The Business of Learning: The Training Industry Podcast
The Business of Learning, the award-winning Training Industry podcast, features in-depth conversations with experts on topics that help training professionals more effectively manage the business of learning.
How To Listen To The Business of Learning Podcast
Use the podcast players on this page to listen to The Business of Learning, or you can find our podcast on Apple iTunes Podcasts, Google Play and on Spotify. Or, point your favorite podcasting app directly to our feed at trainingindustry.com/podcast and you’ll always have the latest episode at your fingertips.
EPISODES
Episode 64: One-size-fits-none — The Rise of Personalization and Learning Pathways
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we sat down with Parker Donnafield, CPTM, a learning specialist at Canvas Credit Union, and Keri Borba, L&D and talent development director at AAA Northeast, to learn what it takes to deliver personalized learning at scale: Because one size never truly fits all.
Episode 63: Going Global – Training an International Audience
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Ken Stockman, senior L&D strategist at IBM Consulting, Melaine Mahabir, CPTM, knowledge management associate at Guardian Insurance, and Shezelle Krei, global head of learning and development at Western Union, to learn more about what it takes to train and develop globally dispersed learners.
Episode 62: Women’s Leadership Development – Common Challenges and Actionable Solutions
In honor of Women’s History Month, in this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Cathrin Stickney, founder and CEO of Parity.org, and Dr. Theresa Horne, CPTM, a speaker and government leader, to learn more about the women’s leadership gap — and how learning and development (L&D) can help.
Episode 61: L&D’s Role in Supporting Career Mobility
In this episode, we spoke with Megan Dillon, senior manager of L&D at Q-Centrix, Rebecca Gaboda, CPTM, organizational development manager at Skyward, Inc., and Chris Massaro, CPTM, manager of learning and professional development at Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice, to learn more about L&D’s role in supporting internal mobility for employees.
Episode 60: Leading Learning in 2023
In the first episode of season 6 of “The Business of Learning,” we spoke with Kristin Davis, CPTM, training supervisor for the Wake County Government, Lauren Harris, CPTM, assistant director of training and development at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Amber Hancharick, CPTM, education and training manager at Northwest Bank, to learn what it takes to manage a high-performing training function in 2023.
Episode 59: Building a Strategic Training Function
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we sat down with Heather Balcerek, talent development program manager at Amazon, and Michael Poll, an experienced learning and development professional who has led learning functions in industries including pharmaceuticals, insurance, technology, oil and gas, and higher education, to hear what it takes to build a strategic training function.
Episode 58: Learning Tech, Simplified – How to Select and Manage Learning Technologies and Tools
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Kim Davis, CPTM, senior manager of comprehensive and innovative faculty development programs at the American College of Surgeons and an instructor for Training Industry’s Managing Remote Learning Certificate course, and Ted Schmitz, LMS program manager at Alight solutions, to learn more about learning technology selection, implementation and management.
Special Episode: Transformative Learning in the New World of Work
In this episode of The Business of Learning, sponsored by Canvas, we spoke with Bruce Landry, managing partner and chief experience officer at Canvas, and Dr. Susan Gray, chief creative officer at Canvas, to learn more about transformative learning and development.
Episode 57: Thrive in the Age of Digital Transformation With Training and Development
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Dr. Kim Tran, vice president and head of talent management at Allstate, and Stephanie L. Woerner, principal research scientist and director of MIT’s Center for Information Systems Research, to learn more about how training and development can support organizations in the age of digital transformation.
Special Episode: L&D at the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs – An Inside Look
This episode of The Business of Learning, sponsored by KPMG Learning Services, offers an inside look at how the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (the “V.A.”) created a culture of learning and growth by partnering with KPMG Learning Services.
Episode 56: Learning Across the Employee Lifecycle – How Training Can Improve the Employee Experience
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Dana Baker, Degreed engagement manager at Cisco, and Andy Schuster, CPTM, senior training manager at Growmark, to learn more about delivering training across the employee lifecycle.
Episode 55: How Training Can Support a Human-centered Workplace
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Jen Dudeck, chief people officer at RedHat, and Bayan Qoul, CPTM, learning and development (L&D) specialist at Expedia Group, to learn more about how training can support a human-centered workplace.
