Leading Learning Podcast
409 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago - ★★★★★ - 27 ratingsThe market for continuing education, professional development, and lifelong learning is large and evolving rapidly. Competition is growing and learners have more options than ever. Leading Learning is the podcast for learning business professionals who want to thrive in this new landscape. Each week the hosts, Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele, provide actionable insights based on their own deep experience and expertise or invite in experts and practitioners to share their perspectives.
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Episodes
405: The Science of Engagement with Clark Quinn
April 16, 2024 10:59 - 31 minutes - 42.9 MBWe often hear learning businesses say they want to better engage their learners. But what is engagement, and how does it work? In this episode, Leading Learning Podcast co-host Jeff Cobb digs into those questions with Clark Quinn, executive director of Quinnovation and author of Make It Meaningful: Taking Learning Design from Instructional to Transformational. Jeff and Clark talk about engagement and motivation; learners’ cognitive, affective, and conative involvement; and how the cognit...
404: Nondisruptive Creation, Part I
April 09, 2024 11:00 - 34 minutes - 48.1 MBStrategy is one of the five fundamental domains in the Learning Business Maturity Model. And most learning business leaders know that strategy is important. But truly understanding strategy and formulating intelligent strategy? That’s trickier. To help with that understanding and formulation, in this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, number 404, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele offer an audio book report on Beyond Disruption: Innovate and Achieve Growth Without Displacing Indust...
403: Who or What Is Tagoras?
April 02, 2024 10:59 - 25 minutes - 34.8 MBYou can think of this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast as an origin story. Co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele talk about the relationship between Leading Learning and Tagoras, about what Tagoras is and does, and about the start of Leading Learning. Along the way they touch on the kinds of things that learning businesses need to be able to do, whether through the skills and knowledge of their internal team or by looking for outside support. Show notes and a downloadable transcript ...
402: A Curious Conversation About AI with Julian Stodd
March 26, 2024 10:59 - 48 minutes - 67.5 MBIf anything, we should all be able to agree that generative artificial intelligence is a curious thing, worthy of reflection and exploration. Julian Stodd is a researcher, an artist, an explorer, a writer, and captain and founder of Sea Salt Learning, which helps organizations set strategy and change direction. He is also a firm believer in working out loud and a previous Leading Learning Podcast guest. In this episode, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Julian about ideas from Engines of ...
401: Developing Business for a Learning Business
March 19, 2024 10:59 - 26 minutes - 37.2 MBMany skills are needed to create and sustain a successful learning business: financial know-how, marketing acumen, instructional design, to name just a few. But one area that often isn’t invested in—or invested in adequately—is business development. Leading Learning Podcast co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele discuss what a business development professional should be able to do for your learning business and how having a skilled professional leading business development means the chance t...
400: 20 x 20 Vision for Lifelong Learning
March 12, 2024 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.6 MBWe’re at an important point in time for lifelong learning. Much is shifting and unsettled in how humans live and work. That unsettledness means opportunity if your learning business is willing to grapple with the uncertainty and shape a vision for its role in the lifelong learning market. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele look at the current lifelong learning landscape, near-future trends, and the implications—and opportunities—for learni...
399: Transformational Partnerships with Bruce Rosenthal
March 05, 2024 12:00 - 34 minutes - 47.2 MBTo realize their fundamental mission of developing and delivering learning products and services, learning businesses need revenue. Along with direct-to-learner fees for enrollments and registrations, sponsorship dollars are often a key part of that revenue equation. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with Bruce Rosenthal. Bruce helps organizations create sponsorships and partnerships that increase revenue and value for all stakeholders. Jeff and Bru...
398: The Difficulty of Desirable Difficulties
February 27, 2024 12:00 - 27 minutes - 38.1 MBLearning businesses care about creating effective learning. Doing so is at the heart of why learning businesses exist. But what happens when effective learning practices clash with what learners want or what they believe is effective? That clash is precisely what Leading Learning Podcast co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele explore in this episode, which looks at desirable difficulties and the specific difficulty desirable difficulties pose for learning businesses. Show notes and a downl...
