Video Learning Lab

In this episode Lavinia and Kevin discuss what's actually the value of AI tools for L&D. The surprising part? It's not about LLMs and AI-enabled tools, but rather it's about automation and freeing up your time for higher value tasks. Highlights: 1:24 - What is actually different about NOW with AI? 6:09 - L&D teams acquire these very complex LMSes 11:31 - L&D teams is that they're stuck with operational tasks 17:15 - Looking for automation opportunities at OffBeat 22:34 - Lavinia's process looking for opportunities 28:10 - 3 Hot Seat Questions 📚 Resources: Connect with Lavinia on LinkedIn: Lavinia Mehedintu Join OffBeat: ⁠Offbeat.works Sana Labs Article: Link Lavinia Mehedintu has been designing learning experiences and career development programs for the past 9 years both in the corporate world and in higher education. As a Co-Founder and Learning Architect @Offbeat she's applying adult learning principles so that learning & people professionals can connect, collaborate, and grow. - - 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia, focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, Kevin has transitioned from the classroom into tech to help people communicate better through video. He has crafted enterprise and branded learning solutions for organizations like General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. 🧑🏽‍🏫 Discover the Synthesia Academy: ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ 🗣Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn: ⁠Kevin Alster

Dr. Ash Mehta is a visionary in learning technology, passionate about transforming enterprise learning through innovative, immersive, and gamified experiences that yield measurable outcomes. With a mission to create personalized, engaging learning environments, Ash develops strategies that leverage the latest technologies, including AI, to stimulate knowledge and skill development effectively. In our conversation, we explore the influence of AI on learning, the science behind personalized learning, and his approach to designing transformational learning solutions. Chapters: 0:13 - Intro1:28 - Where AI and L&D is now4:53 - How to approach AI solutions in L&D12:26 - What companies get out of AI video18:56 - Example of AI Strategy in Work25:48 - Where AI Agents play a role in AI strategy31:08 - The real potential of AI Agents in experiences 41:27 - Ash's 3 rapid fire questions 📚 Resources: Connect with Ash on LinkedIn: Dr. Ash Mehta Learn More About Ash’s Work: https://mehtadology.com/ - - 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia, focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, Kevin has transitioned from the classroom into tech to help people communicate better through video. He has crafted enterprise and branded learning solutions for organizations like General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. 🧑🏽‍🏫 Discover the Synthesia Academy: Synthesia Academy 🗣Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn: Kevin Alster

Fei Wu is a Chinese-American video marketing expert and virtual event strategist who helps creators and businesses transform their visions into impactful digital brands. Specializing in video content, she supports small business owners in showcasing their products and services, while leveraging YouTube and podcast strategies to expand their customer base. In our conversation we talk about the impact of AI tools on creators, her journey to cracking the code on YouTube, and most importantly how to tackle the creative process. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 4:45 - The US/UK vs. the Asian tech experience 8:07 - The impact of AI on creator tools 14:59 - Feisworld - the audience, the creation story 25:03 - The key to success - breaking down the process 32:20 - The key to success - finding drive and motivation 37:12 - What are 3 healthy challenges to help you get started? 📚 Resources: Fei's World YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FeisworldMedia Connect with Fei on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/feiwu/ Find out more about Fei's Services: https://www.feisworld.com/ ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/ ____

Rory Barnett is an accomplished British voiceover artist with over six years of full-time experience, bringing a rich background as a BBC radio presenter, reporter, and newsreader. Based in London, Rory specializes in bringing scripts to life from his personal studio, leveraging his extensive media experience to enhance diverse voice projects. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 6:22 - Radio and Other Broadcast Journalism 11:35 - The Range of Work of a Voiceover Artist 16:32 - How does a voiceover artist turn words on page into the recording? 21:44 - What should change about how we present eLearning content? 29:32 - How does a voiceover artist view AI voices? 36:22 - Rory's tip for amateur voiceover artists 📚 Resources: Rory's 2021 interview: https://rorybarnett.com/on-air-duel-with-audiobook-ai-narrator/ Connect with Rory on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rory-barnett-voiceover/ ✉ Email: [email protected]🌐 Website: http://www.rorybarnett.com 👍 Facebook: www.facebook.com/rory.barnett.148💻 Twitter: @rorybarnettvo ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/ ____

