The Business of Learning

The Business of Learning, Episode 35: 15 Years in the Training Industry: Taking Stock and Looking Forward

The learning and development (L&D) field moves at a fast pace, as societal shifts and emerging technologies continue to impact the business of learning. In honor of Training Industry’s 15-year anniversary, we spoke with Ken Taylor, president and editor-in-chief at Training Industry, to reflect on what’s changed over the last decade and a half and what to expect in the future of the corporate training.

The Business of Learning, Episode 34: Giving Feedback in a Remote Workplace

While remote work has its perks, including increased flexibility during such a turbulent time, L&D must ensure leaders have the tools they need to set their remote employees, and their organizations, up for success. We spoke with Sergey Gorbatov and Angela Lane, human performance thought leaders and co-authors of “Fair Talk: Three Steps to Powerful Feedback,” to learn more about giving feedback in a remote workplace. 

The Business of Learning, Episode 33: Great Training Starts With Strategic Alignment

Our recently launched research report, “What Makes a Training Organization Great?”, identifies strategic alignment as the most important process capability. With that in mind, today, we spoke with Maggie Redling, manager of learning and development at AvidXchange, Inc., and Coleman Williams, senior manager of human resources and talent operations at AvidXchange, Inc., to learn more about strategic alignment. 

The Business of Learning, Special Episode: Virtual Sales Training and Coaching for a Remote Sales Force

Many businesses are still operating with a remote workforce due to COVID-19, and the sales force is no different. To learn how virtual sales training and coaching can set remote salespeople up for success, we spoke with Mark Magnacca, co-founder and president of Allego. 

The Business of Learning, Special Episode: Design as a Mindset for Training Managers

Design thinking is all the rage in the training industry lately, as it can help training managers improve learning solutions and make a greater impact. To learn more about how training managers can develop a design mindset — and leverage it for more effective and innovative training solutions — we spoke with Danny Seals, director of design and experience at GP Strategies.

The Business of Learning, Episode 32: Developing Leaders Who Can Succeed During a Crisis

Leadership can make or break organizational success. In a crisis, this is even more true. Companies need leaders who can guide them through these turbulent times and into the future.

To learn more about leading during a crisis, we spoke with Maureen Metcalf, chief executive officer of the Innovative Leadership Institute and host of the podcast “Innovative Leadership, Co-Creating Our Future.”

Listen now to learn more on:

•  Best practices for effective crisis leadership training.
•  The skills leaders need to not only survive but thrive during a crisis.
•  How leaders can remain agile during times of crisis.

The Business of Learning, Episode 31: Enabling On-the-job Coaching: The Role of L&D

On-the-job coaching has become a popular topic across the learning and development field and business at large. But what does effective on-the-job coaching look like? And what does training have to do with it?  To find out, we spoke with Ronda Bowman, global learning and development leader with HPE Financial Services, and Carolon Donnally, an executive coach with the Internal Revenue Service.

The Business of Learning, Episode 30: Supporting Employee Well-being With Learning and Development

As we recorded this episode, the coronavirus pandemic was impacting nearly all industries — and employees. To find out how learning and development (L&D) can support employee wellness and well-being, we spoke with Celeste Headlee, award-winning journalist, speaker, and bestselling author of “We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter” and “Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving.”

The Business of Learning, Episode 29: How Training Can Help Organizations Eliminate Racism in the Workplace

The murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor sparked outrage over the systemic racism Black people continue to face in their daily lives and has brought racial injustice to the forefront of conversations among individuals, communities and organizations. To learn more about what learning and development (L&D) leaders can do to help eliminate racism in the workplace, we spoke with Dr. Theresa Horne and Dr. Russell Robinson, senior training professionals at government agencies, and Valerie Jackson, senior director of global inclusion and diversity at Procore Technologies. More resources at TrainingIndustry.com/racial-bias-resources.

The Business of Learning, Episode 28: Moving Training to the Virtual Classroom

When we recorded this episode in April 2020, many, if not most, organizations had implemented remote work policies in light of the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, many training managers were working to convert their in-person courses and programs into virtual training. Cindy Huggett, a consultant, facilitator and author of several books on virtual training, and Heather Schultes, CPTM, the director of global training at TransPerfect, share tips on making this transition.