Everyone learns differently. Whether you’re a school student or an experienced employee, we all absorb information in our own way. This is why some appear to learn much faster or retain more information than others. When it comes to learning, teachers, trainers, and learning platforms need to consider the way everyone’s minds work in a completely unique way.

That’s where the cognitive learning theory comes in and helps students and teachers throughout the learning process.

Cognitive learning theory promotes “thinking about thinking” - also known as metacognition. The cognitive approach to learning encourages us to think more about our thought processes as we learn, so we can more effectively absorb and retain information.

Cognitive learning theories are often accompanied by behavioral learning theories, which look at external factors that influence learning.

When applied in a classroom or training environment, cognitive learning encourages students to look inward, and explain their reasoning so they can self-reflect. While traditional teaching methods rely on students memorizing information, cognitive learning has a different approach:

Comprehension - understand why students are learning what they’re learning, and how it will benefit them

Memory - cognitive learning isn’t about memorizing lots of information but is about associating new knowledge with past knowledge or experiences

Application - once learned, strategies allow students to practice their skills or knowledge in real-life scenarios

By using this approach, students boost their engagement by being far more motivated and excited to learn. This increases knowledge retention, and in the workplace it benefits both your employees and your business.

What are the benefits of cognitive learning?

There are plenty of advantages to cognitive learning theory beyond simply helping students figure out how they learn.

Improved comprehension, meaning all students benefit from training and learning

Better problem-solving skills by encouraging students to get involved with learning materials to get a deep understanding of the subject

It promotes a culture of learning within your organization

Students appreciate learning, especially when they’re not frustrated 

More confidence by encouraging students to associate learning with previously learned information

Faster learning by utilizing new learning methods in future

Creativity and innovative thinking by teaching employees how to interpret information quickly

To help with the concept, below are several cognitive learning theory examples.

This is when a student learns about a specific subject that is important to their work. Explicit learning requires the student to be committed and engaged. An example of this would be learning about Microsoft Excel in order to help with more accurate and thorough monthly reports.

This is the process of learning unintentionally, for example, if you watch a documentary on television. By watching the documentary for entertainment, you will likely retain some of the information despite that not being your intention. A good example of implicit learning in the workplace is how students and employees learn to touch type over time.

This is a trial and error approach - in that people learn from their prior experiences. In the workplace, experiential learning doesn’t have to involve learning from mistakes (however, this is important). It can involve work shadowing or learning from senior team members who have plenty of experience.

Similar to experiential learning, observational learning requires a student to learn by watching and imitating others. For example, a call center worker can learn how to deal with an irate customer by observing how a colleague successfully handles a similar situation.

Emotional learning is the way we develop relationships both within and outside the workplace and is generally something we learn over time. It allows employees to understand and take charge of their emotions.

Group projects are common within the workplace. In order to learn during a collaborative project, everyone needs to be an active participant.

Discovery learning is the process of learning through research and has a scientific approach. It involves identifying a problem, creating a hypothesis, testing that hypothesis, then using the results to see whether that hypothesis was correct. For example, fact-checking a report that an employee has never seen before.

This puts students in a lecture-style environment, where an industry expert will relay information to a group. However, it does mean the students must engage with the speaker and take notes.

This is the process of learning new information by relating it to previously learned knowledge. For example, before learning how to use a CRM system, employees would reflect on what they know about using other CRMs in the past.

This allows students to learn habitually, by being exposed to something on a regular basis. For example, employees who undertake manual work will initially do so much slower than those with years of experience. However, over time they will likely become just as fast - similar to the old saying “practice makes perfect”.

There are a number of cognitive learning strategies that can be applied to the workplace, to ensure all employees retain information and practice their new skills.

American psychologist David Ausubel said, “Meaningful learning occurs when the learner interprets, relates, and incorporates new information with existing knowledge and applies the new information to solve novel problems”. This means employees with prior knowledge will find it easier to learn new, relevant information.

Learning should focus on meaningfulness, with an emphasis on background information.

Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development suggested that there are three components of learning:

Accommodation, where we absorb new information by modifying information we already have

Assimilation, where we arrange new information beside existing knowledge

Equilibration, where we balance new and existing information

Because of this, companies that invest in their people can do the following strategy:

Introduce new information based on employees’ existing knowledge

Utilize analogies and connections to existing information

Encourage learning to be undertaken in stages

Use tasks that borrow from existing knowledge

Encourage openness and the asking of questions

Similar to Piaget’s theory, US psychologist Jerome Bruner’s theory focused on learning via discovery and self-direction. Bruner’s theory stated that there are three stages to learning:

Symbolic - words and symbols associated with experiences

In the workplace, employees should be allowed to learn independently by being encouraged to complete new tasks with little background knowledge. 

Everyone learns in their own, unique way, and everyone's existing knowledge, interpretation, and experience mean they all process new information differently. Along with cognitive learning, there are also eight learning styles to take into account.

Because of this, personalized strategies will always be the most effective for training employees. There is rarely an opportunity for a successful one-size-fits-all approach.

By creating a personalized learning experience, it enables your employees to learn and retain information, which can be put into practice so you deliver the very best service to your customers and clients.

As we’ve already covered in this post, cognitive learning theories are not just restricted to the classroom, but in the workplace too. Employee development plans need to be mindful that every employee learns differently, and that a personalized approach is key.

However, that doesn’t mean the process needs to be time-consuming and complex. Employees may already know which is their preferred learning style, which will make a development plan simpler to devise. Together with online training courses - which are completely self-directed - cognitive learning techniques are an effective way to encourage employees to learn.

Go1 has a range of courses to develop employees

Go1 has a wide range of courses available to help develop employees. For more information on what Go1 can offer your business, book a demo with a member of our team today.

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What is cognitive learning and how does it benefit employees and your business? Discover more from the experts at Go1.

Cognitive learning: benefits and examples | Go1

Cognitive learning: benefits and examples

A good manager isn’t a boss, but instead, they lead their team from one success to another. They’re not only great listeners and communicators, they’re also experts in their industry and somebody their colleagues can turn to.

But how do you ensure your managers develop their skills so they become the very best leaders? In this post, we’re going to take a look at how managers can develop their skills and how online leadership and management courses can help make that happen.

The importance of leadership development in the workplace

Some employees are naturally better at leadership than others. That’s not to say that others can’t learn the necessary skills to become strong leaders as their careers develop.

However, there’s one thing both experienced leaders and new leaders have in common: they can always learn more. Your managers may have a wealth of knowledge, skills, and experience in leading a team, but there are always advancements made which means the learning should never stop.

Leadership development shouldn’t be limited to current or trainee managers, as the skills taught in courses develop employees of all levels. These include:

By offering leadership development within your business, it allows your teams to work confidently together, and enables you to promote from within and retain top talent.

The importance of leadership development in the workplace cannot be understated. Without it, your competitors are likely to overtake you, you’ll operate outdated practices, and your teams simply won’t perform as well as they should.

The importance of leadership training for managers

A great manager has to be proficient in many skills, and have in-depth knowledge in a multitude of different areas. These include communication, delegation, decision-making, listening, HR skills, and many more. This is why leadership training is important, and managers should frequently learn to upskill and refresh.

Leadership training for managers doesn’t simply cover the basics. While there is a wide selection of training that covers the fundamentals, there are also many courses that cover specific topics so your managers can become even better at what they do. It’s likely that your managers already have basic leadership skills, but developing this will equip them with everything they need to inspire, motivate, engage, strategize and organize.

When you have a manager who has great leadership skills you ensure the success of your teams, which in turn means you deliver quality results for your clients and customers.

For more information check out our blog post on 12 essential leadership skills.

As we’ve already highlighted, your managers may already have many qualities that make them great leaders. Qualities that come naturally to some managers include confidence, listening skills, and resilience. However, while they may exceed in some areas, they may lack skills in others - that’s why improving leadership skills is imperative, regardless of seniority or experience.

The advantages of leadership training include:

Save costs and improve financial performance - when you develop existing employees not only do you save on expensive and lengthy recruitment, but investing in your people can have a significant ROI

How difficult is it to develop leadership skills?