Josh Cardoz, Chief Creative & Learning Officer at Sponge Group, a global leader in digital learning. He has an extensive background in digital learning strategy, execution, and team upskilling. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 5:33 - From Instructional Designer to CLO 13:47 - Learning is always the medium not the end 16:18 - Let's not waste people time 21:18 - Always identify the compelling question 27:09 - How does a CLO think about digital tools compared to you? 35:48 - AI's impact on quality of experience ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/ ____

Lauren stands as a distinguished Learning Scientist, known for her expertise and groundbreaking contributions to the field of Learning and Development. With a formidable triple certification in Neuroscience, she navigates the intricate pathways of cognition with unparalleled precision. Her journey is one of relentless pursuit and unwavering dedication and advocation to evolve the way we learn and grow as human beings. In the realm of Learning and Development, Lauren's name is synonymous with innovation and excellence. Her insights transcend conventional boundaries, reshaping paradigms and inspiring transformative change. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 4:28 - Using focus to get learners to understand their brains 8:34 - Some learning myths about the brain that should stop 12:00 - How does your brain work (explained with visuals) 22:13 - How do you deal with stakeholders who need to learn more about the brain? 29:00 - How can we use neuroscience research to better evaluate what sticks for learners? 33:12 - The importance of informal assessment and "at bats" 42:35 - What is the starting point for if you want to learn more about neuroscience? 📚 Resources: Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-waldman-learning-pirate-4666bab/ Joining Forces with Your Brain: https://www.learningpirate.com/joining-forces-with-your-brain ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/ ____

Liz Stefan currently serves as the CEO and co-founder of Nifty Learning, which helps companies save 20% of their training budgets and turn training costs into strategic investments. She brings her experience working in Fortune 500 companies through Xerox helping to develop scaled enterprise solutions for her clients. Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 1:40 - Reimagining the L&D field and changing its image 7:35 - How to get L&D to speak to the business 12:12 - Bringing Product Mindset into L&D 26:14 - Where has L&D done well? What examples can we pull? 34:55 - How would you rewrite the job description of a future L&D? 📚 Resources: Connect with Liz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisaletitiastefan/ ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/ ____

Guy W. Wallace is a retired Performance Analyst and Instructional Architect (as of July 2023) and had been designing and developing performance-based Instruction - Performance Guides & Learning Experiences - for Enterprise Learning functions and their business-critical target audiences since 1979. ____ Chapters 2:32 - Why is Performance critical for L&D? 10:55 - What is the difference between education vs. training? 21:02 - Bringing the business mindset to L&D 30:27 - What's the cost of doing nothing? Framing consequences 35:13 - The critical question to ask your stakeholders 46:00 - What DO we call the L&D role of the future? ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: 1. L&D is poor at delivering outcomes because there's too much focus placed on delivering content and too much on behaviors. Both are necessary for a quality experience...but they are the drivers of those outcomes. 2. L&D is missing the business mindset and the language of business that helps us to connect with our stakeholders. We should be looking to frame our business case for our training by framing our outcomes in terms that our stakeholders can understand. 3. Ask the question: "What would authentic practice look like?" This helps stakeholders to understand transfer; it helps you to create effective practice; it ensures that everyone is aligned for both the timeline and evaluation for the success of your program. ____ 📚 Resources: Connect with Guy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guywwallace/ Books written by Guy: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Guy%20W.%20Wallace/author/B08JQC4C4V ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services.With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video.He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/ ____

