who can be found at...  http://www.zoeharcombe.com. 

Patti joins us for The Best and the Worst of the Week. Will references Scott H. Young’s new book, Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career. 

In this episode, we offer up three independent segments. Matt Richter is joined first by Nidhi Sachdeva. Nidhi is both an evidence-based learning designer and a researcher. She just completed her PhD in the spring, and the two talk about the differences between learning and performance. Then, Guy Wallace is in the house. Guy needs no introduction, having been a performance analyst and instructional architect for a few decades now. We talk about his latest book, The L&D Pivot Point, published by LDA Press. Finally, in our third segment, the inimitable Thiagi joins Matt for a new series we will intermittently run called “A Person of Interest.” Thiagi shares his biography… his story with us.

You can find Nidhi most easily on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nidhi-sachdeva-toronto/, or her blog with Jim Hewitt here: https://scienceoflearning.substack.com 

Guy can be found here: https://eppic.biz/guy-w-wallace-2/ 

And, Thiagi here: https://thiagi.com. 

Nidhi references the work of Paul Kirscher, John Sweller, and Richard Mayer and their article, Why Minimal Guidance During Instruction Does Not Work: An Analysis of the Failure of Constructivist, Discovery, Problem-Based, Experiential, and Inquiry-Based Teaching. You can find it here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1207/s15326985ep4102_1?needAccess=true 

Matt & Nidhi refer to the cognitive architecture and instructional design when discussing complex skills. He references the Sweller, van Merrienboer, and Paas article from 1998: Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design found here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1022193728205 

They also deviate and start talking about SDT (Self-Determination Theory), and you can learn more about that here: https://selfdeterminationtheory.org

And, Matt wrote an article about SDT in the context of learning found here: https://ldaccelerator.com/lda-blog-1/open-the-motivational-door-and-let-the-learners-in-and-keep-them 

The 85% Rule for Optimal Learning can be found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12552-4 

Scott Rigby and Richard Ryan, Glued to Games: How Video Games Draw Us In and Hold Us Spellbound. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-01778-000  

Guy’s book, The L&D Pivot point can be purchased here: https://ldaccelerator.com/the-ld-pivot-point

Thiagi studied with Albert Elsen. Here’s more info about him: https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/awards/honoree/1453.html 

BEST AND WORST REFERENCES:

Daniel Willingham Tik Tok on the fallacy of rereading for studying. Ok… there are a ton of Tim Tok videos by Dan. We aren’t sure exactly which one she referred to, but after going through several to find it, we recommend the whole darn Willingham channel. It’s great. https://www.tiktok.com/@daniel_willingham 

Will and Matt are back after a six month hiatus. For their return, they catch up the Truth in Learning community on what they have been doing--primarily focusing on the six-month Learning Development Conference 2020, or LDC. LDC was an inaugural global event with over 300 participants. An all-digital conference with over 60 live, synchronous programs and 20+ asynchronous workshops.

In this episode our itinerant podcasters spend a few minutes talking about the passing of Roger Kaufman, a giant in the field of performance improvement. We were so lucky to have him on the show. The "I'm a Coach... Really... I Am" Episode where he and Will had a one-on-one conversation. In Will's eulogy, he mentions the recent creation of The Kaufman Center, created this year, as the custodian of Roger's legacy, a think tank dedicated to promoting Roger's Mega thinking in social value-adding projects and ideas.

Then, we spend the majority of the episode talking about the issues surrounding Smiley Sheets, or “Learner Surveys” as Will now calls them. We explore the:

• The inherent issues with Smiley Sheets
• The actual benefits of Smiley Sheets (According to Will, there are a few!)
• How to mitigate the negative effects of them
• How to use Smiley Sheets to manage expectations among the participants, the facilitators, and the stakeholders
• How to construct a decent Smiley Sheet Question
• Examples of bad questions
• Examples of how to translate a bad question into a good one
• And, more…

Will has recently been updating his book, Performance-Focused Smile Sheets: A Radical Rethinking of a Dangerous Art Form. DON'T GO BUY THIS VERSION OF THE BOOK. Will's second edition is a significant upgrade and he wants you to buy that one when it comes out.

We also (BIG NEWS) announce our next venture—The Learning Development Accelerator (LDA), the new L&D professional organization that will have a plethora of services, programs, conferences, and resources for members. Website to come.

And, of course, we end the episode with The Best and the Worst. Matt goes after the application of The Collective Intelligence. 

NOTE: Matt wants to be clear, his comments on voting were irreverent and mostly sarcastic. Will wants to be clear, he sometimes knows what Matt is thinking.

The inaugural episode of Truth in Learning. Meet Will. Meet Matthew. We introduce the show and share some of our goals and possible directions for the program. In the second segment, Will chats with the esteemed Connie Malamed about secrets of good L&D podcasting- something Will and Matt definitely need to learn! Connie wrote the wonderful book, Visual Design Solutions: Principles and Creative Inspiration for Learning Professionals. Before our third segment, Will takes a detour to share some research on brainstorming. In the third segment, Matt rails against those in the industry who claim that flawed learning tools and debunked models they like work- even in the face of contradicting evidence. Will and Matt use DiSC as a platform for the discussion. As an epilogue, Thiagi shares an oral essay on evidence-based learning. Share any comments you have below. 

Check out Will’s new Learning Transfer Evaluation Model.

Click here for Connie’s website. Along with tons of great information (including her book), you can also find her wonderful podcast, ELC, the eLearning Coach. Worth several listens!

In this episode, podcast host, Matt Richter is joined by Nigel Paine, organizational learning and leadership expert. Together, they spend the whole episode exploring that nebulous and vague concept of leadership. They fail to definitively lock in a definition for leadership— thus demonstrating one of the inherent challenges organizations face when leveraging LD programs. But, more importantly, they look at what we can do, when we effectively develop leaders within organizational contexts. 

Leaders are all about managing… managing the context. No one style, approach, model, theory, or consultant prescription will work in all scenarios… of at all. So, what is one to do? Focus on flexibly adapting and managing that aforementioned context. Recognize that that there are so many different perspectives— the leaders, the followers, other players, etc. And then find ways to accept and leverage those different perspectives.

In other words, leadership is utterly founded on adaptation and change. It is about systems thinking. To paraphrase Keith Grint, leadership is all about working to solve those wicked problems we face.

Nigel answers the question about how we can predict or forecast whether someone will be a good leader. 

Which then leads to a discussion of how we conceive of leadership in our culture and how we describe leadership success.

Below are some references and notes from the show:

We referenced both Barbara Kellerman and Jeffrey Pfeffer:

Kellerman, B. (2012). The End of Leadership. New York: Harper Collins. 

Kellerman, B. (2015). Hard Times: Leadership in America. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. 

Pfeffer, J. (2015). Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time. New York, Harper Business. 

Matt mentioned some of the Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus management comparisons reference: 

Young, M., & Dulewicz, V. (2007). Similarities and Differences between Leadership and Management: High-Performance Competencies in the British Royal Navy. British Journal of Management, 19(1), 17-32. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2007.00534.x

And the book from them is LEADERS: Strategies for Taking Charge.

Nigel mentioned John Kotter. Here are two references that sum up his work nicely.

Kotter, J.P. (2001) What Leaders Really Do. Harvard Business Review. December 2001.

Adapted from A Force for Change: How Leadership Differs From Management (pp. 3–8), by J. P. Kotter, 1990, New York, NY: Free Press. 

General Electric’s Crotonville Leadership Institute was actually opened in 1956, not in 1947, as Nigel stated. 

We referred to Keith Grint and his article:

Grint, K. (2005). Problems, problems, problems: The social construction of ‘leadership.’ Human Relations. 58 (11), 1467-1494.

The originators of wicked and tame problems: Rittel and Webber.

Rittel, H.W.J. and Webber, M.M.. (1973) Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. Policy Sciences. 4, pp. 155-169.

Peter Senge and The Fifth Discipline. You can find the book anywhere books are sold.

Winston Churchill. There are a ton of biographies about Churchill. Matt’s favorite’s are the William Manchester volumes. 

Neville Chamberlain reference: Self, R. (2013, September 30). Was Neville Chamberlain Really a Weak and Terrible Leader? Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24300094.

Tina Kiefer— and others—  on the drawing a Leader exercise: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/16/health/women-leadership-workplace.html?smid=url-share 

Joseph Devlin: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/joseph-t-devlin_learningstyles-brainmyth-activity-7113156889688854528-RFWZ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

For our latest episode, we’ve got mail! All good, and some very useful and constructive feedback. We share. And, somehow, the greatest working rock band in the world, Cheap Trick gets a plug. (Eye roll from Will) In the episode, Matt mentions his experience meeting the band and here’s the photo he shared with Will. Matt’s in the middle, next to his cousin, Mark.

Matt with Cheap Trick before their Albany, NY concert on February 7, 2020.

For Segment One, Will shares a discussion he had on LinkedIn with an individual who posted bad information as valid. This person made a case that eLearning is better than in-person training. The elearning-is-better argument wasn’t really what Will had issue with, but rather the evidence this person used to make the case. The individual is on the learning technology side and had a stake in what he/she espoused. The argument used a whole bunch of falsehoods. After Will called the piece out, the person went out in search of evidence to confirm the original thesis… confirmation bias. The point of this segment is not to litigate this individual’s view. No. Rather, it is fodder for Will and Matt to discuss what gets put out there as research. In other words, how does actual research get misconstrued, misunderstood, and then put out there as truth. 

We also mention the documentary about the Flat Earth Society called BEHIND THE CURVE. https://www.netflix.com/title/81015076 

We also mention a LinkedIn discussion Matt started on ending the traditional Icebreaker. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/matthew-richter-0738b84_truthinlearning-thiagi-trainthetrainer-activity-6636243679377965057-tHgN 

Then, in Segment Two, there are two scams our friend Cara North identifies during her discussion with Will. The first involves teachers (and others) who are transitioning into our field and look for help from those who say they can support and facilitate them through the transition. Unqualified consultants and “experts” offer their services with the promise of making jobs happen. But, the outcomes don’t support the promise. Cara also highlights how universities often offer Masters’ programs in instructional design, but don’t then provide the skills and competencies to help people get jobs. Students often do not get what they need to be able to do the work. So, for her, these two “scams” are linked and related problems we have industry-wide. Cara offers advice and tips before jumping into a program or getting help from the so-called experts. You can find Cara’s website here: https://caranorth.com. 

