The Learning & Development PodcastThis is a breakdown of the podcast below, available only for 📈 Pro Members.
💡 The Big Idea
🥡 Key Takeaways
- Creating intentional and specific learning experiences that align with performance expectations is crucial.
- Conversations with business partners should focus on performance requirements, performance gaps, and KPIs that can lead to impactful results.
- Measuring the success of training and learning involves intentional planning and data-driven decision-making processes that align with the organization's strategic objectives.
- Using both quantitative and qualitative data can help in communicating the impact of the learning program to different audiences and increase credibility.
🤔 My Thoughts
I found the conversation on this podcast to be incredibly relevant to the challenges and opportunities faced by learning professionals today. Bonnie's methodology of impact-based design, which ties learning experiences to performance expectations and requirements, is a step in the right direction toward creating intentional and specific learning experiences that trigger performance and fulfill their purpose.
One of the biggest challenges for learning professionals is shifting their mindset toward data and measurement. There is a gap in the industry regarding quantitative data, and it is crucial that we start measuring the success of training and learning in a more rigorous and systematic way.
At times, it can be tempting to jump directly into providing training as a solution without fully understanding the root cause of the performance gap. As learning professionals, we need to be able to hold ourselves accountable for the impact we are making and be curious about the results of our efforts.
In terms of communication and language, learning professionals need to speak the language of business and use their metrics to effectively communicate the value and impact of our work. Understanding the audience is key to sharing the value of a project or initiative, and utilizing the language and metrics of business can effectively demonstrate the connection between learning objectives and business outcomes.
However, this mindset shift and emphasis on data and measurement can be challenging for many learning professionals. The fear of being relegated to just being order takers can be daunting, but holding ourselves accountable and recognizing that change can be made is key.
It is clear that there is a need for rigorous measurement and accountability in the learning and development industry. The use of tools to directly measure the achievement of objectives can reveal insights into what instructional methods worked and what failed. Consider the different individuals within your organization who are moved by stories or data and communicate the impact of training through a combination of quantitative and qualitative data.
Qualitative data captures the heart; quantitative data captures the mind.
🤓 Podcast Q&A
What is impact-based design, and how does it relate to learning and performance?
Impact-based design is a methodology that focuses on creating intentional and specific learning experiences that trigger performance and fulfill their purpose. It is tied to performance expectations and requirements and aims to create a measurable impact on business goals through learning and development efforts.
How do you have different kinds of conversations with business partners and stakeholders in regard to learning and development?
Conversations with business partners and stakeholders should shift towards a focus on business goals, performance requirements, performance gaps, and KPIs. By asking what it looks like in real-time day-to-day when people are performing in a way that helps achieve business goals, business partners can answer questions about performance expectations without realizing it.
What are some challenges faced by learning professionals when introducing data and measurement into their methodology?
One of the biggest challenges for learning professionals is shifting their mindset toward data and measurement. They fear being relegated to just being order takers and need to hold themselves accountable and be curious about the impact they're making. Changing an organization's understanding of the learning department is also a big challenge when introducing measurement.
🌎 Real-life Scenario
Let's say that a company's sales team is having difficulty hitting its performance targets for sales numbers. After engaging with the business team and conducting some analysis, the learning and development (L&D) team determines that the sales team lacks the necessary critical thinking skills to close deals and negotiate effectively.
The L&D team then develops a plan to create a training program that focuses specifically on critical thinking skills for salespeople. They create a measurement map that links the training modules directly to the sales team's objectives, such as closing rate, revenue per sale, and client retention.To ensure that the learning is effective, the L&D team designs assessments that measure observable behaviors and critical thinking skills rather than relying solely on opinion-based surveys. They also implement pre and post testing to measure learning effect and level of retention.
Once the program has been launched, the L&D team measures the success of the training by comparing the sales team's performance before and after the training, using operational metrics that business units pay attention to. They also survey the sales team to gather feedback on the effectiveness of the program.
