The Mindtools L&D Podcast

Earlier in the year, a report by academics at Cardiff and Southampton Universities found that a majority of people would like to continue working from home in some capacity, even after social distancing is no longer a requirement. But what would a permanent shift to distributed work look like? And what would it mean for organisational performance?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Dr Kerstin Sailer, Reader in Social and Spatial Networks at University College London, to discuss:

• the relationship between workplace design and communication
• the implications of a more permanent move away from the physical office
• considerations when adapting existing spaces to allow for social distancing

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

The report referenced above can be found at: https://wiserd.ac.uk/publications/homeworking-uk-and-during-2020-lockdown

To learn more about Kerstin's work, head to: https://brainybirdz.net/

The Nature article Owen referenced can be found at: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02558-0

Kerstin is currently reading The Lonely Century by Noreena Hertz.

For an overview of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine's research into dogs' ability to detect Covid-19, head to: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/centres-projects-groups/using-dogs-to-detect-covid-19

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
• Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
• Kerstin Sailer @kerstinsailer

A lot of ink has been spilt over the issue of workplace learning: what it is, when and why it happens, and the impact it has on organizations. But what does it mean to learners themselves?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D is joined by Owen and Emerald Works CEO John Yates to discuss our forthcoming 'Learner Intelligence Report'. We cover:

• what/who motivates learners to seek out development opportunities
• the role L&D can play in facilitating self-directed learning
• how Covid-19 has amplified or reversed the trends of the past few years

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work. It's also the best place to keep up with news on the Learner Intelligence Report.

The book John mentioned was The Overstory by Richard Powers.

If, like Ross D, you enjoy spending time alone in the wilderness, you should definitely download the What Three Words app: https://what3words.com/

Ross D also mentioned Driving Performance Through Learning by Andy Lancaster, which the Custom Learning team at Emerald Works are studying in their book club.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
• Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
• John Yates @JYlearn

As the saying goes, "a problem shared is a problem halved". To create a safe space for L&D professionals to talk about their challenges and find solutions, Emerald Works runs a regular Learning Innovation Group (LIG).

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Gemma asks LIG curator and facilitator, Nahdia Khan and LIG participant, Victoria Winter, Learning Strategist from Cerner, about the value of the LIG.

We discussed:

• What the LIG involves
• The value of a community of practice
• The professional, personal and organisational benefits of attending the LIG.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter

• Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey
• Nahdia Khan @NahdiaKhan
• Victoria Winter @_VictoriaWinter

Giving learners access to training does not guarantee any behavioural change whatsoever. Even the most engaging piece of learning doesn't necessarily shift one's thoughts or actions. So how can we plan, create and support training in a way that learning is transferred?

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Gemma and Owen are joined by Dr Ina Weinbauer-Heidel, founder and chief executive officer of the Institute of Transfer Effectiveness. We discuss:

• the challenge of learning transfer
• how Dr Ina's "12 levers" can be used to encourage learning transfer
• project examples that use the 12 levers
• measuring learning transfer

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

Dr Ina Weinbauer-Heidel book, What makes training really work includes the 12 levers and associated questions. Available online at https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Makes-Training-Really-Work/dp/3746942993

Gemma mentioned Roger Deakin's book, Waterlog. Available online at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waterlog-Roger-Deakin/dp/1784700061/ref=asc_df_1784700061

The glass shape research Owen cites is found in the British Psychological Society's Research Digest. The title of the research is "The Shape of a glass can influence how much we drink". Langfield, T., Pechey, R., Gilchrist, P. T., Pilling, M., & Marteau, T. M. (2020). Glass shape influences drinking behaviours in three laboratory experiments. Scientific reports, 10(1), 1-11. Found online at https://digest.bps.org.uk/2020/08/13/the-shape-of-a-glass-can-influence-how-much-we-drink/

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey
• Owen Ferguson @owenferguson

Before a job candidate ever submits an application or attends an interview, they will likely have several interactions with their prospective employer that shape how they feel about the organisation. Together, these touchpoints make up the 'candidate experience'.

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by their Emerald Works colleague Esh Jugal, along with guest Matt Alder, host of the Recruiting Future podcast. We discuss:

• what we mean when we talk about 'candidate experience'
• the similarities between candidate experience and customer experience
• examples of good and bad candidate experiences
• how organisations can shape the candidate experience

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

You can find the Recruiting Future podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or learn more at: https://recruitingfuture.com/

To discover 'The Laws of UX', and maybe even apply them to your candidate experience, head to: https://lawsofux.com/

The New Yorker article Ross D mentioned was 'Lost in Translation: What the First Line of "The Stranger" should be': https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/lost-in-translation-what-the-first-line-of-the-stranger-should-be

You can find out more about Roam Research at: https://roamresearch.com/

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
• Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
• Esh Jugal @eshworld
• Matt Alder @mattalder

We're five months on from the start of the UK Government's 2020 furlough scheme, so this week on The Good Practice Podcast we're discussing what it's been like for those who have experienced it.

Knowledge Pool's Scott Fellows joins Gemma and Ross G to share his story, while David Hayden from the CIPD shares more general insights into how people have experienced the scheme.

