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It all started with the BIG question on the table. How do we make L&D visible in our organizations—and actually get recognized for the value we bring?
It quickly became clear this touches a nerve for all of us. We hesitate to promote ourselves because it feels too "salesy," like we're used car salesmen. But here's the truth—if we don't advocate for our work, no one else will. And we've all been there: when something goes wrong, training gets blamed. When it goes right? Crickets.
The conversation turned to building a real department brand. Some in the group already have mission statements and logos in place, while others are starting from scratch or rebuilding after restructures. But a mission statement can't just sit on a wall—it needs to show up everywhere, from first slides to intranet pages, so people know what you stand for. We also tackled the vocabulary trap. Talking about "blended learning" doesn't land the way "reducing lost-time injuries" or "getting people back to work faster" does. Listen to what metrics matter to leaders, then connect your work to those outcomes in their language.
Here's the reality: you already have a brand whether you're managing it or not. Right now it might be "the tick-a-box people" or "the PowerPoint people." Changing that perception takes intentional action—sharing relevant articles with stakeholders, asking to give five-minute updates in meetings, contributing to projects outside L&D. And the biggest piece? You have to ask for visibility. Ask what people say about L&D when you're not in the room. Because no amount of branding fixes a disconnect if you're not part of the conversation.
So what's one step you can take this week to make your L&D work more visible?
Stay curious! -Shannon
Video
Transcript
Be Seen Branding Action Sheet
VA L&D Site
Crafting Your Brand Workbook
Job Opportunity: Entry Level Instructional Designer Role at the University of Arizona
Jason’s Spotify Playlist after his prom chaperone experience!
If you found value in this week’s coffee chat, please take a minute to leave a Google Review. Your feedback helps others discover our events and keeps the Coffee Chats brewing (will include in email as well).
Books
The Complete SEO Guide: Boost Your Online Business Visibility with SEO by Andrea Bensaid
Value Proposition Design: How to Create Products and Services Customers Want by Alexander Asterwalder
Internal Branding: Growing Your Brand from Within By Jerome Joseph
Upskill, Reskill, Thrive: Optimizing Learning and Development in the Workplace by James McKenna
Video
Chatbox
Tools
Pocket: Web plug in that saves articles and videos in personal library
Raindrop: Bookmark manager
Notion: All in one workplace app
Book Bub: For bargain and free ebooks
Rocketbook: Share pages and whiteboards
Liberating Structures: Tools to replace or complement existing practices
Podcasts We Love
Learning Rebels Podcast
Learning Geeks
Armchair Expert
Scrubs and Subpoenas
Coaching for Leaders
Not Gonna Lie
Learning Uncut
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Smartless
What Now with Trevor Noah
Worklife with Adam Grant
Modern Mentor
Handsome
Unmistakable Creative
Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR
Resources
Isabel Sterne on Linkedin for tips on Social media writing
Dave Biriss on Linkedin for tips about using AI in social media
Free Resources from Dave Biriss
Action Mapping with Cathy Moore
Devlin Peck Bootcamp for Instructional Design skills
Tim Slade’s website for eLearning Training
TechSmith's YouTube Channel
e-Learning Training
ATD: Association for Training Development
Connie Malamed: The eLearning Coach
HBR.org
Training Magazine Network for free webinars
Douglas Ferguson’s Linkedin from Voltage Control for facilitation and liberating structures
The Learning Guild
Books
Aligning Instructional Design With Business Goals: Make the Case and Deliver Results by Kristopher Newbauer
The CEO's Guide to Training, eLearning & Work by Will Thalheimer
ATD's Organizational Development Handbook by Brian James Flores
Leading the Learning Function: Tools and Techniques for Organizational Impact by MJ Hall and Laleh Patel
Telling Ain’t Training by Harold D. Stolovitch & Erica J. Keeps
The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier
Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz
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Host: Shannon Tipton
Podcast produced by: Obsidian Productions
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