Leading Links 2021 – Issue 3

Our aim with this monthly Leading Links e-mail is to provide you with insights and tips that we think will be helpful to you in growing and improving your learning business. It is with that same aim that we regularly publish the Leading Learning Podcast.

If you are not currently someone who listens to the podcast regularly, we hope you will consider tuning into our recent series on The Surge of the Third Sector and The Learning Business in Disruptive Times. These represent opportunities to hear from peers and expert advisers on issues that impact every learning business and actively reflect on how they impact you.

If you listen (or read the detailed show notes) and find value in the podcast, we’d be truly grateful if you would subscribe for free and consider leaving a review. 

Now, on to this month’s links. 

[Leadership] Learning vs. Education
Understanding the difference is essential to unlocking new ways of providing value and truly leading learning. But while leaders often nod their heads in agreement, we continually observe that in their language and the actions, they really haven’t absorbed the difference or why it matters. Seth Godin offers useful thoughts on the topic. You may even want to consider springing for his talks on Udemy for yourself and/or your staff. 

For a somewhat different angle on the question – one more focused on the difference between knowledge and learning – see this article about why education should be about learning, not teaching. (This is aimed at higher ed, but applies broadly.)

[Strategy] Making Learning Match Needs
It’s a goal that should be at the core of every learning business strategy and, in this Associations Now article, Ernie Smith considers how to do it in the learning landscape that is emerging from our COVID-19 world. We’re grateful that Ernie included Jeff in his investigation into the topic. We’re also grateful that he highlights research that debunks persistent beliefs about learning styles. Learning styles asides, there are still good reasons to offer “a mix of learning formats, including bite-sized options and asynchronous programs.” Read the article to find out why – and what else to consider.

[Portfolio] Getting Microlearning Right
Microlearning has quietly (more or less) continued to cement its place as one of the most important new approaches to learning (particularly online learning) in recent years, but that doesn’t mean it is well understood or being implemented in the most effective ways. In Understanding Microlearning and Microlearning: Short and Sweet, Bill Brandon draws on a book by Karl Kapp and Robyn Defelice to examine what microlearning really is and how it might best be leveraged. He also highly recommends Kapp and Deflice’s book, saying “It has been a long time since I have seen a book on learning design and practice as well-written and effective as this one.” We have added it to our list. Perhaps you should, too.

[Capacity] Making the Least of Virtual Meetings
Frequent Zoom meetings are now a fact of life for most Leading Learning readers, causing more then a few of us to wonder how we might reduce them. Cal Newport, evangelist of focus, provides some very useful tips in Combating Zoom Overload with Reverse Meetings. We particularly like (and may implement) the one about regular office hours. And, we think there is great value in pairing Newport’s advice with Stowe Boyd’s thoughts on minimizing hours for synchronous communication.

Of course, it’s hard to a avoid all virtual meetings. So, for the ones you do have to have, the three steps to better virtual meetings shared in a recent Harvard Business Review. 

[Marketing] The Fundamentals Stay the Same
If, as suggested above, serving learner needs is at the core of strategy, creating messaging that conveys clearly and concisely how you your offerings address those needs is at the core of marketing. This interview with Belinda Elliott-Bielecki, Director of Marketing and Communications in the College of Extended Learning, University of New Brunswick, provides valuable insight into how to effectively message to adult lifelong learners. Keep in mind, too, that one of your main opportunities for consistent, effective messaging is through your website. 

That’s it for this edition. If you find Leading Links valuable, please share it with a colleague who may also find it valuable. (And, of course, they can get their own subscription here.)