Simon Fowler
@simonfowler.bsky.social
The means and ends of all is quality relationships - actually, quality *relating*. Without it, you can't get good, context-appropriate, sustainable learning, behavior change, teams, communities, organizations...
Thanks @learnchat.bsky.social folk for running this. Warms my heart to see so many old(er!) faces and wisdom again! #learnchat (or #lrnchat if you're @kpagano.bsky.social !)
April 9, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Thanks @learnchat.bsky.social folk for running this. Warms my heart to see so many old(er!) faces and wisdom again! #learnchat (or #lrnchat if you're @kpagano.bsky.social !)
I should attend Will Thalheimer's LTEM course - my guess is there's nuggets there? Is he on bsky? #learnchat
Wrap) The actual process of assessing skills seems so fraught and almost impossible to do reliably and at scale? Who does the assessing, how (esp with people/context-dependent skills), how reliable? #learnchat
LET'S WRAP THIS UP! Thanks for joining us tonight. Feel free to share final thoughts and share any new/plugs/events that might interest #LearnChat
April 9, 2025 at 12:57 AM
I should attend Will Thalheimer's LTEM course - my guess is there's nuggets there? Is he on bsky? #learnchat
Wrap) The actual process of assessing skills seems so fraught and almost impossible to do reliably and at scale? Who does the assessing, how (esp with people/context-dependent skills), how reliable? #learnchat
LET'S WRAP THIS UP! Thanks for joining us tonight. Feel free to share final thoughts and share any new/plugs/events that might interest #LearnChat
April 9, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Wrap) The actual process of assessing skills seems so fraught and almost impossible to do reliably and at scale? Who does the assessing, how (esp with people/context-dependent skills), how reliable? #learnchat
A6: Not really an answer: The aerospace org I once worked with had 11,000 skills entered freeform in their database, 27 of them were variations of "sw dev" or somesuch. Then wanted to us to help them move to agile and see measurable improvement. #learnchat
Q6: What are some ways organizations can help employees understand the skills they already have and those they may need to grow? #LearnChat
April 9, 2025 at 12:50 AM
A6: Not really an answer: The aerospace org I once worked with had 11,000 skills entered freeform in their database, 27 of them were variations of "sw dev" or somesuch. Then wanted to us to help them move to agile and see measurable improvement. #learnchat
Reposted by Simon Fowler
#learnchat A5) To make personalization really work, everything needs to be relevant - context, skills needed, proficiency level, assessment of progress. Plus! The more personalized something is, the less generalized data we get as L&D folks to learn from...
April 9, 2025 at 12:40 AM
#learnchat A5) To make personalization really work, everything needs to be relevant - context, skills needed, proficiency level, assessment of progress. Plus! The more personalized something is, the less generalized data we get as L&D folks to learn from...
Reposted by Simon Fowler
Two keys to success: 1) As noted already, give people something to do, do not just tell them things. 2) Make it easy for them to recognize their progress. I am not trying to bring back badges, but a sufficiently designed ripple of ever-increasing challenges will work as well or better. #LearnChat
Q5: Personalized learning paths based on skills sound great, but what makes them actually work in practice? #LearnChat
April 9, 2025 at 12:39 AM
Two keys to success: 1) As noted already, give people something to do, do not just tell them things. 2) Make it easy for them to recognize their progress. I am not trying to bring back badges, but a sufficiently designed ripple of ever-increasing challenges will work as well or better. #LearnChat
Reposted by Simon Fowler
#learnchat A4) Written and verbal communication are often looked at outside of work contexts, but as a leader, someone who can clearly articulate a problem, potential solutions, their recommendation and impact is priceless. Getting specific with tasks and success metrics is key
April 9, 2025 at 12:34 AM
#learnchat A4) Written and verbal communication are often looked at outside of work contexts, but as a leader, someone who can clearly articulate a problem, potential solutions, their recommendation and impact is priceless. Getting specific with tasks and success metrics is key
This is why @kpagano.bsky.social is here, no? :)
Q4: How can L&D teams support the identification and development of transferable skills across departments? #LearnChat
April 9, 2025 at 12:29 AM
This is why @kpagano.bsky.social is here, no? :)
And human skills are SO contextual. So many ways to hamfist up "3 steps to effective feedback", starting with not even noticing when its appropriate/helpful. #learnchat
#learnchat A3) there's also a difference between technical/job skills and human skills - lots of jobs focus on the technical skills required for the job, but it's often the human skills that differentiate folks who are successful from those who struggle
April 9, 2025 at 12:28 AM
And human skills are SO contextual. So many ways to hamfist up "3 steps to effective feedback", starting with not even noticing when its appropriate/helpful. #learnchat
We tried for years to get people beyond the buyer to sit down and discuss measurement beyond L1, and support, reinforcement. They'd never invest the time or money to ensure they money and time they invested made a difference. #learnchat
#learnchat A2) Measuring/assessing skills is definitely not something most people or orgs are good at!