Depending on the current knowledge and experience of your managers, learning leadership skills will take a varying amount of time and effort. More experienced managers may find that they can complete certain leadership courses relatively quickly, while newer or developing managers may find it more challenging.

There is also a range of leadership training topics, from basic to advanced, which will have varying degrees of difficulty.

However, leadership development training ensures that the necessary skills can be learned regardless of the student's prior experience.

For example, communication is a skill everyone has - it’s just that some employees have better communication skills than others. Most employees know the fundamentals of communication, but training allows them to get a deeper understanding and helps them to learn the hows, wheres, whys, whos, and whens involved with workplace communication.

But one major question is how can employees develop their leadership skills? This may be especially challenging for employees looking to upskill, while not currently being in a role that allows them to put those skills into practice. It can also be difficult to find time away from the business to dedicate to development.

There are three ways employees can develop their leadership skills:

Work shadowing or mentoring can be a highly effective way of learning the ins and outs of a specific role. However, this isn’t the best way to identify an individual employee's unique management style - what works for one manager may not work for another.

In-person training can be useful, however, it can be expensive and time-consuming, taking multiple employees away from the business which can disrupt their day-to-day responsibilities.

Among the best leadership training programs are those offered online. Online courses are cost-effective and completely self-directed, meaning they can be taken during periods of downtime, or at other convenient times.

Online training will allow employees to develop their leadership skills by:

Understanding their weaknesses and how to improve them

Showing them how to strategize and set ambitious yet attainable goals

Helping them to understand their own leadership style

Teaching them how to become a well-rounded communicator

Allowing them to make better, well-informed decisions

Knowing how to learn from their mistakes (and not repeat them)

How to improve leadership skills in the workplace

Online leadership courses can teach managers all the relevant skills needed to be great leaders, but there is also more the employee can do to develop these skills in the workplace.

Three ways to improve leadership skills outside of training include:

Set goals - a key leadership quality is being driven by goals, and setting goals for themselves - which they then stick to - can lead to goal setting for others

Offer to help out colleagues - when employees offer to help others it displays a positive, proactive attitude, and can help build relationships and respect

Learn more about the business - a leader isn’t someone who sticks to their own team or department and will have to work closely with others throughout the business. For this reason, learning more about the business and the way other teams work will help build a deeper understanding of the business and how it operates

When looking to develop, an action plan to improve leadership skills on top of online training courses is imperative for managers to become well-rounded leaders.

Leadership and management training will teach managers how to be good leaders, but it’s also important that employees know how to practice the leadership skills they have learned.

Be seen - a good leader doesn’t blend into the crowd, they make themselves available wherever possible

Feedback - a key leadership skill is offering constructive, well-articulated feedback

Listen - this is the one part of communication that some people forget

Motivate others - positivity and motivation are the qualities of a great leader

Accountability - everybody makes mistakes, so owning and learning from them is important

Learn - use every opportunity to learn more

Improve your managers' leadership skills with online training from Go1

Go1 offers a wide range of online leadership training courses which are perfect for new or seasoned managers. For more information on what Go1 can offer your business, schedule a demo with our experts today.

Leadership skills are critical to ensure your managers lead your teams effectively. Find out how to develop managers’ leadership skills with Go1

How to develop leadership skills in your managers | Go1

Leadership skills are critical to ensure your managers lead your teams effectively. Find out how to develop managers’ leadership skills with Go1.

How to develop leadership skills in your managers

Learning myths are everywhere. Take a second to think, and you can probably come up with a few of your own. Or, maybe they’re so pervasive and widely accepted that you don’t even realise they’re myths. For example, the idea that we only use 10% of our brains? Myth. Some people are left-brained, while others are right-brained? Myth. People forget 20% of what they learn after a day and even more after a week? Myth. And these examples are only the tip of the iceberg. 

As counterintuitive as it sounds, some learning myths make sense. Our brains are intricate, complex things, and we only understand a limited percentage of how they operate. Thus, theories and myths take hold to explain that which we don’t understand. 

Still, we think now is the time to set the record straight, debunking these myths and many more. Let’s dig in and debunk five learning myths. 

