Learning While Working Podcast

Great live virtual learning sessions happen with a combination of facilitation skills, learning design and visual design. L&D professionals often struggle with visual design. In this podcast, Sprout Labs visual design lead Iona Dierich, talks about the importance of visual design in online facilitation.  Iona has a unique set of skills, as well being a visual designer and an occasional instructional designer, she has a background in teaching design. She now runs Sprout Labs visual design for our learning lab.  In our programs on online virtual facilitation and design skills, Iona’s sessions on visual design are often what people get the most excited about. In this podcast Iona talks about a simple, practical idea on how to improve your visual design.   Links from the podcastConnect with Iona on LinkedIn and on Instagram  Iona’s Thinking Visually - presentation slides from 2019 Learning While Working virtual conferenceSprout Labs Visual design for learning lab that Iona runs

 In this podcast Robin is talking with Nancy White about how we can rethink how we work and learn online.  Nancy is one of the pioneers of virtual communities, social learning and online facilitation. She now works mainly in organisation development focusing on how we meet. Nancy’s interview gives a different feel to other interviews in this series, it's less about formal learning and more an exploration of how to reimagine working and learning online. In the podcast, Nancy uses a powerful statement that is picked up in the title ‘creative destruction.’ Creative destruction is a great mindset for rethinking and refocusing the way we work.Links from the podcastFind out more about the work Nancy does at Full CircleConnect with Nancy White on LinkedIn

In this podcast Robin and Lori Niles-Hofman are talking about performance consulting. This podcast is another in our series on live online teaching and facilitation being recorded in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis. Many organisations have rapidly switched from face-to-face learning to live online facilitation which feels like a fast agile way to get learning to employees who are remote. There are other rapid agile approaches to help your people learn and performance consulting is key to deciding the right learning for the employee’s need and the best way to reach them. Lori and her business partner Amanda Nolen, have produced the COVID-19 Learning Triage flowchart. This is based on an existing tool Lori and Amanda use for performance consulting. Lori was on a podcast talking about data driven learning and how marketing works with data. In this podcast, she shares her vision for what she calls the invisible LMS, which applies some of the data driven personalisation methods we see in digital marketing strate

 In this podcast Robin is talking with Patti Shank about blending learning design for live online sessions. Patti Shank focuses on transforming research into learning with tactics and practical approaches we can use in workplace learning.  A lot of her recent focus has been on assessment and she uses examples in this podcast from her Writing Learning Assessments course. The rush to provide live learning often highlights what is wrong with our face-to-face session, as too often face-to-face is focused on content delivery. Patti and Robin start off by talking about what synchronous learning and asynchronous learning is best suited from a learning design perspective. Asynchronous learning is better for content, synchronous learning is great for aiding learners with  their deep mental processing.  Links from the podcastConnect with Patti Shank   Find out more about Patti ShankPatti’s online course on Writing Learning AssessmentsPatti’s eLearning Industry articles on (The Right) Learning Modalities To Deliver Digi

This is another podcast in our series on live online teaching and facilitation. In this podcast Robin and Ben Faranda explore what is safe online and what it means to be human in online sessions. Ben is an experienced face-to-face and online facilitator who has worked with some of the biggest tech companies in the world.  Robin and Ben talk about what safety means online and then move into talking about strategies which can be used to help with building safety online. The conversation then goes into what it means to be human online.    Links from the podcastConnect with  Ben Faranda  

 In this podcast Robin is talking with Cheryle Walker on the future of live online learning. Cheryle is an experienced online facilitator who helped get Sprout Labs’ webinar program up and running. The title of the podcast is the future of live online learning but that is not where the discussion started, Robin and Cheryle started with exploring how live online learning can reach more people and then they moved onto how the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the move towards more live online sessions and how organisations are going to become a hybrid of remote and physical workplaces. In the hybrid workplace digital learning is key.      Links from the podcastFind out more about Cheryle Walker on her websiteConnect with Cheryle Walker on LinkedIn