Asking for feedback and taking advantage of opportunities for assessment are things I focus on myself.
Asking for feedback and taking advantage of opportunities for assessment are things I focus on myself.
April 9, 2025 at 12:23 AM
We tried for years to get people beyond the buyer to sit down and discuss measurement beyond L1, and support, reinforcement. They'd never invest the time or money to ensure they money and time they invested made a difference. #learnchat
@daveferguson.bsky.social it's a delight to see you experience your wonderful reflections again! Such a way with words! #learnchat
We were saved from all that manifest-ation, not by a sudden outbreak of common sense, but by the looming deadline.
#learnchat
#learnchat
April 9, 2025 at 12:21 AM
@daveferguson.bsky.social it's a delight to see you experience your wonderful reflections again! Such a way with words! #learnchat
I don't at all. I learn all the time, and I get better at doing things I do but I don't really measure or keep track. I'm also not terribly focused. #learnchat
Q2: How do you personally keep track of your own skills growth over time? #LearnChat
April 9, 2025 at 12:17 AM
I don't at all. I learn all the time, and I get better at doing things I do but I don't really measure or keep track. I'm also not terribly focused. #learnchat
A1: "skills-based approach" ... current thought is being able to perform a discrete focused behavior (speech, interaction, practical thing you do) that demonstrably has a positive effect (as determined by context), and perform it better than last time? I don't know. Good question though. #learnchat
Q1: What does a "skills-based approach" to learning mean to you personally or professionally? #LearnChat
April 9, 2025 at 12:13 AM
A1: "skills-based approach" ... current thought is being able to perform a discrete focused behavior (speech, interaction, practical thing you do) that demonstrably has a positive effect (as determined by context), and perform it better than last time? I don't know. Good question though. #learnchat
Q0) learned last week that Cursor AI tool is human-like. It ignored what I asked and it did something else. I asked it why, it said, "I went to do what you asked then ... I got distracted!" For real. #learnchat
April 9, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Q0) learned last week that Cursor AI tool is human-like. It ignored what I asked and it did something else. I asked it why, it said, "I went to do what you asked then ... I got distracted!" For real. #learnchat
Q0) Simon - Brit in Boston for couple decades. Recovering corporate training person. Focusing now on "relational dynamics". Always thinking about learning and human behavior. #learnchat
April 9, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Q0) Simon - Brit in Boston for couple decades. Recovering corporate training person. Focusing now on "relational dynamics". Always thinking about learning and human behavior. #learnchat
Reposted by Simon Fowler
Q0) We like to start the chat with a round of introductions. Please let us know a bit about yourself: who you are, where you are from, what kind of work you do, and maybe share something you have learned this week.
Don't forget to add #LearnChat to each post/response so it shows up in the feed.
Don't forget to add #LearnChat to each post/response so it shows up in the feed.
April 9, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Q0) We like to start the chat with a round of introductions. Please let us know a bit about yourself: who you are, where you are from, what kind of work you do, and maybe share something you have learned this week.
Don't forget to add #LearnChat to each post/response so it shows up in the feed.
Don't forget to add #LearnChat to each post/response so it shows up in the feed.
Can we agree that persuade and pursue both start with pe or both start with pu but for crying out loud the same two letters so I don't pick the wrong one Every Single Damned Time I've written the words for my entire life?
January 16, 2025 at 4:20 AM
Can we agree that persuade and pursue both start with pe or both start with pu but for crying out loud the same two letters so I don't pick the wrong one Every Single Damned Time I've written the words for my entire life?
Reposted by Simon Fowler
Thus may be the single biggest issue in our institutions and culture at the moment.
