LH #84 Shell in Transition with Jaap Hoogendoorn

Turning uncertainty from a problem into an opportunity.

We are living in a time of great uncertainty. Economies are still suffering the effects of Covid. Countries that are home to nearly half the world's population will hold elections in 2024. Meanwhile the climate is going mad, and geopolitics seem balanced on a knife edge. How do we cope with all this uncertainty in our personal and working lives? Katherine Templar Lewis and Sam Conniff are uncertainty experts, who bring their learning in neuroscience, psychology, history and social entrepreneurship to bear in helping organizations and individuals improve uncertainty tolerance.

• 0:00:00 - Start
• 00:00:31 - Intro
• 00:03:16 - Is uncertainty more than just a trend?
• 00:12:23 - Where does all this uncertainty come from
• 00:20:42 - How can we deal with uncertainty?
• 00:30:09 - Is AI increasing uncertainty?
• 00:38:22 - Be more pirate to profit from uncertainty
• 00:44:45 - Practical advice for coping with uncertainty
• 01:02:12 - End

Sponsor event:

• 21^st March is World Learning Content Clean-up Day: https://www.anewspring.com/articles/introducing-world-learning-content-cleanup-day

Follow Katherine

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ktemplarlewis
• Website (company): https://www.kindastudios.com/

Follow Sam

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samconniff
• Website (company): http://www.samconniff.com/
• Website (company): http://www.uncertaintyexperts.com/
• Website (company): http://www.bemorepirate.com/

Contact John Helmer

• X: @johnhelmer
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer/
• Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com/
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LearningHack

In the age of AI, what do we need humans for?

The latest advances in AI are highlighting human capabilities, and particularly shortcomings, in a way that causes us once again to re-evaluate what it is to be human. Rob Hubbard is Founder of LearningAge Solutions, an award-winning provider of digital learning services that practices what it calls human-centred learning. What exactly does that mean in the age of AI – and what does the future, for people who want to continue to work and provide value in the learning industries, look like?

• 00:00 - Start
• 00:31 - Intro
• 03:06 - What does he mean by ‘Human-centred Learning’?
• 11:13 - What is technology telling us about our strengths & weaknesses as humans?
• 23:45 - Mindfulness and attention
• 27:11 - Human thinking vs machine thinking
• 31:00 - Dealing with the shortcomings of technology
• 41:45 - Advice for employees in the new future of work
• 52:16 - Who does he follow?
• 57:41 - End

Sponsor event:

• 21^st March is World Learning Content Clean-up Day: https://www.anewspring.com/articles/introducing-world-learning-content-cleanup-day

Follow Rob

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robhubbard16
• Website (company): https://www.linkedin.com/in/robhubbard16
• Email: rob.hubbard@las-hq.com

Contact John Helmer

• X: @johnhelmer
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer/
• Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com/
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LearningHack

Does the way we talk about learning improve our understanding – or hold it back? 

The language of learning is charged with resonant abstract nouns that mobilize professionals around new ideas and concepts. But are these concepts really so new in all cases – and do they provide a focus for practical action? To what extent is the debate driven by the commercial imperatives of Learntech vendors rather than the real needs of employees and students? Peter Manniche Riber is Head of Digital Learning at Novo Nordisk, Europe's most valuable company, and a formidable critic of this 'buzzword bingo'. He talks to John Helmer about the language of learning. Does it help or hinder?

• 00:00:00 - Start
• 00:00:33 - Intro
• 00:03:19 - Is the language we use in learning fit for purpose?
• 00:09:06 - Peter’s Top 3 buzzword dislikes
• 00:12:34 - Drilling into those top 3 buzzword hates
• 00:26:17 - Digital Transformation
• 00:36:35 - Gamification
• 00:38:41 - GenAI and the language of learning
• 00:49:51 - The language of L&D
• 01:05:42 – End 

Sponsor event:

• AI & Training Design Masterclass with Dr. Philippa Hardman presented by aNewSpring, sign up at: https://hubs.la/Q02f-8PZ0

Follow Peter

• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/peter-manniche-riber-5565628b
• Email: petermr@me.com

Contact John Helmer

• X: @johnhelmer
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer/
• Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com/
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LearningHack

Can business professionals perform better with improv skills?

We admire great improvisers in music (Charlie Parker, Jimi Hendrix, etc.) while tending to be suspicious of leaders in business and government who seem to be 'making it up as they go along'. But are we right to think that way? Berlin-based Belina Raffy runs a consultancy and training company that helps people in organisations develop improvisation ability. She’s lived in many different countries including the UK, and worked in Finance before finding her vocation as a learning person. Institutions she has studied at include Ithaca College New York, the Chinese University in Hong Kong and Cranfield School of Management. Does this peripatetic early life, we wanted to find out, perhaps hold the key to her skills as an improviser?