The L&D team correlates the observed measurable changes in performance to the training program and sees that the performance metrics have improved for the sales team. Based on the training program's success, they continue refining their approach to improving the sales team's critical thinking skills, applying the same measurement map linked to the specific objectives to determine the training's efficacy in driving the desired outcomes. The L&D team provides data-backed insights to the business partners to explain how the training led to improvements in performance.
🏕️ Metaphor
🧠 Key Terms Discussed
Impact-Based Design
- Definition: a methodology created by Bonnie that focuses on designing learning experiences that trigger performance and fulfill their particular purpose.
- Relevance: It is essential to design training that meets business needs and is aligned with performance expectations and requirements to create successful learning experiences.
- Examples: Using data and KPIs to design learning objectives for employees in a particular department that connects with their jobs, doing discovery-based conversations with stakeholders, performance requirements, and performance gaps.
- Related Terms: Performance Expectations, Learning Objectives, KPIs.
Post-Mortem Approach
- Definition: a method of measuring the effectiveness of training after the fact. It typically relies on LMS data and surveys.
- Relevance: It can be tough to measure results accurately when using this approach, and it often leads to inaccurate results.
- Examples: conducting surveys and analyzing LMS data to determine the effectiveness of a training program after it is done.
- Related Terms: Performance Metrics, Measurement Tool, Assessment, Behavioral Indicators.
- Common Misconceptions: this method is reliable and leads to accurate measurements.
Measurement Map
- Definition: A framework or outline of measurements and assessments developed to capture the data required to measure learning outcomes based on specific goals and objectives.
- Relevance: To accurately evaluate the effectiveness of training and development courses, a measurement map aligns with the achievement of specific learning objectives.
- Examples: Mapping Key Performance Indicators to attainable learning objectives, mapping behavioral indicators to assessments to measure learning outcomes.
- Related Terms: Learning Objectives, Behavioral Indicators, Performance Metrics.
Learning Objectives
- Definition: Clear statements that describe an expected outcome or knowledge that learners will acquire as a result of completing a training program.
- Relevance: Create a definitive learning picture, outline the skills required, and provide a foundation for planning and evaluation in evaluation design.
- Examples: Learn to communicate more effectively, gain leadership skills to become a team leader.
- Related Terms: Behavioral Indicators, Measurement Map, KPIs.
KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
- Definition: Measurable values used by businesses to know if they are achieving their business goals and objectives and how well they are progressing towards them.
- Relevance: Provides the necessary insight in measuring performance in the course of executing business strategies, and it allows businesses to identify which aspects of their performance need improvement.
- Examples: Increase sales by 10% in the next quarter, reduce operational cost by 5%, increase productivity by 15%.
- Related Terms: Performance Expectations, Learning Objectives.
- Common Misconceptions: Using KPIs alone as a measurement of success in training and development can be unreliable.
Behavioral Indicators
- Definition: Observable behavior exhibited by learners intended to measure knowledge and skills acquisition.
- Relevance: It helps to measure the effectiveness of training accurately and identify areas of improvement.
- Examples: A sales representative increasing their sales; a construction worker making fewer mistakes.
- Related Terms: Performance Metrics, Learning Objectives, Measurement Map.
- Common Misconceptions: It is focused on measuring behavior only, and it does not apply context in the measurement of performance.
👉 Steel This LinkedIn Post
Feel free to copy and use this text and image as a LinkedIn post!
🌟As an L&D professional, the discussion touched on a topic close to my heart – the importance of measuring impact.
📊It's so crucial for us to shift our mindset towards data and measurement, to demonstrate the value we bring to our organizations.
💼I loved the idea of creating a measurement map, linking objectives to corresponding assessments, to clearly show the effectiveness of our learning programs.
🗺️And let's not forget the importance of speaking the language of the business, to effectively communicate value. It's time for us to prove our worth!
💪Overall, a fantastic episode with great insights for the L&D industry.
#learninganddevelopment #measuringimpact #L&Dgoals #professionaldevelopment
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