The Mindtools L&D Podcast

You may have seen headlines claiming that the average human attention span has dropped below that of a goldfish. But what does the evidence actually tell us, and how should we apply it to learning design? This week on the podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen and Jonathan Marshall, Head of Learning at the UK's Diplomatic Academy, to discuss:  what we mean when we talk about 'average attention spans' h...

Many learning interventions start out from the position that people would perform much better in their roles if they just did what we told them. But what if this approach is misguided? What if the mistakes that people make aren't due to a lack of awareness, but because of a host of environmental factors that incentive the wrong behaviour? On this week's episode of The GoodPractice Podcast, instruc...

The range of emotions we are allowed to show in the workplace is fairly limited. We can be happy, we can be passionate, we can be enthusiastic. But anything beyond that is often seen as unprofessional or inappropriate. Is it time we rethink the role of emotion at work? This week on the podcast, Ross D and Ross G are joined by Emotion at Work's Phil Willcox to discuss: how emotion manifests itself...

As a function, HR has a role to play in developing talent and protecting employees. But it's also responsible for disciplining and dismissing staff, as well as implementing and enforcing top-down policies. Does this put it in an ethically precarious position?   This week on the podcast, Ross D is joined by James and guest Gary Cookson of EPIC HR to discuss:  what 'ethics' mean in the workplace the...

Learning interventions are typically evaluated based on metrics like attendance and completion. But how much does this actually tell you? How do you know if your interventions are effective?  This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Dr Will Thalheimer joins Ross G and Owen to discuss: what 'evaluation' means why it matters common evaluation mistakes alternatives to 'happy sheets' If you'd like to sh...

When we talk about diversity and inclusion, we often frame it in terms of gender, ethnicity, age or social class. But what about diverse ways of thinking? Where does neurodiversity fit into the equation?   This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G is joined by Mike Shaw from Emerald Publishing and Jill Miller from the CIPD to discuss: what 'neurodiversity' and 'neurodivergent' mean the benefit...

Technology is making it easier and easier for people to work remotely. But what challenges does that pose for learning and development?  This week on the podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen and Chris Coladonato from Farmer's Insurance to discuss: how remote workers access development opportunities the gap between the in-office and remote-worker experience whether remote workers need to take more res...

For decades, 'lifelong learning' has been the clarion call of governments, employers and higher education institutions - but what has that achieved? And is it in tension with the push for greater performance at work? This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Activate Learning's Helen Blunden joins Ross G and Owen to discuss: what 'lifelong learning' means how different organisations respond to the ne...

For three years, we've had the ridiculous privilege of producing The GoodPractice Podcast. It's given us the opportunity to speak to some of the biggest names in Learning & Development, it's challenged our thinking, and - we hope - contributed in some small way to the conversations that are shaping our industry. In this, our 150th episode, we asked some of our favourite guests to join Ross G and O...

What can L&D professionals learn from the likes of Mary Poppins, Jaws and Inception?  This week on the podcast, Ross D is taking Owen, Ross G, Gemma and Stewart on a trip to the movies. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter  @ross__dickie ,  @OwenFerguson ,  @RossGarnerGP , @gemmatowersey  and @shardie15 .   To find out more about GoodPractice, visit  goodpra...

In Learning & Development, we love shiny objects: VR, AR, microlearning - surely one of these tools will turn out to be the key to unlocking higher performance? In this episode of The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by Axonify's JD Dillon to discuss. We explore the attraction of the 'silver bullet', the conditions that have created this mindset, and vendors' responsibility to have...

Lean methodology has been widely applied in manufacturing, business and software development. But what role can it play in L&D? This week on the podcast, Ross D and Ross G are joined by return guest Ajay Pangarkar to discuss his work on 'Lean Learning', and what L&D can do to deliver business impact. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter  @ross__dickie ,  @Ro...

This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, we're talking fundamentals: how do people learn? Nick Shackleton-Jones joins Ross G and Owen to discuss his new book, How People Learn , in which he argues that people don't learn anything if they don't care. Or, to put it in Nick's term, if they don't have an 'affective response'. What does this mean and how should Nick's insights change our approach to desi...

According to research published this year, women fill 2/3s of all roles in learning and development - but only 1/3 of senior positions. Why is this? And what can we do to encourage and promote women in learning? This week, Ross G and podcast regular Gemma Towersey are joined by Sharon Claffey Kaliouby, Barbara Thompson and Kate Graham to discuss. If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episod...

There's a lot of buzz around technologies like AI, bots, virtual reality and voice recognition. But which of these has the most potential for learning and development? This week on the podcast, Ross D and Peter are joined by writer and consultant John Helmer to discuss everything from chatbots to the 'digital sensorium'.  If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, you can find us on Twi...

When we talk about uncertainty in the workplace, we often frame it in terms of the associated risks and threats. But are we looking at it the wrong way? This week on the podcast, Ross D and James are joined by artist and consultant Doug Shaw to discuss the role uncertainty can play in learning and development.   If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter  @ross__d...

Recruitment, talent development, employee engagement and performance management are just a few of the areas where L&D and HR overlap. But are the functions in competition with one another? This week on the podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Steve Browne to talk about how L&D and HR can work together more effectively.  If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter...

Structured courses are great for learning new skills, but they also tend to be expensive, time-consuming and focused on teaching content that most workers don't need. So why are they our 'go-to' solution for every L&D challenge? This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen discuss alternatives to 'the course' with Qunnivation's Clark Quinn. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the sho...

A couple of years ago, James, Owen and Ross G consigned order-taking, visionary thought leaders and other sins of our profession to L&D's Room 101. This week on the podcast, we add a few more items to the list.  If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @ross__dickie ,  @RossGarnerGP  and  @OwenFerguson .  To find out more about GoodPractice, visit  goodpractice....

Is your learning and development department transactional, taking orders and ensuring compliance? Or does it focus on building capability with targeted initiatives that have support from the senior team? In this week's GoodPractice Podcast, GP Strategies' Barbara Thompson (formerly of BP and PA Consulting) joins Ross G and Owen to share her insights working both internally and externally. We discu...

What is innovation? Can anyone be creative? On this week's GoodPractice Podcast, full-time doodler Simon Heath joins Ross G and Owen to discuss. We ask why the concept of 'innovation' is so attractive and debate the notion that we should bring our creative pursuits into the workplace. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter @RossGarnerGP , @OwenFerguson and @Si...

What will be hot in workplace L&D in the year ahead?. Will it be Artificial Intelligence? Or maybe performance support? What about learning analytics?  This week on the podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Donald Taylor to discuss the results of the 2019 Global Sentiment Survey.  If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter  @ross__dickie ,  @owenferguson  and @Do...

In Learning & Development, we love a good buzzword: 'blended learning', 'micro learning', 'learning management systems'... anything with 'learning', really. Is this a problem? Or just a time-wasting argument? This week on The GoodPractice Podcast, Ross G and Owen are joined by the eLearning Guild's David Kelly to discuss. If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter...

At this year's Learning Technologies conference, we asked delegates what they thought was missing from the learning-tech industry. Better authoring tools? More interactive video? Dogs as learning stimulants? On this week's show, Ross D, Ross G and Owen discuss a few of the more interesting responses.  If you'd like to share your thoughts on the show, you can find us on Twitter  @ross__dickie , @Ro...

Many organisations regard digital transformation as a strategic priority. But what exactly do we mean when we talk about digital transformation, and where does culture fit into the equation? This week on the podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Julie Drybrough from Fuchsia Blue and Daniel Caborn from Manchester Metropolitan University to discuss the role L&D can play in supporting digital transf...