Jason Gulya is an AI Strategist in higher education. Transforming initial skepticism about AI into advocacy, he now focuses on integrating AI into educational workflows. His expertise has guided numerous educators and institutions in harnessing AI for personalized and effective teaching. ____ Chapters 1:16 - How similar are L&D and Higher Education? 7:22 - How has Gen AI changed the first semester with ChatGPT? 13:48 - How are we training educators to get ready for AI? 28:14 - How do LLMs shorten the skills gap for new adopters? 32:24 - What does the new bachelor's degree look like with AI as a skill? ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: 1. AI is going to shine a light on what has been broken for years in education. 2. First, we should focus on educating people on the use and workings of LLMs and AI tech. Then when people understand the technology a bit better and what it can do...then we can focus on strategy. 3. Where AI is a boon for learning is not only being able to create a product that is more complete and supplements the skills a learner doesn't have...but also for students to then be able to reflect on the process that led them to the product. ____ 📚 Resources: Connect with Jason on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-gulya/____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services.With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video.He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____

Today, I'm speaking with Mark Lassoff, the Chief Skills Officer at SkillSprints. He has been a frequent presenter and taught workshops on his approaches to Digital Learning. His company Framework Tech has educated more than 2.6 million individuals in digital skills. He's also the recent author of "The Ulimate Guide to Creating Online Learning Video: A Comprehensive Handbook for Instructional Designers." ____ Chapters 01:24 - What were the biggest conversations at DevLearn this year? 11:14 - What are the core concepts of instructional video that every designer should know? 19:19 - What makes an online learning video compared to just any other video? 27:11 - What is the most effective way to engage viewers through video? 31:24 - What can we take from TikTok videos and how can we apply that to learning video? 37:33 - What's the best advice for getting started in creating learning videos? ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: 1. Every learning video should have just one learning objective. If you have more than one learning objective in a video...make another video! 2. Thorough pre-production planning is crucial for efficient and effective video production. Time invested in pre-production can significantly save time during the actual production and post-production phases. 3. Start creating videos knowing that initial attempts might not be perfect but they are essential for learning and improvement in video production skills. 4. Observe successful content creators on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. You can pick up various techniques and styles, helping you develop your own unique approach to video production. ____ 📚 Resources: Connect with Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklassoff/ The Ulimate Guide to Creating Online Learning Video: A Comprehensive Handbook for Instructional Designers: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Creating-Online-Learning/dp/B0CF4LJCNH ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____

Today, we're featuring Nelson Sivalingam, an innovative leader and the CEO and Co-founder of HowNow. He has masterminded a global learning platform dedicated to providing employees with timely and necessary learning resources. Known for his focus on enhancing performance and personal development, Nelson is a frequent presence at industry conferences and a respected voice in the field. His contributions have earned him recognition as one of the top Asian Stars in Tech by KPMG. Additionally, Nelson has written the insightful book "Learning at Speed," which offers strategies on upskilling and reskilling workforces rapidly to boost business performance. ____ Chapters 01:31 - What's the big topic with AI and L&D at the moment? 11:07 - AI has been in L&D for some time, not just recently 14:55 - What is Learning at Speed? 20:01 - What team is the best fit for the Lean Learning Method? 26:49 - How do we change the company's perception of L&D? 31:30 - 3 Things L&D teams need to let go of ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: 1. Learning at speed is about applying product methodology and mindset to creating learning that the organization actually wants. 2. L&D and startups are very similar in how they develop their product because there's an urgency to figure out what is your product before you run out of money. 3. L&D needs to find a way to make their language universal to the business – which can be done by applying the lean learning methodology. If we speak the language of the business, we can get more support for our learning initiatives. 4. L&D needs to be measured in approaching a solution. We have our tools of training, courses, or other resources – but we could spend more time on finding the solution that actually fits the problem we're trying to understand. ____ 📚 Resources: Connect with Nelson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsonsivalingam/ Learning at Speed: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Speed-Workforce-Business-Performance/dp/1398603104 Learning Canvas: (MIRO) https://miro.com/miroverse/the-learning-canvas/?social=copy-link ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____