Episode 54: Learning Leader or Undercover Detective? Identifying Training Needs
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Training Industry’s Training Needs Assessment Certificate course instructor and learning and development (L&D) consultant Dr. Kate Hixson, along with Alexandra Kubebatu, CPTM, an instructional designer at USAA and Gifty Abagre-Laryea, CPTM, U.S. training manager at World Relief, to learn more about training needs assessments.
Special Episode: Deliver Future-forward Training With AI
In this episode of The Business of Learning, sponsored by CYPHER LEARNING, we spoke with Graham Glass, founder and chief executive officer of CYPHER LEARNING, to learn more about AI-powered learning.
Special Episode: Leadership Coaching and Development
In this episode of The Business of Learning, sponsored by Sounding Board, Inc., we spoke with Lori Mazan, co-founder, president and chief coaching officer at Sounding Board, Inc., to learn more about leadership coaching and development.
Episode 53: Training at Your Fingertips – Enabling Learning in the Flow of Work
In this episode, we spoke with Steve Young, global head of employee experience and leadership assessments at Caterpillar, and Heer Kansal, global technical L&D leader at Novelis, to learn more about learning in the flow of work.
Episode 52: Pioneering Change – The Power of Equitable Learning and Development
To learn how training can help drive a more inclusive future of work, we spoke with Anson Green, senior manager of economic opportunity at Tyson Foods, Lori Spicer Robertson, vice president of DEI at Saks Fifth Avenue and founder and chief joymaker at Wundher, and Alaina Doyle, learning and development director at Wells Fargo.
Special Episode – The “New Learning Economy”: How L&D Can Help Businesses Stay Ahead of Change
In this episode of The Business of Learning, sponsored by ExecOnline, we spoke with Stephen Bailey, chief executive officer of ExecOnline, to learn how L&D can help drive and sustain business growth during times of change.
Episode 51: Continuous Coaching and Feedback
To learn how learning and development can help build a culture of continuous coaching and feedback, we spoke with Erin Goldman, manager of people development at ZipRecruiter, Sharon Delaney McCloud, director of corporate communications at UNC health system, and Ellie Soccorsy, L&D advisor at edyn.
Episode 50: Hybrid Learning Is Here. Are You Ready?
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Dr. Grace Chang, associate director, learning research and development at EY Americas, EY, and Vidya Krishnan, chief learning officer and global head of learning and development at Ericsson, to learn more about hybrid learning.
Special Episode: Digital Adoption Challenges and Solutions
In this special episode of The Business of Learning, sponsored by CrossKnowledge, we spoke with Jan Rijken, learning director at CrossKnowledge, to learn how L&D can support digital adoption across the enterprise.
Episode 49: L&D’s Role in Retaining Talent During The Great Resignation
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Julian Malnak, global director of L&D at Goodyear, and Julie Winkle Giulioni, a columnist for Training Industry Magazine, consultant and author, to learn how training can help retain talent during The Great Resignation.
Episode 48: Beyond Training – L&D’s Role in Building Company Culture
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Joe Scarfone, a global learning and development consultant at Lenovo, and Megan Joecks, director of talent, culture and organizational effectiveness at Charter Steel, to learn about training’s role in building company culture.
Episode 47: How to Support and Measure Employee Performance
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Dr. Paul Leone, an author, course instructor for Training Industry’s measurement certificate course and founder of MeasureUp consulting, and Michael Ventura, founder and former chief executive officer of Sub Rosa, a strategy and design consultancy, and author of “Applied Empathy,” to learn more about supporting and measuring employee performance.
Episode 46: Ready, Set, Pivot — Building Agile Learning Programs
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Marjorie Van Roon, a Certified Professional in Training Management (CPTM) and senior manager of learning and development at Best Buy Canada, to learn how learning leaders can build Agile learning programs that set their organizations up for success … no matter what roadblocks lie ahead.
Special Episode: Measure to Prove. Measure to Improve.
In this special episode of The Business of Learning, sponsored by GP Strategies, Bonnie Beresford, director of performance and learning analytics at GP Strategies, answers our most pressing questions about training measurement.
Special Episode: Your Virtual Training Questions, Answered
In this special episode of The Business of Learning, sponsored by Sales Gravy, we spoke with Jeb Blount, chief executive officer of Sales Gravy, to learn more about virtual training.
