Learning at Large

What can L&D teams learn from marketing? As it turns out - quite a lot. In this episode, we're joined by Bianca Baumann and Mike Taylor, two learning experts passionate about applying marketing principles to learning design. From learner personas to engagement strategies, they explain how a marketing mindset can help L&D teams better connect with audiences, drive meaningful impact, and prove value to stakeholders. Ep. 66 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

Organizational learning isn't just a nice idea – it's essential to staying resilient, productive, and people-centered. But what does it really look like in action? In this episode, Dr. Nigel Paine, a learning and leadership expert, explores how organizations can shift away from individual performance and toward collective learning. Nigel shares his vision for learning cultures built on trust, team connection, and the “organizational brain". Ep. 65 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

AI isn't just around the corner – it's already transforming the way we work and learn. But how can Learning and Development (L&D) teams make the most of it today? In this episode, Egle Vinauskaite, a learning technology and AI consultant, uncovers the real impact of AI on workplace learning - unraveling the biggest opportunities, challenges, and common mistakes L&D teams face when integrating AI into their strategies. Ep. 64 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

The world of workplace learning is changing. Traditional competency models are being challenged, and organizations are shifting towards skills-based learning. But what does this shift really mean, and how can businesses implement it effectively? In this episode, Nick Shackleton-Jones, CEO and Founder of Shackleton Consulting, joins us to discuss the key aspects of skills-based learning, its impact on talent development, and practical steps for making the transition. Ep. 63 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

For too long, learning programs have relied on expensive tools and complex systems to measure impact. But what if organizations already have the data they need? Dr. Alaina Szlachta is on a mission to help L&D professionals leverage existing resources for smarter evaluation. In this episode, she shares why she believes measurement isn't as complicated as it seems - and how learning leaders can drive impact with what's already at their fingertips. Ep. 62 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Dr. Heidi Kirby is revolutionizing the world of learning and development (L&D). With a passion for creating meaningful learning experiences, she's on a mission to align L&D strategies with business goals, all while keeping the learner at the center. In this episode, Heidi shares her journey, insights, and a bold vision for the future of L&D. Ep. 61 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

For too long learning has happened without consideration of the underlying mental processes it involves. The results? We're all working against the brain, rather than with it. And this is something that Lauren Waldman, Founder and Learning Scientist behind Learning Pirate, has set out to change. Hear why she's on a mission to get L&D to lead with the science. In fact, she thinks everyone should better understand their brain. Explore how new science-based habits can transform your learning, and get your neurons firing to develop some truly transferable human skills. Ep. 60 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

There's never been a better moment to address L&D's persistent elephant in the room. Advances in technology mean measurement and evaluation is now more accessible than ever. That's why Alaina Szlachta, doctor in education and human behavior, thinks it's time we woke up to all the data around us. In this episode, hear why she says this starts with asking the right questions. Explore how you can make data-informed decisions, and dive in and discover some ways Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help.  Ep. 59 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Producing effective learning at scale isn't straightforward. Add a decentralized learning model to the mix and things can get even more complicated. We found out how Geraldine Murphy, global digital learning leader, approaches this challenge at one of the world's largest drinks brands. In this episode, hear how she's driving standards against a backdrop of constant demand from a range of operating companies. Discover the skill and mindset you need to balance global strategies with local needs. Ep. 58 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) is something no learning leader can ignore. If you're going to change behavior in your organization, you can't just reach for an off-the-shelf compliance module. That's why Shola Aminu, Global Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Ogilvy, is putting DE&I front of mind in his organization. In this episode of the Learning at Large Podcast find out how his pioneering approaches make it anything but a tick box exercise. Explore how your business can take every employee on an authentic journey with DE&I. Ep. 57 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Continuous learning is essential for individuals and organizations to adapt, grow, and thrive. Hear how France Bobet, Global Learning Experience Leader at Finnish tech company Wolt, empowers in-house experts to create impactful learning. France shares insights into their journey towards decentralized learning and a collaborative model, whilst maintaining quality control and scaling the model. Ep. 56 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Despite the rapid digital transformation of recent years, learning and development approaches have barely shifted. Hear why Katja Schipperheijn, learning strategist, consultant, author and keynote speaker, thinks we need a new future focused L&D model. Discover how innovative tech-driven strategies are critical for empowering continuous people-centered learning. Find out why values need to be at the heart of a connected learning ecosystem. Ep. 55 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