We’ve already covered this topic in detail in our recent article on whether learning styles are a myth or valid. So, we’ll keep this one blunt. A variety of studies and other reputable sources are unequivocal on this topic: learning styles are a myth.

Anyone who’s grown up believing in learning styles might find this hard to believe. You might even think of yourself as having a particular learning style. So, what does this mean? 

According to a 2017 study published by Frontiers in Psychology: “this idea [learning styles] has been repeatedly tested and there is currently no evidence to support it.”

Further, a study of more than 100 higher education providers in the UK found that 90% think learning styles are conceptually flawed. Plus, 67% believe they pigeonhole learners, 61% think they waste resources, and 56% think they create unrealistic expectations. 

We hear this concept all the time in popular culture — it has even been the basis for Hollywood movies such as Limitless and Lucy. However, the idea that we only use 10% of our brains is a total myth. 

How do we know? Well, brain scans show exactly that. According to Very Well Mind, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans “make it clear that large regions of the brain are at work during all kinds of activity…researchers have not found any region of the brain that does not serve a function. A study of medical myths noted that ‘numerous types of brain imaging studies show that no area of the brain is completely silent or inactive.’” 

While it’s a fun plot for a movie to imagine ‘unlocking’ the other 90% of our brains, that’s where the validity of this idea ends — of course we use significantly more than 10% of our brains! 

The idea that people are either left-brained or right-brained is exceptionally popular. In a recent survey, 77% of teachers believe this myth. These results should be highly concerning, as we will explain shortly. 

According to this theory, left-brained people are more logical, while right-brained people are more creative. This idea is so pervasive that you might even think of yourself as being either left or right-brained. Yet, once again, this idea is little more than a myth. 

In a 2013 study by the University of Utah, scientists analysed over 1,000 brains and “found no evidence that people preferentially use the left or right hemisphere.”

LearnDash adds to this, explaining, “not only is there no scientific basis for the idea that left-brained people are more analytical while right-brained people are more creative, scientists haven’t even been able to find any evidence that people use one side of their brain more than the other at all.” 

Another common learning myth is that Gen Z’s attention span is shrinking. You may have heard that attention spans have shrunk from 12 among Millennials to 8 seconds among Gen Z, on average. 

In reality, this is a half-truth at best. According to a study by Altitude, members of Gen Z have developed sophisticated, eight-second ‘content filters’. Since they have grown up with access to so many platforms and so much information, Gen Z has evolved to quickly assess large quantities of information. As such, they excel at judging what is worthy of their attention and what isn’t.

Basically, Gen Z processes information differently due to their relationship with technology, using content filters to sift out irrelevant information and hone in on things that matter to them. Altitude’s study explains that “they’ve grown up in a world where their options are limitless but their time is not. As such, Gen Z have adapted to quickly sorting through and assessing enormous amounts of information.”

To learn more, see our blog on how technology has changed the way we learn. 

You may have heard that you only remember 10% of what you read, 20% of what you hear, 30% of what you see, and so on. This theory is more commonly known as Dale’s Cone. While it sounds nice, this is a total myth. In reality, learning is rarely so neat and linear. 

According to a study published in Educational Technology, “there is no scientific data — or other data — that supports the claim that people remember some percentage of what they learned.” Moreover, they add that “no body of research — scientific or otherwise — supports any variation of the remembering percentages.” 

Not only that, but Dale’s Cone is actually a fundamental misunderstanding of Edgar Dale's original intent. According to PeopleMatters, “[Edgar Dale] hadn’t based his cone on any scientific research, which he explicitly mentioned in his study, besides urging his readers to 'not take it too seriously.'" 

Other people later added percentages to Dale’s original cone, based on little to no credible research. PeopleMatters explains that these were “randomly assigned percentages to people’s retention abilities.” Thus, what was originally intended to be an interesting but unscientific theory has taken on a life of its own, leading to a gross and occasionally harmful misunderstanding of the original intent.

Ultimately, it makes sense that Dale’s Cone is a myth, as human learning and memory are so complex and variable as to preclude such neat, linear, round numbers.  

For more insights, subscribe to the Go1 newsletter today to stay on top of all the latest L&D trends. Or, you can book a demo to find out how Go1 can help with your team’s learning needs.