397: Learning and Education
February 20, 2024 12:00 - 17 minutes - 24.8 MBLearning, education, and professional development are not the same. Similar, yes, interrelated even, but fundamentally and importantly different. If learning businesses take the parochial view of learning as merely education, they unnecessarily limit their impact and their possibilities. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele explore the strategic importance of recognizing the differences between learning, education, and professional developme...
396: Storytelling for Businesses with Park Howell
February 14, 2024 00:14 - 37 minutes - 51.9 MBEverybody loves a good story. It’s what draws us to good books, good movies, good podcasts. And we know that good stories can draw prospective learners to us and the learning experiences we offer. But telling a good story is harder than it looks, particularly in the realm of business, where often too much emphasis is put on numbers, data, and building a case rather than appealing to emotions, human connection, familiar patterns, and satisfying hooks. If you listen to this episode, you’ll get...
395: Digital Credentials Aren’t Valuable Unless…
February 06, 2024 11:59 - 14 minutes - 33.1 MBDigital credentials aren’t as valuable on their own as they are in an ecosystem that uses open standards to connect learners and employers and where relevant data about skills achieved, pathways to new roles, and the needs of the job market intersect. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa talk about standards-based digital credentials being at tipping point and the need for learning businesses to adopt them in order to adapt to what learners are com...
394: 3 Principles of Pricing
January 30, 2024 12:00 - 26 minutes - 36.5 MBLearning businesses rely on the revenue that comes from their educational offerings. That means learning business professionals have to know how to determine the best pricing—the best pricing for attracting and converting prospective customers, the best pricing for maintaining and maximizing revenue levels, and the best pricing for achieving strategic goals. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele touch on three principles of pricing that can h...
393: Personalization and AI with Erica Salm Rench
January 23, 2024 12:30 - 23 minutes - 32.4 MBWith the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, artificial intelligence broke into the mainstream and became a more practical rather than theoretical topic than ever before. AI has the potential to lighten the existing load and to enable new activities for learning businesses, particularly in the realms of marketing and personalization. Erica Salm Rench is the chief operating officer at rasa.io, which uses AI to send personalized newsletters to every recipient on an e-mail list. Before joini...
392: Preparing for 2024
January 16, 2024 12:30 - 21 minutes - 30.6 MBJust as taking time to look back and reflect is a good practice, so too is taking time to look ahead and plan. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele share survey data about what learning businesses plan to focus on in 2024. You can use the data for quick benchmarking and to help you get clearer about your learning business’s priorities for the year ahead. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning....
391: Reflecting on 2023
January 09, 2024 12:30 - 29 minutes - 67.6 MBReflection is a good practice, in life and in learning, especially for those working in and for learning businesses. But it’s all too easy to skip because taking time to reflect often isn’t as pressing and urgent as other things on the to-do list. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele act as avatars and model doing the behavior they encourage others to engage in periodically as they reflect back on 2023. Show notes and a downloadable transc...
390: Redux: Strategic Doing with Ed Morrison
January 02, 2024 12:29 - 39 minutes - 54.7 MBStrategy and collaboration in open, loosely connected, complex networks require a different approach than the top-down planning that has long dominated organizational strategy-setting. In this redux episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Ed Morrison, who pioneered Strategic Doing, an approach to strategy and collaboration in open, loosely connected, complex networks, and who co-authored Strategic Doing: Ten Skills for Agile Leadership. Celisa and Ed talk ...
389: Redux: The Art and Science of Feedback
December 26, 2023 12:29 - 25 minutes - 35.7 MBGiving and receiving feedback is harder than most people think. Learning business professionals need to take the time to study the art and science of feedback because of the critical role feedback plays in learning. In this redux episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele discuss how to give and receive feedback effectively, common misconceptions about feedback, and the tremendous impact feedback can have on learning. Show notes and a downloadable trans...
