Frontline Unscripted

How do we make it easier for frontline workers to do their jobs? It’s a simple question, but the answer is more nuanced than you might expect. RedThread Research asked over 500 employees and 50 leaders from a wide range of industries and job functions about what’s working—and what’s not—when it comes to enabling the success of their teams for its recent report, Getting Real About the Frontline Wor...

We’re settling the debate on gamification—again! Join us for a rewind (not rerun) of our most popular episode to date. Karl Kapp —the man who literally wrote the book on the subject—joins JD for a no-nonsense conversation on the dos and don’ts of gamification. Karl plays the ITK Game and explains how you can increase engagement, boost knowledge and super-size the fun by blending game mechanics wit...

We’re jumping into our DeLorean to discover the future of L&D! 2023 is a critical year for the L&D profession. After three years of nonstop disruption, L&D pros have an opportunity to define the role they’ll play in the future of work. To make smart investments, they must get past the hype and focus their limited time and resources on the best ideas. But how can L&D specialists det...

This conversation gets SPICY!!! With a marketplace full of options and new competitors emerging daily, it’s more difficult (and expensive) than ever to attract and retain customers. Today’s buyers aren’t just looking for vendors; they’re searching for partners who are dedicated to shared success. That’s why an awesome customer education program is essential to improving retention and growing your...

Do you remember the end of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the original, not the remake)? Charlie, Grandpa Joe and Willy Wonka board the Great Glass Wonkavator. It’s not an elevator because “an elevator can only go up and down, but the Wonkavator can go sideways and slantways and longways and backways … and any other ways you can think of …” A flying elevator isn’t just a fun way to end a movie...

AI is everywhere! ChatGPT can write quirky poetry. Bing can summarize entire webpages. Stable Diffusion can make U.S. presidents look like Pixar characters. The technology is impressive, but how will this next wave of digital innovation impact the employee experience? Join JD Dillon as he dives into the potential benefits and risks for AI at work with a very special guest: AI. That’s right! JD  st...

What if you could transform disruption from a BIG, SCARY force into a personal strategy for success? Shawn Kanungo brings his passion for storytelling and unique lens on disruptive innovation to ITK. His new book  - The Bold Ones - is a playbook for putting new ideas into action and levelling up your career. Shawn and JD discuss the impact of disruption on today’s workplace, why Shawn thinks the b...

Budgets are tight. Time is tighter. L&D often shifts from critical business strategy to unnecessary distraction when people are asked to do more with less. “We don’t have time for learning” becomes a common objection. How can organizations close skill gaps and deliver business value without constantly disrupting the operation? Bob Mosher , Founding Partner and Chief Learning Evangelist at APPL...

Is it HYPE or HAPPENING? That’s the question we answer on this ITK as we explore the BIGGEST employee experience trends for 2023. There are lots of articles, podcasts and webinars out there right now telling you what to care about this year as L&D, HR and EX professionals. But are those topics really worth your limited time, resources and investment? Jordan Ekers (VP - Product Marketing at Axo...

Empower your employees to bring their whole selves to work! Jenifer Calcamuggi , Director of Learning and Talent Development at Shake Shack , joins JD to explore the role of talent development in shaping the future of work. Jenifer explains why topics like resilience, wellbeing and fulfillment are essential focus areas in today’s workplace. We discuss transforming jobs into careers through continu...

We’re celebrating the launch of JD’s new book! The Modern Learning Ecosystem dropped on November 29th. It’s a call to action for L&D to rethink their practices to help employees keep pace with change, solve today’s biggest problems and build the knowledge and skills needed to seize tomorrow’s opportunities. JD invited L&D’s most well-known authors to join the party, including Elaine Biech...

Make sure employees feel like they belong from Day 1! Belonging is a fundamental human need. We seek out people and places that accept us for who we are. This drive for connection extends into the workplace where a strong sense of belonging can improve engagement and performance. What steps can organizations take to foster belonging, boost trust and create enthusiastic brand advocates? David Bator...

