The Train Like You Listen podcast is a series of short audio clips offering insights and bite-sized nuggets on trends, cool tools, and tips for L&D professionals.

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Technical Presentations - If you follow TED talks on instructional design, you likely have watched or heard Melissa Marshall’s TED talk “Talk Nerdy to Me.” During her compelling talk (with over 2.6 million views!), she discusses making technical presentations accessible to anyone in the audience without compromising the integrity or talking down to the more technical audience members. … Continue reading Technical Presentations

Training Measurement Demystified - Happy new year and welcome to 2021!!! How do you measure the success of your training programs? Yeah, that is a pretty complicated question for many learning professionals. However, we all know that it is critical to our programs that we show how and why they are working. The big gaps seem to be the mystery around how exactly we get that information. We're excited to begin 2021 with Brian talking to David Vance and Peggy Parskey from the Center for Talent Reporting and authors of Measurement Demystified, Creating Your L&D Measurement, Analytics and Reporting Strategy to find out more about how to measure training programs.

Virtual Training Lessons Learned - Kassy LaBorie is one of the early adopters for virtual tools like Zoom, Teams, etc... as a remote training tool. On this week's Train Like You Listen podcast, Kassy joins us to share some insights on virtual instructor-led training after a year where many of us were unexpectedly thrust into adopting these tools. We've been adding transcripts to all of our recent (and many of our older podcasts). If you like seeing the conversations in this format, let us know in the comments.

GIFs as a Training Tool - I'm sure you've either seen or used animated GIFs. But have you thought about their value in training? This discussion (both podcast and transcript) with George Hanshaw about how you can use GIFs as a training tool may give you some ideas about how to support your learners.

Finding Gratitude in 2020 - 2020 has been one for the books. Very few people have been entirely unaffected by the events in our world over recent months. Notwithstanding, there have been some lessons learned this year, and just like any training, it is important to debrief what we can take away from this year.

Preparing Teachers to Train with Lisa Spinelli - Lisa Spinelli took some time with us this week to talk to us about what she learned while writing her book, Teacher to Trainers. We take some time to dig into why teachers tend to move into training, how to build your skill set if you are a teacher looking to move into training, and what challenges to expect for professionals thinking about this move.

The Journey from Teaching to Training - On this week's podcast, we talk to Shermaine Perry-Knights, author and Chief Learning Officer at Innovation Consultants of DeKalb, about her learning and development journey. Like many L&D professionals, Shermaine started as a K-12 teacher. She gives us some insight on why she made this move, and how she takes the lessons she learned teaching 7th grade Social Studies and applies it to her adult learners. This week you'll also see that we have a full transcript of the discussion if you prefer to read.

Podcasts in Training - As learning and development professionals, we are always looking for new ways to deliver content to our learners. One approach to this challenge is to consider how you like to have content delivered. Podcasts have become a big part of the way many of us learn during our busy lives. In our conversation with Betty Dannewitz we get some great ideas about how to incorporate podcasts into your next training initiative.

The Monsters We Don’t See - We face monsters every day as training professionals. They cannot be tackled the same way the stories of our past have taught us to tame mysterious beasts. They lurk right in front of us...

Learning Campaigns - What is it like to be on the other side of the training? In other words, do your participants have a working world that lives beyond attending your training? Of course they do. Because of this, we often need more than one way to get information to our learners. Learning campaigns can be a great way to achieve that.

Troubleshooting for Trainers - Sophie Oberstein, author, coach, adjunct professor, and Learning & Organizational Development consultant, joins us on the Train Like You Listen podcast to discuss how you can find solutions to training problems. Make sure to check out her new book, Troubleshooting for Trainers, which is available October 6, 2020.

Can Curiosity Be Taught? - Facilitating and training people, young or adult, to be curious is important, but is it really an outcome that can be trained and measured? Bethany Kline talks about her approach to scaling innovation across an organization by training learners to be more curious.

How to Engage Learners - When it comes to engaging learners, finding the magical formula can seem like catching a mythical creature. In theory, it is absolutely attainable, however, in practice, unexpected obstacles abound. Cara North shares her approach to unlocking these obstacles.

Trainer’s Approach to Effective PowerPoint - At Endurance Learning we talk a lot about the appropriate use of PowerPoint. This conversation with Mike Parkinson gets into how to create engaging and effective PowerPoint presentation.

What You Need to Know Before You Gamify Your Next Training (podcast) - I know for a fact my experience with gamification is not unique. I have failed more than once to make games work in training. I talked to Marci Morford about how she finds inspiration to gamify her training, and she discusses the why the dynamics, mechanics, and components of a game are play a huge role in game play success.