Episode 45: Building Business Acumen as a Learning Leader
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Emily Ricco, senior manager of learning design in global enablement at Salesforce and Micah Jacobson, director of learning design in global enablement at Salesforce, to learn how training professionals can build their business acumen and improve the impact of training as a result.
Episode 44: How to Bounce Back – Training’s Role in Building Resilience
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Gavin Sutton, head of learning and development at Ogilvy, and Tricia Inderhees, learning and development consultant leader at the Cincinnati Insurance Companies and an Agile-certified HR and L&D professional, to learn more about training’s role in building resilience.
Episode 43: How to Become an Effective Internal Consultant
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Susan Kish, an education and training advocate for The Superior Group, and De’Lisa Stringer, a project manager and diversity and inclusion practitioner, to learn how L&D leaders can build internal consulting skills.
Episode 42: Building Psychological Safety in Learning Programs
In this episode of The Business of Learning, we spoke with Dr. Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School and author of “The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth,” to learn about building psychological safety in learning programs.
Special Episode: Anatomy of Adaptive Learning in a Workforce Context
In this episode of The Business of Learning, sponsored by Realizeit, we spoke with Manoj Kulkarni, chief executive officer at Realizeit, to learn more about adaptive learning.
Episode 41: Engage Your Learners With Blended Learning
We spoke with Jamie Breshears, senior manager in Deloitte Consulting’s learning and leadership practice, and Lynn Leadley, a certified professional in training management and senior vice president at Pax8 University, to learn how blended learning can drive engagement and, as a result, business outcomes.
Episode 40: Supporting Social Learning in the Workplace
We spoke with Kacie Walters (head of global professional development at Northern Trust Corporation), Linda Cai (an experienced learning and talent executive and author of “Share: How Organizations Can Thrive in an Age of Networked Knowledge, Power and Relationships”), and Nicole Lembo (manager of academic programs at JetBlue Airways) to find out how learning leaders can enable social learning in the workplace.
Episode 39: Developing Modern Leaders
To learn more about modern leadership, we spoke with Laura Smith Dunaief, CPTM, an experienced learning leader and an instructor for Training Industry’s continuing professional development programs, and Mark Herschberg, a chief technical officer, professor and author of “The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You.”
Special Episode: Virtual Learning Engagement in 2021
We spoke with Matt Giegerich, chief executive officer of The Inception Company, and Shaun Urban, president of The Inception Company, for expert insights on engaging virtual learners in 2021 and beyond.
Episode 38: Experiential Learning: How to Support “Learning by Doing”
To learn more about experiential learning, we spoke with Meghan Castillo, principal learning experience designer at HubSpot, and Hasti Mehta, learning and development operations specialist at HubSpot.
Special Episode: The Future Workforce: Developing Lifelong Learners
To learn more about what the future workforce will look like, and training’s role in developing it, we spoke with Keith Keating, senior director and global learning strategist at GP Strategies.
Special Episode: How to Measure and Maximize the Impact of Training
To uncover the secrets behind effective training measurement and evaluation, we spoke with Asha Pandey, founder and chief learning strategist at EI Design.
Episode 37: Reflecting on 2020 and Preparing for 2021
To reflect on 2020’s impact on learning and development (L&D) and hear predictions for 2021, we spoke with Tiffany Poeppelman, director of LinkedIn’s business leadership program, and Amy Contreras, head of L&D at Uber Freight.
Episode 36: L&D’s Role in Change Management
To learn more about learning and development’s role in change management, we spoke with Loren Sanders, enterprise manager of L&D at CVS Health, and Scott Nutter, who worked with Delta Airlines for 22 years managing its pilot training programs.
Special Episode: Leadership Skills for the Digital Workplace
Today’s leaders need refined digital skills to lead their teams through continued transformation and change and into the future. To learn more about digital leadership, we’re speaking with Anja Emonds, expert research manager at CrossKnowledge.
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.
Episode 34: Giving Feedback in a Remote Workplace
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.
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 on strategic alignment.
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.
Special Episode: Design as a Mindset for Training Managers
Design as a mindset goes beyond creating content — it’s a way of thinking that training managers can use to improve learning solutions and make an impact. To learn more about developing a design mindset, and leveraging it for training that drives business results, we spoke with Danny Seals, director of design and experience at GP Strategies.
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.”