We've all heard about the game changing powers of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). But what does it look like in practice? Angie Elliott, Manager of Sales Enablement and Talent Development at Hormel Foods, shares how she's using generative AI models to bring back something that we all want and miss: time. Discover how AI is freeing up L&D to focus on what's important. Dive into her practical time saving tips that are anything but lazy content hacks. Ep. 54 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Every organization is unique and will have its own challenges. So how do you take your Learning & Development (L&D) experience and apply it in a completely different sector? Hear how Marina Mologni, Global People Development Manager at Edwards Vacuum, did just this when she made the move from finance to engineering. Find out how she got to grips with a new business landscape. Discover how speaking the business' language is key to building credibility and showing the value of L&D. Ep. 53 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

While investment in L&D has steadily risen over the years, business productivity has been flatlining. Hear why Simon Gibson, Group Head of Learning & Development at Marks and Spencer, thinks L&D isn't having the right impact. Find out how understanding your business and getting future-focused will help you correct this situation and show your value. Ep. 52 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Performance management is critical in every organization – whether it's a global brand leader or large academic institute. Hear Liz Lacovara, Director Learning, Change and Organizational Development at John Hopkins University, reflect on her shift from corporate to not-for-profit. Find out how the same barriers to managing performance are faced everywhere. Discover how taking a different approach to measurements and insights is key to showing the value of L&D. Ep. 51 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Faced with shifting responsibilities and rapid technological advances, L&D need to develop new capabilities at pace. For Lloyd Dean, Management Consultant at PA Consulting, this means more than just making a change. It means leading the way. Hear why he believes it all starts with purpose, not just with tech. Find out how open, honest and transparent measurement will help everyone succeed. Ep. 50 Brought to you by Elucidat.

For too long compliance training has been stuck in a rut. So focused on teaching the law, its purpose got lost. Kirsten Liston, founder of Rethink Compliance, says it's time to shake things up. Hear how she wants to move beyond the rules to put humans back at the center of compliance. Discover how values and culture fit into this picture. Find out why data collection is key to driving impact. Ep. 49 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

L&D is too often based on fads. The latest trends are quickly adopted without evaluation. The results are hit or miss. If you're going to make a real impact, Mirjam Neelen, Head of Global Learning Design & Learning Sciences at Novartis, believes you need to start with the evidence. In this episode, hear how she takes an evidence-informed approach to learning design and discover how you can look beyond the latest trends to focus on what really matters. Ep. 48 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

It's an open secret that businesses throw huge sums of money at training that is often grossly ineffective. If we're going to stop this collective madness, Nick Shackleton-Jones, CEO and Founder of Shackleton Consulting, believes we need to change the way we think about learning. In this episode, find out why you need to start questioning the conventions, explore how to get your stakeholders on board with a better alternative, and dive into his tips and strategies for delivering high-impact learning experiences. Ep. 47 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Faced with growing skill gaps, businesses are rethinking how their work is organized. The shift to skills-based organizations is gaining traction. But what does this mean for L&D? Lori Niles-Hofmann, Senior Learning EdTech Transformation Strategist at NilesNolen, sees it as your time to shine. Find out why she recommends not reaching for the latest piece of tech, and instead focusing on what L&D do best. Explore Lori's advice on staying in your lane and focusing on producing holistic learning experiences. Ep. 46 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Successful onboarding can significantly improve employee engagement and retention rates. But with more than half of organizations losing new hires in the first six months, this isn't happening. Hear how Melanie Lepine, Global Onboarding Lead at CBRE, is changing things with an effective onboarding process that works at scale. Find out how collaboration is critical to creating a sense of belonging, and explore how she gets to the real measures of success. Ep. 45 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

“The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size,” said Albert Einstein. Hear how Lila Warren, Global Head of Retail Academy at a leading retail brand, is putting this idea at the heart of her learner-led approach. Find out why she's harnessing curiosity and empowering her people to find the answers themselves, and discover how to shift from serving things up on a plate to enabling people to own their development. Ep. 44 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Faced with increasing training demand and more strategic responsibilities than ever before, L&D is feeling the pressure. Hear how Heather Gilmartin Adams, Senior Analyst at RedThread Research, is helping L&D teams understand that they don't have to tackle the learning content dilemma alone. Find out why this requires a big mindset shift and a new model, and discover how taking a focused approach and deputizing learning content creation will deliver real value. Ep. 43 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

L&D are under increased pressure to deliver more with less. Hear how David Hepworth, Learning & Talent – Design and Technology Lead at Aviva, is meeting this challenge with democratized learning creation. Discover how to get alignment across your organization on this learning strategy, and find out why being future-focused and respecting people's time is key to your success. Ep. 42 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