Then, Matt and Will debrief and discuss some of the semantics related to the topic.

Finally, in Segment Three, we discuss how one approaches learning. Why do we separate eLearning designers from in-person designers? Why do we put the onus on the platform first and not on the learning outcomes. We argue that logistics should be a compromise we make after we initially understand the desired outcomes and objectives. We look at Will’s eLearning research review from 2017, still a definitive comparison of elearning and classroom training. https://www.worklearning.com/2017/08/10/major-research-review-on-elearning-effectiveness/ 

Making the connections to our first segment, we explore that eLearning can be better than in-person training. Or, in-person can be better. In other words… as always, it depends!

And, of course… we end up talking about what we mean by eLearning. Is it a webinar? A Live, Virtual, Online Training (LVOT), an asynchronous program? Etc. 

You can learn more about Will’s Presentation Science Program here: https://www.presentationscience.net 

Will mentions Pathwright for writing online courses. Here’s the link: https://www.pathwright.com 

And, we end the session with the Best and the Worst where we call out (in a good way) Jane Bozarth, Director of Research at the eLearning Guild. You’ll have to listen to the episode to learn why!

Clark and Matt are joined by instruction design guru and all around fantastic human, Julie Dirksen. Julie has been in the business for over 15 years creating highly interactive and more importantly, highly effective eLearning experiences for clients all around the world. But, Julie is more than that! She is one of the those go-to people in the industry. She is an expert that many other experts in our industry turn to and call a researcher translator. Meaning she digs into core issues… practical issues, in the work learning practitioners do. She figures out what the research says, and then puts it into succinct, useful bites that are immediately applicable. Her first book, DESIGN FOR HOW PEOPLE LEARN is one of those rare books in L&D that broke out and became a best seller beyond the industry. It is the go-to book for designers and trainers. Today, Clark and I get to talk with her about latest book, TALK TO THE ELEPHANT, DESIGN LEARNING FOR BEHAVIOR CHANGE. We talk about systems thinking and how the system can affect the factors that influence how and why one behaves as one does. We explore the individual factors such as motivation, incentives, and environmental factors. And more!

As Clark will say in the episode, TALK TO THE ELEPHANT is a wonderful complement, a companion, to DESIGN FOR HOW PEOPLE LEARN. We originally planned to talk with Julie for just 20 minutes, One hour later… we were still going and felt like we could go on forever.

Julie also joins us at the end for Best and Worst.

You can find Julie at: https://usablelearning.com.

Julie rattles off so many models and tools throughout the show, we recommend you simply buy the book to get more on each, as well as their respective references. For the links she directly references, here they are:

The change ladder survey link is on the book page:

https://usablelearning.com/elephant/ 

Julie’s "best" was Casey Fiesler.  Her video on Fair Use is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2PuntvfN20 

Casey has a shorter version here that skips the wolf-themed erotica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuDEgnxkGDg)  

The syllabus for her tech ethics course on tiktok is here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tWdqYqYBHARbZXFQX4cybe88S-0twqvUu1xLhYnLgU4/edit?usp=sharing 

In this thought-provoking episode, Markus interviews Mike Vaughan, a seasoned expert in AI applications, as well as neuroscience. Discover how AI is revolutionizing simulations, making them more accessible and cost-effective. Learn about the shift towards experience-centric learning and the potential of AI-powered personalized and adaptive learning within simulations. Mike also shares insights on the current state of AI adoption in organizations and emphasizes the importance of community for L&D professionals navigating the rapid changes brought by AI. Tune in to stay ahead of the curve and learn how AI is shaping the future of learning and development.

Here is how you can find Mike:

• The Thinking Effect - https://www.thethinkingeffect.com/
• Mike Vaughan on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsvaughan/
• The Regis Company - https://go.regiscompany.com/your-organizations-fast-track-to-skill-development-0

In this episode, we reboot the Truth in Learning podcast. After catching up with Will Thalheimer, and introducing Clark Quinn, we give a brief update on the direction of the show. We then explore the question, "What should every CEO know... care about... concerning learning and development?" In fact, Will will share some of his recent insights into the topic based on his new and upcoming book.

Folks can find Will at https://www.worklearning.com/. Learn about his upcoming book here: https://www.ceosguide.net/

Then, Kat Koppett, renowned expert on applied improvisational theater techniques and storytelling, joins the conversation with Matt and Clark. Together, they explore what is meant by storytelling in the context of learning, and learning and development. They discuss some of the academic and research disciplines that are foundational to applied storytelling, referencing psychologist Jerome Bruner, cultural theorist Mieke Bal, applied researcher Roger Shank, and others.

You can find Kat at: https://www.koppett.com/.

Finally, the team brings back the best and the worst-- where hosts and guests share their best and worst observations in the industry.

Join us in this insightful episode of the LDA Podcast as we delve into the fascinating world of AI with Jennifer Solberg, CEO of Quantum Improvement Consulting. Discover the cutting-edge intersection of technology and human performance, explore the real-world applications of AI in learning and government sectors, and unravel the hype vs. reality of AI in our daily lives. Jennifer brings her expertise in learning science, defense training, and AI collaboration, offering a unique perspective on the future of AI in enhancing human capabilities. Tune in for a deep dive into the collaborative dynamics of AI and its impact on learning and development.

You can find out more about Jennifer here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifersolberg/ https://www.quantumimprovements.net/

In this episode of AI and L&D Insights, Markus and Myra Roldan explore the rapid evolution of AI in learning and development. They discuss the impact of large language models and AI tools on upskilling, emphasizing the importance of ethical AI use and diverse representation in the field. Myra shares insights on integrating augmented and virtual reality with AI for immersive learning experiences and highlights initiatives like Amazon's educator enablement program and youth engagement programs. This episode is a thought-provoking journey into AI's transformative role in education and workforce preparedness.

And here are the links referenced and the way to find Myra.

• Notebook LM https://notebooklm.google/
• Notion https://www.notion.so/
• Bloks https://www.bloks.app/manifesto
• Fathom https://fathom.video/
• AWS Machine Learning University https://aws.amazon.com/machine-learning/educators/Myra Roldan
• Connect with me on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/myraroldan
• Website: https://www.learnwithmyra.online/

In this episode (recorded on September 29, 2020— the day of the first US Presidential debate) we are joined by our friend, Gary DePaul, PhD. We explore:

1. Leadership
2. Leadership development 
3. The current state of leadership development in L&D
4. Whether we should even bother to invest in it.
5. And a ton more.

We start with a deep dive debating the definition of leadership and its Rorschach-like characteristics. Then, we bring up that old chestnut as to the differences between management and leadership. Gary proposes a unique slant on this conundrum.

Matt links the discourse of leadership in business more concretely to history and politics.

The discussion navigates through semantics, leadership semiotics,  and the effect definitions have on practical issues in leadership discourse. We argue the roles, responsibilities, and practices of leadership. And, of course, we debate the how, the why, and the what of leadership development. 

Gary referenced Mary Parker Follette. You can learn more about this American social worker and management consultant here.

Matt references James MacGregor Burns. You can learn more about this historian here.

Matt references Peter Northouse and his book, LEADERSHIP: THEORY AND PRACTICE. 

Will keeps bringing up the practical side of the issue (an excellent point in the discussion)… what do leaders do? Who leads and who follows? What are the roles of followers? And, can we develop toward those functions? We discuss several tropes in the field, such as, “Everyone can lead,” “Everyone should lead,” and “Everyone can be taught to lead.”

The guys relate the issues of reliability and validity as they pertain to leader training.

Matt references the book, LEADERSHIP BS, by Stanford professor, Jeffrey Pfeffer, sharing several findings that stipulate leadership development is hugely invested in, but either poorly measured or measured as ineffective. You can find the book here.

Will shares a literature review, arguing against Matt’s premise. Leadership Training Design, Delivery, and Implementation: A Meta-Analysis by Christina N. Lacerenza, Denise L. Reyes, and Shannon L. Marlow, Dana L. Joseph, and Eduardo Salas. You can find it and purchase it here.

Matt tells  of Ronald Reagan’s storytelling as a leadership technique. The reference for that is THE INVISIBLE BRIDGE: THE RISE AND FALL OF NIXON AND THE RISE OF REAGAN by Rick Perlstein.

Matt’s book referenced is THE LEADERSHIP STORY: A NEW MODEL FOR LEADERSHIP (ePub version). Or, the Kindle Version here.

We refer to several studies on the perception of women in leadership roles. A summary of those studies with embedded links is in this New York Times article.

Of course, Will brings up the issues around measurement and evaluation.

Finally, we end the episode briefly digging into what is ethical leadership, as well as courageous leadership.

We have also put together a list of references and resources. CLICK HERE. The list is by no means exhaustive and complete. It is a set Matt uses in his program, The Leadership Development, Development Workshop.  

Due to time constraints in the episode, we skipped The Best and the Worst this round.

Our guest, Gary, is an author, speaker, and leadership consultant with Gary DePaul Consulting. With more than 20 years of practitioner and academic experiences in performance improvement, Gary helps elevate the performance of individuals, teams, and organizations. His areas of practice include leadership development, organizational evaluation, speaking events, workshop facilitation, and executive coaching. He can be found at: https://www.garyadepaul.com

Gary has written several books worth reading.

1. WHAT THE HECK IS LEADERSHIP AND WHY SHOULD I CARE? 
2. NINE PRACTICES OF 21st CENTURY LEADERSHIP: A GUIDE FOR INSPIRING CREATIVITY, INNOVATION, AND ENGAGEMENT
3. THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND RESPONSIBLE CLINICAL TRAINING TECHNIQUES IN MEDICINE

Gary is also the moderator, along with our friend, Guy Wallace, of HPT Treasures, an blogging site with tons of HPT practitioners providing monthly articles. Both Will and Matt are contributors, as well. You can find it here. 