Markus Bernhardt is a Fellow of the Learning Performance Institute and a member of several prestigious councils, including the Forbes Technology Council and the HBR Advisory Council. A leading voice in the global learning and HR landscape, he is an author, speaker, and panelist. Recently, he was the chief evangelist at OBRIZUM, where he merged cognitive science with digital learning and AI. ____ 0:00 - Introduction 0:49 - What was different about this year compared to past years? 2:16 - What were the big takeaways from this year's conference? 4:24 - Why has no one yet mastered AI application to work? 7:03 - What emerging tech or tools will impact learner experience? 10:42 - What skills will L&D teams need to deliver on in 2024? 14:37 - What was the biggest takeaway from the AI symposium? ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: 1. Everyone is still experimenting but no one has a strategy for how to leverage AI meaningfully for work (yet). 2. Read the terms and conditions of your AI tools! A lot of them are safer than you might thing. ____ 📚 Resources: Connect with Markus on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markus-bernhardt/ ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____

Josh Cavalier is a leading figure in Learning & Development with nearly 30 years of experience. Specializing in the application of Generative AI frameworks like ChatGPT, he offers innovative solutions for corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions. Josh shares his wealth of knowledge through a popular YouTube channel focused on Generative AI tips and tricks. ____ Chapters 02:02 - Is now the time to start using video? 06:07 - This is the reason you need to learn prompt engineering 10:40 - Don't wait to start experimenting with AI content creation 19:27 - Has AI made a big splash this year...or not yet? 27:22 - Why do training videos look so old, if the tech is so new? 36:54 - How training has changed from old to new 45:32 - Closing words from Josh ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: 1. The world of AI tech is changing overnight. Those who are experimenting now will be able to keep up later. 2. We're all waiting to figure out what to do with AI in our lives and work, especially when it comes to LLMs. 3. Both training experiences and audiences have changed. We're in a fist fight for attention and it's up to training designers to create more engaging, more useful experiences. ____ 📚 Resources: Connect with Josh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshcavalier/ Josh's ChatGPT Masterclass: https://www.joshcavalier.com/chatgpt-for-learning-development-masterclass ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____

Ashley Sinclair is the Managing Director at MAAS Marketing and has spent almost ten years working in marketing for the learning and development (L&D) sector. She encourages people in L&D to use marketing techniques to improve their work, and also co-hosts a podcast called Marketing for Learning to share ideas on how to make L&D better. ____ Chapters 00:00 - Ashley's intro and snowboarding 05:08 - L&D is wasting it's budget on useless resources 09:27 - Marketing for learning is the same as marketing for products 14:45 - Start by auditing what's in your resource library 20:08 - Building out a marketing plan 32:33 - Wrapping up the process of building a marketing plan 45:15 - Pro tip: forget training and think about the people ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: 1. L&D has a huge need for marketing within the organization. Employees often don't know about certain resources that are available because this hasn't been clearly communicated to them. 2. Drop the assumption that employees want to learn and will be able to help themselves. L&D needs to understand their audience and develop solutions that meet that need. 3. Take stock of the instructional resources that are available and understand what the experience is like for your users. This is an easy opportunity to assess what is working, what can go, and what needs updating. ____ 📚 Resources: Connect with Ashley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashsinclair/ MAAS Marketing: https://www.maas-marketing.co.uk/ ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ ____

Matt Gjertsen is the founder and Chief Learning Officer of Better Every Day Studios, a firm specializing in instructional design for aerospace and defense companies. With a background as an Instructor Pilot in the U.S. Air Force and a Manager of Training and Development at SpaceX, Matt brings a wealth of experience in training and development. In this episode, we spoke about how Matt's background and development as an Air Force Training Pilot have helped him to craft no-nonsense training programs for his clients. ____ Chapters 00:00 - Matt's Intro and Failing into Training 04:42 - How do increase the rigor of your training? 11:58 - Surround your participants with your training topic 17:05 - Focus on Behavior vs. Knowledge for Effective Training 22:16 - Example: How to uncover key behaviors for training 27:55 - What cognitive load actually looks like 37:54 - Relationships are key to giving good feedback ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: 1. To focus on performance, you need to identify the behavior that you will need to see to know the training was successful. 2. Immerse your participants in your training experience, not just in the time you have with them. Send out resources with different formats, give them primers for your next workshop, and help them to fall in love with the problems you're trying to solve. 3. Don't give feedback unless you can say that you care about the other person's development. ____ 📚 Resources: Connect with Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewgjertsen/ Better Every Day Studios: https://www.bettereverydaystudios.com/ ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ ____