The skills and knowledge businesses need to succeed are constantly evolving. If you're going to keep up, learning and development needs to be an ongoing process. But what does this involve? In this episode, hear how Jason Flynn, Global Head of Learning at GfK, has developed continuous learning strategies that work at scale. Explore how building flexible learning habits enables employees and organizations to grow, and find out why user feedback is essential to the success of continuous learning. Ep. 41 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Companies with compliant and ethical cultures are more successful. Yet compliance training is often seen as a burden. Something that people have to do, rather than need or want to do. Jason Baker, Founder of Snowfish Learning, wants to change this attitude. Hear how he's refocusing compliance training on behavior. Find out how to target your business' risks with integrated compliance training. Ep. 40 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Learning doesn't exist in a bubble. From daily tasks to urgent deadlines, lots of things are competing for employees' time. So, how can you get their attention and create real business impact? Hear how Zsolt Olah, Senior Learning Technologist at Amazon, is rethinking end user engagement. Explore how to dig deeper so engagement translates into real world impact.  Ep. 39 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

L&D is all about creating change. But how do you know if you've successfully achieved this? Hear why Kevin M Yates, L&D Detective, believes everyone can uncover the learning measurements that count. Find out when to measure and what to look for, and discover why refocusing the business on purpose is essential to creating impact. Ep. 38 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

Digital learning has been key to helping employees and businesses adapt over the last few years. Due to their critical input, L&D teams find themselves in an exciting position. Hear how Stella Lee, founder of Paradox Learning, wants everyone to grasp the opportunity of greater influence to lead with purpose, and explore how to be a learner advocate with thoughtful L&D thinking. Ep. 37 Brought to you by Elucidat. 

One size doesn't have to fit all when it comes to learning at scale. In this episode, hear how Brandon Carson, Vice President, Learning and Leadership Partner, has been personalizing learning for 2 million people at Walmart. Find out why it's important not to be intimidated by scale, discover how you can take an adaptive approach to give your employees what they really need, and explore why building trust through putting your people first leads to a positive impact.  Ep.36 Brought to you by Elucidat

From work deadlines to pressures at home, lots of things are vying for your employees' attention. If learning is going to be effective, you need to grab their interest and keep it. In this episode, hear how Ashley Sinclair, Managing Director at MAAS Marketing, uses marketing techniques to deliver this impact. Find out why focusing on human beings rather than learners is essential, and explore how quick experiments and small changes will help you find out what works. Ep.35 Brought to you by Elucidat

The Learning at Large Podcast is back!  This week our new host, Kirstie Greany, will be speaking with Lori Niles-Hofmann, Senior Learning EdTech Transformation Strategist at NilesNolen, about 'right skilling'.  As L&D adjusts to this new landscape, upskilling and reskilling are the go-to phrases. But have you thought about right skilling? Hear how Lori focuses on the skills that provide the most value. Discover how to identify the real business and employee needs, find out why collaboration is the key to success, and explore how to support people on a new kind of career path. Ep.34  Brought to you by Elucidat

In this episode, hear how Dave Barone, Consultant at Josh Bersin Academy, embraced technology to build an experiential onboarding platform for 25,000 employees a year. Find out why it’s so important to get to grips with your L&D data. Explore what meaningful measurement looks like. Finally, discover how engaged managers will drive real business impact. Explore bonus content from this episode here. (Ep.33)

Faced with a travel ban and changing customer needs, Worldpay adapted its sales approach in response to COVID-19. Hear how Patrick Bowl, Learning and Development Director, pivoted to a blended digital learning approach to support the sales team. Find out why developing a learning culture is the key to scaling L&D in a large organization. Discover how new approaches to learning need different ways to measure success. Explore exclusive bonus content from this episode here. (Ep32) 

When feedback highlighted that learners were becoming overwhelmed, GSK changed their approach. Hear how Martin Peart, GSK’s People Effectiveness Director, responded to this feedback with a learning experience platform (LXP). Find out why he believes less is more when it comes to learning content. Explore how to harness the power of AI so you can streamline your L&D offer. Discover why it’s important to make space for engaging content and use data to assess your impact. (Ep31)

The global pandemic has disrupted some of our well-established approaches to learning. How can you take this opportunity to change how people think about L&D? Hear how Travis Thompson, Learning and Development Operations Leader at Wells Fargo, has moved from transactional to meaningful learning. Find out why an agile approach to deployment and measurement maximizes your impact. Explore how being people-centered helps you build emotional intelligence across your organization. (Ep30)

The pandemic has transformed the way we learn. Being able to quickly adapt through a well-thought-out pivot has never been more important. Hear how Mary Glowacka, Vice President of Leadership Development & Engagement at Bank of America, transformed a blended wellness program for managers into an online program for everyone. Explore how building a learning culture enables a rapid response to change. Find out why a human-centered approach is the key to effective learning. (Ep29)