In this episode, Digital Creator and Instructional Designer Adrienne Thomas takes us on a personal journey through the AI tools landscape, from the front line perspective of an experienced practitioner. Adrienne shares with us her personal journey, how she deploys AI tools in her day to day work and the value she derives from them, as well as her experiences from the courses she delivers where she introduces others to these tools and their applications.

You can find Adienne here: https://digitalwisdom.life and on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adwthomas/.

Her course, coloring book and AI coaching is included on her linktree.

Here are the links referenced in the episode:

Gamma App: A new medium for presenting ideas, powered by AI. Create beautiful, engaging content with none of the formatting and design work.- https://gamma.app/

Pictory's powerful AI enables you to create and edit professional quality videos using text, no technical skills required or software to download: https://pictory.ai/

Animoto: https://animoto.com/

Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more: https://www.canva.com/

Midjourney: https://www.midjourney.com/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/ourdigitalwisdom

In this episode, Markus and Jeroen van Hautte dive into the world of AI and L&D, but with a specific view towards the future of the Skills Based Organization (SBO). Jeroen shares his views on the future of work, the impact AI is going to have, and how it all fits in with the skills piece - in L&D, in HR, and in the wider organization.

Jeroen is the co-founder and CTO of TechWolf, an AI start-up revolutionizing workforce skill management for global clients like Booking.com, GSK and United Airlines. A top graduate of Cambridge University, he's recognized by Forbes '30 Under 30' for his contributions to AI and mentorship in engineering. As an advisor and thought leader, he maintains a strong connection to research while steering TechWolf's product vision and fostering an inclusive, customer-driven engineering culture.

You can find Jeroen and TechWolf on LinkedIn here:

Jeroen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeroenvanhautte/ TechWolf: https://www.linkedin.com/company/techwolf/

TechWolf's website is: https://techwolf.com/

Two more links referred to in the show are:

A guide to building a resilient ecosystem A guide to building the foundations for your skill-based organisation

In this episode, we discuss what it means to be creative and whether there is place for learning professionals to embody creativity to support insight learning. Will will ask a series of prompt questions for discussion. He explains the difference between Transfer Learning and Insight Learning and makes the connection to being creative. Along with the prompting questions, Will defines creativity based on a synthesis of some of the latest research on the topic. Will references the Duncker Problem. The Duncker Problem is a cognitive performance test, measuring the influence of functional fixedness on a participant's problem solving capabilities. The test was created by Gestalt psychologist Karl Duncker and published posthumously in 1945. Matt references the Nails on a Nail activity. You can see it on YouTube here.

Then, Matt delivers a rant about a particular form of coaching he has been seeing in the field. Specifically, coaches who only engage clients facilitatively. They reflect what they hear and view themselves essentially as a mirror for the client to look into as one searches for a path toward a change one wants to make. The coach is not a SME and is not supposed to advise. The coach sticks to a process that gets the client to identify solutions. Please note: Matt is not attacking coaching in general. Just this particular form of it. Will coaches Matt very aggressively.

Finally, Will interviews Roger Kaufman, one of the giants in the field of Educational Tech (Instructional Design). They discuss Roger’s Mega Planning model, a framework for adding measurable value to society. Roger can be found at https://www.megaplanning.com. Roger and Will discuss one of Roger’s main themes... “If you’re organization is a solution, what is the problem.” They also discuss Roger’s partnership with Mariano Bernardez. Mariano is the current Executive Director of the Performance Improvement Institute Global Network and CEO of the Performance Improvement Institute. And in honor of Roger, Will has even added new theme music to hide our edits.🤯 

Of course, we end with the Best and the Worst. 

In the very beginning of the episode, we reference Laurel and Hardy and couldn’t remember their first names. They are Stan and Ollie, respectively.

For our latest episode, we return to the single topic format. The entire episode focuses on WOMEN IN LEARNING. In other words, we explore what it’s like for women in the learning and development field. We are joined by three experts on this subject. Specifically, we explore:

1. Issues women face delivering their work in L&D
2. Struggles women face moving up in the field— overall and day-to-day
3. The value proposition of inclusion and a diversity
4. Dynamics between companies, vendors, and employees
5. The impact financials have on gender diversity
6. The role men have positively played in supporting and mentoring women in L&D
7. Companies that don’t focus on inclusive environments and what may happen to them
8. The Ernst & Young Learning Scandal
9. Suggestions for what we can all do to make things better
10. And, so much more.

Kate Graham is the head of content with analyst Fosway Group, She shapes the output from their research agenda, staying across technology trends and industry activity to drive practical, insightful analysis and resources for our corporate and vendor clients - and the industry as a whole. Along with our second guest, Sharon Claffey Kaliouby, Kate founded the WOMEN IN LEARNING initiative.  Fosway Group can be found at: https://www.fosway.com. And, Kate’s personal blog is: https://kategraham23.wordpress.com. 

Sharon Claffey Kaliouby is the VP, North America at Learning Pool. Learning Pool is a full-service e-learning provider, offering a range of courses, tools and content creation to over 750 organizations and 2 million learners in 21 countries. 

Lori-Niles Hofmann should already be familiar with Truth in Learning listeners, having joined us for our recent discussion about LMSs. Lori is a senior learning strategist with over 20 years of L&D experience across many industries, including international banking, management consulting, and marketing. Lori’s website is: https://lorinileshofmann.squarespace.com.

You can find WOMEN IN LEARNING at #womeninlearning on LinkedIn. 

And, of course, we end with The Best and the Worst.

Will mentioned our good friend, Julie Dirksen. You can find Julie at https://usablelearning.com. 

PLEASE NOTE: This episode was the last recorded episode before COVID-19 really exploded in the US. We were quite aware of, and sensitive to, the dangers world-wide, but weren’t aware yet of how the virus manifested, nor how badly the US, particularly the Northeast, would be hit. The magnitude of the crisis wasn’t fully felt at this point. __________________________________ For this single-topic episode, we are thrilled to have the great Mirjam Neelen join us to discuss her new book, Evidence-Informed Learning Design: Creating Training to Improve Performance, co-authored with the also great Paul Kirschner. 

Throughout the episode we talk with Mirjam about many learning issues she and Paul raise in the book, including the following:

1. The difference between evidence-based and evidence-informed
2. Why learning professionals sometimes default to poorly supported models
3. Three-Star Learning Experiences
4. Whether learning should be fun
5. The difference between learning problems and performance problems
6. Using authentic learning tasks
7. Directed instruction versus discovery learning
8. The Top Five Effective Learning Strategies
9. And, the Flop Five Learning Strategies (well just a taste of these)
10. Nuance and complexity in learning
11. And, so much more!

After the conversation, Will and Matt debrief and discuss many of the ramifications and applications from or chat with Mirjam. We go deeper into many of the issues raised, especially on the topics of fun, nuance, and complexity. We probably shouldn’t have, but we use President Trump’s reliance on his hunches with regard to the brewing (at the time of recording) COVID-19 crisis rather than a reliance on the scientific institutions he should rely on throughout all of this. We talk about Mirjam and Paul’s discussion in the book about the improper reliance on neuroscience. And, more…

Finally, we bring Mirjam back for the Best and the Worst. 

Mirjam references Michelle Oker’s reading group on research. Click to go to the group.

Will mentioned Truth in Learning friend, Emma Weber. Her company is LEVER: Transfer of Learning. 

Mirjam is a Learning Experience Design Lead with over 10 years of industry experience, working at companies such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Google, the Learnovate Centre, and now Accenture.  In her current role, she leads the learning experience design processes across Accenture’s various business entities globally.  Mirjam is a proud advocate for evidence-informed approaches to learning design. She’s had a collaborative blog with Paul over 4 years on https://3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com/.

You can find Mirjam and Paul’s book wherever great books are sold. Click here to get it on Amazon.

In this episode of the LDA Podcast, we are joined by Jordan Wilson, host of the top 10 podcast "Your Everyday AI". Together with Jordan, we review the developments of Generative AI, why he started the podcast, how it is changing the way we learn and the way we work, why not to trust AI detection systems, and much, much more.

Show notes: Your Everyday AI Website: www.youreverydayai.com Jordan Wilson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanwilson04/

In this episode, Matt is joined by the eminent educational psychologist, Paul Kirschner. Paul is truly one of the most qualified humans on the planet to talk about our topic this episode-- skills. The word skills is bandied about all over our industry. And we all agree it is important for people to develop skills. But, what do we mean by skills? Have we perhaps oversimplified this concept? During the episode, Paul and Matt hit several specific areas related to this often used, extremely important, but still ill-defined concept (at least within our industry)- skills:

1. What is a skill? What are complex skills? What are generic skills? Domain-specific skills?
2. What is the cognitive architecture?
3. Can skills be taught? What about leadership? Creativity? Etc.? Of course... you know the answer... it's nuanced!
4. From an instructional design perspective, how should we go about teaching “skills.”
5. What are the mistakes educators and trainers make when it comes to skills?
6. What are the misconceptions we have about skills?
7. How should we test whether a learner can perform a skill and what do those tests tell us?
8. Then there is Cognitive Load Theory..., Oh my!
9. And, more!

There are many places you can find Paul. But, the best place is at his blog, 3-Star Learning Experiences.

Paul has written several books. Some of our favorites, of which many of the subjects touched upon here, are delved into deeply there. They include, but are not limited to:

Ten Steps to Complex Learning How Learning Happens: Seminal Works in Educational Psychology Evidence Informed Learning Design Urban Myths about Learning and Education More Urban Myths about Learning and Education

We also have a bit of a conversation about John Sweller. John is an Australian educational psychologist best known for formulating the influential theory of cognitive load. A wonderful YouTube video of John talking about cognitive load is here.

And if you want to see a quick video of Paul... Here you go... one from a few years ago... https://ldaccelerator.com/giants-in-ld/paul-a-kirschner. 