We think now is the time to set the record straight. Let’s dig in and debunk five learning myths.

Busting 5 learning myths

The shape and structure of our school systems affect our teachers and their ability to teach effectively and, in turn, affect our students and the way they learn. Gone are the days of teachers standing at the front of a classroom of silent children; the notion of connectedness and collaboration within the classroom as students demonstrate teamwork and communication is becoming more widely accepted. But have we applied this concept of connectedness to whole schools and communities globally?

In this issue, we first take a look at schoolwide system change through the lens of a leader, the big picture. How can a community of schools affect student learning so wholly? We then home in on the science behind student learning, and how to best help them retain new knowledge, to form a picture of a successful school at all stakeholder levels.

Complete these courses during the final days of school for a push of inspiration to move you into the new year or bookmark the learning to set yourself up after the holidays. This drop is not to be missed!

Which awesome content partners have we added to the platform?

The Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL) is the largest professional association in the education sector in Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific region. They are on a mission to enhance leadership capacity through the delivery of high quality programs, including the newest course to land on EC Premium: The Devil in the Details: System Change in Action with Michael Fullan. Explore ways to strengthen success through connections with other schools, linking upward to the system as a whole.

LME Global is a mission-driven company serving students, teachers, and educators through learning science translation. Cofounded by cognitive neuroscientist, Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, in his new course, Principles of Learning, he uncovers the science of learning by exploring three key principles of how human beings learn.  Drawn from brain, behavioural, and educational research, these principles are learning 'nuggets' that can shine a light on more traditional classroom practices.

Kim Marshall, drawing on his decades as a teacher, principal, central office administrator, consultant, and writer, lightens the load of busy educators by serving as their "designated reader." He is a renowned and prevalent educator in the US, leading workshops and courses, coaching school leaders and consulting with schools and districts since 2002. This course, What Makes Learning Stick: Brain Science and Memory is taken from The Marshall Memo, a weekly roundup of important ideas and research in K-12 education, and covers aspects of the neuroscience of learning and strategies to manage student working memory. 

Which great content partners are coming soon to EC Premium?

Kath Murdoch is an experienced teacher, writer, and university lecturer with a passion for effective classroom teaching. Her upcoming course, The Power of Inquiry is an inspiring and comprehensive guide to the implementation of quality inquiry practices in the contemporary classroom.

Have you seen Kath Murdoch’s short courses on EC Premium? Check them out here.

Margaret Thorsborne is committed to strengthening the connections between people with a focus on the need to rebuild relationships in the wake of harmful antisocial behaviour. Restorative practices within schools is a whole school teaching and learning approach that encourages behaviour that is supportive and respectful. In her upcoming course, Margaret will delve deep into strategies that will repair and improve relationships within schools.

Have you seen Margaret Thorsborne’s short course on EC Premium? Check it out here.

The Inclusive School is currently developing a course that aligns with their vision: that school is a place where all learners feel included, diversity in learning is celebrated, and families and educators are equipped with the inspiration and resources to support students to achieve success and satisfaction in their learning. Coming soon to EC Premium, this course will enlighten teachers about learning diversity and equip them with strategies and tools to assist and include diverse learners in the classroom. 

Check out a short preview of the short course by Michaela Epstein at Maths Teacher Circles: Powerful Teaching Tools for the Maths Classroom where you will engage in experiences that will get you excited again about teaching maths.

Michaela Epstein on Why Maths is Important

Our Featured Playlists are included in all schools’ Learning Hubs and are a great way to see a variety of high-quality content from different providers, all with just one click!

This month, we are featuring a playlist to support the professional growth of all staff in your school. No matter our role, we all have a shared responsibility for making schools a welcoming, efficient and exciting place to work and learn, and these resources are here to empower you to get the most out of your career as an educator. Whether it’s managing your time more efficiently with Harvard University, learning to run better meetings with CreativeLive, upskilling in software with Intellezy, or building great habits with Blinkist, there is something here for everyone!

Located in Sydney's western suburbs and part of the Nirimba Collegiate, Seven Hills High School has worked with the Executive Leadership Team at EC by Go1 for the past year. Together, we have focussed on coaching, support and building bespoke online Professional Learning workshops to sit on their EC Premium platform.