Business needs aren’t static. If you’re going to keep pace, you need to embrace new ways of working. In this week's episode, hear how Dan Mitchell, Global Learning Leader at Marsh, has built an L&D team that can meet rapidly changing business needs. Find out why striving for perfection doesn’t lead to effective learning. Explore how to cut through the noise and make a real business impact. Discover the importance of letting go of control and creating effective partnerships. (Ep28)

If you’re going to maximize your impact, learning and development needs to reach every employee. Hear how Leena Nair, Chief Human Resources Officer, and James Hu, Global HR Strategy Manager, are democratizing learning at Unilever. Find out why connecting every person with their purpose is the key to success. Explore how role modeling helps to make learning a lifelong habit. Discover how data reveals insights and proves the business value of L&D (Ep27)

After a short break the Learning at Large podcast is back with a brand new series - bringing you the top tips and tricks from learning leaders in some of the world's biggest organizations.  Faced with a global pandemic, being ready to adapt your approach is key to remaining effective. In this week’s episode, hear how Casper Moerck, Siemens’ Head of Learning Technology – Americas, has responded to COVID-19. Explore how he’s creating a robust learning ecosystem ready for future challenges. From embracing a learning culture to crowdsourcing skills gaps, find out how he puts his people at the center of L&D. (Ep26)

Lifelong learning keeps your people engaged and ready for the next step in their career with you. Hear how Joe Tischbern, Director of Talent Development and Engagement at Smart & Final, has used his own experience to inspire the next generation. Find out his secret to high retention and career loyalty, and discover how Joe built a homegrown leadership training program from scratch.   (Ep25)

The global pandemic has seen people rapidly adopting new technologies. Hear how Tracie Cantu, Director of Learning Technology at Wholefoods, is adapting her approach in light of these developments. Find out how she sees an increase in user experience data driving an L&D evolution, and how a modern learning ecosystem meets her organization’s unique needs.   (Ep24)

In the fast-changing world of retail, a workforce that’s ready to evolve with your business is key. Hear how Megan Comerford, Vice President of Talent Development, and Charles Donnell, Director of Talent Development, are focusing on the future at PVH. Find out how an agile approach to learning is building a workforce ready for change. Discover how using local partnerships and business expertise is central to their success.   Ep23

Great brand experiences don’t just happen. Your people make them happen. Hear how Kathleen Mattie, an experienced Global Learning and Development Director for many large-scale beauty brands, approached a global program of brand education. Find out how she managed a centralized learning model across 42 countries. Explore the impact of personal development. Discover why looking to consumers will give you metrics that matter.   (Ep22)

When research showed that traditional performance management wasn’t working, Gap Inc. decided to make a change. Hear how Rob Ollander Krane, Head of Talent Planning and Performance, transformed their approach. Explore how a toolkit of resources can support behavior change and empower managers, and find out why you need to keep retail learning short and visual if it’s going to be effective.   Ep21

Following a period of rapid growth, Lush North America needed to adapt - and a new learning strategy put its mission center stage. Hear Shauna Grinke, Head of People and Culture, share her insights into these changes. Find out how connecting your people with your purpose can see real results, and explore why the human element is key to effective retail L&D.   (Ep20)

From technological advances to evolving customer demands, the workplace is changing. And the skills and knowledge organizations need to succeed are changing too. In this week's episode, find out how Stefaan van Hooydonk, Chief Learning Officer at Cognizant, keeps up. Hear how he’s taking a new approach by building a culture of curiosity and embracing continuous learning. Enjoy!   (Ep19)

With fast-paced change and high employee turnover, retail is a unique sector. L&D in this dynamic landscape presents many challenges. In this week's episode hear Roberta Guinzoni, HR Director at Flying Tiger Copenhagen, share her insights into what makes retail L&D successful. Find out how she keeps pace with change and why being experimental is essential.   (EP18)

This week I'm joined by Melissa Taylor, Global L&D leader at Porter Novelli. In this episode, we hear how Melissa’s vast experience in behavior change communications plays out in her L&D role. We explore: why supporting conversations at scale matters, how Melissa created space for learning in the business, a live example of how you can motivate someone to want to learn, and how they manage to support a global audience without an LMS. Enjoy! (EP17)  

In this week’s episode, I speak to Bob Phibbs, also known as the Retail Doctor. We explore how to make a business case for learning and development, the vital missing ingredient for most training programs, why learning must be a personal choice, and finally, some examples of scalable learning interventions that have boosted company profits. I hope you enjoy the episode. (EP16)