388: Trustworthy Marketing with Melanie Deziel
December 19, 2023 12:30 - 31 minutes - 43.4 MBTrust is fundamental in marketing. Without trustworthy marketing, products and services, no matter how excellent, will languish because today, by default, audiences doubt what marketers say. What this means is learning businesses need to do the work to collect and use evidence to back up their marketing claims. In episode 388 of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with Melanie Deziel about exactly how to do that. Melanie is co-author of Prove It: Exactly How Modern Market...
387: Measuring Marketing with Greg Stuart
December 12, 2023 12:29 - 35 minutes - 48.5 MBMarketing has arguably undergone more change in the last decade than any other field, which means learning businesses have to stay on top of their marketing game to make sure they reach the right learners and bring in the critical revenue that keeps them humming along. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, number 387, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Greg Stuart. Having spent over three decades in the field, Greg has contributed majorly to the transformation of marketing and med...
386: What Is Capacity?
December 05, 2023 12:00 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MBWhat is capacity? The dictionary defines capacity as “the facility or power to produce, perform, or deploy.” But we dig deeper to look at what capacity means for learning businesses. We explore three key facets of capacity (people, technology, and processes), look at capacity both as an assessment of current reality and a way to think about an ideal future state, and touch on how capacity plays out at three levels (individual, organization, and community). Show notes and a downloadable t...
385: Awakening Organizational Culture with Catherine Bell
November 28, 2023 12:15 - 30 minutes - 69.8 MBYou’ve heard it said that culture eats strategy for lunch, and getting culture right is arguably even more important for learning businesses than for other types of organizations because the creation of a culture that truly embraces learning is so integrally tied to both what a learning business does internally and what it offers externally. This means learning business leaders need to give time and energy to fostering an awakened culture. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, n...
384: Successful Decision-Making with Jack Flaherty
November 21, 2023 12:15 - 31 minutes - 43.9 MBOn average, we make 35,000 decisions a day. The sheer quantity means a process for making effective, successful decisions is a foundational aspect of leadership. But decision-making isn't often taught in school or on the job. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, number 384, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Jack Flaherty, author of The Decision Switch: 7 Principles of Successful Decision-Making, about his decision-making framework, decision-making as a process (not an event), th...
383: Learning Styles and Learner Preferences
November 14, 2023 12:14 - 19 minutes - 26.6 MBLearning styles are a pernicious myth, but learner preferences are a reality that learning businesses disregard at their own risk. Learning businesses need to balance using effective learning strategies and approaches with giving learners want they want. Show notes and a downloadable transcript are available at https://www.leadinglearning.com/episode383.
382: Design Learning for Behavior Change with Julie Dirksen
November 07, 2023 12:14 - 37 minutes - 51.4 MBLearning businesses that look for results strive to change behavior. They want to develop and deliver learning experiences that support learners in doing something new or doing something better. But designing for behavior change requires a specific focus and understanding of how learning works. Luckily, Leading Learning Podcast co-host Jeff Cobb gets to talk with an expert in designing learning for behavior change in this episode, number 382. Julie Dirksen is a learning strategist who has ...
381: Tripling Learning Effectiveness with Brian McGowan
October 31, 2023 11:15 - 38 minutes - 53.4 MBThis episode will take 30+ minutes to listen to—or less if you like to speed up the audio. But, however long it takes you to get through the episode, we hope you’ll take away at least three things you can use in your learning business. Find a sheet of paper or open a note-taking app, and write down the numbers 1, 2, and 3. As you listen to this conversation with Dr. Brian McGowan, fill in a takeaway beside each number. Brian has studied clinician learning for the last 20 years, and, for th...
380: Do This Not That for Learning Businesses
October 24, 2023 11:20 - 34 minutes - 48.4 MBThe average learning business does a lot. Add what a learning business could or should do to what it already does, and the list of possibilities is overwhelming. This episode of the Leading Learning Podcast focuses on four often-overlooked areas where we think investing more time and energy will pay off for learning businesses: supporting subject matter experts, providing practice opportunities, evaluating impact, and telling a coherent value story. Show notes and a downloadable transcript...