In this podcast Robin is talking with Michael Gwyther about pivoting to online training. Michael often works with Sprout Labs on online facilitation; he was the host of one room for our first virtual conference. Michael has been helping a number of training providers in the Australian vocational education system to pivot rapidly to live online learning.  The discussion is an insight to what is happening in the training sector at the moment and Michael shares a number of ‘learning hacks’.  The interview finishes with effective suggestions from Michael about assessing what your strengths are in face-to-face teaching and then thinking about how to bring those to live teaching experiences.  Links from the podcastFind out more Yum StudioConnect with Michael Gwyther

This is another podcast in our series on live online teaching and facilitation. In the podcast, Robin is talking with Jo Cook about designing interactive virtual sessions. They start with what an interactive virtual classroom session looks like and then move into how to design engaging, interactive virtual sessions. This podcast is full of practical tips and ideas about designing more interactive sessions and how to become a better facilitator.  Links from the podcastFind out more about Lightbulb MomentConnect with Jo CookJo’s Webinar and virtual classroom podcastLightbulb Moment Community for virtual classroom and webinar discussions

This podcast is the start of our series of podcasts on live online teaching and facilitation. Sprout Labs has been busy helping organisations rapidly move from face-to-face learning to live online learning during the COVID-19 crisis.  Virtual facilitation has always been in the background of what we do at Sprout Labs. Virtual classrooms are often a core feature of the learning ecosystems we design. Our own development programs for L&D people focus on live sessions,  and we also have our regular webinars and our virtual conference.  Sprout Labs is now helping organisations design and manage virtual conferences.  This first podcast was recorded at a stage when restrictions were gradually being lifted in Australia; this doesn't automatically mean we are going back to our offices. Many offices don't have the space to allow for social distancing and commuting is going to be hard.  A hybrid remote and physical workplace is emerging where digital learning is core.  There has been a rush to live online learning,

We are in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis; the world is full of uncertainty, organizations have rapidly moved workforces home, and we are isolated and distanced. Before this started, I talked with Beatrice Bekar and Juan Casasbuenas from Nesta about research they were doing on the future of learning. ‘The Make it FutureFit: Four ways to design better adult learning’ report focuses on preparing learners for the workforce, and it explores four core strategies via a series of case studies.  The strategies the report explores are:Strategies that promote learner identityStrategies that drive motivation to learnStrategies that help learners master a new skill or topicStrategies to develop a community of practiceDuring the discussion, we focus on how these strategies apply to learning remotely.LinksDownload the Make it FutureFit: Four ways to design better adult learningFind out more about NestaFind out more about Nesta’s Digital Frontrunners and FutureFit programsConnect with Beatrice Bekar and Juan Casasbuenas

This podcast about agility for the internal people experience is a discussion between Robin and Dan Mottau from Zendesk at LearnX 2019. It’s also about placing what people need at the centre of an organisation's culture. If the agile principles are new to you there is a link to them in the notes.Links from the podcastFind out more about the Principles behind the Agile ManifestoFind out more about LearnXConnect with Dan on LinkedIn

This is the next in the series of podcasts from LearnX. The interview is with Jake Phillips, Senior Manager, People Capability, ANZ Bank NZ and Matt Proud and James Crosby from Immersive Solutions. The interview focus is a project where ANZ New Zealand has been using virtual reality to simulate interactions with an aggressive customer.The conversation focuses on the learning experience not on technology. One of the issues with face-to-face learning is often it’s talking about an experience, not having an experience.   Using virtual reality in face-to-face sessions, as talked about in the podcast, means an actual experiential element is added to enhance the learning experience.Useful links from the podcastFind out more about Jake PhillipsFind out more about Immersive SolutionsFind out more about about LearnX

This is the first of a series of podcasts recorded at LearnX in October 2019.  This podcast is an interview with Matthew Stephenson Design Manager from BUPA Health Insurance. The project Matthew talks about is a series of major reforms to a key process. He talks about the way they worked in a holistic, data-driven manner to achieve the reforms.  The way they used data included robust learning checks after the learning experience and making changes to the learning experience based on the patterns revealed in the data. They also used the data to communicate to stakeholders how the program was working.Useful links from the podcastFind out more about MatthewFind out more about about LearnX

In this podcast Robin is talking with Danielle Wallace from Beyond the Sky about approaches that marketing uses to design engaging video experiences and how these approaches can be used to increase the impact of your learning video. One of the themes Robin often explores on the podcast is the link between marketing and learning. This conversation is a deep dive into how marketers use video and what L&D can learn from that. Danielle built a rich background in strategic marketing before she moved into L&D. Danielle talks about two key things that L&D can learn from the way marketers use video having a creative concept using drama One of the side topics that is explored in this podcast is creativity and L&D. Useful links from the podcast Find out more about Danielle Find out more about about Beyond the Sky Resource from Beyond the Sky on how make better learning videos The video Danielle talked about in podcast Kids bring their mental wellness issues with them

In this podcast Robin talks with Yishan Chan about the idea of personal talent stacks and how to develop your own talent stack. Often on the Learning While Working podcast we focus on designing learning and an organisational viewpoint on learning. This conversation with Yishan is a switch to focusing on how individuals learn. Yishan has a great podcast called Digital Learner where she talks with people about making career shifts and learning at work. Some of the topics we talk about include learning from peers, podcasting and side projects as a way of learning. **Useful links from the podcast ** Connect with Yishan Chan on LinkedIn Find out more building your talent stack Listen to Yishan’s Digital Learner podcast

In this interview, Bianca Baumann talks about how marketers design engaging experiences and what L&D can learn from these strategies. She summarises the key strategies as being: focusing on emotional impact communicating visually engaging writing The interview explores each of these strategies in more depth. Useful links on marketing and learning Find out more about Bianca Download Bianca Baumann’s Little Black Book of Marketing and L&D The two sites Bianca suggests as a way to learn more about marketing are Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs

As workplaces and work are changing rapidly, people need to be more in control of their own learning and learn while working. Self-directed learning is a key skill for the future of work. In this podcast Robin talks with Catherine Lombardozzi about fostering self-directed learners in your organisation. Catherine’s approach to self-guided learning identifies 10 pillars organised into three different areas around individual qualities, learning skills and environmental characteristics. The podcast finishes with Catherine talking about some powerful tactics to help your learners develop these skills. Useful links Connect with Catherine Lombardozzi on LinkedIn Find out more about Learning 4 Learning Professionals Download Catherine's presentation “Cultivating a Self-Directed Learning Culture” from Learning Solutions 2019 Catherine’s guide to Scaffolding self directed learning at work and Tactics for scaffolding self direction

This podcast is an exploration of measuring the impact of learning ecosystems with Steven Foreman, the President of InfoMedia Designs. The podcast starts with Steve outlining his ecosystem model and then he talks about measuring impact. Steve talks about the strategic work that L&D need to be working on and how it leads to a layered approach to measurement. The layers are: the business metrics, then the performance metrics and then learning metrics. These layers form a framework for learning dashboards. Useful links Connect with Steve Foreman on LinkedIn Find out more about InfoMedia Designs Download Steve 's presentation “Evidence of Impact: How Metrics Drive a Learning and Performance Ecosystem”

This podcast is with Jeremy Roberts from Infinitude Creative Group on using the Fogg Behaviour Change Model for designing learning solutions that are easier to use and more engaging. The model takes into account your audiences’ motivation, their abilities and prompts to engage them. Jeremy uses some great examples of the model in action. He encourages L&D professionals to go beyond looking at the way other organisations are designing learning solutions to thinking why the marketing is working and how new services are being designed. Useful links Find more about the Fogg Behavior model Connect with Jeremy Roberts on LinkedIn Find out more about Infinitude Creative Group Download Jeremy's presentation “4 Ways to Eliminate Friction in Your Learning Ecosystem” from Learning Solutions 2019

This the start of a series of interviews with the speakers from Learning Solutions 2019. This podcast is with Jenny Saucerman on what is broken with assessment in eLearning. L&D is more becoming focused on performance based learning, but the missing element is often assessment. There is often a gap between learning and on the job performance. Jenny has some great thoughts about this challenge and how can simulations be used in assessment, particularly branching scenarios. The podcast will help you to rethink your assessments in your eLearning modules beyond multiple choice questions. Useful links Connect with Jenny Saucerman on LinkedIn Download Jenny's presentation on "Show Me What You Got: Simulation as Assessment" from Learning Solutions 2019 Access the transcript on the Sprout Labs website.