We discuss:

• how organizations have supported employees who are furloughed
• what we've learned about how people adapt to dramatic change
• support available to organizations and individuals at this time

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

The CIPD's Coronavirus hub is online at: cipd.co.uk/news-views/coronavirus

Mind Tools' COVID-19 support page is online at: mindtools.com/pages/article/covid-19_support_pack.htm

Scott blogs at: learningperformancearchitect.wordpress.com and has collected free learning experience design tools at learningperformancearchitect.wordpress.com/resources/

In What I Learned This Week, Ross G shared a blog from The People Experience Hub about word clouds: thepeopleexperiencehub.org/post/head-in-the-clouds

David shared an online percentage calculator: calculatorsoup.com/calculators/algebra/percent-difference-calculator.php

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
• GemmaTowersey @GemmaTowersey
• Scott Fellows @Fellows_Scott
• David Hayden @HaydenDavidhrd

The Black Lives Matter movement has helped bring some of the issues surrounding diversity and inclusion to the fore, sparking conversations in and outside of the workplace.

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross D and Owen are joined by Ricky Benjamin from TSB to discuss:

• TSB's approach to diversity and inclusion
• the organisation's response to the killing of George Floyd and the BLM movement
• the impact of recent events on TSB's broader D&I agenda
• the benefits and challenges associated with promoting D&I to a distributed workforce

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

You can find all of Ricky's LinkedIn posts at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricky-benjamin-319303b9/detail/recent-activity/shares/

The growth mindset article Owen mentioned can be found at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494419307546

You can find out more about Maria Lax's photography on her website (www.maria-lax.com) or through her Instagram (www.instagram.com/maria_lax_).

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter:

• Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
• Owen Ferguson @owenferguson
• Ricky Benjamin @rickyAKAmcRB

As it's become increasingly apparent that we'll be living with coronavirus for some time, organisations have started to think about what that means for workplace culture. Is it possible to hold on to what came before, or do we need to think differently about 'how we do things around here'?

To answer these questions, Ross G and Owen are joined by Bruce Daisley, former Twitter VP, author of 'The Joy of Work', host of the 'Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat' podcast and workplace culture enthusiast.

We discuss:

• how organisations are adapting to coronavirus
• the changing role of 'the office'
• the impact that managers have on workplace culture, both online and offline.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

For more from Bruce, including access to his podcast, books and newsletter, see: eatsleepworkrepeat.com

The growth mindset paper that Owen discussed was:

Li, Y., & Bates, T. C. (2020). Testing the association of growth mindset and grades across a challenging transition: Is growth mindset associated with grades?. Intelligence, 81, 101471. Online at: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0160289620300490

The podcast Ross discussed was This Week in Virology, episode 640, featuring Michael Mina: https://www.microbe.tv/twiv/twiv-640/

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter

• Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
• Owen Ferguson @OwenFerguson
• Bruce Daisley @BruceDaisley

Here at Emerald Works, we recently spent some time setting objectives for the remainder of the year. One of the areas Ross D wanted to work on was his productivity, so he turned to his colleagues on the Custom Learning team for advice.

This week on the Good Practice Podcast, Ross G, Tracey and Gemma share some of the techniques they use to keep on top of projects and 'get things done'. We discuss:

• The hallmarks of a good to-do list
• The benefits of chunking tasks down, Italian style
• Useful online and offline productivity tools
• The difference between productivity and time management

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

If you're interested in joining Tracey, Gemma and the two Rosses on the Custom Learning team, you can find the full job listing at: https://emeraldgroup.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/Advert/1976853

You can learn more about David Allen's 'Getting Things Done' methodology at: https://gettingthingsdone.com/

You can listen to 'The Susurrations of Trees' podcast through BBC Sounds: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000b6sm

Ross G's Twitter conversation about the future of the A4 page can be found at: https://twitter.com/RossGarnerEW/status/1291111207588552708?s=20

The Kate Prince episode of Imagine can be found at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000lbqd.

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter and LinkedIn

• Ross Dickie @RossDickieEW
• Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
• Tracey McDonald @TraceyMcDonald
• Gemma Towersey @gemmatowersey

Working within a global L&D network has both opportunities and challenges. But how do they differ within the social sector? How do global organizations deliver learning in rural areas with poor internet connections? And what impact has COVID-19 had on their approach?

This week on The Good Practice Podcast, Nicola Boyle and Ross Garner are joined by Claire Wilson, Head of Global Learning Lab at the Social Enterprise Academy. She shares her experiences of working in global L&D in the social sector.

We discuss:

• how the Social Enterprise Academy deliver L&D globally
• the challenges of delivering learning in developing countries
• the impact of COVID-19 on global L&D in the social sector.

Show notes

For more from us, including access to our back catalogue of podcasts, visit emeraldworks.com. There, you'll also find details of our award winning performance support toolkit, our off-the-shelf e-learning, and our custom work.

To find out more about Social Enterprise Academy, check out their website: socialenterprise.academy/scot/

In What I Learned This Week, Nicola recommended the BBC Radio 4 programme Soul Music. The episode on 'I will Survive' can be found here: bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000l7zc

The book that Ross recommended was The Hardest Job in the World by John Dickerson, available at: amazon.co.uk/Hardest-Job-World-American-Presidency/dp/1984854518

John Dickerson co-hosts the Slate: Political Gabfest. Listen at: slate.com/podcasts/political-gabfest

For a somewhat twee reminder of how we used to consider the Presidency, see The American President, directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin: imdb.com/title/tt0112346/

Claire recommended The Happy Newspaper, online at: thehappynewspaper.com/

Connect with our speakers

If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with our speakers on Twitter and LinkedIn

• Nicola Boyle @Nicola_BoyleEW
• Ross Garner @RossGarnerEW
• Claire Wilson on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/clairelwilson/