The Fabulous Learning Nerds

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com I think everyone can agree on the importance of good communication, for ourselves and for our audience. That being said, a lot of the skills that are necessary for effective communication in the workplace aren’t taught in schools, so how can we possibly get better? Luckily today’s guest Mark Herschberg is here to help. Mark is the author of The Career T...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com The current state of the world we live in has caused many of us to re-evaluate what’s important. Some of us have begun exploring this idea of creating something for themselves and working freelance. But how does one actually go about doing this? And what sorts of things should we keep in mind as we make plans to venture off on our own. Well today the NE...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com We all have a story or two where things didn't go the way we planned. Shaing these stories demonstrates our humility and ability to grow and get better within the learning and development space. So this week the NERDS have invited friends of the show Jill Seely and Glenn Brumley to share some of their own personal, scary experiences with the intent of h...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com I think a lot of us design our learnings around an event, a moment in time when our audience will engage with us and absorb the content, we have for them. However, if we really think about how we learn, it’s NOT event based, but rather a continual journey of discovery and growth. So how can we think differently about this process and what tools can we i...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Like it or not, virtual learning is here to stay! And while I am sure all of us have had some experience presenting virtually, I know at least for me there is plenty of room to improve the learner experience withing a virtual environment. But where do I start? How can I get better? What are some things to consider before I even start a virtual learning...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com We’ve often heard that our role in Learning and Development is to make learning easy. But what if that isn’t the case? What if the opposite was true, and that good learning should be hard…  Well today the NERDS have invited Julia Phelan , a learning engineer who has done a fair amount of research on this very subject. She discusses the challenges of lea...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Hey do you want to play a game?  Better yet, would you like to design a game that helps your audience learn and retain information better? I am sure that we ALL would love to do just that and deliver awesome results that are interactive and FUN. However, where do you begin when it comes to game design? What should you be considering when it comes to goa...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Like it or not, the age of video communication is here to stay. From meetings, to presentations and workshops almost all of us find ourselves on camera for some portion of our week. But how many of us understand the importance of looking good on video? More importantly, what do I need to consider in order to best represent myself and my brand on camera?...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com So you've all heard the term emotional intelligence by now. It's one of the hottest topics in leadership, learning & business. Well, what’s it all about? And more importantly, what should we be considering when it comes to learning facilitation, presentation, etc. Well, today the NERDS are joined by Tony Skinner , a learning development expert who's...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Well it was bound to happen, a podcast about podcasting. In this episode the NERDS are joined by Kara Mcleland , an instructional designer who developed a very successful podcast to increase awareness of good selling techniques to her internal audience. Kara discusses her journey with the podcast, reasons why podcasts are a relevant form of learning, an...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com We all put a lot of time and effort into our learnings and we want our audience to have an amazing and impactful experience. That’s why it’s so important that we consider all the aspects of our project, including how it is presented vocally.   This week the NERDS speak with Monique Danielle, a professional voiceover artist as she describes the VALUE tha...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Group dynamics and creative problem solving are important things for everyone to understand because we all must navigate within them. But can those dynamics be taught in a creative way? And how about to our kids in a point in time when they're probably the most?    Well, that's the question posed to us by destination imagination. In this episode the ner...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com When things in your organization don’t go the way you expected them to what should you do? Develop a formal training for it of course! Maybe…  We have all been asked to develop learnings to help solve almost every problem imaginable. But is this always the BEST solution? This week the NERDS are joined by Joey Acklin once again as they discuss a Training...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Question of the day, how did you learn how to facilitate learning? Did you take a class? Did you get a certification? Or did you learn by making mistakes?   Today the NERDS take a look at look at learning to facilitate by discussing some best practices in classroom management. How can you use the room to generate engagement? What is the value of name ca...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Today we start something VERY special, it's our first FLN After show! This is a time when the NERDS get together and just chat NERDY STUFF, you know be human and stuff. Tonight, special guest Kristy Louden joins the gang as they chat about her new drop, guilty pleasure television shows, and they debate the merits of Qui-Gon Jin actually being a SITH LOR...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com As our world begins to settle down and things begin to shift, what are your plans for getting back to work? Are you planning on going back into the office? Are you planning on working from home? Are you going to try some hybrid version of remote and office work? And what can you do to ensure that your return to work is as successful as possible; not jus...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Is in-person, Instructor-Led Training dead? That's the question the NERDS discuss this week, as they speak with Master EnterTrainer John Quattrucci . John has been designing and facilitating live training events for close to 30 years, and is well known for his fun and energetic approach to learning. John shares his learning journey and several tips on t...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com When you think of relevancy in learning, it’s not just about having the right content, but also having it in the place where the learner expects to find it. You could have the best learning out there, but if your audience can’t find it or access it, it doesn’t exist. Today the NERDS talk with Zach Boswell, a learning expert who utilized Mobile Learning...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Ever wonder what it would take to make a transition from teaching kids, to teaching adults? Well our guest this week successfully did just that and she has some great insights to share. This week the NERDS speak with Kristy Louden, a former K-12 teacher who now designs adult learning programs. It’s a fascinating and inspiring journey that you won’t want...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Getting you and your audience excited about the topic you are instructing on can be a very real and challenging thing. Well today, the NERDs explore this topic with someone who took this head on and had remarkable results. DaKim Duncan is an educator who created a course that taught life lessons to his students through comic books. The results of his ef...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Often referred to as "measurements of the mind," psychometric tests measure the predictive behavior of people and are often used in both recruitment and leadership development. But what are the real benefits of psychometric tests? How can we apply what we learn from them in both productivity and development? And how should we apply these measurements in...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Former FIRE Instructor Glenn Brumley is back! And this time he and the NERDS discuss some creative openers, closers and engaging activties that you can add to your trainings. It's all about creative hooks that encourage participation, self discovery and engagement with your audience. We could have gone on for hours, but we hope the ideas inspire you to...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Ever wonder what it takes to get started in instructional design? Do you need a Master's degree? Do you need a portfolio? And what mindset do you need to take that leap of faith and step out into doing business on your own. This week the NERDS are lucky enough to be joined by learning consultant Emily May as she shares her own personal journey of becomi...

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com Let's face it, great courses have amazing, engaging openers that engage their audience and prepare them to learn. The question becomes, how do you do that, and is there an easy template to follow that will make effective learnings easier and faster to design? The great news is YES, there is a technique that can help you stay focused and it's called V.O....

Visit us at https://www.thelearningnerds.com  While most of us spend a great deal of time in the design process of our learning events, the results that come from them are equally as important. Data can tell us a lot of things about the effectiveness of our efforts and most importantly, give us insights into how we can improve and yield even better results. This week the NERDS explore all things D...