Timeboxing means dividing your day into 15-60 minute slots, based on your priorities, and then sticking to those slots as you dive into the business of work. If that sounds great, it is. If it sounds easy, it isn’t. In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, author Marc Zao-Sanders joins Ross G to give him advice on timeboxing his life. We discuss: ·       The benefits of timeboxing; ·       How email is the ‘killer’, and what to do about it; ·       The difficulties that Ross had implement ..read more

As learning designers, we’re ultimately in the business of trying to help people build new connections in their brains. To do this effectively, we need to have a fundamental understanding of how the brain works. But how far down the neuroscience rabbit hole do we need to go?   In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross Dickie and Ross Garner are joined by Lauren Waldman, learning scientist, consultant, and founder of Learning Pirate. We discuss: ·       Lauren’s journey to deepen her understanding of how the brain works; ·    ..read more

As a conversation approach and development tool, coaching is a highly effective option for everyone – not just the executive suite. Professional coaches are expensive, so how can large organisations give all of their employees the chance to be coached and for coaching conversations to be the norm?    In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by Mina Papakonstantinou, Manager in the Leadership development team at Deloitte and team mate Claire Gibson to discuss upskilling internal coaches at scale. We talked about: ·       the ..read more

Whether you’re delivering workshops, speaking at conferences, presenting to senior leaders, or even hosting L&D’s favorite podcast, public speaking is a critical skill for learning professionals. So how do you develop this skill, and how do you manage your nerves when speaking publicly?   In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross D and Lara are joined by Samantha Tulloch, public speaker and business-transformation consultant. We discuss: ·       the nuances of public speaking in an L&D context, ·       ..read more

One-off learning interventions are frequently the ‘go to’ solution for workplace learning teams, but we know that spaced repetition and retrieval practice are more effective. How do we get past organizational constraints that make this difficult? In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Tony Manwani from People Unboxed joins Ross Dickie and Ross Garner to discuss: ·       The problems with one-off interventions ·       Science-backed principles to make an impact ·       How Tony’s ‘BentoB ..read more

Throughout the first few months of this year, we’ve been exploring artificial intelligence for L&D. In episode 377, Donald Taylor gave us the context on the extent to which L&D pros are using AI In episode 379, Ross Steven offered advice for getting started. This week on The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross and Owen were joined by Kacper Lodzikowski, Vice President of AI Capabilities at Pearson, to discuss the opportunities that AI presents for education.  We discuss: ·       Why AI presents such a challenge for educators ·    &nbs ..read more

Today’s workplace is one where change is the norm. Learning is critical in this environment, but supporting learning isn’t just about creating content.  In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, JD Dillon joins Ross Dickie and Ross Garner to discuss his book, The Modern Learning Ecosystem. We cover:  Why JD’s book includes ‘learning’ in its title, even though it’s not really about learning;  The role of influence, and what L&D can do to earn it;  The six key tasks of L&D, and how to build a modern learning ecosystem.  To find out more ab ..read more

While there are often constraints in charity’s learning budgets, it’s actually this limitation that can point the way to more efficient and effective learning design and development. There’s much that the corporate learning world can learn from this.  In this episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Gemma is joined by Gill Chester, Director of Little Man Project and Ross Dickie to discuss creating learning for organisations on a mission to change the world for the better. We talked about: Resourcefulness and creativity throughout the design process The importance of developing relation ..read more

As experts, managers or leaders, we often seek to help others by talking, talking, talking. But what if we didn’t talk and just listened? This week in The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross and Gemma are joined by Georgie Rudd, an executive coach, to discuss the trials and delights of listening. We explore: ·       reasons that we don’t listen well ·       the consequences of not listening (and of listening!) ·       how we can improve listening skills. Georgie recommended Nancy Klein as an expert on listen ..read more

What does an effective workplace wellbeing strategy look like? For some organizations, it’s fruit boxes and staff discounts. For consultant and author Liggy Webb, it’s a holistic approach that factors in the physical, social, mental, financial, digital, environmental and spiritual health of colleagues. In this week’s episode of The Mind Tools L&D Podcast, Ross and Nahdia are joined by Liggy to discuss: The benefits of a more structured approach to wellbeing   How to approach each of the ‘7 Wisdoms of Wellbeing’ The role of personal responsibility in wellbeing. For more from Liggy, c ..read more