The LDA Podcast: An Exploration of Evidence-Informed Approaches to Learning and Development

Every L&D professional knows the sinking feeling: you deliver a great training session, and then… nothing changes back on the job. In this episode, host, Sofie Willox sits down with Melanie Martinelli, CEO of the Institute for Transfer Effectiveness, to tackle one of the field's most persistent challenges — learning transfer. Rather than diving deep into theory, Melanie brings three practical,...

In this episode of Show Me How You Do It, host Sofie Willox goes straight to the source — Mike Taylor, learning consultant and the curator behind the long-running Friday Finds newsletter — to find out how he consistently finds, filters, and shares high-quality L&D content every single week without missing a beat. Mike walks Sofie through the surprisingly practical system behind his workflow: a...

Overview People love to say “games make learning better,” but Moe Ash has a more grounded take. In this episode, Sofie Willox sits down with Moe to explore what makes a learning game effective, and what makes it feel like play with no purpose. Moe introduces the idea of “hard fun”: learning experiences that are enjoyable, but still tied to clear outcomes, tangible behaviours, and real performance...

SHOW NOTES: In this episode of the LDA Podcast, Matt and Clark are joined by longtime friend of the show Kat Koppett for a thoughtful and lively conversation about how we think, learn, and make sense of the world. The discussion opens with a substantive exchange on whether critical thinking can be taught as a general skill. Matt argues that critical thinking depends on deep domain knowledge rather...

Clark and Matt decided to share a special episode from our sister cast, YOU OUGHTA KNOW: THE MOTIVATION SERIES. In this special episode, Matt is joined by the co-developer of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Richard M. Ryan, to talk about all things motivation. Think of it as a primer on SDT. We hit the basics… What is motivation? What is SDT?‎ ‎What are the origins of SDT?‎ ‎The different types o...

In this episode, Clark and Matt return to the topic of Leadership Development. Is traditional leadership development a worthy endeavor for most organizations? Well, the research, or lack thereof, indicates that at best, it is questionable, and at worst, it may actually undermine or act at cross purposes to what the company strives to attain.  Of course, in the end, they propose what they think mig...

Welcome back! Sorry for our long hiatus. In this episode, Clark and Matt explore GENERATIVE LEARNING. Early on, Clark brings up Craik and Lockhart's research about how information is processed on different levels (Craik, F. I. M., & Lockhart, R. S. (1972). Levels of processing: A framework for memory research. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal behavior, 11, 671-684.) The paper can be found...

SHOW ME HOW YOU DO IT is the new LDA VLOG and podcast brought to you by our friend, Sofie Willox. In each episode Sofie will interview an expert. These experts come from various domains within and surrounding L&D. Sofie interviews them on video. The videos will reside within the LDA community, but we wanted to nonetheless still share them and decided to post them here in the podcast feed. We h...

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...

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 expe...

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 O...

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. Disc...

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 le...

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 realit...

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...

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 d...

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 tra...

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 "Learni...

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 als...

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...

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...

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 power...

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 o...

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...

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-Dete...