In this episode, Will and Matt are joined by two renowned experts, Lori Niles-Hofmann and Steve Foreman. This extended, single segment show is all about the LMS. What is it? How did we get here? Where are we going? What are we trying to accomplish and how do we meet our LMS needs? Lori and Steve share their expertise on how to evaluate an LMS and how to evaluate LMS vendors. They provide tons and tons of tips and advice on everything about these monsters. Did you know there were tons of different types of LMSs? We didn’t. Do you even need an LMS? Everyone has them? Do you? Why do you?

Lori is a senior learning strategist with over 20 years of L&D experience across many industries, including international banking, management consulting, and marketing. Her specialization is large-scale digital learning transformations and acts as a trusted adviser to CLOs around the world. Lori has developed data-based methodologies and frameworks that empower L&D teams to move from business support function to strategic business driver. She is currently based in Toronto, Canada with one foot in Europe. You can find Lori at https://lorinileshofmann.squarespace.com. 

Steve is a management consultant and software designer/developer in the eLearning space. He subscribes to a broader definition of eLearning that includes knowledge management, expertise location and management, communities of practice, and performance support solutions. You can find Steve at http://infomediadesigns.com. 

In our Best and Worst, Lori mentions during her best, Matt Ash from The Media Zoo sending her a game in the New York Times, called CAN YOU DEFEAT THE PRIVACY CHICKEN. Check it out here.

In this episode, Will has a conversation with The Good Practice Podcast guys, Ross Garner and Owen Ferguson. You can find them at https://podcast.goodpractice.com. They share their origin story of the show. Will asks them whether we podcasters should go after and challenge the “bad actors” in our industry. The answer will surprise you. 

After Matt and Will debrief his Good Practice conversation, they dive deep into what makes evidence good evidence. In other words, how does one evaluate the quality of evidence in our field. In the discussion, Will and Matt discuss his first draft on a taxonomy for evaluating research. IT IS A FIRST DRAFT! But, click here to see it. They use 70-20-10 as an example for their exploration. The article Will wrote on 70-20-10 is here.

And, of course, they tease the possibility of an exploration of A/B testing… again.

In the final segment, Will and Matt share the Learning Translators they turn to when exploring new research. There also might be a pumpkin pie recipe. The list below is more people than directly referred to in the episode, as we left a few out as we discussed the topic.

Julie Dirksen: http://usablelearning.com Patti Shank: https://www.pattishank.com Will Thalheimer: https://www.worklearning.com Clark Quinn: https://quinnovation.com Ruth Clark: https://www.clarktraining.com Karl Kapp: http://karlkapp.com Guy Wallace: https://eppic.biz Jane Bozarth: http://linkedin.com/in/janebozarth Donald Clark: http://planblearning.com Mirjam Neelen: http://linkedin.com/in/mirjamneelen 

The presentation Matt made is Grenoble, France on Myths, Misconceptions, and Snake Oil is here. Thanks to Clark Quinn for inspiring the title of the talk.

Matt refers to The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons. You can watch an interview Matt did with Chris Chabris here.

And, of course, the Best and the Worst of the Week. 

We have a listener page. On it, we ask you a million questions about the show and how we can make it better. Check it out, and answer the questions. So far, all the things Matt likes are winning! 😁

Also, we ask you to go to iTunes and Spotify and rate Truth In Learning. The more ratings we get, the higher up we go when one searches for shows like ours. Positive reviews are indeed preferred. 😜

A special episode. Only two segments this time. Our guest, Clark Quinn, was too interesting to boot off, so we kept him going longer- for a double length discussion on a myriad of different topics.   For our first segment, we dig into awards in the Learning Industry. Will shares how the different industry organizations, in general, approach running awards programs. We then discuss the merits of these awards and what they mean- in other words, can they be trusted? Are they beneficial? Are they even useful? Are they fair? Are they accurate representations of merit. We also discuss the responses we got when Will posted this question on LinkedIn. 

Note that the referenced poem Matt wrote in college, HANK, is too humiliating to share. No one will ever see it! 🤔 You’ll have to listen to see what we are talking about here.  

Then, we are joined by our long-time friend and colleague, Clark Quinn. Clark is one of the eminent leaders in learning technology strategy. He has written several books, including Revolutionize Learning & Development: Performance and Innovation Strategy for the Information Age and most recently, the great Millennials, Goldfish & Other Training Misconceptions: Debunking Learning Myths and Superstitions.  During this segment, we start with an exploration for why it is important to be aware of the myths, misconceptions, and superstitions (MMS) that are pervasive in the industry. We discuss what the differences are between each of those classifications and why using tools and resources more accurately is a better business case. Clark shares why it is so appealing to accept MMS. In other words, why do we diss science and throw money away? We then dive deep, exploring a few examples within each of those categories, including:   

MYTHS: 

• The Generations Effect‎ 
• Multitasking‎ ‎
• Dale’s Cone‎
• ‎Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP)‎  

MISCONCEPTIONS: 

• No Knowledge versus Focusing on just Skills‎ ‎
• 70-20-10 ‎  

SUPERSTITIONS: 

• ‎Interaction Yielding Engagement  

Other MMS’ we raise include: DiSC, MBTI, Strengths, Neuro-everything that isn’t actually neuroscience, and Mehrabian’s 55-38-7.  

Clark also references Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and his work on FLOW. You can find the seminal book, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, here.

Matt references Human Development and exploring the human lifecycle as a more reliable way to look at the impact age may have rather than the Generations Effect. Without naming them directly, the information he references comes from the work of noted psychologist, Richard M. Lerner and his book, Concepts and Theories of Human Development and the work of Dale Dannefer, the Selah Chamberlain Professor of Sociology and Chair Department of Sociology, at Case Western. 

And, we learn that Will is a suspicious guy who loves leading questions🤣🤣.  And, finally, Clark joins us for the Best and the Worst.    

In this episode, Markus and Chris Pedder, Chief Data Scientist at OBRIZUM, discuss the rise and utility of large language models (LLMs) in L&D, including their limitations, as well as ethical concerns.

DISCLAIMER: We apologize for the recording sound on Matthew’s side of things… First, he was sick. Second, his microphone broke and the sound quality was reduced. We will fix this before the next episode. Now… onto the show…

In our first segment, we explore what is a learning objective. How are they used, should they be used, how are they constructed, how are they consumed, and what are alternatives to them. We mention Bob Mager and his book, Preparing Instructional Objectives: A Critical Tool in the Development of Effective Instruction. Will also refers to his mentor and doctoral advisor, Ernie Rothkopf. One of the research articles Will references is: Rothkopf, E. Z., & Kaplan, R. (1972). An exploration of the effect of density and specificity of instructional objectives on learning from text. Journal of Educational Psychology, 6, 295-302. From Will, here is the classic piece he wrote about rethinking instructional objectives. Click here. And, Will’s classic video on objectives that Matthew sends to everyone. Click here. 

Our second segment delves into the overall purpose of training. Is it just to ultimately yield business results? Shareholder value? Or, aligning more with the sustainability values of today, to provide outcomes aligned also with employee well-being, the enhancement of the community, and other broader benefits to the many. Click here for the LinkedIn Post that inspired this segment. We also brought up Self-Determination Theory again. The motivation model originally conceptualized by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan from the University of Rochester. While both of them have done quite a bit of writing about SDT within the context of work (and Rich is now offering a program on Coursera beginning February 10), the two researchers Matthew mentions are Marylène Gagné and Jacques Forest. The specific articles and book referenced are listed first along with other articles Jacques has shared with Matthew. That list is at the bottom of the episode notes. If you are interested generally in SDT, go here and/or take Rich’s Coursera program.

In our third segment, we are joined by Kassy LaBorie. Together we all discuss how to bring interactivity to the virtual classroom. We discuss the differences and similarities between classroom and virtual classroom delivery. Kassy shares the misconceptions many have about virtual classrooms. And, so much more about virtual delivery. Kassy mentions the wonderful video, A CONFERENCE CALL IN REAL LIFE, embedded above. Or, click here to see it on YouTube. Kassy can be found at https://kassyconsulting.com. She is the co-author, along with Thomas Stone, of Interact and Engage!: 50+ Activities for Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars. Tom, also Kassy’s husband, wrote the very cool baseball book, Now Taking the Field: Baseball's All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises. 

Finally, we take a break from our Best and Worst closing and have several of our listeners share their personal New Years’ Resolutions. Will and Matthew share theirs, as well. Contributors are: the very same Kassy LaBorie you listened to in segment three, Phil Reynolds, Cara North, Clark Quinn, Ellen Burns-Johnson, Roger Kaufman, Allison Samon, Ulrich Boser, Julie Dirksen, Alex Salas, Mirjam Neelen, and Dave Barton.

SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY REFERENCES

Forest, J., Gilbert, M.-H., Beaulieu, G., Le Brock, P., & Gagné, M. (2014). Translating research results in economic terms: An application of economic utility analysis using SDT-based interventions. In M. Gagné (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Work Engagement, Motivation, and Self-Determination Theory (pp. 335-346). Oxford:  Oxford University Press.

Trepanier, S.-G., Forest, J., Fernet, C., & Austin, S. (2015). On the psychological and motivational processes linking job characteristics to employee functioning: Insights from Self-Determination Theory. Work and Stress, 29, 286-305. 

The Oxford Handbook of Work Engagement, Motivation, and Self-Determination Theory 

Güntert, S. T. (2015). The impact of work design, autonomy support, and strategy on employee outcomes: A differentiated perspective on self-determination at work. Motivation and Emotion, 39, 74-87.

Trepanier, S.-G., Fernetet, C., & Austin, S. (2015). A longitudinal investigation of workplace bullying, basic need satisfaction, and employee functioning. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 20, 105-116.

Van den Broeck, A., Schreurs, B., De Witte, H., Vansteenkiste, M., Germeys, F., & Schaufeli, W. (2011). Understanding workaholics’ motivations: A self-determination perspective. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 60 600-621.