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, a leadership and executive coach with the Internal Revenue Service.
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.”
Episode 29: How Training Professionals Can Help Organizations Eliminate Racism
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, CPTM, and Dr. Russell Robinson, senior training professionals at government agencies, and Valerie Jackson, senior director of global inclusion and diversity at Procore Technologies.
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.
Episode 27: Inclusive Leadership
What makes an inclusive leader and organization? Shawnice Meador, director of U.S. strategic talent programs at ABB, and H. Wes Pratt, assistant to the president and chief diversity officer at Missouri State University, weigh in.
Special Episode: Connecting Remote Teams With Virtual Meetings
Forget everything you know about virtual meetings. Imagine being able to engage with others, from anywhere across the globe, just like you would if you were sitting across the room from them. New technologies can make this happen.
Episode 26: Effective Performance Reviews
Many people (both managers and team members) fear performance reviews. To help alleviate some of these fears, we spoke with Roberta Matuson, president of Matuson Consulting, and Jared Narlock, MPA, SHRM-SCP, a talent development and engagement consultant for Nemours Children’s Health System.
Episode 25: The Future of Work … for All Workers
As we enter the 2020s, it’s a good time to consider what the future of work looks like — and to make sure it brings equal opportunity to everyone. Shane Kanady, vice president of workforce development at SourceAmerica, and Mika Cross, vice president of employer engagement and strategic initiatives at FlexJobs, weigh in.
Episode 24: Global Training Management
Developing a global training program that has the power to improve business results presents a new set of challenges for learning leaders. In this episode of the Training Industry podcast, Jacqueline Bhavaraju, CPTM, a learning and development director at KPMG, and Jonathan Fear, vice president of Coupa University at Coupa Software, share their thoughts on managing global L&D.
Episode 23: Managing the Learning Tech Stack
Effectively managing learning technologies, especially when you’re adopting a variety of platforms and solutions, can be a challenge. In this episode of the Training Industry podcast, Jayson Maxell, CPTM, corporate director of learning and development at Six Flags, shares his advice. Plus, Ken Taylor, president of Training Industry, shares his predictions for learning technology in 2020!
Episode 22: Soft Skills as a Differentiator
More and more, we hear that soft skills are the key to success even, or maybe especially, in an increasingly automated world. But what do we mean when we say soft skills, and why are they the key to success? How do you know if your organization has a workforce with strong soft skills, and how can you develop them in your employees? In this episode of The Business of Learning, Shelley Osborne, head of learning and development at Udemy, and G. Riley Mills, co-founder and chief operating officer of Pinnacle Performance Company and author of “The Bullseye Principle,” share their insights.
Episode 21: Adaptive Onboarding
Unlike traditional onboarding, which is often seen as an HR or administrative check-the-box task, adaptive onboarding is designed to meet the specific needs of individual employees. This personalized approach to onboarding can better engage, shape and retain new talent. In this episode of The Business of Learning, Melissa White, director of business operations at The Kool Source, and Nina Redding, senior learning resource consultant at Alberta Motor Association, weigh in.
Episode 20: Social Learning and Content Curation
One of the most well-known and popular models in L&D is 70-20-10. Recent research by Training Industry updated the model to the 55-25-20 model and reinforced the importance of social interactions and collaborations as a part of an employee’s learning experience. How can you balance the benefits of social learning with the need to have content appropriately vetted and curated? To answer this question, we spoke with Lauren Harris, CPTM, of the University of Colorado Boulder and Juliana Stancampiano of Oxygen Learning.
Episode 19: Evaluating Learning and Measuring ROI
Training Industry research has found that one of the biggest challenges facing learning leaders is measuring the effectiveness of their training. On this episode of The Business of Learning, Kevin M. Yates, a fact-finder for learning and development, discusses this challenge and his tips on evaluating learning and measuring return on investment (ROI).
Episode 18: Effective Safety Training: The Product of a Safety Culture and Strategic Alignment
Effective safety training requires a safety culture and alignment with business goals. In this episode of The Business of Learning, safety training experts Bridgette Wilder (City of Memphis) and Fred Stawitz share their tips on making safety training engaging, the role of training in risk management and mitigation, and emerging technologies such as VR/AR and artificial intelligence.