42% of deskless workers want to quit. Why? This is a must-answer question for companies trying to attract and retain workers in a tight labor market. Frontline employees have more options than ever thanks to rising wages, remote positions and gig work. The best gift you can give your frontline teams this holiday season is the exceptional employee experience they deserve. They are doing the heavy l...

Attract + Enable + Engage = Retain “Now Hiring” signs are a common sight nowadays. Retailers and restaurants continue to struggle with labor shortages, and the problem only seems to be getting worse. 42% of frontline workers currently want to quit, up from 36% in 2021 according to The Deskless Report from Axonify. You can’t provide exceptional customer experiences without an experienced, knowledge...

Fix learning measurement (finally)! L&D has struggled with measurement for … well … forever. The industry is littered with models and frameworks, but most organizations continue to rely on flawed metrics like survey feedback and test scores to determine the value of learning programs. Good data practices are essential for justifying learning investment and powering advanced practices like adap...

To go or not to go? That is the question when it comes to industry events. The conference landscape changed dramatically in 2020 as in-person events were replaced by online activities. Today, employees have hundreds of online options - webinars, events, podcasts, livestreams - to support of their development. Does this mean in-person conferences are a thing of the past, or are they still a meaning...

Bring your skills strategy to life! The skills conversation is everywhere. Everyone appears to want skills - people's proven ability to do the work - to be the foundation of their workforce strategies. It makes sense - on paper. But there are still plenty of questions left to be answered, including:  What is a skill? How do you measure skills? How do you operationalize skill data to improve t...

Turn off the training firehose! Here’s the biggest secret about workplace learning: people are built to forget. We can only retain so much information in a short period. This is why traditional courses don’t work - people aren’t built to learn that way. Instead, L&D should deliver and reinforce training in short bursts over extended periods. Instead of relying on courses, think about learning...

What do L&D professionals actually do? It can be hard for L&D pros to explain their jobs to people outside the profession. Sometimes they’re teachers. Sometimes they’re media designers. And sometimes they’re the people who make employees finish those boring compliance courses. In reality, L&D is a dynamic profession with lots of opportunity for people with different interests and skill...

The news is hot off the press: Axonify acquired Nudge ! Together, we’re about to take the frontline digital experience to the next level. What does this partnership mean for frontline employers? How is Axonify going to transform the employee experience through learning, communication and execution technology? And how can we help companies become employers of choice in a competitive talent marketpl...

L&D professionals are lifelong learners who inherently understand the importance of ongoing skill development. But do they prioritize building their own skillset to keep up with the rapid changes in the workplace? Unfortunately, the biggest irony in workplace learning is how little professional development the learning and development people tend to do. JD Dillon is joined by John Hinchliffe ,...

Content is a constant headache in workplace learning. It’s expensive to buy. It’s time consuming to build and maintain. And most of it sits on a shelf unused. Delivering good training content is hard. Doing it in an engaging way at the speed required is almost impossible … or is it? Let’s find out how a modern content strategy can save time, money and headaches. JD is joined by Ingrid Carreres - S...

How difficult is writing a GOOD multiple-choice question? a) It’s so easy anyone can do it. b) It’s a standard skill for all L&D professionals. c) There’s a lot more that goes into it than most people realize. The answer is always C - and that’s the problem! A well-written multiple-choice question can efficiently measure a wide range of important learning outcomes - not just recall. Unfortunat...

Mickey Mouse. Harry Potter. Cara North! The ATD International Conference & Expo is the biggest event of the year in workplace learning and performance in North America. But don’t worry if you couldn’t make it to Orlando for ATD22. We’ve got you covered! JD breaks down the #ATD22 experience with Cara North , Director of Learning and Development at Circulo Health. They explore the most popular t...

Playing games at work? What a waste of time! Or is it … Gamification has been a hotly debated topic in L&D for the past 15 years. Some people contend that it’s just a buzzword. Others swear by its ability to foster motivation and build good learning habits. Gamification is more than adding points and leaderboards to boring eLearning. To do it right, you must thoughtfully apply the right mix of...