Kristin Torrence is helping to bring VR scenarios and training into the mainstream at CA-based company, Talespin. As the Head of Learning Engineering, she focuses on the development of targeted skills through the designing VR scenarios. In this episode, we spoke about how Kristin approaches VR learning experience design, what types of performance are the perfect fit for VR, and how to evaluate the effectiveness of an employee going through training. ____ Chapters 00:00 - What is Learning Engineering? 07:44 - What's the current state of VR and training? 11:22 - How VR content has evolved for L&D 18:12 - What type of instruction is FIT for VR? 22:15 - How do you give good feedback in VR training? 34:30 - How do you design a virtual human to give feedback? 41:14 - How to use ChatGPT to develop better scenarios ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: 1. VR training allows for more realistic, repeatable, and immersive scenarios that more closely mimic real-life situations and experience that classroom training can't. 2. Two types of feedback that are key to designing VR training are formative and summative assessments. You want to assess skill-building in progress as well as report back the overall progress towards a performance goal. 3. Define the skills, align the decision-points, and then provide multiple pathways to the "best" solution. Employees won't get the right solution every single time, but there should be opportunities to recover "wrong" choices and get back to the same positive outcome. ____ 📚 Resources: IEEEVR: Professional organization committed to the development of Learning Engineering as a profession and as an academic discipline. Talespin: Kristin's company dedicated towards building VR solutions for the Future of Work. ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ ____

Cara North is one of the most recognized named in Instructional Design both for effective Instructional Design practices and getting a solid start in the industry. She is the founder of The Learning Camel and the author of "Learning Experience Design Essentials." In this episode, we spoke all about how Cara got her start as an Instructional Designer as well as how to make practical use of AI avatars in your learning resources. ____ Chapters 00:00 - Intro and Cara's start in Instructional Design 05:17 - Moving from Trainee to Trainer 09:32 - Seek Out Opportunities for Better Projects as an Entry-Level ID 16:20 - Being Proactive and not Reactive in L&D 25:12 - How Cara uses AI Avatars in Training 37:00 - Designing a Learning Journey 45:00 - How to Experiment with New AI Tools ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: 1. Social Equity is an instructional designer's super power for getting things done within the business. Who you meet and who you know can help you answer questions, provide context, or be your champion! 2. AI avatars are a way to bring learning design to life. 3. When learning to use instructional design tools, you don't need to reinvent the wheel, but you should find something to base your content around like a nearby book or favorite blog article. 4. Don't just reach for AI tools. Identify a particular problem you're looking to solve and then find the right AI solution to test. ____ 📚 Resources: Cara's book "Learning Experience Design Essentials: Amazon Connect with Cara North: ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ The Learning Camel (consulting service): ⁠⁠Click here ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ ⁠here⁠: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ____

Donald Clark is one of the most well-known experts on bringing AI into Learning and Instruction. He's the former CEO of Epic Group plc, and current CEO of AI learning company WildFire. In this episode, we spoke all about why L&D can't seem to nail the right problems for the business and their failed approach to making learning happen. And of course...how we could fix it. ____ Chapters 0:00 - Intro and Donald's background 2:47 - The early beginnings of learning technologies 5:47 - Turning yourself into an AI model with Synthesia 9:18 - The role of AI avatars in performance support 13:39 - Why is AI such a boon for learning? 20:32 - The Big Problem with Workplace Learning 25:52 - What are the skills that L&D needs to have to survive? 33:37 - The role of dialogue and intelligence and language ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: 1. Learning is a process and L&D needs to remember learning science if it wants to drive new behavior and results. Training as an event is dead. 2. AI avatars provide a face and a voice for the content that gets generated. We'll need something to interact with. 3. People are missing the point of ChatGPT in being a program for learning through dialogue. 4. The Future of AI in Learning and Development is performance support...not more content. ____ 📚 Resources: Donald's blog: http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/ Connect with Donald: ⁠LinkedIn⁠ Great Minds on Learning Podcast: ⁠Link to show⁠ ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ here: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on LinkedIn ____

