Sparkwise

🚀 Big announcement: Harvard Business Review, in partnership with Sparkwise, has launched a new series of Virtual Group Learning sessions — now available on HBR Store! Now, any team can go beyond reading the cutting-edge insights from HBR and actually practice, discuss, and master core skills like communication, strategic thinking, and leadership. Together, in dynamic small groups. 🧩 Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gW84nTPm

Less is more - avoid these two design missteps to make sure your L&D programs actually work. 1. Cognitive Overload → Excessive content overwhelms working memory → It ignores the brain's limited capacity to process information 2. Sensory Overload: → Multiple stimuli (e.g. music, pop-ups, avatars) scatter attention → This makes it difficult for learners to focus on essential content To address this, Lauren Waldman, Learning Pirate suggests: — Streamlining content to focus on essential information — Reducing distracting elements in learning interfaces — Incorporating breaks to help information processing — Designing with focus in mind, not just engagement How do you balance engaging content with respecting cognitive limitations in your learning programs? Watch the full episode with Lauren Waldman, Founder of Learning Pirate, now live at: https://lnkd.in/g2H8hMuP

Too many L&D programs are working against the brain rather than with it. Lauren Waldman, Learning Pirate, founder of Learning Pirate, is pushing us to rethink how we approach learning. With years of experience in instructional design, Lauren's world changed when she began studying neuroscience. She asked herself, "How did I not know this!?" There's a disconnect between how our brains learn and how most L&D programs are designed. In our chat, Lauren unpacks this, exploring how memory forms and why traditional training is missing the mark. We also cover: — Role of sleep in learning — Managing cognitive load — Metacognition in practice — AI and VR in learning design — Embedding errors as a learning tool — Leveraging surprise for better focus — Importance of repetition and retrieval — Emotional aspects of learning environments“ Curious about making learning work better with our brains? Check out the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/g2H8hMuP

Want to claim your seat at the leadership table? Martha Soehren, PhD suggests developing a template for crafting an impact narrative and scaling it across your team. Here’s an example template Martha used for her L&D team: - Start with the problem statement (what are you solving for?) - Outline stakeholder expectations - Detail your learning solution and implementation plan - Define the supervisor's role in driving success - Explain your data collection and measurement approach You can tailor elements as you see fit to best tie your work to business results. The key is to create an easy-to-use system that enables all team members to make their impact known. — How do you currently communicate your team’s impact to key stakeholders? Hear more tactical advice from Martha Soehren on the latest Learning Unbound here: https://lnkd.in/g2H8hMuP

The Army's real secret weapon isn’t what you think… As a 25-year Army veteran, Martha Soehren, PhD knows a thing or two about how the US military transforms diverse individuals into high-performing units. This week, she shared the Army's "Tell Me, Show Me, Let Me" approach to training recruits and soldiers throughout their careers. — Tell Me: It starts with clear instruction, telling learners what they need to do. — Show Me: Then, use demonstrations to show them how it’s done. — Let Me: Practice in realistic scenarios with immediate feedback. The Army uses this formula for everything from equipment maintenance to leadership skills. Learners engage in small-group discussions, dissect case studies, and role-play to ingrain lessons. This equips soldiers with both technical know-how and problem-solving abilities. By emphasizing experiential, iterative learning, the Army molds raw recruits into high-performing teams. Are you using a version of "Tell Me, Show Me, Let Me" in your organization's L&D? Dive deeper with Dr. Martha Soehren in the full episode, out now at https://lnkd.in/g2H8hMuP

This week on Learning Unbound: How to prove L&D's strategic value with Dr. Martha Soehren, PhD, a fellow speaker at #EDTECHWEEK in NYC this October. With more than 40 years of experience spanning the military, telecommunications, and beyond, Dr. Martha Soehren cracked the code on driving and demonstrating L&D’s impact. As the Chief Talent Development Officer at Comcast Cable, Martha led teams of hundreds and pioneered innovative learning strategies. She spent 25 years driving development breakthroughs in the Department of the Army Civilian before founding her own consultancy. In this episode, Martha shares her framework for spotlighting L&D's business impact. Discover how she built trust with C-suite stakeholders, pioneered cutting-edge learning measurement, and equipped her team to become strategic partners. Here’s a breakdown of what the episode covers: - Secrets of Measuring Learning Impact - Earning a Seat at the Executive Table - Influencing as an L&D Strategic Partner - The Army's Unconventional Leadership Tactics - AI's Role in the Future of L&D Don't miss the full episode with Martha. Watch now at https://lnkd.in/g2H8hMuP

If you can't define success, your team can't achieve it. Most leaders have an "unconscious competence"—they intuitively know what good is. The challenge lies in consciously defining it for your team. This requires: 1. Carving out time to reflect on what specific behaviors and outcomes constitute success 2. Translating those insights into clear, concrete guidance your teams can run with Without a concrete definition of success, teams are left rudderless. Jonathan warns this leads to: Frustration: → People inherently want to contribute and succeed in their role. → When the path is unclear, they feel blocked. Turnover: → Lack of clarity breeds disengagement. → If people don't know what they're working towards, they eventually leave. His advice is to make defining and communicating success your top priority. Give your team a clear vision to aim for. — Leaders, how are you ensuring your team knows exactly what they're striving towards? For more insights from Jonathan M K., Founder of GTM AI Academy, catch the full Learning Unbound episode!

What accelerates or hinders someone’s ability to learn? On Learning Unbound this week, Jonathan M K. talked about the "affective filter" hypothesis from language learning, which describes how learners' emotions, attitudes, and feelings can impact their ability to acquire a new language. When the affective filter is high, learners may experience anxiety, lack of motivation, or low self-esteem, which can impede their language acquisition. On the other hand, a low affective filter means that learners feel more relaxed, confident, and motivated, which leads to better language learning and comprehension. This aligns with Google’s research finding that their best teams had a strong sense of psychological safety. As learning leaders, creating spaces where learners are never made to feel silly or stupid as they learn is key to unlocking growth. — What are you doing to build more safety into your learning initiatives?

What are the secrets of great sales enablement, and what L&D lessons can we generalize from them? We’re excited to share our conversation with Jonathan M K., a revenue excellence, enablement, and acceleration executive with more than 15 years of experience helping companies double their revenue. From founding GTM AI Academy to his work as a life coach and his experience building enablement programs at companies large and small, Jonathan understands what drives people to learn and change behaviors. Throughout this talk, he shares practical tips for utilizing AI and transforming learning in your go-to-market organization. He also dives into how leaders can better support their teams' growth and development. Here are some of the key moments from the episode: — Jonathan's journey from sales to enablement — Creating environments that support progress — Breaking down the LOPAFT framework — Most sales training fails to change behavior — Providing space to practice without judgment — Using AI to understand the customer journey — Current landscape of AI enablement solutions Be sure to check out the full episode with Jonathan here: https://lnkd.in/g2H8hMuP

In the era of Google and ChatGPT, knowledge is cheap. Application is power. Information is just seconds away at our fingertips. As Eric Partaker explained on the latest Learning Unbound episode, the game has changed. Access to information is no longer the source of power and success. The real power lies in translating knowledge into action - FAST. So if you're designing learning programs or teaching others, focus on one thing above all else: Make it ultra easy to apply the learnings in the real world. Prioritize practicality and applicability over pure information downloading. — For more wisdom on peak performance and learning, check out the latest Learning Unbound episode featuring Eric Partaker, The CEO Coach: https://lnkd.in/g2H8hMuP