Ng, J. Y. Y., Ntoumanis, N., Thogersen-Ntoumani, C., Deci, E. L., Ryan, R. M., Duda, J. L., & Williams, G. C. (2012). Self-determination theory applied to health contexts: A meta-analysis. Perspectives on PsychologicalScience, 7, 325-340. 

Will breaks into podcast studio, and shares some important announcements while Matt works tirelessly on the website for Will and Matt's big announcement. Will talks about the LearningDevelopmentReflections.com website response to the Coronavirus pandemic, recent episodes, cancellations of Matt and Will's live shows, and more... Will does a teaser for Matt and Will's BIG ANNOUNCEMENT--the thing that will change the L&D field forever. Matt's going to be really pissed when he learns about Will playing with the podcast while Matt works to exhaustion on the new website.

This episode’s topics: 

1. Is AI cheating? What is the impact on intellectual property? Learner assessment? Heck, even job replacement? These questions are both philosophical and pragmatic. What about the value of critical thinking... and does AI take that application away? We explore ways to use AI more effectively... but recognize we cannot even fathom some of the consequences, yet.
2. In the spirit of Christmas and Santa Claus, is it ok to ever lie to your learners? What is the value of the "white lie?" What is fiction in the context of learning? Is it a lie? How do we use or adapt case studies? We discuss the more nuanced, ethical questions related to the truth in the context of learning.

Joining Matt and Clark is Karl Kapp. Karl is a professor of instructional technology and the Director of the Institute for Interactive Technologies at Bloomsburg University. He is also the founder of the Learning and Development Mentor Academy where he offers tons of self-paced workshops and live sessions for seasoned L&D professionals. He also co-founded Enterprise Game Stack, a company that designs, develops and delivers online, digital card activities and games that keep participants focused, engaged, and collaborative, while reinforcing learning both in the moment and over time. 

You can find Karl on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlkapp/ 

And on his website here: https://karlkapp.com 

Episode Notes:

1. Matt refers to the book, Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Lies-Internet-About-Really-ebook/dp/B01AFXZ2F4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32XE7RFU8662&keywords=Everybody+lies&qid=1703693836&sprefix=everybody+lies%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1 
2. Karl refers to Damned Lies and Statistics by Joel Best. https://www.amazon.com/Damned-Lies-Statistics-Untangling-Politicians/dp/0520274709/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1NIS0ITNOKV1A&keywords=lies%2C+damned+lies%2C+and+statistics&qid=1703693953&sprefix=Lies%2C+damned+li%2Caps%2C92&sr=8-1 
3. Clark refers to Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the crafts of reading, writing, and mathematics by Allan Collins, John Seely Brown, and Susan E. Newman. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1989-98135-013
4. Scott Page wrote The Model Thinker: What You Need To Know To Make Data Work For You. https://www.amazon.com/Model-Thinker-What-Need-Know-ebook/dp/B07B8D3V9V/ref=sr_1_1?crid=12ZCGDWY9C3GI&keywords=The+Model+Thinker&qid=1703694035&sprefix=the+model+thinker%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1
5. And, Scott is from the University of Michigan.

Matt and Clark are so happy to have our dear friend and colleague, Elham Arabi join for the episode.

In this show, we explore the nuance, and sometimes vague aspects, of culturally responsive learning and how that intricately ties to research and practice. In other words, what are the business cultural facets that affect learning initiatives. What norms, standards, values, and political schema all have impacts?

Matt shamelessly references his own model for why stakeholders say no... (1) They don't buy the premise-- they don't accept the problem as stated. (2) They don't buy the solution. They accept the problem as stated, but not the solution you offer. (3) Or, they accept the problem AND the solution as offered, but don't like or trust you to deliver it.

Elham referenced Adam Grant's book Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know.

If you want to watch the debate between Clark and Will, you will have to join LDA at the platinum level to access the video here: https://ldaccelerator.com/join

Matt references Self-Determination Theory (SDT). SDT is a widely research theory for how people are motivated. The premise is that all humans have three basis psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness). When those needs are met, one is more likely to be intrinsically motivated toward a task. When they are undermined, one is like to be more extrinsically motivated, or not motivated at all. The theory was initially devised and studied by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan while they were at the University of Rochester. Here is a link to an article Matt wrote on the topic in context to learning: https://ldaccelerator.com/lda-blog-1/open-the-motivational-door-and-let-the-learners-in-and-keep-them. The checklist Matt references can be found here: https://ldaccelerator.com/motivation-checklist.

Clark references Amy Edmundson and her work on Learning culture: https://hbr.org/2008/03/is-yours-a-learning-organization and Harold Jarche's talks about how well you share with others: https://jarche.com/2014/02/the-seek-sense-share-framework/.

Clark also references Geert Hofstede and his work on Cultural Dimensions. Mindtools offers a nice summary here: https://www.mindtools.com/a1ecvyx/hofstedes-cultural-dimensions

Elham references The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer.

She also references Mark Britz and James Tyer's Social by Design: How to Create and Scale a Collaborative Company.

Matt highlights Thiagi's SPARK Model for Trust: Selflessness, Predictability, Authenticity, Relatedness, and Know-How.

Matt referenced the Heterodox Academy founded by Steven Pinker, founder here: https://heterodoxacademy.org/

You can find Elham on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elhamarabi/

More on Elham... She is an award-winning learning designer and global consultant in corporate and higher-ed with more than 15 years’ experience in the US, South-East Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. She has championed better evaluation practices in several organizations and done practical research on evaluation to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of learning programs that lead to learning transfer and impact. She holds a PhD in Interaction and Media Sciences from the University of Nevada, where her thesis was on enhancing training design based on training evaluation to investigate the effects on training transfer. 

In this episode, we asked our good friend, David Ganulin to join us to talk about marketing and how the domain of marketing can inform learning and development. Of course, that didn't stop us from deviating off topic! Of course, we still do The Best and the Worst.

We have a brief conversation about the following concepts:

•  Hard Fun, coined by Dr. Seymour Papert. You can find out more here: https://dailypapert.com/hard-fun/
• Mihaly Robert Csikszentmihalyi: Flow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
• Vygotsky and Zone of Proximal Development: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_proximal_development
• Robert Bjork- Desired Difficulty: https://3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com/2023/02/21/demystifying-desirable-difficulties-1-what-they-are/
• Anders Ericsson Deliberate Practice: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1993-40718-001

Matt differentiates between Openers and Icebreakers here: https://www.thiagi.com/games/2023/4/27/linking-in-with-matt

In the meantime, Matt referenced LDA's good friend, Ashley Sinclair and her company, MAAS Marketing, which provides marketing services specifically for L&D teams in organizations. You can find out more about Ashley here: https://www.maas-marketing.co.uk/

A bit more about Dave:

David Ganulin tries to use his marketing superpowers so good triumphs over evil. He loves that he can write in the third person, as well as the fact that he literally just used the term "marketing superpowers" in the first sentence of a professional bio unironically. He graduated from the University of Rochester with an M.S in Teaching, Curriculum, and Development and upon graduation, left for Japan where he served as a college Professor for five years in a variety of institutions teaching English as a Second Language, English literature, writing, and other advanced classes.

Upon returning to New York City in 2000, he found himself at the tail end of Dot Bomb 1.0, and we all know how that went! He served in a variety of marketing positions beginning in 2001 and was lucky enough to learn the field from the ground up from being hands-on as well as from some incredible Mentors in the field. Along the way--while serving in a variety of higher level positions, he caught the entrepreneur bug and in 2001 (when absolutely nobody knew what a kettlebell was) ended up finding, scaling (with no outside capital), and eventually exiting a leading B2B education company KettleBell Concepts. He's been working alongside Pete Moore--Managing Partner of Integrity Square--as the firm's Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Producer of HALO Talks podcast since October 2018.

You can find David here:

Integrity Square: https://www.integritysq.com/ Halotalks: https://www.halotalks.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidganulin/

Clark and Matt are joined by the wonderful Emma Weber. For those unfamiliar with Emma, she is the founder of Lever – Transfer of Learning, and developer of the Turning Learning into Action™ methodology.

In this first episode of a two-part series, we explore coaching. What is it? How does it work? How should it work. And, of course, we go all over the place as we converse. We end the episode with the best and the worst.

Emma and Clark reference LDA friend, Julie Dirksen and her latest book, Talk to the Elephant and her first book, Design for How People Learn. We talked with Julie just a few episodes ago.

Clark references Collins and Brown's application of Cognitive Apprenticeship Theory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_apprenticeship

Emma references Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Anderson_(businessman).

Clark references Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Model. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situational_leadership_theory.

The debate between Matt and Emma is/ was on April 3, 2024 and can be found on the LDA website.

More about Emma. In 2002 Emma left a successful corporate career in London to start her own business in Australia, following her passion for coaching and learning. Her firm belief, and the platform on which she has built her successful global business, is that the goal of learning in the workplace is to create tangible business benefits. She established Lever – Transfer of Learning to help organisations and their employees convert learning to effective action back on the job. Under her guidance Lever Learning now delivers programs throughout 16 countries and in 11 languages. She is the author of Turning Learning into Action: A Proven Methodology for Effective Transfer of Learning, published by Kogan Page in 2014.   

You can find Emma via her website: https://transferoflearning.com/ or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaweber/.

In Part two, available in a month, we will explore coaching accreditation. Who decides what makes a good coach and how can one evaluate the quality of all those coaches out there? And, of course what kind of coaching is effective?

In this episode, we discuss Will’s rat problem and the differences between rats and hamsters. Yes… you read that correctly. Don’t worry, this part of the podcast goes pretty quickly and we do indeed get to the good stuff. 

In the first segment, we chew on how to evaluate specific models, tools, or resources. During this segment, Matt refers to a course he took on Coursera  by Scott E. Page from the University of Michigan called MODEL THINKING. Then, in segment two, we pull a bait and switch… we tell you we are going to talk about what makes a training objective a good training objective and what is actually the goal of training itself. We cover a little of this, but then we get derailed. We get into a debate about the differences between education and training. It’s not as simple as one thinks.