How do I show up to Virtual Training? - If you have been in training for more than a few years, it is likely you are familiar with the Ken Blanchard Companies. The Ken Blanchard Companies have more than 40 years of in-person training experience and are a power-house of instructor-led training. Like many other companies, this group of individuals is looking forward to … Continue reading How do I show up to Virtual Training?

Voice User Interfaces and Training - Voice-activated digital assistants are household items for many of us. Smartphones, speakers, even watches can be voice-activated to help us with any number of things. My mom and her 81 year-old neighbor spent the weekend setting up and activating skills for several smart speakers in her house. They set up entertainment, reminders, asked questions, and set up some safety features. What else can we do with devices with a voice user interface?

Taking a Conference Virtual - Conference season is coming! What do conferences look like during the time of Covid-19? One of our favorite conferences, Learnapalooza, is taking things virtual this year and we sat down with Chief Innovator Erin Peterschick to hear what she and her team are planning. This conference is typically set in the Seattle area and offers … Continue reading Taking a Conference Virtual

The Business Case for Learning - Recessions and economic downturns happen. Many of us have worked – or tried to work – through more than one economic downturn. As training departments tend to be small compared to other departments, how do we stay relevant in tough economic times? Chris Pirie from the Learning Futures Group sits down with the Train Like … Continue reading The Business Case for Learning

eLearning Development with Ashley Chiasson - Training isn’t created in a vacuum. Many learning professionals spend hours reading about and looking for inspiration and the latest trends in design and development. There are a few key people in our industry who are interested in helping all of us move forward and push the limits of engaging and creative training. Award-winning eLearning … Continue reading eLearning Development with Ashley Chiasson

Rapid Virtual Training Design is On The Way! (podcast) - Nobody knows what the world will look like in a few weeks, months, or years. One thing is for sure, there is a drastic increase in virtual tools to facilitate meetings, and we need to be successful working with them. This time has shown many of us that virtual meetings may well be a way … Continue reading Rapid Virtual Training Design is On The Way! (podcast)

Connecting With the Learning Community – Bianca Woods - The Learning and Development community is not always easy to break into. Even in an office setting with a relatively large training team, finding one’s connection into the community can be a herculean pursuit. In this week’s podcast, we talk to someone who works hard to solve this problem. Bianca Woods of the Learning Guild … Continue reading Connecting With the Learning Community – Bianca Woods

Getting Started as an eLearning Developer (podcast) - How did you get into training and development? Did you study for this job in school? Or, like many of us, did you find your way here unexpectedly? No matter how you wound up in your role, you started the same way we all did, green and looking for resources and a community to help … Continue reading Getting Started as an eLearning Developer (podcast)

How To Design An Effective Onboarding Program - The first day on a new job can be daunting. People are walking into a group who have already established relationships with each other and found their place in a company. Like being the new kid at school, new employees may feel lost and out of place before even walking through the doors of the … Continue reading How To Design An Effective Onboarding Program

The Value of Being Active on Social Media in L&D - What value can learning and development folks get from being more active on social media? Well one opportunity is to talk with people like Mike Taylor from Mike-Taylor.org about all of the cool things he finds on the internet. You can also geek out with Brian Washburn about all things training and development, or Heather … Continue reading The Value of Being Active on Social Media in L&D

Addressing Challenges and Getting Help - How do you move forward when a project challenges you and you don’t see a clear path? On the podcast this week, Brian sits down with his colleague and Director of Instructional Design at Endurance Learning, Heather Snyder, to dig into this topic. During this chat, they discuss some challenges they encounter during the training … Continue reading Addressing Challenges and Getting Help

Training In The Age of COVID - What does training look like in a COVID-19 or even post-COVID-19 world?  A lot of people are talking about how their jobs are changing. Whether it be working from home, adapting to new norms, or changing their skill set as an essential worker, these changes are impacting the way we work and how we approach … Continue reading Training In The Age of COVID

How to Approach Training Like a Marketer - Do you ever find yourself putting on your marketing hat and trying to “sell” a new process or implementation in your training? In this week’s podcast, we sit down with Mike Taylor of MikeTaylor.org and discuss what instructional designers can learn from the advertising and marketing approach and apply it to training. If you are … Continue reading How to Approach Training Like a Marketer

Keys to Successful Training with an International Audience - Good instructional design may be universal, but are there considerations we need to take into account when training an international audience? This week on our Train Like You Listen podcast, Mary Cropp, Director of Learning and Development at Bluetooth SIG,  joins us again to talk about her experiences working with international audiences and how that … Continue reading Keys to Successful Training with an International Audience

