What is the single top L&D tip you would share with your LSG colleagues?

[Donald H Taylor]

What have you learnt in the course of your career that would be really useful for colleagues here on the Learning and Skills Group to know about? It could be totally tactical ('Always begin a public presentation with a full set of lungs') or utterly strategic ("Never begin an L&D plan without first knowing which executive gives you complete support.")

The only thing it has to be is short.

To start off, here's my offering: Never say 'yes' to a training request without first asking 'why?'.

[Gabrielle Kelly]

My big lesson in over 30 years : Put Yourself in the Learner's Shoes: I once asked a group to "click on" something on screen and I was at first astonished then tickled pink when a 'mature' learner lifted the mouse to use like a TV zapper! Made me realise never to assume anything about learners and always to check existing knowledge.

2nd lesson : don't ever try to 'teach' but rather to facilitate learning.
Gabrielle

[Matt Brewer]

With online learning especially, remember that SMEs are the subject matter experts and you are the training/learning expert. They will want all of their knowledge and info included in the course but it is your job to 'translate' and balance it in a way that enables the learner not just to learn some new facts, but to change the way they do things.
It's often easy to see where SMEs have had too much influence on the outcome.

[Nicola Braden]

A 'training course' never delivers a business result on its own: think holistically about what you are trying to achieve and map out all stakeholders / dependencies. These could be anything from ensuring the line manager will support the learner in the desired behavioural change to making sure delegates can logon to the new business system you are implementing.

[Nick Marshallsay]

Be fanatical about getting as close to your customers and their leaders as possible in order to deliver awesome value

[Emma Clare]

When the learning is about behavioural change... don't expect change after one training session, use multiple channels of communication to reinforce and support change and don't expect anything to change overnight, it's a long haul.

[Sally Mason]

Keep your finger on the pulse - use new ideas and keep them current - for example, use twitter style updates for end of course reviews.

[Jon Moon]

When discussing/deciding how the learner's behaviour will be different afterwards, also include what "next steps" would further their development

[Andy Jones]

Don't send your photo to Donald "Rampant" H Taylor...

or

Create an intent for your project/group/meeting/organisation/whatever and look at everything through the lens of that intent.  E.G. Our intent is to be the best.  So does doing X make us the best?  Our intent is to help users use XYZ widget.  Does doing Y help our users use XYZ widget.