Lessons from Terrible Students

Have you ever wondered what the difference was between working for a company and being an external employee contracted for a company? Well, that is what we will talk about on this episode.  There are positives and negatives to both roles, so come along with us as we dive into project management from a different perspective.

Failure.  That’s an ugly word, right?  It’s a word that we do not like to talk about in business, much less Learning and Development.  Failure can make or break projects and careers alike, and yet we still do not like to talk about it, it stays taboo.  Well, not anymore.  In this episode we talk about what can cause an L&D project to fail, and what you can do to either learn from that failure or avoid it entirely.

In episode 2 we talk about communication, and why it can sometimes suck.  That’s right, we do not pull punches around here, communication can be a big reason that an L&D project, or any project really, can fail.  We analyze how communication can get off track and some of the things that we have done, and that you can do, to get your projects back on track if you find yourself on the wrong side of a communication problem.

Hello all and welcome back for season 2 of Lessons from Terrible Students!  We are back for another season of our podcast, but we have made a few changes.  This season we have changed the lineup, as always we will have our instructional designer host Jeremy, but a returning guest host from last season has become a permanent co-host; our PM extraordinaire Sarah!  She will give her unique perspective on all things learning and project management.  To get to know her better we begin this season with what we are calling “Corporate Hot Takes” where we take on the newest phrases taking over LinkedIn and give you our opinions and thoughts.  Interesting conversations all through this one!  

In this episode we discuss compliance training, what we all love to hate.  But why do we hate it, and can it be better? We attempt to define what compliance training is, and how we can improve its reputation with learners and L&D practitioners alike.  It’s not that bad, really!

In this episode we discuss what every L&D team has talked about at some point, onboarding.  This is a crucial part of any organization, and L&D plays a huge role in how a new employee begins their new role.  More and more we see that if onboarding is not done correctly, you will lose your most talented workers and you will lose the money you invest in training them in your business.  We will give you some tips and tricks to increase the effectiveness of your onboarding and share some of our good and bad experiences.

In this episode we discuss the different software and hardware that we use to create training.  From the Microsoft suite to the monitor on our desk, we discuss how we use the tools to create different learning, and even give some cheaper alternatives to those that cannot afford the pricier software packages.

In this episode we talk about more specific learning theory, and we go into detail about Blooms Taxonomy, The Kirkpatrick model, and self-directed learning.  These models help us to create better training, define our learning objectives better, and evaluate not only if our learners enjoyed the training, but did it make an improvement in their work performance.

In this episode we talk about using storytelling and humor to enhance your training.  These elements can take your training programs to the next level if they are utilized in the right way. We discuss how to convince your stakeholders to use humor and storytelling, as well as give you some ideas on how to create characters and use pop culture references to entice your learners.

In this episode we talk about the theory behind our jobs.  We discuss the hierarchy of needs and Maxwell’s theory.  This is the foundation of how we design and develop training for adult learners, and how it affects the courses and interactions that you have taken in your past courses.  We also sidetrack and talk about social media, but who doesn’t nowadays?