379: Learner Surveys and Learning Effectiveness with Will Thalheimer
October 17, 2023 11:15 - 39 minutes - 54.2 MBDeveloping effective learning products should be a central goal of all learning businesses, and one way to gauge effectiveness and then refine learning products is with learner surveys. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb talks with a true expert in the domains of learner surveys and learning effectiveness: Dr. Will Thalheimer. Will is a consultant, speaker, researcher, and author of Performance-Focused Learner Surveys: Using Distinctive Questioning to Get Acti...
378: Evidence-Based Learning with Jane Bozarth
October 10, 2023 11:15 - 39 minutes - 54.7 MBLearning businesses should base their design choices on evidence-based practices. But keeping up with the latest research takes time and energy that many learning business professionals simply don’t have. Luckily, people like Jane Bozarth exist to help bridge the gap between academic research and the implications for the design and delivery of learning experiences. Jane Bozarth has spent many years as a trainer, a facilitator, and an e-learning designer, and she currently serves as the dir...
377: Practicing What We Preach
October 03, 2023 23:14 - 30 minutes - 42.5 MBPractice is a powerful tool for learning, and, when you stop to look at what you do on a daily or weekly basis, you’ll see how common and natural practice is in so many realms. But too often learning businesses don’t incorporate practice into their portfolio of offerings. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, we focus on practice, but, rather than take a learning science-backed view, we take a look at a specific, real-world example of practice. Co-host Celisa Steele interviews c...
376: Talking Learning, Leadership, and Results with AMA’s Manny Avramidis
September 26, 2023 11:14 - 35 minutes - 48.7 MBSoft skills training is a different beast than technical training, and Manny Avramidis, president and CEO of the American Management Association, knows this well. AMA provides management development and educational services to individuals and organizations in over 100 countries, with a primary focus on soft skills. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, Manny talks with co-host Jeff Cobb about how the market for professional development and education has changed and matured durin...
375: Social Learning with Nellie Wartoft
September 19, 2023 10:30 - 38 minutes - 53.4 MBSocial learning is a fundamental, age-old method of learning. But it got somewhat lost in the broader adoption of digital learning, especially self-paced e-learning, that happened in the last 20 years, and social learning suffered again during COVID. But, done right, social learning is a highly effective and efficient way to learn. Our guest in this episode is Nellie Wartoft, founder and CEO of Tigerhall, a social learning platform that’s trying to change how professionals learn from one a...
374: Reintroducing Leading Learning
September 12, 2023 11:29 - 35 minutes - 49.1 MBThe Leading Learning Podcast is just one part of what we do at Leading Learning. In this episode, we reintroduce Leading Learning and the range of resources, education, and insights Learning Learning provides to learning business professionals. In brief, Leading Learning provides resources, education, and insights to learning business professionals, and we provide those resources, education, and insights via several avenues, of which the Leading Learning Podcast is just one. Show notes a...
373: The Imprint of Mindfulness with Dr. Ellen Langer
September 05, 2023 11:29 - 41 minutes - 57.2 MBOn the Leading Learning Podcast, sometimes we get to talk with someone whose thinking and research have deeply influenced our work and lives. Such is the case with Ellen J. Langer, AKA the mother of mindfulness. Dr. Langer was the first woman to be tenured in psychology at Harvard, where she is still professor of psychology. The recipient of three Distinguished Scientists awards, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Liberty Science Genius Award, Dr. Langer wrote the international bestseller Mi...
372: Evidence-Based DEI with Miranda McKie
August 29, 2023 11:43 - 32 minutes - 44.9 MBDiversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are important goals for any business, including learning businesses. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, DEI gained ground, but many initiatives, unfortunately, have faltered or been cut completely in the years since. Our guest in this episode is Miranda McKie, founder and CEO of McKie Consultants, a strategic consulting firm focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion and inclusive product design. Miranda believes in the need for evidence-based, l...