Finally, we talk about what makes a  trainer great. What are the characteristics and features of the best of the best? We are joined by Matt’s daughter, Lia, who has a particularly insightful and interesting perspective on this topic. 

We end with the Best and the worst. Lia stays with us to give hers, as well. 

In this episode, Markus and Josh delve into the transformative impact of Artificial Intelligence on both organizations and individual professionals. They emphasize the urgency for individuals to proactively engage with AI technologies, particularly in the fields of education and corporate training. The discussion also navigates through the ethical and strategic complexities that accompany this technological shift. Tune in to gain insights into how individual initiative in AI adoption could be a decisive factor in career and organizational success.

Links referred to or promised in the episode: 

Classes https://go.joshcavalier.com/masterclass

Patreon https://www.patreon.com/JoshCavalier

150+ Prompts for Education https://www.joshcavalier.com/150Prompts 

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@joshcav

LinkedIn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcavalier/ 

In our fifth episode, we go long… maybe too long! 😜 But, we got on a roll. We have lots of guests, a heated debate, and more. 

In Segment One, we go meta. We discuss why we should actually be negative. In other words, why it’s good to debunk, challenge, question, and even attack ideas. We discuss the pros and cons and why many in our field are so adverse to negativity. 

In Segment Two, Will conducts two separate interviews. In both, he explores whether we should do more investigative journalism in the L&D field. How can we ensure we are indeed doing all the right things? 

The first is with Ryan Watkins, co-host of the Parsing Science podcast and a professor in Educational Technology Leadership at George Washington University. Ryan also has an amazing website at We Share Science.

The second is with Truth in Learning friend, Julie Dirksen. Julie is a research to practice guru. She is the author of DESIGN FOR HOW PEOPLE LEARN. Check out her cool website, Usable Learning.

‎In Segment Three, we each share our top three research-based learning facts. What should we design into our learning programs to make them most effective.

And, of course, we end with the Best and the Worst of the week. 

‎We also referenced several times an article Will wrote called Donald Kirkpatrick was NOT the Originator of the Four-Level Model of Learning Evaluation. This one could possibly change your life!

‎Matt mentions Self-Determination Theory, a model for why we do what we do. Here is a link to an article he wrote on How Learners Are Motivated. You can also learn a ton about motivation and specifically the model here, at the Center for Self-Determination Theory. 

We mention Mike Taylor and his wonderfully info-packed website. Here is the link… https://mike-taylor.org. 

NOTE: This podcast was recording in November, 2024.

Today, Clark and Matt are joined once again by our dear friend, Nidhi Sachdeva. 

We talk about Desirable Difficulties, originally coined by Robert Bjork and further explored with him and his wife, Elizabeth Bjork. A great overview paper can be found here: https://bjorklab.psych.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2016/04/EBjork_RBjork_2011.pdf

Of course, we talk about the five strategies to foster desirable difficulties:

1. Spaced Learning/ Distributed Practice
2. Retrieval Practice/ The Testing Effect
3. Interleaving
4. Contextual Interference
5. Reduced Feedback

We even take a brief detour on whether note taking is effective. And of course, the answer is nuanced... see more here, from Paul Kirschner: https://3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com/2023/05/09/longhand-notetaking-is-worth-using/

Clark references Mihaly Robert Csikszentmihalyi's Flow... and frankly, the wiki page on it is pretty darn good. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)#:~:text=Flow%20state%20theory%20suggests%20that,key%20determinant%20of%20learning%20success.

He also mentions Lev Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_of_proximal_development

Matt references Thiagi's jolt called THE DAYS OF THE WEEK. Here is a video of the short activity: https://ldaccelerator.com/days-of-the-week-jolt

Clark references MAKE IT STICK, by Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel: https://www.amazon.com/Make-Stick-Science-Successful-Learning/dp/B0DG1195CM, as well as their colleague, Pooja Argawal, and her book, POWER TEACHING: https://www.amazon.com/Powerful-Teaching-Unleash-Science-Learning/dp/111952184X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=powerful+teaching&qid=1572929667&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sr=8-3&linkCode=sl1&tag=retrievalprac-20&linkId=a877fbf2e13704463c6402641571742c&language=en_US

We do mention the LDA Learning Science Conference 2024... and how Nidhi will be there presenting about Desirable Difficulties... However, the conference is now past. But, Nidhi will be at the upcoming LDA The Evidence-Informed Practitioner Conference in April, 2025 and repeating her work in the 2025 Learning Science Conference.

________________________________________________

More about Nidhi…

Nidhi Sachdeva is an evidence-informed learning designer, post-secondary educator, researcher, and educational technology specialist. She is interested in designing and integrating evidence-informed instructional practices using various educational technology tools, including GenAI. Recently, she has been researching this through microlearning and cognitive science. Nidhi is the co-author of a newsletter called The Science of Learning, which aims to reduce gaps between educational research and instructional practice. She also chaired the ResearchEd Toronto conference 2024, ' Discovering the Science of Learning.'  With almost 20 years of experience developing and facilitating learning content for both face-to-face and online courses within formal higher education, Nidhi is extremely passionate about integrating the Science of Learning into her pedagogical practice. She is currently teaching in the Teacher Education program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

 

OVERVIEW

In this episode, Debbie Richards and Markus dive into the cutting edge of immersive learning and the hard truths of AI policies. From navigating VR headsets to addressing the ethical challenges of AI in the workplace, Debbie shares invaluable insights for L&D professionals. Learn why a 'common sense' approach won’t cut it when managing AI, and how immersive tech is transforming the learning landscape. Tune in for practical advice on upskilling, reskilling, and making AI work for your organization—without sacrificing ethics or data security.

Shownotes:

• Debbie Richards on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cre8iveii/
• Creative Interactive Ideas -  https://cre8iveii.com/
• AR/VR article - https://www.learningguild.com/articles/immersive-frontiers-transforming-learning-with-ar--vr/
• Notebook LM from google - https://notebooklm.google/
• L&D Cares - https://www.ldcares.org/

Join Markus Bernhardt and Bjorn Billhardt as they explore how AI is reshaping leadership development. In this episode, discover the role of AI-driven simulations in creating dynamic learning experiences and why social interaction remains crucial. Explore the innovative 12-week MBA program designed for today’s leaders and learn how AI can elevate L&D from a support function to a strategic powerhouse. Don’t miss this engaging discussion on blending technology with human connection to transform professional growth.

Shownotes:

Bjorn Billhardt on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjornbillhardt/

The link to Abilitie, a Top 20 Leadership Development Company: http://www.abilitie.com

Link to the 12-Week MBA, a part-time, virtual MBA certificate course: http://www.12weekmba.com

The Voice AI demo Bjorn referenced:  https://fastvoiceagent.cerebrium.ai/

How Bjorn keeps up to date:

Ethan Mollick’s - One Useful Thing - https://www.oneusefulthing.org/

Wes Kao’s Newsletter - https://newsletter.weskao.com/

Matt Tower’s weekly roundup of happenings in the EdTech community: https://www.etch.club/p/etch-weekend-reading-52724

We welcome back Emma Weber for part II of our conversation about coaching. This episode focuses on the qualifications and requirements for what makes an effective coach. We start with how to go about finding a coach. 

Emma offered to provide any listeners with her Assessing Coaching Capability Grid. You can get it here:

https://mailchi.mp/leverlearning.com/svcitt67nx 

We briefly discuss Self-Determination Theory, a motivation model widely researched and used globally. You can learn more about it here: https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/

We talk about Paul Kirschner and John Sweller who have researched and talked extensively about explicit and direct instruction versus the "in the flow of work" folks like Conrad Gottfredson and Bob Mosher from 5 Moments of Need. You can learn more about the thoughts of Paul here: https://3starlearningexperiences.wordpress.com/

And 5 Moments of Need here: https://www.5momentsofneed.com/ 

Clark references Harold Jarche's Seek, Sense, Share: https://jarche.com/pkm/

We also talk about the professionalization of coaching. Should coaches... how can coaches... be certified? Can coaching be standardized? 

And we talk about coach bots.

Of course, we end with the Best and the Worst where we discuss conference season and who attends the sessions.

Shameless plug for Matt's new book with Thiagi on LDA Press... you can pre-order it here in French or English: https://ldaccelerator.com/techniques-interactives-pour-lapprentissage

And additional shameless plug... LDA has partnered with the Center for Self-Determination Theory to produce a new, monthly podcast/ video cast where we engage with a researcher/ practitioner in the motivational psychology field about their respective work. You can find the show, and subscribe to it, here: https://ldaccelerator.com/sdtpodcast

For those unfamiliar with Emma, she is the founder of Lever – Transfer of Learning, and developer of the Turning Learning into Action™ methodology. In 2002 Emma left a successful corporate career in London to start her own business in Australia, following her passion for coaching and learning. Her firm belief, and the platform on which she has built her successful global business, is that the goal of learning in the workplace is to create tangible business benefits. She established Lever – Transfer of Learning to help organisations and their employees convert learning to effective action back on the job. Under her guidance Lever Learning now delivers programs throughout 16 countries and in 11 languages. She is the author of Turning Learning into Action: A Proven Methodology for Effective Transfer of Learning, published by Kogan Page in 2014.

You can find Emma via her website: https://transferoflearning.com/ or on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmaweber/.                                    

We are rejoined by Will Thalheimer to talk about one of his favorite topics, awards in the L&D industry. Should we have them? Should we give them out? How do we do it better… if at all?

We explore a pretty exhaustive list of the general issues with using and distributing awards among industry professionals by industry professional groups. Heck, we even find a few good points to support the tradition, as well.

• Are these industry awards fair?
• Are they judged effectively and fairly? 
• What are, and should, be the criteria for winning an award? What rubric is used? Who designs the rubric? Are we even rewarding the “right” stuff (whatever that means)?
• What about money? Application fees? And paying for the awards? Bias? Vendor relationships?
• Heck, are these awards even manageable… doable in order to ensure claimed standards and fairness?
• ‎Is an evolving approach, perhaps to think about certification?  
• Who judges the judges?

