Second Global L&D Knowledge Forum Wrap-Up

On October 27, 2021, getAbstract hosted its second Global L&D Knowledge Forum. (Learn about our first L&D Knowledge Forum here.) The one-day online event featured four Q&A sessions with getAbstract customers and a learning design expert discussing best practices in learner engagement.

Below are the main take-aways from each keynote:

1. Put Well-Being First

Learning requires taking a step outside one’s comfort zone. Employees who feel stressed or fear negative repercussions if they make mistakes are unlikely to explore new knowledge horizons.

You must create an ecosystem where people feel safe to explore.

Andy Holmes, Reckitt

In his keynote, Andy Holmes, Global Head of Wellbeing at Reckitt, stressed the importance of creating an environment conducive to learning by fostering a sense of community, flattening hierarchies and creating common learning experiences. The next step is for L&D to motivate people to explore content and self-direct their learning. A powerful way to do so, Holmes found, is by providing a teaser to content in the form of a story. People connect to stories on an emotional level, vetting their appetite to exploring the topic in more detail. Holmes considers getAbstract summaries great gateways to new topics that people can access in their own time.

2. Inspire with a Week-Long Learning Campaign

Deutsche Post DHL seeks to foster engagement and enthusiasm for learning by organizing a yearly Global Learn and Grow Week. The event is open to everybody, enabling participants from different parts of the business and the world to learn from each other and exchange best practices. Every day of the event is dedicated to a different topic, including digitalization, leadership and sustainability, for which getAbstract offered relevant background reading. Global Learn and Grow Week also features inspiring stories on the company’s community outreach and humanitarian initiatives. Members of the organization’s leadership, meanwhile, reinforce Deutsche Post DHL’s commitment to learning with daily welcome messages. The event in 2021 was a big success, with over 20,000 employees registering for the learning sessions.

We aspire to make learning as accessible as possible to everyone, including frontline workers.

Randy Recio, Deutsche Post DHL

Book Summary

Workplace Learning

A convincing and thorough treatment of the modern workplace learning orthodoxy.

Nigel Paine Kogan Page Publishers

Read Summary

3. Start with the Content, Not the Technology

The shift to online learning offers the temptation to focus too much on shiny platforms and tools as opposed to the quality of the content. In her keynote, learning design expert Jennifer Hofmann introduced the concept of campaign design as a way of creating learning journeys that are engaging, appealing and easy to implement.

By teaching people how to learn online, we also teach people how to work online.

Jennifer Hofmann, Author

Learning journeys come with a series of steps, including guiding questions, preparation activities, downloadable readings, videos and live workshops. Ideally, each step includes supplemental material that people can seek out if they want to delve deeper into the topic. Finally, Hofmann advises to finish off learning journeys with a call to action to apply the learning content in the real world.

Book Summary

Blended Learning

Your employees can use blended learning however, whenever and wherever they want.

Jennifer Hofmann ATD Publications

Read Summary

4. Leverage Internal Knowledge

Julie Rasfeld, Senior HR Manager – Learning Delivery at General Electric (GE)

Through its intranet site, BrilliantYou, General Electric offers over 20,000 learning assets for people to explore. Assets include content from third providers, such as getAbstract, as well as internally produced content. GE places a lot of emphasis on Lean, a method developed by Toyota in 1930 to optimize processes, reduce waste and cut costs. GE has been producing masterclasses on different aspects and applications of Lean, featuring various instructors and GE employees sharing best practices. For example, one lesson features Pat Byrne, CEO of GE Digital, teaching how to conduct a Monthly Operating Review in alignment with the business’s priorities.

We seek to tap into the talent and experience of our own employees.

Julie Rasfeld, General Electric

GE’s learning platform enables employees to learn from leaders as well as share their own experiences applying Lean concepts in their daily work. Interactive discussion platforms complement the formal video recordings, which can be adapted when new challenges arise.

Podcast Summary

Internal Corporate Podcasts

Internal podcasts are a great way to reach out to your employees or colleagues, wherever they are.

Doug Bushée, Mike Lenz and Angela Shanahan Podcast Snap

Read Summary

For an organization to be agile, learning must become an integral component of corporate culture. getAbstract’s latest guide offers actionable strategies for fostering a company culture where learning in the flow of work becomes second nature. Download your free copy today!