Ross Stevenson is the creator of the L&D newsletter Steal These Thoughts. He's a seasoned learning and performance strategist helping to build world-class learning functions for global organizations. His expertise lies in designing digital-first learning content strategies, fusing marketing techniques with learning principles, and crafting top-notch digital content tools. In this episode, we spoke all about why employees don't engage with Learning Team initiatives and what we can do about that. ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: Part of the reason there's such a gap between L&D and the rest of the organization is because of limitations set by the organization on how to measure learning (incorrectly). Always finish your learning design with an engagement plan. Go back to the strategies that you used to conduct an analysis for a learning problem and use those to retarget your learners. If you're running a lean L&D team and want to measure impact (but don't have the time/capacity) consider using the BAR framework – see resources. ____ 📚 Resources: BAR framework: https://stealthesethoughts.com/2023/04/19/how-to-get-useful-product-feedback/ Steal These Thoughts website: https://stealthesethoughts.com/ Ross's ebook on playing the career game: https://mybook.to/Af6Yr ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ here: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠ 🗣 Or get in touch with me on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster⁠ Chapters: 00:00- Introduction 08:36- The Gap Between L&D and Learners 20:02- How to Measure if You Have a Lean Team 26:57- Why Digital Tools Don't Get Adopted 29:32- How Do You Create an Engagement Plan 40:15- The Product Mindset in L&D

Dr. Kuva Jacobs is the Founding Director of the Redpoint Consulting Firm and the creator of the LinkedIn Group Learning Myth Busters. She helps to drive to create innovative learning solutions in the corporate space, where she contributes to a wide range of learning & development projects, across all stages of their lifecycle. ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: Learning Styles is a myth and harmful because it puts learners into boxes. Instead consider context, environment, and the nature of the information you're trying to teach. Be wary of nice round numbers in learning graphics like 'The Learning Pyramid.' Learning science shows that we don't really "unlearn" anything. Rather, you take on new information and add it to your current understanding of a new topic. It's more like a Word document that has all of the edits, track changes, and comments. When confronting someone about a learning myth, it's important to emphasize with that person. No one likes being attacked. Instead, get to the bottom of why that person uses that myth and show them research when appropriate. ____ 📚 Resources: Check out the Learning Myth Busters group on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14108260/ You can follow and contact Dr. Kuva Jacobs on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuvaj/ ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ here: https://www.synthesia.io/academy 🗣 Or get in touch with me on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster

Rued Riis is a creator who helps educators turn knowledge into video. Having worked in both marketing and training, I enjoy his perspective as someone who designs a balance of both education and entertainment with his learning content. ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: Don't pour everything into one "golden" video. Focus on explaining one thing and explaining it well. Your video pacing should be somewhere between TikTok crazy and academia dry. One of the most underrated tips for using ChatGPT in scriptwriting is to use it to come up with metaphors and examples to explain complex topics. To become a creator, you have to have the courage to put things out into the world. ____ 📚 Resources: Check out Rued's podcast, blog and courses here: https://www.ruedriis.com/ You can follow and contact Rued Riis on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruedriis/ ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ here: https://www.synthesia.io/academy 🗣 Or get in touch with me on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster

Ever put personal development on the back burner? Well, in this episode Devlin Peck and I discuss the 5 key tenets of instructional design that every ID could either internalize or brush up on What to look forward to? 1. The Audience Holds the Key 2. Alignment is Everything 3. Practice and Feedback Make Perfect 4. People Learn Together 5. Learning is a Campaign Who is Devlin Peck? 🤔 Devlin Peck is the founder of DevlinPeck.com where he helps people build instructional design skills and become instructional designers. He also leads a team of skilled instructional designers, developers, and consultants to serve corporate learning needs for global clients. ____ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways: Your audience is the key to an effective and useful learning design. If you don't know who you're designing for, your LX is for no one but yourself. Practice and feedback = learning. Feedback can come in many forms, but the best feedback is one that allows learners to fail. You can tell someone the correct answer, but even better is providing a robust explanation...and the best is letting someone "experience" the consequences of applying their knowledge or making a decision. Learning is a campaign means that you're not designing for a one-shot intervention with your learners. Instead, you should strive to keep learning alive long after your workshop or course. ____ 📚 Resources: You can follow and contact Devlin Peck on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devlinpeck/ ____ 🤔 About the Host Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. ____ 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ here: https://www.synthesia.io/academy 🗣 Or get in touch with me on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster

Egle, Myles, and I discuss how to transform the L&D role by thinking more with a product mindset as well as why L&D has a problem engaging its learners.  We also talked about the different skills of a product manager that could help L&D better address the needs of the business:  1. Stakeholder management  2. Data-driven problem-solving  3. An understanding of how tools can be used to address problems but are not themselves the solution.  Who are Myles and Egle?  Egle Vinauskaite, a renowned learning strategist, advises top companies and edtech startups by blending learning design, behavioral science, and product expertise. She specializes in using advanced technologies for digital and blended learning, covering large-scale programs, academies, alternative education, apps, and extended reality.  Myles Runham, a seasoned leader in digital businesses, has collaborated with global corporates, public sector organizations, charities, and vendors. With a deep understanding of managing learning services and expertise in overseeing digital products, he offers valuable insights to leadership teams. His diverse background covers commercial leadership and digital learning service management across various industries and technology providers.  _______ 🖐🏽 Key Takeaways:  L&D has an engagement problem. This is because of the lack of perceived relevancy of the role of L&D in the business. Also, L&D struggles to deal with the role of "assigned learning" and its effect on employees.  One of the biggest value adds for L&D folks is to be able to pitch back user insights to the business and stakeholders.  Think about solving business problems as both cyclical and iterative. Learning interventions will never be able a silver bullet. Rather, they can address problems that are ongoing, with a variety of solutions – not just learning.  _______ 📚 Resources:  You can follow and contact Egle and Myles via LinkedIn:  Egle: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinauskaite/⁠  Myles: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/myles-run...⁠  _______ 🤔 About the Host  Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services. With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video. He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. 🧑🏽‍🏫 Check out the ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ here: ⁠https://www.synthesia.io/academy⁠  🗣 Or get in touch with me on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster⁠

In this episode, John Helmer and I discuss how to can create learning that excites and engages. We talk about how he designed his fantastic podcast by combining both his marketing background, work with learning organizations, and his love of cinema. John Helmer, a writer, editor, and communications strategy expert who hosts 2 fantastic podcasts about learning: The Learning Hack Great Minds on Learning (with Donald Clark) The Learning Hack website Support The Learning Hack on Patreon Key Takeaways: Instructional design can get in its way with an extremely narrow focus on instructional design principles. L&D has a marketing problem. We should always try to excite the desire for people to listen/complete our entire learning program. Learning can channel a marketing mindset by tapping into creativity – not only in how we structure content, but also by how we deliver it. If you're putting learning into video, that is a creative act and you should think about how you're engaging learners. RESOURCES: You can follow and contact John Helmer via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnhelmer/ The Learning Hack⁠: a podcast about the people and technologies that are shaping the future of learning. ⁠Great Minds on Learning⁠ (with Donald Clark): podcast to discuss the history of thought and theorizing about learning. The inspired, the enduring, the wacked-out weird and the just plain wrong, from Aristotle to the present day. ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services.  With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video.  He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. CONTACT METHOD Check out ⁠Synthesia Academy⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/

