Now for something completely different! A couple of weeks ago, Carl Akintola wrote a provocative guest post for The L&D Dispatch, challenging L&D practitioners to interogate their motives for measuring learning impact. Are they in it purely for the sake of evaluation and continuous improvement? Or are they merely trying to justify their own existence? This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Carl takes over hosting duties, and runs Ross G and Ross D through the scenario he outlined in the newsletter. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross D mentioned 'The Bad-Mouthing of British Teeth', an episode of the Decoder Ring podcast. Ross G described the so-called 'Gen Z stare'. And Carl confused the Rosses with a maths problem, based on the 'Monty Hall problem'. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Ross Garner Carl Akintola
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456 — Building tolerance in the workplace
We know that surrounding ourselves with diverse people at work brings variety in expertise, opinions and ways of working, which can boost creativity and productivity. Sometimes those differences however, can be challenging. How can we make the most of difference? This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Liggy Webb, author of Tolerance: How to respect and accept differences joins Ross G and Gemma to examine the skill of tolerance. We discuss: What tolerance means The benefits of being tolerant How to be tolerant, particularly towards differences in behaviour or opinions that we find tricky. To find out about Liggy's Bitesize Book Series, visit her website. In 'What I Learned This Week', Ross mentioned Anthropic's experiment that revealed Claude's inability to run a shop. Gemma spoke about the startling dimensions of the Norwegian Fjords. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Garner Gemma Towersey Liggy Webb
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455 — The case (for some people) to go back to the office
In their new book, In Praise of the Office, Wharton professor Peter Cappelli and workplace strategist Ranya Nehmeh argue that 'the case for in-office work has never been stronger'. This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Peter and Ranya join Ross D and Claire to explain why they believe this to be true. We discuss: The benefits and downsides to in-office work, both from an employer and employee perspective The challenges of returning to office post-pandemic, and why mandates alone often don't work The role of managers in implementing remote, hybrid or in-office models The implications of different working models for learning and development. You can find out more about In Praise of the Office here. In 'What I Learned This Week', Claire mentioned Flow TV, which shows output of Veo 3, the latest version of Google's AI video generator. The paper Peter mentioned was 'Employee Innovation During Office Work, Work from Home and Hybrid Work' by Michael Gibbs et al. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Claire Gibson Peter Cappelli Ranya Nehmeh
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454 — Designing learning experiences that feel authentic
If we want to motivate learners to engage with an experience, it stands to reason that we need to present that experience in a way feels authentic and relatable to them. But what are the limits to authenticity in the workplace? And are some of the conventions of learning design at odds with authentic communication? This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Kineo's Matt Mella joins Ross D and Claire to discuss: What 'authenticity' looks like in the context of learning design Why it's important, and how to design with authenticity in mind How Mindtools and Kineo have achieved this in practice. During the episode, Ross D referenced a LinkedIn post from Matt, exploring the growing association of the em dash with AI-generated content. In 'What I Learned This Week', Claire talked about her enlightening visit to the Ditchling Museum of Art & Craft. Matt explained the history of the telegraphic address. And Ross D recommended the 'Food Deserts' episode of 99% Invisible. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Claire Gibson Matt Mella
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453 — What's your e-learning P(doom)?
If you spend any time scrolling LinkedIn, attending L&D conferences, or listening to industry podcasts, it might seem like AI is about to usher in the end of e-learning as we know it. But is e-learning really dying, or is it just evolving? This week on The Mindtools L&D Podcast, Kineo's Cammy Bean joins Ross D and Ross G to discuss: The probability that AI will bring about the e-learning-pocalypse How the work of learning designers might change over the coming years The risks L&D needs to consider as they incoporate AI tools into their practice. During the episode, Ross D mentioned a recent edition of The L&D Dispatch, 'The future is not now'. For more from us, visit mindtools.com. There, you'll also find details of our award-winning Content Hub, our Manager Skills Assessment, our Manager Skill Builder and our custom work. Connect with our speakers If you'd like to share your thoughts on this episode, connect with us on LinkedIn: Ross Dickie Ross Garner Cammy Bean
The Mindtools L&D Podcast is a must-listen for anyone involved in Learning and Development or Human Resources. The weekly show features regular appearances from the Mind Tools team plus special guests to get right to the heart of issues affecting the L&D and HR communities. From learning needs analysis and evidence-based practice through to the impact of technology on work and hot topics at industry conferences, you'll get critical insights into the world of work, performance and learning.