In April 2022, CEO of EC by Go1, Dave Faulkner and Learning Designer, Glenn Solomons delivered a workshop at the Seven Hills High School Leadership Retreat. During the workshop, the leaders determined their strengths and areas of growth to better understand each other and work more collaboratively. The teams then developed a clear plan for implementing their 2022 goals. It was a success!

Midway through the year, The Seven Hills Learning Hub was launched on the platform with the executive team and included two one-hour workshops with their dedicated EC by Go1 Learning Designer, Leadership Consultant and Education Success Manager (ESM). During the workshops, the Seven Hills team learned the EC Premium Hub hacks and ‘how-to’s’, searched for appropriate content to assign to their team and even completed a 10-minute course!

Use this amazing school as inspiration and reach out to your EC by Go1 ESM about acquiring further support with Professional Learning days and Learning Design with our expert team of teachers and leadership consultants. Or, consider a Rapid Upskill workshop with your dedicated ESM to kick off your school’s learning in 2023!

Ben works to help your school subscribe to EC Premium to change game for your staff’s professional learning. As a former teacher and leader at schools including Melbourne Grammar and Haileybury, Ben has real-world understanding of the K-12 sector. He also brings deep business development experience from his time with Pivot Learning and The Outdoor Education Group. Ben holds a master’s degree in education from Monash University.

A fun fact about Ben:
As a boy, Ben performed at six Carols by Candlelight and went on to study voice at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.

What a year 2022 has been! From growing our team and launching EC Premium, to working with incredible content partners, educational leaders and schools, to creating tonnes of engaging course content for educators. It’s been a big one! Lots of learning curves, heaps of constructive feedback and a wonderful amount of support. We would not be here without you. We appreciate your efforts in reading this far (congrats, it’s a long post!), for participating in the courses, and for being the passionate, soulful and inspiring educators that are driving the growth of the new generation.

A huge THANK YOU from the entire EC by Go1 team!

Before you check out for the Christmas season and big Summer break, read on to discover our powerhouse of BIG new courses with some BIG and influential names in the education sector.

The EC Premium Content Insider - December 2022 edition

It was a typically cold, rainy day in the Melbourne CBD where the design team of Go1 gathered outside the Forum theatre. It was the initiative from Michelle Bell and Luke Brooker who brought us all together to experience the NO BS conference of 2022 as a team to grow both personally and professionally in our design thinking.

The Forum is a spectacular venue. With carved gods and goddesses peering down at us from balconies above, we filed into seats, eager to listen, learn and see how gems could be absorbed and taken into our lives and work. 

The NO BS conference was marketed as exactly that, no BS - an open space where speakers could literally talk about whatever they wanted without a filter. Speakers were invited to be blunt, brutal and honest about the industry ranging from agency work, branding, selling, emotional wellbeing, AI and social media platforms. 

We were introduced to our Master of Ceremonies, Ben Sorenson, who set the tone for the event. His dry, quite dark humour sometimes echoed to no laughs through the venue and other times elicited a stifled giggle from us or a “woo” for sharing trauma. A short meditation was held by Megan who allowed us to find anchor points within ourselves as we were exposed to all this information.

Day one started with a bang. Prue Jones talked about how she was the “first pancake” in the batch - meaning the one that you kinda get wrong but it’s okay, it’s just the first one. She captivated us with her explanation of “thirst traps” on social media and how horrifying the data mining is with retina recognition technology of 40 feet away. We laughed at the hilarity of it all which turned to uncomfortably squirming in our seats at the truth that “instead of making things that people love to use, we’re making things that love to use people.” 

Prue was definitely a stand out due to her engaging energy, vast knowledge and grounded reality of a call to action that we “use things, and love people.” 

Our team discussed afterwards that although interesting, hearing from speakers who were key sponsors of the event felt detached from others. The way in which speakers held the attention of those in crowd felt inflated due to the fact that they were part of the sponsorship team. Panel discussions that included sponsors avoided answering any sticky questions and had us questioning the intention; was this to inspire us? Or were we there to buy into these products? 