00:00 - Start
00:33 - Intro
03:10 - What use is improv to serious business people?
11:04 - How relevant are her exercises to the working situation?
21:27 - Leadership, improv and integrity
27:38 - Theoretical underpinnings of improv?
39:59 - Belina’s journey in learning
50:47 - End

Sponsor event:
AI & Training Design Masterclass with Dr. Philippa Hardman presented by aNewSpring, sign up at: https://hubs.la/Q02f-8PZ0

Book mentioned in the discussion:
The Dawn of Everything. (2023, August 24). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dawn_of_Everything

Follow Belina
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/belina-raffy
Website (company): http://www.maffick.com/

@Maffick (Twitter for Maffick)

@BelinaRaffy (Twitter for Belina)
Email: belinaraffy@gmail.com

Contact John Helmer
X: @johnhelmer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer/
Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LearningHack

What is the best approach to using AI for learning in an organisation?

My guest this time on the Learning Hack thinks that it’s really important to know what problem you are trying to solve with AI in order to use it effectively for learning. The product has to come before the product. Egle Vinauskaite is the award-winning director of the learning innovation consultancy Nodes. Her expertise in learning, behavioural science, and technology has made her a sought-after edtech advisor by top startups and blue-chip companies. In this fascinating discussion, Egle describes how AI is ushering in entirely new ways of doing things in the world of learning and edtech.

00:33 - Intro
02:47 - What is ‘product mindset’?
11:22 - How well does the interface between buyers and sellers function?
22:17 - Generative AI and learning
40:01 - Egle’s journey in learning
46:56 - End

Sponsor event:
AI & Training Design Masterclass with Dr. Philippa Hardman presented by aNewSpring, sign up at: https://hubs.la/Q02f-8PZ0

Mentioned in the discussion:
Ethan Mollick: https://mgmt.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/emollick/

Follow Egle
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/vinauskaite
Website (company): https://www.nodes.works/
Email: egle.vinauskaite@gmail.com

Contact John Helmer
X: @johnhelmer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer/
Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LearningHack

Contact John Helmer
X: @johnhelmer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer/
Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LearningHack/

BONUS EPISODE: A talk by John Helmer recorded at the New Learning Conference, Netherlands.

Podcasts are everywhere, and have become recognised as a powerful information medium. But can a podcast really cut the mustard as a learning experience? This talk by John Helmer of the Learning Hack podcast, given as a 'live podcast session' at the Next Learning event, provides some answers. John looks at the learning theory around audio learning, practical considerations for using podcasts in an organisational (or institutional) context, and examples of podcasts being used to teach skills and support people in their learning.

- Introduction to podcasts for learning

- What the literature says

- The eye versus the ear

- Cognitive load

- Drawbacks & caveats

- The affective domain

- Practical exercise: sleep and learning (Stickgold & Walker)

What can horses and brain damage teach us about learning?

Sarah Ratcliff is an award-winning Learning Consultant, Speaker, and Ambassador for Learning, with over twenty years experience in the industry. She is currently a spokesperson for the learning provider Cegos, and a regular chair for the Learning Technologies conference. In 2020, she earned the esteemed Learning Professional of the Year award from the LPI. She talks to John about how the experiences in her life that have formed her views about learner engagement, including her love of horses and a debilitating head injury.

• 00:00 - Start
• 02:52 - How did Sarah get into learning?
• 09:47 - How do horses inform her view of learning?
• 14:48 - Her car crash and recovery
• 23:57 - Learner engagement
• 26:47 - Are marketing techniques useful for learner engagement?
• 36:10 - The extended L&D toolkit of today
• 42:59 - End

Follow Sarah

• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sarahratcliff
• Website (company): http://www.cegos.co.uk/
• Email: sarah.ratcliff@cegos.co.uk

Contact John Helmer

• X: @johnhelmer
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer/
• Website: https://learninghackpodcast.com/
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LearningHack

Kevin M. Yates is known in the global training, learning, and talent development community as the L&D Detective. He investigates impact and solves measurement mysteries with facts, clues, evidence, and data. His rigorous but pragmatic approach is informed by 25+ years industry experience serving in diverse roles across multiple industries and brands including Grant Thornton, Kantar, McDonald’s, and Meta (Facebook). Kevin talks to John about how he see the current state of learning evaluation in organisations – he's optimistic – and what AI holds for the future of his practice.