Will even hands out an award called the Neon Elephant Award, as he attempts to bypass many of the issues we discuss. You can learn more about it here: https://www.worklearning.com/2010/11/02/neon-elephant-award/. Does he succeed?

Yes— we know there are tons of awards out there, so we are speaking generically. But the questions of fairness and appropriate judgement still hold. 

Matt references NASAGA. The North American Simulation and Gaming Association. We also reference ISPI, the International Society for Performance Improvement.

Any conversation about awards within the context of L&D would, and should, lead to a conversation about program and practitioner evaluation. We, of couse, talk about Will’s Learning Transfer Evaluation Model (LTEM). You can learn more about that here: https://www.worklearning.com/ltem/.

Will brings up one of his passion ideas… that within L&D, we should have independent journalists investigating and report on how we do, what we do, and what we could do better. He originally talks it about it in the LDA Podcast, Episode 4.

And what about impact? Is impact the key? Or, are we missing the boat? What about the differences between learning and impact? How do we ensure that our learning engagement was actually the cause of the identified impact.

LDA had the wonderful, Alex Edmans, from the London Business School, on our MEET THE AUTHOR Series. The video is here: https://members.ldaccelerator.com/c/meet-the-author-space/meet-the-author-alex-edmans. We reference his new book, May Contain Lies. You can find the book and learn more about Alex, here: https://alexedmans.com/books/

Will’s new book is The CEO’s Guide to Training, eLearning, and Work. You can learn more and buy it here: https://www.ceosguide.net. 

You can learn more about Will here: https://www.worklearning.com/about/.

Clark and Matt are delighted to be joined by Paige Bradbury… an expert on using LLMs— specifically for those of us novices. She is particularly expert at developing the right prompts to get useful, and more importantly, accurate responses from the LLM.

We learn about things like hallucinations… prompt drift… context windows…  explainable AI... xAI… and more! We talk about the work, time, and money that go into writing good and effective prompts, let alone using AI in general. And Paige shares plenty of examples along the way. We talk about different LLM options and LLM databases.

We connect to previous LDA Podcast episodes and discuss IP and ethical usage of AI and LLMs. And we end the episode with a survey of the current and future state of AI-- at a very high level.

You can learn more about Paige’s upcoming March 19, 2025, LDA program here: https://ldaccelerator.com/sessions#calendar-3caaa5f3-7151-409b-b39d-16b86bfe5253-event-m5u16n4b 

You can learn more about Paige… and connect with her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/id-by-paige/.

OVERVIEW

In this episode, Markus Bernhardt is joined by Kate Macartney, CEO of MVM Strategies, to explore how AI tools like Microsoft's Copilot are reshaping the way we work. From personal productivity hacks to organization-wide transformations, Kate shares practical insights and real-world examples of how Copilot integrates seamlessly into workflows, making everyday tasks faster and smarter.

Discover how organizations can unlock the potential of AI tools while navigating challenges like adoption, privacy, and cultural shifts. Kate also takes us behind the scenes of the Microsoft Ignite conference, revealing future trends in AI automation and business process enhancements. Whether you're just starting with AI or looking to scale its use across your organization, this episode offers a wealth of actionable advice and inspiration.

HOW TO FIND KATE:

• Linkedin: Kate Macartney | LinkedIn
• Website: mvmstrategies.com

CO-PILOT

Copilot is free to try (not connected to apps, just for chat):  https://copilot.microsoft.com/

In this episode, Matt and Clark are joined by the great Karl Kapp. We dive into a favorite topic… using commercial games for learning.

Shameless plug… The Commercial Games Workshop with Karl Kapp and Matt on December 11-12, 2024 in Philadelphia.

We talk about how to utilize games and activities for team building and ensure they become both domain specific and transfer back to the workplace. We also distinguish between cooperative and competitive gaming experiences, as well as their respective pros and cons. We discuss tips, constraints, and applications for using games— specifically commercial games.

The game itself is never the goal… we talk about how to leverage the game to reach an instructional purpose. We talk about balancing fun and the objective. We talk about debriefing game play. Karl refers to war gaming. Learning is a system. A game is a system that is a part of that greater learning system.

Clark refers to Kurt Squire: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Squire 

Game of Phones— Kris Rockwell: https://briandusablon.com/2011/07/01/a-game-of-phones/

Matt references Board Game Geek. https://boardgamegeek.com

Wil Wheaton's Tabletop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THjo1hjtz0g&list=PL7atuZxmT956cWFGxqSyRdn6GWhBxiAwE 

Games mentioned:

• Civilization
• Escape Rooms
• Timeline
• Forbidden Island
• New York Times’ Flashback
• Fluxx
• Break the Safe
• ‎Monopoly
• ‎Oregon Trail
• ‎Lost Dutchman Goldmine (by Scott Simmerman)
• ‎Risk
• ‎Stratego
• ‎Ticket to Ride
• ‎Age of Empires
• ‎Pandemic
• ‎Barnga
• ‎War
• ‎Gin Rummy
• ‎Ninety-Nine
• ‎Cards Against Humanity 
• ‎Titan Quest
• ‎Firefly
• ‎‎Code Names
• NYT Connections
• ‎Reigns
• ‎Candy Crush 
• ‎Plants vs. Zombies
• ‎Murder by Choice
• ‎JJ Abrams’ S.
• Temple Run
• ‎The Dwarf King
• ‎Hanabi
• ‎‎Guillotine
• ‎Hearts
• ‎Pitch
• ‎Cassino
• ‎NYT Strands

A bit about Karl… He has over 27 years of experience as a professor of instructional technology and 15 years as the Director of the Institute for Interactive Technologies at Bloomsburg University— now Commonwealth University, He helps people understand the convergence of learning, technology, games and game-thinking through fun, laughter and insight. As the founder of the Learning and Development Mentor Academy, he provides seasoned L&D professionals with access to a library of on-demand, self-paced workshops, monthly live sessions, and a vibrant community of peers and experts. Karl also co-founded Enterprise Game Stack, a company that designs, develops and delivers online, digital card activities and games that keep participants focused, engaged, and collaborative, while reinforcing learning both in the moment and over time. 

You can find Karl on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlkapp/

Or on his website, https://karlkapp.com 

In this episode, Markus and Jos Arets from Tulser and Partners in AI, dive into all things learning and augmented performance, and the role Large Language Models are starting to play in supporting workers as a super-colleague. Jos' also dives into the work of nurses and doctors, a fascinating use case, and an area that is particularly close to Jos' heart since his time as CLO of Maastricht University Hospital.

SHOWNOTES:

You can find Jos at these locations:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/josarets/
• @AretsJos at X
• https://tulser.com
• https://www.partnersinai.com/en

Resources generative AI by Jos Arets:

• https://www.partnersinai.com/en/post/explore-the-untapped-potential-of-exemplary-performers-within-organizations-and-teams
• https://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-performance-augmentation-in-corporate-elearning
• https://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-performance-support-powered-by-artificial-intelligence
• https://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-learning-in-the-flow-of-work
• https://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-ai-driven-skills-competency-development
• https://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-amplifying-evidence-informed-ld-with-ai
• https://elearningindustry.com/is-ai-the-bicycle-of-the-mind-lds-role-in-developing-competencies-and-augmenting-human-capabilities-without-and-with-ai

With Special Guest, Chris Pedder

Think AI is all about buzzwords and breakthrough moments? Think again. Markus and Chris navigate the gritty reality of AI’s ‘messy middle’—the point where big ideas meet even bigger challenges. Grab your headset and get ready for an unexpected dive into the future of tech, where innovation truly happens after the hype fades. From ethical dilemmas to economic realities, this episode will change how you see AI’s role in our world.

Links and Connections from the Episode

• Chris Pedder - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jb-pedder/
• Obrizum - https://obrizum.com/
• Ray Kurzweil - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil
• Perplexity - https://www.perplexity.ai/
• you.com - https://you.com/
• Corey Doctorow on Enshittification - https://pluralistic.net/2023/01/21/potemkin-ai/#hey-guys
• Nick Bostrum on Paperclips - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118922590.ch23
• IBM article on AI Alignment - https://research.ibm.com/blog/what-is-alignment-ai
• Anil Seth on Consciousness and AI - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/tz6an

Join Markus Bernhardt in this enlightening conversation with Sandie de la Cruz, a seasoned automation specialist and Digital Solutions Manager at Edwards Life Sciences. Dive into the world of AI and process optimization as Sandie shares her expert insights on enhancing operational efficiency and strategic implementation in learning and development, and beyond. Discover the transformative potential of automation tools and learn practical strategies to streamline your L&D operations for a smarter and more effective workflow.   Shownotes: Connect with Sandie de la Cruz on LinkedIn.Business Process Automation Tools:

• Zapier - Connects your apps and automates workflows.
• UiPath - A leader in robotic process automation (RPA) software that automates repetitive office tasks.
• Blue Prism - RPA tool that provides a virtual workforce powered by software robots.
• Microsoft Power Automate - Helps automate workflows between your apps and services to synchronize files, get notifications, collect data, and more.

Marketing Automation Tools:

• HubSpot - Integrates a variety of marketing tools into one platform, including email marketing, social media campaigns, and lead management.
• Marketo - Provides tools for email marketing, lead nurturing, and marketing analytics.
• Mailchimp - Known for email marketing automation but also includes ad campaign and landing page features.

Additional Resources:

• Learn and develop your skills through Microsoft Learn.
• Join Google Women Techmakers for initiatives supporting women in technology.
• Advance your knowledge in AI with Google's AI Certificates.

We take a break from our regularly featured programming. The following is the audio from a special, informal discussion about AI that LDA recently produced for our community. We thought it lent itself nicely to the podcast, as well.

In this special discussion, Lori Niles-Hofmann and Stella Lee school Matt on the basic ins and outs of AI. We talk about what AI is. We talk about the different types of AI. Matt asks whether the world of Terminator is soon coming to pass! Stella and Lori correct that notion.

We dive into the ethical issues that using AI impact both short-, and long-term. We delve into how information gets curated on different AI platforms. We explore the implications in general, as well as for L&D, when using AI. Specifically we look at the practical implications. Can we use AI to help us solve some of those wicked problems we face?

Lori and Stella share advice on how to engage with vendors pushing their AI offerings. Or, at least some questions one might ask when others are authorized to buy, but you have to use it.

Speaking of practical… and speaking of ethics… when is it ok to use AI when constructing designs, writing, or researching? What are hallucinations? When does the AI misunderstand us? How do we misunderstand what we get from it?

While many are way more educated and knowledgeable about AI than Matt. Many others are still confused about what it all means and what it does— but are frankly, slightly… mildly… embarrassed to ask.

Ok… Matt admits, he had no clue what generative AI referred to instead of “regular” AI. But he does now, as a result of Stella and Lori's educational explanations.

The bottom line is this special program provides the highlights of AI basics as it pertains to L&D. We hope you enjoy!

_____________________________________________

More about Lori and Stella: Lori Niles-Hofmann

Lori is a senior learning strategist with over 20 years’ of L&D experience. Specializing in large-scale digital learning transformation, Lori is passionate about helping companies navigate the ambiguity of change. After leading and completing numerous EdTech implementations, Lori has developed the data-based methodologies and frameworks that empower L&D teams to move from a business support function to strategic business driver. Lori is currently based in Toronto, Canada with one foot in Europe.

STELLA LEE

With over 20 years of experience in the e-learning and edtech industry, Stella is a director at Paradox Learning, a consulting firm that provides and evaluates innovative learning solutions across multiple devices, cultures, and platforms. She work with clients from various sectors, such as government, education, non-profit, and corporate, to help them achieve their learning and development goals with data-driven and technology-enabled approaches. As a consultant, startup advisor, writer, speaker, community organizer, educator, and researcher, she is passionate about sharing her insights and expertise on e-learning, edtech, AI, learning analytics, adaptive and personalized learning, and more.

Guest: Vince Han, CEO of Mobile Coach   Summary: In this episode of AI & L&D Insights, Markus Bernhardt dives into the world of proactive AI with Vince Han, the visionary behind Mobile Coach. Together, they explore the game-changing evolution from passive chatbots to AI agents that do more than just answer questions—they engage, assist, and even anticipate your needs. Join us as we break down how AI agents are revolutionizing learning and development, from onboarding new hires to creating seamless, proactive user experiences. Vince shares how chatbots are moving beyond surface-level interactions to becoming indispensable virtual colleagues in your workflow. Whether you’re interested in L&D, AI innovation, or the future of work, this episode offers practical insights into how AI agents are reshaping the workplace—faster than you think.   REFERENCES Vince's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincehan/    Mobile Coach Website: www.mobilecoach.com    Eliza https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA

We have the wonderful Nigel Paine back in the house for an exciting and banter-filled episode about leadership. It's a continuation of the previous Nigel show, The "Follow the Leader" Episode.

Nigel and Matt continue the conversation about the nuance of leadership-- what the heck is it practically as organizations struggle to get their arms around it.

A bulk of the discussion centers on the work of the wonderful historian and leadership expert, Keith Grint from the Säid Business School of the University of Oxford and also the University of Warwick, both in the UK. You can learn more about Keith here: https://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/about-us/people/keith-grint

And a wonderful primer on Keith's work is his short book, LEADERSHIP, A VERY SHORT INTRODUCTION. You can get it here: https://amzn.to/4elBIeg

They leverage his problem-based model of leadership taking Rittel and Webber's Wicked and Tame problems (and adding Critical Problems) as a basis for prescribing a leadership, management, or command response. 

Rittel and Webber. Here is the reference to their work:

Rittel, H.W.J. and Webber, M.M.. (1973) Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. Policy Sciences. 4, pp. 155-169.

The classicJames MacGregor Burns book introducing the concept of Transformational Leadership is: 

Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership (1st ed.). New York: Harper & Row.

Barbara Kellermen's book is:

Kellerman, B. (2012). The end of leadership (1st ed.). New York: Harper Business, An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.

Jeffrey Pfeffer wrote a wonder book called LEADERSHIP BS. The reference is: 

Pfeffer, J. (2015). Leadership BS : fixing workplaces and careers one truth at a time (First edition. ed.). New York, NY: Harper Business, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

We also reference Ronald Riggio:

Riggio, R. E. (Ed.) (2018). What’s Wrong with Leadership? New York: Routledge.

Matt incorrectly says Charles Wheelen's name. It is Wheelen and his book is called Naked Economics.

We allude to systems-based leadership. You can learn more about it here:

Raelin, J. A. (2016). Imagine There Are No Leaders: Reframing Leader‐ ship as Collaborative Agency. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 12(2), 131-158.

In Best and Worst, we reference the new book by economist, Alex Edmans, MAY CONTAIN LIES, found anywhere books are sold.

We are delighted to have the great Koreen Pagano join the podcast for the furthering conversation on skills. We get Koreen’s perspective and definition of skills. 

Matt alludes to the earlier LDA Podcast, The “What the Skills” Episode with Paul Kirschner, as well as the research work he did with John Sweller and Richard Clark published in their article:

• Kirschner, P.A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R.E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist. 41(2), 75-86.

In the episode, we dig into whether one can teach, and how one can teach, conflict resolution, critical thinking, and even tease the subject of teaching leadership.

The debate really gets playfully heated when they talk about critical thinking. Clark uses the famous phrase, “yes… and…” Matt references the great improv in business practitioner, Kat Koppett. Her first book, Training to Imagine is a great source to go into yes, anding… in more depth.

Matt references evolutionary skills and brings up the references from Sweller:

• Sweller, J. (2016). Cognitive Load Theory: What We Learn and How We Learn. In M. Spector, B. Lockee, & M. Childress (Eds.), Learning, design, and technology (pp. 1–28). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17727-4_50-1

And Geary

• Geary, D. C. (2008). An evolutionarily informed education science. Educational Psychologist, 43(4), 179–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520802392133

We discuss what it means to master skills, and develop automation. We also explore how to assess whether a person has a skill or the potential to develop a skill.

We debate transferability and whether skills— especially complex skills need be taught within a contextual domain. Matt argues yes. Koreen argues no. Clark argues “It depends.” They also debate whether, and how much, talent plays into skill development. Heck… is talent even a thing? The big argument centers around Carnegie Hall and playing golf! And of course, Anders Ericsson is a part of the conversation.

• Ericsson, K. A., & Charness, N. (1994). Expert performance: Its structure and acquisition. American Psychologist, 49: 725–747.

Matt referenced the Human Development expert, Richard Lerner.

Koreen references the hostage negotiator, Chris Voss and his book, Never Split the Difference.

And we even debate how transferrable the skill of game design is!

And we talked about so much more!!!

Of course, we run out of time because we had so much fun chatting with Koreen… that we didn’t get to Best and Worst! Next time… and Koreen will be back!

More about Koreen:

Koreen Pagano, Chief Product Officer at Thrive Learning and founder of Isanno, is a globally recognized product executive with deep expertise in learning technologies, skills strategy, AI, analytics, and immersive technologies. Koreen has held product leadership roles at companies including Lynda.com, LinkedIn, D2L, Degreed, and Wiley. Koreen previously founded Tandem Learning in 2008, where she pioneered immersive learning through virtual worlds, games, and simulations. She has taught graduate courses at Harrisburg University and provided advisory and consulting services to a range of tech companies in the corporate learning, VR, and K12 education markets. Koreen is a seasoned international speaker, author of the book Immersive Learning and an upcoming book on organizational skills transformation due out in 2025.

You can find Koreen here:

https://isanno.com 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/koreenpagano/ 

Summary:

In this episode of the AI and L&D Insights podcast, Markus Bernhardt hosts Jon Fletcher, an AI adoption specialist, to discuss the current landscape of AI integration in people and learning functions. They explore the recent slowdown in AI adoption, the challenges of balancing individual and organizational AI use, and the critical role of ethical and regulatory considerations, such as the EU AI Act. Jon emphasizes the need for clear AI strategies, proper training, and a holistic approach to redesigning workflows to support employees effectively. Join Markus and Jon for valuable insights on navigating the complexities of AI adoption in learning and development.

For more information:

Jon Fletcher www.linkedin.com/in/jnfJon Fletcher's website https://www.jonfletcher.ai

The EU AI Act https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20230601STO93804/eu-ai-act-first-regulation-on-artificial-intelligence

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobias-zwingmann/

Summary/Teaser:

In this episode of the AI and L&D Insights Podcast, Markus sits down with Katja Schipperheijn, a pioneer in learning ecosystems and recently named a 2024 Power Woman. Katja shares her journey from traditional sales training to spearheading innovative learning environments that prioritize social collaboration and AI-driven personalization. Discover how Katja’s concept of "Learning in the Flow of Life" challenges conventional educational models and why embracing a Learning Mindset is critical for both personal and organizational growth. Tune in to explore the future of learning, where technology and human curiosity meet.

Shownotes:

Book "The Learning Mindset": https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Mindset-Combining-Competencies-Technology/dp/1398617334/ref=sr_1_1

Book "Learning Ecosystems": https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Ecosystems-Innovative-Tech-driven-Strategies/dp/1398607401/ref=sr_1_2

Katja on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katjaschipperheijn/

Katja on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katjaschipperheijn/

The Learning Mindset: https://thelearningmindset.org/

Summary

In this episode of AI and L&D Insights, Markus Bernhardt speaks with Sarah Mercier, CEO of Build Capable, about her patented innovations in learning technology. Sarah challenges outdated LMS models, introduces her groundbreaking XCL tool for decentralized content delivery and tracking, and reveals how AI can unlock powerful insights—provided the data is meaningful. With decades of expertise and a vision for the future, Sarah’s approach is a game-changer for modern learning.

You can find more about Sarah, here:

Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahcmercier/ Websites – Build Capable: https://buildcapable.com Build Capable XCL: https://buildxcl.com