The speakers on day one that weren’t affiliated with sponsors spoke well, however, their area of expertise were in the digital agency space. As product designers, this didn’t interest our crowd as much. Others who attended this conference who were in that area may have really enjoyed these talks. Especially those graphic designers who are self started and freelance, which I predict a fair few may have been. Kevin Finn spoke about “don’t build a brand” and how a logo does not create a brand, but rather the brand gives the logo its meaning. Great advice for those asked by companies to “make me a logo.” Kevin also spoke about a powerful process as to how success is measurable by the impact that it’s able to make. The equation plasters on the screen read “Impact = Relevance = Revenue”. As product designers, we know how to take this away and apply this to our work to measure how we iterate and if we are designing the correct solutions for our customers. 

Day one finished off by a brilliant speaker, Michael Ventura. It was very much a TedTalk style experience which spoke about empathy. The poetic analogies he used spoke to our creative souls and illustrated points around how to see ourselves in others to foster connection and relation. A great UX tool he presented to us that mirrored a common matrix we’ve used before, had a unique twist on it in order to cut down work and focus on immediate goals and needs. Finishing off with a poem, he asked us, “what do you plan to do with your wild and precious life?” How inspiring. 

Every single one of us in the design team were blown away at the start of day two with a brilliant speaker called Jay Demetillo, the lead designer of Grab. Not only did he talk about his experience with Grab, a ride sharing app giant of South East Asia, but he spoke from deep within his heart about the exclusion he has experienced in the tech leadership and conference space that is ultimately, white washed. A memorable quote that sunk into us was “English does not equal intelligence”. By excluding non-english speakers from speaking roles, we are limiting our ideation and inclusive spaces. I think this is such an important point that many companies fail to see. I like to say that if there’s not enough seats at the table, build a bigger table. Lead by example in creating inclusive spaces and letting those voices be heard. It’s not a performative online training that is sent out company wide. It’s having open conversations with people in minority groups that can trigger our awareness to real actions that need to be taken. Then we can be the leaders that other companies look towards as a source of inspiration, creating a new benchmark in order to lift everyone up to as standard. 

The rest of day two was sprinkled with all types of product related talks. From Alex Antolino who spoke about attention being the new oil as the most valuable resource, Nichole Burton from Google who spoke so cleverly about the design process which we all drew inspiration from and Jasmin Bedir from F*uck the cupcakes, lifting and elevating the point of inclusivity stating that “purpose comes at a price. If it’s free, it’s performative”. 

The overall tone of the NO BS conference was inspiring. Even the speakers we didn’t feel a connection with, still had important stories to hear of their success path and lessons learnt along the way. Everyone who spoke had a point to make which all of us could take away to think further on how it applies to us later on.

The speakers that we did all really connect with, were the ones that were, actually, no BS. They spoke from the heart about things that mattered, whether they were funny, innovative, heartbreaking or downright terrifying. Topics of mental and spiritual healths, technology not being used for good and diversity within design solutions made us all sit up and listen, cheer when we wanted to encourage a point to the speaker and others and take mental notes that have kept circling within us days and days after the post-conference party. 

Speaking of, that was a very fun time. A live band who sung us 90’s rock songs and a front man who had his family on video call rounded the whole experience off and created a beautiful bonding experience between everyone on our beautiful design team.

Go1's product design team recently attended the NO BS conference where they heard from experts and grew in their design thinking. Check out what Vanessa McDonald, Associate Product Designer has to say about the event.

Go1's product design team visit the NO BS Conference

Another insightful webinar, this time looking at how learning systems and content are able to work together to deliver the onboarding, reskilling and upskilling necessary for success. This session offered a valuable look at the research conducted by Fosway and Go1 in partnership with the Learning and Performance Institute.  

Host Michael Strawbridge, Global Head of Community from LPI, was joined by two guests, Johan Sloos, Head of Sales Benelux & Nordics at Go1, and Andreas Thorndahl, Head of Content at eloomi.  

Andreas was first to present, opening with a poll that asked the audience, ‘do you have a skills taxonomy in your business that is updated regularly?’. Andreas pointed out that although he was not surprised 50% had answered no, 28% having said yes was higher than he would have expected, with 22% answering ‘partly’. 

Andreas begins to delve into the two main challenges that he witnesses at eloomi when trying to keep a skills taxonomy up to date. One of the biggest challenges is the people themselves. The rate in which they change roles and teams, drop programmes or even leave the company is hard to stay on top of.  

The second challenge is identifying skills needed within teams. With new systems coming into play, as well as new priorities, maintaining an up to date taxonomy on skills becomes very dynamic. He mentions their clients share a similar experience and therefore struggle themselves with upskilling and reskilling their workforce. 

So why is it like this? The bottom line is that the world is moving and evolving at a rate so fast, especially technologically, that it emphasises the need for skills to be a greater focus on the agenda within the L&D space. Andreas explains that, of course depending on the complexity of the skills, it takes time to upskill a team, and he adds that 40% of current worker’s core skills are expected to change in the next five years. 

Andreas goes on to reiterate that technology is something that changes exponentially and organisations change logarithmically. And so, with this in mind, what was the solution at eloomi? They focussed on L&D from both the business and employee perspectives.  

First off, from the business perspective - what roles do I have in my organisation and what skills are needed to succeed in these particular job roles? At eloomi, they deployed a system in which you are able to assign job titles to employees and automatically send them all the training that is required that will help them succeed as part of their role. Andreas argues that this makes mapping out the skills across your whole organisation easier. Having said that, it isn’t enough to map everything, as you also need to take into account the employee perspective. It is crucial as part of this process to ensure the learner is engaged by getting them to evaluate two dimensions. The skills they have and the skills they need. Andreas adds that it is important to consider that the skills they do have might not be relevant to their day to day job role.   

The skills they need, on the other hand, are twofold as these should include the skills the business have recommended, as well as the skills the employee themselves think they need but the business hasn’t taken into account. From here, the system will assign the employee training that is relevant which also helps the business to identify better and reveal skills gaps.  

Andreas rounds off his presentation by providing an opportunity for the audience to download eloomi’s workbook, ‘What’s your skills success equation’, via a QR code, before handing it over to Johan.   

Johan opens his presentation in a similar fashion to Andreas, with an audience poll. He asks ‘what problem is digital learning solving for you?’ To which, 5% responded that it reduces costs, 35% that it helped with learning at scale, but the most common response (60%) was that it helped reach a dispersed workforce. 

This poll reflects similar findings from the Fosway research, with Johan pointing out that both reaching a dispersed workforce and scaling learning delivery were ranked in the top three problems that digital learning is trying to solve.  

Delving into the Fosway research a little deeper, Johan goes on to show that cost reduction is no longer the primary driver for digital learning. Johan shares with the audience an anecdote around his conversation with the CLO of a large company, in which she admits that her biggest challenge in creating a culture of learning, is buy in from her own CEO. she hadn’t figured out their learning culture yet due to a lack of support from her CEO. Therefore, it is one thing to have all the tools and all the content readily available, but to make that come to life in a company takes a lot more effort.  

Something else the Fosway research revealed was that digital learning in the past was very much used for compliance and that that is no longer the case. Previously, training was always made mandatory and always provided in video format, which isn’t always the most engaging.  

Now digital learning is about driving skills and culture, more so than it is compliance. The two main driving factors of digital learning content within an organisation are upskilling and reskilling (70%) as well as enabling a learning culture (70%).  

Furthermore, digital learning has been demonstrated to underpin the development of all workforce skills. Johan presents the main factors that the research respondents ranked as high priority for digital learning content, topped by Leadership and Management (59%). Johan suggests that this is most likely due to the fact that once decision makers and managers are trained, it will drive a certain culture as it trickles down into teams.  

Finally, Johan rounds off the discussion with the opportunity to download the Fosway White Paper, before taking a few questions from the audience around strategies to drive learning engagement, as well as how to encourage buy-in from C suite. 

Tame your talent crisis

Learning systems and content make a great team and can help deliver the onboarding, upskilling and reskilling necessary for success. This session offered a valuable look at the research conducted by Fosway and Go1 in partnership with the Learning and Performance Institute.

Go1's experience at Tame Your Talent Crisis webinar

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