chris taylor

The Business of Meetings – Episode 188 – How to Measure Behavioral Changes and Learning and Development with Chris Taylor

Today, we have the great pleasure of speaking with Chris Taylor, the Founder and CEO of Actionable.co, a company at the forefront of revolutionizing how organizations measure the impact of their investments in learning and development. 

There are many parallels and commonalities between the meetings and events industry and the work Chris is doing. He joins us today to discuss some valuable insights revealed in a survey, share stories, and impart the wisdom he has amassed throughout his journey.

Bio:

Actionable.co CEO Chris Taylor works at the leading edge of learning sustainment and impact measurement for progressive organizations.

Described once by a client as "a curious blend of Boomer and Gen-Y”, Chris is often called upon to act as a bridge and translator between generations at work, our new state of constant change, and the impact technology has on team dynamics. He brings a self-deprecating sense of humor and groundedness to his keynotes and workshops, ensuring attendees leave inspired and well-equipped to drive real change back in the workplace.

Through Actionable.co, Chris brings empirical evidence and stories to illustrate how we measure ROI on corporate learning initiatives and the systems to ensure every program creates a lasting impact. He has personally consulted with over 400 organizations across six countries in almost any sector you can name.

In addition to being a regular speaker for both public and private events, Chris has penned over 150 articles for dozens of publications, been quoted in The National Post, Toronto Star, and Globe & Mail, and hosted 90+ thought leader interviews for the iTunes #2 ranked business podcast, The 21st Century Workplace.

Chris’s story

Chris embarked on his first business venture at the age of twelve. Later, with dreams of becoming a film producer, he pursued a path in film school, only to realize its challenges. He then shifted his focus to sales and marketing, discovering a profound passion for sales leadership and the art of selling. In his early 20s, he successfully ran his own business, but success got the better of him, and his arrogance led to its downfall, motivating him to embark on a soul-searching journey to understand where he went wrong. That journey disillusioned him with how information got consumed conventionally and drove him to explore the transformative power of how a different learning application could lead to changes in behavior, eventually leading him to create a training company. His company eventually evolved into a licensing business and became a software company. Actionable.co satisfied his desire to quantify and improve how learning gets applied. 

Chris currently resides in Toronto with his wife and two children and frequently divides his time between Canada and Australia.

Key Insights from the Survey on Achieving Impact through Training

From a recent survey focused on achieving impact through training programs, several pivotal insights emerged, emphasizing the critical interplay between content, context, and personal relevance in driving successful behavioral changes. 

Content-Context Balance to Elevate Training Effectiveness

One of the central findings of the survey underscored the significance of the content-context ratio within organizational training programs. Traditionally, many training sessions focus on cramming as much information as possible into a limited timeframe. However, that approach often needs to pay more attention to the essential element of context. The survey revealed that the emphasis has to shift in order for training to lead to changes in behavior. 

More Effective Training Sessions

Training sessions should not merely deliver information but also provide an environment where participants can reflect and answer the fundamental question, "So what?”. For optimal results, training initiatives should allocate a minimum of three to one, ideally, five to one, in terms of time spent on context building versus content delivery. By affording participants ample time and space for self-reflection, the training becomes more effective in promoting meaningful change.

The Power of Personal Relevance

Executives may articulate why a change is vital at a high organizational level. Yet, genuine motivation for change only arises when individuals discern how that change would affect them personally. So, a connection between training content and unique aspirations, challenges, and objectives of every individual is required to foster deeper motivation and commitment to change. Training programs should create an environment that encourages participants to reflect on and internalize the content.

Leveraging Meetings and Events for Organizational Impact

For professionals in the meetings and events industry, the survey findings emphasized the potential for meetings and events to become instrumental in driving organizational impact. Events can serve as valuable touchpoints for organizations, effectively communicating their goals and objectives. Including meaningful content-context discussions and ensuring that the content resonates personally with the attendees allows meetings and events to become catalysts for changing how people behave within organizations.

Demonstrating the Long-Term Impact of Meetings and Events

Incorporating training and learning components into events presents an opportunity for organizations to showcase their long-term impact. By tracking the behavior changes of event attendees over time, organizations can establish a direct link between the event and outcomes such as improved employee retention, increased sales, or enhanced leadership skills. 

The Power of Defining Event Objectives

Defining a clear objective for an event and measuring its progress allows organizations to ensure that their event will drive meaningful change and align with strategic priorities.

Integrating Training Components into Events for More Impact

By integrating training and learning components into events and measuring their long-term impact, organizations can demonstrate the value of those initiatives and justify investing in them.

Smaller Cohorts and Accountability in Learning

Smaller cohorts of around five to eight participants are ideal for fostering engagement and driving change. Accountability partners also play a significant role in maintaining commitment to learning and change. Emphasizing one behavior change at a time and implementing accountability measures allows organizations to increase the likelihood of participants successfully applying their new knowledge and skills.

Overcoming Business Challenges with Humility 

An important lesson Chris learned was the value of seeking honest and sometimes critical feedback from trusted advisors. Surrounding yourself with people who challenge your ideas and provide candid assessments can lead to more informed decisions and ultimately contribute to resilience and business growth.

Connect with Eric

LinkedIn

Facebook

Instagram

Website

Connect with Chris Taylor

LinkedIn

Actionable.co website

Actionable.co resources

Join us for an interview with Chris Taylor, the author of "Test Pilot: An Extraordinary Career Testing Civil Aircraft".  Chris has flown over 400 types of aircraft and shares with us his experiences, adventures, and insights into the world of the test pilot. 

The book is a wonderful read and is divided into chapters that can be read individually.  Additionally, Chris writes with a conversational style that will have you laughing out loud at certain parts - especially when it comes to Fred!