In this episode, Amy Petricek shares her insights about what's big in the instructional design world, the role of engagement in instructional design, and how to think about learning in the flow of work. Amy is a Learning Design Manager, Career Strategist, and host of the podcast Share Watcha Learned podcast. Key Takeaways: Instructional Design looks very different from company to company. It's important to connect with people to understand what that role is beyond what's only in the job description. Asynchronous learning requires us to be more intentional about our learning design. It's important not only to think about how the information is displayed in eLearning, but also how it's delivered. Training has an opportunity to move outside the LMS. However, it also requires extra thinking through the click pathway of the learner. RESOURCES: You can follow and contact Amy Petricek via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amy-petricek/ Share Whatcha Learned Podcast - a podcast for learning professionals to share something they're learning in the field of Instructional Design. ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services.  With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video.  He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. CONTACT METHOD Check out Synthesia Academy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/

In this episode, Dr. Dawn Diperi talks about how prioritizing accessibility and universal design principles not only helps learners feel included in learning experiences, but also provides more user choice when it comes to how they learn your content. Dawn is a Global Content Management Specialist for UNICEF's Learning Passport program.  She has worked for various organizations including the Harvard Graduate School of Education, UNICEF Learning Passport and is an internationally recognised expert on online pedagogy, inclusive classrooms, and accessibility. Key Takeaways: eLearning increases accessibility for learners because an online experience provides more pathways and formats for individual learners to choose how they participate. Accessibility isn't expensive if you prioritize it in your design upfront versus trying to protect your company once you've delivered your design. Graphic design and accessibility are peas in a pod when it comes to reducing cognitive load in your instructional design. RESOURCES: You can follow and contact Dr. Dawn Diperi via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnleediperi/ Graphic Design for Course Creators eBook: https://graphicdesignforcoursecreators.pressbooks.com/ Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/ ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services.  With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video.  He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. CONTACT METHOD Check out Synthesia Academy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/

In this episode, Mohsin Memon talks about game design and L&D and his approach to designing engaging experiences in learning and training.  Mohsin is the Founder of Gamitar Learning and the creator of Evvive, The Leadership Game played by leaders at Uber, Deloitte, PwC, Coca Cola, Motorola, Marsh, HSBC, and many more. Key Takeaways: Gamification fails when designers don't have their own game journey or game experience. Autonomy is the goal of any player that steps into the experience.  The player must understand the elements and "the game" so that they can play – and learn from that experience. Reflection is key to designing impactful learning experiences.  Without it, there is less likelihood that any new learning will transfer to performance. You must design characters that resonate with your audience.  Your audience should be able to view the world through the character's perspective. Feedback and interaction are what make games effective learning experiences.  Games are places for learners to experiment, fail, and apply new knowledge.   The Magic Circle has 3 key elements that are fundamental to the design of games and can reframe how we think about designing experiences. The player / the learner - who is engaging with your learning? The toy - the platform, tools, or the elements the player interacts with The rules - The interaction between 1 & 2 Best Moments: "The faster you're able to enable the learner to become active, the more powerful and meaningful that experience will be." "To bring the points home, we have to be able to talk about it. Create a dialogue around what happens in a game so that we can learn from that and apply it in the real world." "Experimentation plays a big role in game design. Players get to fail, try things out." "Consequence is so important for players for them to make a mental shift and generate behavior change. Players need to see that 'I made that choice and it didn't work out for me.'" GUEST RESOURCES You can follow and contact Mohsin via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohsinmem/ Evvive Leadership Game: https://evivve.com/ Helpful Takeaway: The Magic Circle and How to Use It  Character builder tools: https://www.rangen.co.uk/chars/pergen.php https://charactercreator.org/ Nash's Equilibrium ABOUT THE HOST Kevin Alster leads the learning team at Synthesia focusing primarily on product education and client services.  With over a decade of experience in education and learning, he has moved from the classroom and into tech to help people create and communicate better through video.  He has been developing enterprise and branded learning solutions in organizations such as General Assembly, The School of The New York Times, and Sotheby’s Institute of Art. CONTACT METHOD Check out Synthesia Academy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinalster/