Next Learning 2019, looking back

Reading time: approx. 6 minutes.

This year I was invited to speak at Next Learning in Den Bosch, the Netherlands. I’ve spoken there multiple times over its 20-year existence and it almost feels like an annual meet-and-greet with all the people I’ve met in the Learning and development industry over the years.

AR/VR

One thing on my exploration list is the application of Augmented reality (AR) and Virtual reality (VR). I’ve seen VR done but felt at the time it is still very basic, low-quality material that does not add value often. I’ve also seen really good examples but not that many and those were super specific and not necessarily scalable to a global audience.

At the exhibition floor there were some interesting examples of how AR/VR is improving. From a hardware point of view, VR has become more affordable. The Oculus Go now priced at around €200,- was shown at many stands and is a huge improvement to its predecessor that had to be connected to a massive computer. I also had my first Hololens experience, this was really cool although the technology can still improve a lot especially in the ‘field of view’. The application of both tools though showed me that progress is being made and the delivery of AR and VR is slowly maturing.

When thinking about applying these technologies at a global scale I feel we are not there yet, however, the VR solution could be considered as its cost is coming down and VR authoring tools are starting to emerge making it again, more affordable to create such solutions. I do see application possibilities for organisations that have dedicated training locations where AR and VR can be great learning experiences that might actually stick. Investing in a couple of Hololens and VR setups might be a good idea if you can commit to several learning solutions that would merit the investment.

Podcast - 5 Moments of need, how to make it work

The day before Next Learning I was asked to join in on a podcast that was being recorded. A journalist would be interviewing Bob Mosher about the 5 moments of need methodolgy and they were looking for someone who had used it in real life. Obviously, as a believer in the methodology, I was happy to share my experiences and insights. It was a really good experience to record a podcast and see how the professional does it. We did it in a single take and recorded approx. a 20-minute podcast. You can check out the podcast here: https://www.nextlearning.nl/e-blog/podcast-performance-support-5-moments-of-need-5mon-how-to-make-it-work/

My session

After the podcast, it was time to do my own session. The title of my session was “20 questions you should ask before talking about learning objectives” where I shared my practical insights in asking better questions before starting to develop a training solution. The room was packed with people standing against the back wall and sitting on the floors. Always great to start with an eager group. The session went great with lots of questions and great feedback afterwards from people attending. My slides are available right here: https://www.slideshare.net/JeffKortenbosch/20-vragen-die-je-moet-stellen-voordat-jeover-leerdoelen-begint-2019

Key-note Elliot Masie - How to be future proof and relevant?

(view full recording - 60minutes)

L&D prominent Masie took the stage as a true showman. He spins a great story and drops some excellent quotes in the process. One of my favourites “Learning is based on curiosity, not curriculum!”

In his session, Elliot did not reveal anything new. Reflecting on it, the weight was more on being relevant. And that makes a lot of sense; we need to support people with relevant training and support solutions that add value to our organisation. That is how to be future proof. Not by jumping on the latest buzzword (microlearning, neuroscience, etc)

Elliot spoke about how L&D professionals need to be learners as well. “When is the last time you did an eLearning? Or classroom training? When was the last time you attended AND finished a webinar?” It’s something I’ve been saying for over 20 years. Don’t design any training or support material that you would not want to participate in yourself (and yes, I am guilty of the opposite). We need to design to a new reality. One where people desire shorter solutions, optimized to meet their needs. People want to learn for now. Not for later.

Another thing that stood out for me was the statement:”Learning needs to be difficult and challenging, otherwise it is useless. Learning right now is too easy!” Think about your last couple of solutions. Easy or hard? Elliot has a point. If we assess people’s capability it shouldn’t be too easy. Not if you really want to assess them! I’ve seen too many 10-question quizzes that my dog could pass by walking over the keyboard. If we are training critical skills or knowledge a score of 80% is not that good. If you’re a heart surgeon that means 2 out of 10 people did not make it...

Ecosystems and new L&D roles

The last session of the day I attended was about the ‘new’ L&D. Marcel de Leeuwe took us on a trip down memory lane on how much training has changed and how technology is changing our solutions and our roles. With those new roles come new responsibilities. Who is responsible for externally created content? Who is responsible for keeping performance support up-to-date? Who supports training facilitators with issues with Virtual reality hardware? If we are running agile projects how do we convince decision makers to fund projects if there is no clear outcome yet?

This was picked up by his co-host from KLM that shared what kind of new skills they would be looking for when hiring for new L&D professionals; A digital mindset, developer capability, data analytics, UX specialist. Mind you, not necessarily in a single person.

Concluding

All in all the day was pretty full. Although I have not been able to see all that many sessions, with a dozen being held simultaneously, I have not seen anything revolutionary. What I did see was more confirmation about my own vision and ideas about L&D and where we can support our organisation to move towards. Focus on relevance, make sure your solutions add value to your employees, design for their need and the organisations' goals.