Episode 17: Career Pathways in Learning and Development
There are a variety of paths people take to enter and advance in the training profession. Whether L&D is their first job out of college, or whether they switch into a training role later in their career, the paths learning leaders take throughout their careers can offer insights for newer — and more experienced — professionals. Dr. Kristal Walker, CPTM, director of organizational development at Guitar Center, and Alycia Angle, senior talent management consultant at Ochsner Health System, share their career journeys so far, with takeaways for training professionals.
Episode 16: Best Practices for Internal Coaching Programs
Many companies bring in external coaching consultants, but internal coaching programs are a great way to introduce coaching to an organization’s culture and to support the practice within a company. Matt Becker, coaching and mentoring manager at CareSource, shares his experience and tips.
Special Episode: The Four Moments of Truth
In this episode of The Business of Learning, Dr. Sam Shriver, executive vice president of The Center for Leadership Studies, and Doug Harward, founder and CEO of Training Industry, discuss a new model for sustaining the impact of leadership training: the Four Moments of Truth.
Episode 15: Developing a Request for Proposals for Training Outsourcing Engagements
In this episode of The Business of Learning, Doug Harward, founder and CEO of Training Industry, discusses how to approach decisions about when to outsource and how to manage and develop requests for proposals (RFPs) for training products and services.
Episode 14: Merging Training Functions after an M&A
In the opener to season 2 of The Business of Learning, we talk to Scott Farley, group director of talent management at Komatsu, and Dave Fogleman, chief learning officer at SkillPath, about the process of managing change and merging training functions after an acquisition.
Episode 13: Training Industry Trends and Predictions
In the season 1 finale of The Business of Learning, we talk to industry leaders about training market trends in 2018 and predictions for 2019.
Episode 12: Developing a Learning Ecosystem for the Technical Workforce
Vidya Krishnan, global chief learning officer at Ericsson, shares her thoughts on training technical employees, the “soft skills versus technical skills” debate, and the need for continuous learning.
Episode 11: Distance Learning in Corporate Training
For National Distance Learning Week, Ken Conn (past president and chairman of the board, U.S. Distance Learning Association) and Melissa Loble (senior vice president of professional services and partnerships, Instructure) share their thoughts on distance learning, what the future of online training looks like, and what corporate L&D leaders can learn from K-12 and university education.
Episode 10: What Do Learners Want?
Amy DuVernet, CPTM, Ph.D., shares insights on what learners want, why we should care, and how to deliver engaging and effective training.
Episode 9: The Executive Perspective on L&D
Tom Whelan, Ph.D., describes how executives see corporate training and shares strategies for L&D leaders to work with executives to develop and implement training strategy.
Episode 8: Working and Training in the Age of Automation
Larry Boyer, consultant, speaker and author of the new book “The Robot in the Next Cubicle: What You Need to Know to Adapt and Succeed in the Automation Age,” shares his thoughts on how automation and artificial intelligence are impacting work and training and tells us why he calls himself an optimistic realist.
Episode 7: Sales Enablement: Where Training Meets Strategy
Four experts share tips, tricks and insights on developing an effective sales enablement strategy that includes training.
Episode 6: The Learner Experience
Sam Herring and Dr. Tom Tonkin define the learner experience and share tips for creating a good one.
Episode 5: Creating an Engaged, Connected Organization
Michael Lee Stallard and Jay Morris share insights on employee wellness, satisfaction and engagement.
Episode 4: International Coaching Week
Just in time for International Coaching Week, we speak to a panel of experts about communication, feedback, technology and coaching.
Episode 3: Preconceptions of 70-20-10
Tom Whelan, Ph.D., director of corporate research, shares insights from a research report on revising the 70-20-10 model for the 21st-century learning organization.
Episode 2: The Gender Gap in Leadership Training: How Learning and Development Can Help Break the Glass Ceiling
Joanna Barsh, director emerita and senior advisor for McKinsey & Company, co-chair of the International Council on Women’s Business Leadership’s Leadership Working Group and president of the Centered Leadership Project, shares her model of leadership development, tips for L&D to support gender-balanced leadership, myths about women’s leadership development, and her own female leader heroes.
Episode 1: Training Manager Competency Model
Amy DuVernet, Ph.D., CPTM, director of training manager development, discusses the Training Manager Competency Model™, shares some of the competencies and provides tips for training managers to develop their skills.