Grab a copy here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1399085344/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_PCEW103SCMS52NTSN88C


If you enjoy this episode, subscribe to this podcast, you can find links to many podcast streaming services here:

PilotPhotog Podcast (buzzsprout.com)

You can check out my YouTube channel for many videos on fighter planes here:

https://youtube.com/c/PilotPhotog

If you’d like to support this podcast:

https://www.patreon.com/PilotPhotog

And finally you can follow me on Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/pilotphotog

To help support this podcast and become a PilotPhotog ProCast member: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1555784/support

If you enjoy this episode, subscribe to this podcast, you can find links to most podcast streaming services here:

PilotPhotog Podcast (buzzsprout.com)

Sign up for the free weekly newsletter Hangar Flyingwith Tog here:

https://hangarflyingwithtog.com

You can check out my YouTube channel for many videos on fighter planes here:

https://youtube.com/c/PilotPhotog

If you’d like to support this podcast via Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/PilotPhotog

And finally, you can follow me on Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/pilotphotog

Should the Yankees keep Cashman and Boone or clean house?  They did as well as could be expected this season.   Mets too have a lot of big decisions to make this offseason.
Dodgers vs Giants meet for the first time ever in their storied franchises histories.   Sucks it has to be in the NLDS and not for the right to go to the World Series.
OBJ has been playing with a torn labrum for ten years dating back to his LSU days?  Get the surgery man!

All sports. One podcast. (even hockey)
PODCAST LINK ON ITUNES: http://bit.ly/JDTSPODCAST

How does it feel to know we're really living our purpose? What's the felt sense inside that tells us to keep going in a particular direction? Or to stop?  Radical evolutionary, Chris Taylor explores the pathways to right being that will let us transform what it is to be human. 

Chris Taylor, author of 'The Tao of Revolution' is a Tai Chi teacher, regenerative farmer, musician, performance poet, facilitator-of-change and author - who describes himself as a revolutionary mystic. Or mystical revolutionary. His book is described as 'A field guide for Global Transformation, - a book on climate and societal change that isn't about the coming chaos, but about how we learn to live with the future.  The system will not be over-thrown, it will be overgrown - here's how.'

In this heart-warming, thought-provoking podcast we move through Immanuelle Wallerstein, Quaker philosophy and Mellissa Etheridge to the Green New Deal, QAnon  and Taoism, to how we can live deeply connected to the land that feeds us.

Ultimately, we explore the opportunities and gifts of our times and the ways that we can each find the margins of ourselves, find the things that make our hearts sing and find the ways to do them - so that together, we are building a world based on connection, coherence and empowerment.

Chris Taylor's book: The Tao of Revolution: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/The-Tao-of-Revolution-by-Chris-Taylor-author/9781939269973
Oasis Human Relations: https://www.oasishumanrelations.org.uk
Grace Blakeley: Green Capitalism is not enough: https://democracycollaborative.org/learn/publication/green-capitalism-not-enough
Jem Bendell's Deep Adaptation paper: https://jembendell.com/2019/05/15/deep-adaptation-versions/
Immanuelle Wallerstein: World Systems Analysis: https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/World-Systems-Analysis-by-Immanuel-Maurice-Wallerstein/9780822334422

You're listening to Danny, on WHAT : DE HEK podcast. This is the place where I share my experience, knowledge and skills.

Welcome. Hello. Nice to have you here today. I have Chris Taylor. Good friend of mine. How long have we known each other for now, Chris?

Chris Taylor 0:20 
Oh, about 100 years, I reckon.

Danny de Hek 0:22 
100 years. That's very good. So I've got 12 questions with Danny. I'm going to ask you the one that you've already been asked. And the rest of you who don't know, what is your favourite animal?

Chris Taylor 0:33 
Definitely my dog.

Danny de Hek 0:37 
star started this podcast about 20 minutes ago, and then I suddenly remembered my dog was in the dog room as Lee had to go pick him up. So we've started again. Question number two. If money was no object, what would you do all day long.

Chris Taylor 0:53 
If money was no object, I would run a orphanage in Africa for 1000 children.

Danny de Hek 1:08 
Yeah. Now have you watched that movie Marcel Marceau

Chris Taylor 1:11 
Oh, are we while ago

Danny de Hek 1:15 
is one on Netflix. And that said he was helping the orphanages people over the war period. And to keep the kids occupied he started doing his miming, that was really, really good movie, actually. But I didn't he know how he became Marcel Marceau am I saying that? Right? So yeah, the French French? The French guy. Yeah. Yeah, that's a really good story. Hunt it if you haven't seen it, I think it's relatively new on Netflix. So you might not have seen it.

Chris Taylor 1:44 
Fascinating fact about masama. So he wants made a pass at David Bowie. And David Berry, the musician wanted to be a mime artist in the mid 60s. And Marcel fancy David. But David wasn't having any of it.

Danny de Hek 2:05 
Labyrinth is that the right one?

Chris Taylor 2:07 
Way before Labyrinth, Danny so when he was finding his feet in the 60s

Danny de Hek 2:13
that right so this is one is probably a little bit not applicable so much with all the COVID stuff going on. But what form of public transportation do you prefer? And it's given us a multi choice that you can make that let's go Air, Boat, Train, Bus, Car.

See Full TXT Script at  https://www.dehek.com/general/podcast/what-de-hek-12-questions-with-chris-taylor/

P.S. If you like this podcast please click “like” or provide comment, as that will motivate me to publish more. Would you like the opportunity to be featured on the WHAT : DE HEK Podcast? You are welcome to INVITE YOURSELF to be a guest.