We lack the skills of discourse.
We think conflict needs necessarily to be continuous.
We try to resolve things that don’t need to be/can never be.
We lack imagination to find novel collaborative solutions.
We lack the skills of discourse.
We think conflict needs necessarily to be continuous.
We try to resolve things that don’t need to be/can never be.
We lack imagination to find novel collaborative solutions.
January 15, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Thus may be the single biggest issue in our institutions and culture at the moment.
We lack the skills of discourse.
We think conflict needs necessarily to be continuous.
We try to resolve things that don’t need to be/can never be.
We lack imagination to find novel collaborative solutions.
We lack the skills of discourse.
We think conflict needs necessarily to be continuous.
We try to resolve things that don’t need to be/can never be.
We lack imagination to find novel collaborative solutions.
Sadly going to miss #LearnChat tonight. Have fun y'all.
January 7, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Sadly going to miss #LearnChat tonight. Have fun y'all.
Lots of learned wisdom here, and a strong encouragement against passivity, to exercise our agency with others ... for parenting, public life, organizational life ...
Strong communities can save the world.
I am in a community for parents with neurodivergent and differently-abled children. It has saved many children and the sanity of many parents.
Because if it, I have a delightful, confident, bright, and funny 14yo girl. In 2024. After a dystopian childhood.
I am in a community for parents with neurodivergent and differently-abled children. It has saved many children and the sanity of many parents.
Because if it, I have a delightful, confident, bright, and funny 14yo girl. In 2024. After a dystopian childhood.
December 12, 2024 at 1:56 PM
Lots of learned wisdom here, and a strong encouragement against passivity, to exercise our agency with others ... for parenting, public life, organizational life ...
Thanks for making it happen! So nice to see folk from the old days and welcome the new! #LearnChat
Thanks everyone for joining us here for #learnchat. We'll be back again in the New Year for another chat - join us Tuesday, January 7, 2025 - 8:00 PM EST.
December 11, 2024 at 2:01 AM
Thanks for making it happen! So nice to see folk from the old days and welcome the new! #LearnChat
Christy! Hi! Seein you here reminds me of a real learning experience about degrees of contact (in relational proximity) after we spoke on the phone for the first time following lots of #lrnchat interaction. How going from text to voice created a new dimension of relationship. Thank you! #LearnChat
A6) Keep meeting real people who commune on workplace learning! #learnchat
December 11, 2024 at 1:55 AM
Christy! Hi! Seein you here reminds me of a real learning experience about degrees of contact (in relational proximity) after we spoke on the phone for the first time following lots of #lrnchat interaction. How going from text to voice created a new dimension of relationship. Thank you! #LearnChat
A6) I confess one of the things that caused me to stop engaging in old #lrnchat was that the conversion didn't seem to move on any. In part understandable bc the problems are the same. Hence I'm eager for participants from outside L&D who have an interest in learning. #learnchat
Q6: What is one thing you’d like to see carried forward or done differently in the “new era” of #LearnChat / #lrnchat?
December 11, 2024 at 1:48 AM
A6) I confess one of the things that caused me to stop engaging in old #lrnchat was that the conversion didn't seem to move on any. In part understandable bc the problems are the same. Hence I'm eager for participants from outside L&D who have an interest in learning. #learnchat
A4) Probably AI, really as an excuse to ask deeper questions about human collective purpose and experience. #learnchat
Q4: If #LearnChat / #lrnchat could explore one big question or challenge in learning and development in its first few weeks back, what should it be?
December 11, 2024 at 1:36 AM
A4) Probably AI, really as an excuse to ask deeper questions about human collective purpose and experience. #learnchat
Reposted by Simon Fowler
A2) I'm also trying to think more about impacting overall business outcomes, rather than just garnering achievements by course/module. Thinking about the ideas from @usablelearning.bsky.social for change management, for example, or Will Thalheimer's updated LTEM model. #learnchat
Q2: How has your approach to learning and development evolved since the last time we connected on #lrnchat / #LearnChat?
December 11, 2024 at 1:22 AM
A2) I'm also trying to think more about impacting overall business outcomes, rather than just garnering achievements by course/module. Thinking about the ideas from @usablelearning.bsky.social for change management, for example, or Will Thalheimer's updated LTEM model. #learnchat