371: Borrowing Big Learning’s Business Models
August 22, 2023 11:29 - 32 minutes - 44.7 MBBusiness models are a key part of the strategy of any business. But, in our experience, learning businesses often take a set-it-and-forget-it approach to business models. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, we make the argument for why you should regularly revisit your business model. We also discuss the four key facets that are part of any business model: those are who you charge, what you charge for, how much you charge, and who you share costs or profits with. Show notes ...
370: Authenticity and Revenue Acceleration with Brent Keltner
August 15, 2023 11:29 - 29 minutes - 41.1 MBThere are three goals at the heart of almost all learning businesses: reach, revenue, and impact. Generating revenue is essential in helping learning businesses reach the right audience and make an impact. In this episode, co-host Celisa Steele delves into the topic of revenue with Brent Keltner. Brent began his career as a PhD social scientist and spent 10 years conducting qualitative research interviews at Stanford University and the RAND Corporation. He’s now president of Winaltyics, a ...
369: Modern Learning with Sae Schatz
August 08, 2023 11:29 - 34 minutes - 47.7 MBLearning ecosystems, learning engineering, learning in the flow of life and work—these could be a list of top buzzwords. But each has gained attention for a reason. Each is important in the design and delivery of effective lifelong learning, continuing education, and professional development, and each gets its due in this episode, which features a conversation with Sae Schatz. Sae formerly served as director of the U.S. Department of Defense Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative, and sh...
368: External Innovation and Learning Businesses
August 01, 2023 11:27 - 26 minutes - 36.7 MBInnovation is crucial to the continued success of any organization, and that’s arguably truer for learning businesses than it is for many other types of organizations because of their focus on external learners and the field, industry, or profession those learners serve. In this episode, we unpack that assertion while also breaking innovation down. Innovation isn’t monolithic and uniform. Rather innovation is variable and nuanced, and that’s what we want look at, with an eye specifically t...
367: Talking Taxonomies and Metadata with Stephanie Lemieux
July 25, 2023 11:27 - 37 minutes - 52.1 MBManaging content well and communicating effectively with audiences are two key competencies needed by a learning business that wants to thrive, and taxonomies and metadata can play an important role in both. Stephanie Lemieux is an information management consultant specializing in taxonomies and metadata. Educated as a librarian, Stephanie is now president and principal consultant at Dovecot Studio, which helps organizations optimize the way they structure and manage their mission-critical...
366: Leadership, Happiness, and Positive Psychology with L. Michelle Smith
July 18, 2023 11:27 - 33 minutes - 46 MBEmpathy is essential to both learner-centered design and effective leadership, and empathy with doubly disadvantaged individuals, like Black women, can be that much more important—and rare. L. Michelle Smith is a certified executive and personal coach whose work is informed by positive psychology and neuroscience. She’s the author of three books, including Yes Please! 7 Ways to Say I’m Entitled to the C-Suite. L. Michelle’s specialty is moving women and women of color to the C suite and E ...
365: Travel and Learning
July 11, 2023 11:29 - 37 minutes - 52.2 MBTravel can serve as a field laboratory for learning. Whether a trip is short or long, near or far, done alone or with others, travel offers an opportunity to learn. In this episode, co-hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele discuss the pre, during, and post phases that make up both travel and learning experiences; feelings of belonging and othering that can arise; and the value of learning business professionals reflecting on their own experiences to help them design better and more empathetica...
364: Redux: Revisiting Adult Learning Theory
July 04, 2023 11:31 - 25 minutes - 35.5 MBIf we had to pick just one thing as the key to the success of a learning business, we would argue for the learning experiences offered because those learning experiences are at the core of what learning businesses do. In order to offer effective learning experiences, we need a solid understanding of adult learning theory. Although many of learning business professionals are already familiar adult learning theory, there can be tremendous value in taking time to periodically revisit it. In...