Keys to being an effective “producer” in your next virtual training - How many people does it take to put on a successful webinar? A facilitator is obviously necessary to present the content and facilitate activities. If you want to present information while using polls, having participants white board on the screen and getting people into small groups using the breakout rooms feature all while responding to private … Continue reading Keys to being an effective “producer” in your next virtual training

Lessons Learned in Quickly Shifting to Virtual Training - Things have changed for many of us very quickly. Many of us are at home, but we haven’t stopped working. As we get used to a new way to interact with one another, the dynamics of our interactions need to change. As many people have probably experienced, an online meeting or training is a different … Continue reading Lessons Learned in Quickly Shifting to Virtual Training

Innovation In L and D - As professionals in the learning and development community, it is important to push ourselves to find new approaches to problems. Being innovative can be defined many ways, but it isn’t necessity as complex as we may think. On the podcast this week, Darren Nerland Learning Strategist at Degreed sits down with us to talk about … Continue reading Innovation In L and D

Tips For Engaging Learners - Some folks say they don't care about "engaging" training. What does "engagement" even mean, and is it important? 

Creating an L&D Portfolio (10-min podcast) - Listen to an L&D hiring manager talk about how to get started, what should be included, and what to do about proprietary work samples.

The Path to Getting Published - Becoming a published writer can be tricky to navigate. Now that many of us are working from home and have a bit more free time, stretch goals like writing an article or even a book may feel a bit more realistic. In this podcast, we chat with Eliza Blanchard who is the Learning & Development … Continue reading The Path to Getting Published

How To Keep Learning Going After Training (podcast) - A lot of magic can happen during a training, conference, or webinar, but what happens after the session ends? Keeping the learning going after a session enables trainers to build on what happens in a session; however, designing this may not be easy. This week we sit down with Nancy Bacon of Nancy Bacon Consulting … Continue reading How To Keep Learning Going After Training (podcast)

Successfully Working in a Remote Office (podcast) - Many workers are being asked to work remotely, but how does that change the way we work? In a post last week, we looked at some resources and tips around shifting to a home office. Recently, Gus Curran wrote a timely blog post about successfully adapting to a remote team. This week, Gus sat down … Continue reading Successfully Working in a Remote Office (podcast)

Trying New Things with Mel Milloway (podcast) - In a post last week, Brian asked a variety of questions, including whether people are inclined to experiment with new technologies or if they’d prefer to use their old stand-by’s. 83% of respondents said they like to experiment with new technologies. Recently, Brian had a chance to sit down with Amazon’s Melissa Milloway to discuss … Continue reading Trying New Things with Mel Milloway (podcast)

Designing Webinars with Kassy LaBorie - How to make webinars more engaging, where Kassy Laborie finds inspiration, and a few tips you can bring to your next live, web-based session.

2019 ATD State of the Industry Report (podcast) - Each year, the Association for Talent Development publishes its annual State of the Industry Report. The data is gathered from organizations across the country and around the world who report on things such as average amount of money per employee spent on professional development and the average number of hours that employees spend in formal … Continue reading 2019 ATD State of the Industry Report (podcast)

Engaging eLearning Design Tips with Tim Slade (podcast) - This week on the Train Like You Listen podcast, Brian sits down with Tim Slade of  timslade.com to discuss eLearning. During this conversation, Brian and Tim discuss how to create engaging eLearning, share tips on how to manage expectations with clients who want amazing eLearning developed quickly and cheaply, and discuss where to find new … Continue reading Engaging eLearning Design Tips with Tim Slade (podcast)

Applying Lean Principles to Onboarding (podcast) - Applying lean principles to learning initiatives doesn't just mean reducing the amount of time employees spend in the training room.

Are people the biggest barrier to an effective organizational learning strategy? - What's holding workplaces back from getting information and knowledge into the hands of their employees in the moment of need?

Augmented & Virtual Reality (AR & VR) in Training - We are back this week with episode 3 of Train Like You Listen. This week, we sit down with Betty Dannewitz from If You Ask Betty to discuss what role Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality play in training, her experience with these realities, and the future of these technologies. Listen using the player below. Please … Continue reading Augmented & Virtual Reality (AR & VR) in Training

Competitive vs. Cooperative Games in the Training Room (Podcast) - We are back this week with episode 2 of Train Like You Listen. This week, we sit down with Lauren Wescott from Endurance Learning to discuss a few key things to keep in mind when incorporating games into training, and how to decide which type of game supports your content. Listen using the player below. … Continue reading Competitive vs. Cooperative Games in the Training Room (Podcast)

Train Like You Listen: A New L&D podcast - Each week we'll bring you a 5-8 minute podcast on L&D tips, trends and topics. Here's Episode 1!