363: The Liberal Arts and Critical Thinking with Jeffrey Scheuer
June 27, 2023 11:29 - 28 minutes - 39.1 MBIt’s an old debate in education, whether learning needs to be for something or whether learning in and of itself is of value. Looking at the rise of STEM and the growing focus on skills-based, job-relevant training, one might conclude that the for-something side is winning the debate. And, yet, soft skills and less immediately applicable subjects endure. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with Jeffrey Scheuer about the role of the liberal arts in c...
362: Beach Reads: Our Antidote to Summer Learning Loss
June 20, 2023 11:30 - 28 minutes - 40.1 MBThe traditional long summer break from school in the U.S. can mean fun in the sun—and summer learning loss (SLL). While SLL is a documented phenomenon, not all K-12 students lose the same skills and knowledge over the summer. In fact, some make gains over the summer holiday. One of the most important things students can do to improve is read. And reading can be a powerful driver of learning for adults as well as K-12 students. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-hosts Jeff ...
361: Designing for Belonging with Dr. Susie Wise
June 13, 2023 11:25 - 42 minutes - 58.1 MBTo be a learner, we have to identify as a learner, and belonging is critical to self-identification. That means all learning businesses need to think about how they can create situations and offerings where individuals feel a sense of belonging. Dr. Susie Wise is a learning experience designer and author of the book Design for Belonging: How to Build Inclusion and Collaboration in Your Communities. Susie coaches leaders in equity design and innovation practices and teaches at the d.school ...
360: 10 Years of CMEpalooza with Scott Kober and Derek Warnick
June 06, 2023 11:25 - 33 minutes - 46 MBCompetition from free and low-cost offerings is a reality for many learning businesses. But it’s also true that most learning businesses do offer—or should offer—free or low-cost options in their own portfolios. CMEpalooza offers an interesting case study to examine both for competitive insight and as a potential model to emulate. Scott Kober and Derek Warnick produce CMEpalooza, a free biannual virtual conference for CME and CE professionals. CMEpalooza is a side gig for these fearless co...
359: Redefining Lifelong Learning
May 30, 2023 11:27 - 34 minutes - 48.1 MBWhat does the term "lifelong learning" mean for you? It’s an important question for learning business professionals to ask because taking the time to reflect can lead to a better understanding of the influential role your learning business plays in your stakeholders' lifelong learning journey. In this episode, we explore the history of lifelong learning and major viewpoints on what it is, the reasons behind a renewed interest in lifelong learning, and why taking time for to know the backst...
358: Learning Experience Design with Diana Howles
May 23, 2023 11:25 - 30 minutes - 41.9 MBThe full, complete experience of the learner—from before they decide to sign up for a course or event, until after it's over—should be a primary concern for all learning businesses. In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Jeff Cobb is joined by return guest Diana Howles, CEO and co-owner of Howles Associates, which specializes in virtual training, virtual presentation coaching, and learning experience design. They delve into the topic of learning experience design—what i...
357: Lifelong Learning Through COVID with Chris McLeod
May 16, 2023 12:02 - 34 minutes - 78.6 MBCOVID permanently altered the operations and offerings of many learning businesses, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at Duke University is one such example In this episode of the Leading Learning Podcast, co-host Celisa Steele talks with return guest Chris McLeod, who directs OLLI at Duke, about the pandemic-driven changes her group made and their related short- and long-term implications. Chris shares how COVID got them to rethink the competitive environment and the import...
356: A Guide to the Informal Learning Business Curriculum
May 09, 2023 11:55 - 30 minutes - 70.5 MBWe believe deeply in the power of learning to transform individuals, organizations, and communities. That’s why we focus the Leading Learning Podcast on serving the learning businesses and learning business professionals that create and support adult lifelong learning, continuing education, and professional development. Learning business professionals need to invest in their own learning and development so they can grow and help the learning businesses they serve improve their reach, reven...