Aligning learning with the reality of the frontline

For frontline teams, no two days look the same. Priorities shift, challenges emerge without warning, and decisions are made in real time – often with little space to step away. Yet much of L&D is still designed as if work is predictable. In this episode of Learning at Large, JD Dillon, author of the Frontline Enablement Playbook, shares what it takes to better align learning with that reality. Drawing on decades of experience, he explores why traditional approaches fall short and how organizations can move towards more practical, in-the-moment support for frontline teams. Ep. 83 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

Frontline workers make up the majority of most organizations – yet learning is often designed without their realities in mind. In this episode of Learning at Large, Paul Kent, Director of Functional Development at PepsiCo, shares how his team approaches learning differently to drive real impact where it matters most. Drawing on over two decades of experience, he explores how to move beyond traditional training, design for practical application, and connect learning directly to business outcomes. Ep. 82 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

What is learning and development really responsible for in today's organizations? And why do so many L&D initiatives struggle to create measurable business impact? In this episode of Learning at Large, Peter Manniche Riber shares a candid view on the current state of L&D, why the function often defaults to content creation instead of solving real problems, and how teams can rethink their role in a fast-changing workplace. Ep. 81 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

What does the global L&D community really think about AI, job security, strategy, and the future of the profession? In this episode, we're joined by Donald H Taylor, author of the Global Sentiment Survey and a leading voice in workplace learning. Don dissects the biggest shifts in this year's data - from the cooling of AI hype to rising anxiety, expanding roles, and the pressure L&D teams are under to evolve quickly in uncertain times. Ep. 80 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

Why does so much workplace learning fail to change what people actually do? In this episode of Learning at Large, Melanie Martinelli, CEO & Owner of the Institute for Transfer Effectiveness, explores why attendance, satisfaction, and completion rates aren't enough - and what really needs to change if learning is going to translate into performance.  Ep. 79 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

What does it mean to uncover the true impact of learning, and how can L&D teams finally demonstrate their worth in ways the business understands? In this episode of Learning at Large, we're joined by Dr. Keith Keating, Chief Learning & Development Officer at BDO Canada and author of Hidden Value: How to Reveal the Impact of Organizational Learning. Keith shares why L&D's impact is so often misunderstood, how to move beyond outdated metrics, and what it takes to shift the perception of L&D from cost center to strategic business enabler. Ep. 78 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

In a twist on the usual format, this special episode of Learning at Large hands the mic to AI, which interviews Dr. Heidi Kirby and Kirstie Greany - probing, provoking, and grilling them with tough questions about the future of learning design. From authority and relevance to the automation of design, and whether humans are simply too slow to keep up, this "botlight interrogation" pushes into the tensions between human-centered design and machine-driven intelligence. Expect honesty, laughter, a few uncomfortable truths, and a surprising amount of optimism. Ep. 77 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

Where is AI really taking workplace learning? And what separates teams who are transforming performance from those simply doing the same things faster? In this episode of Learning at Large, we're joined by Donald H. Taylor, Chair of the Learning Technologies Conference and Founder and Lead Researcher of the L&D Survey Series. Donald unpacks new findings from his AI in L&D: The Race for Impact report, explains the widening divide between efficiency and transformation, and shares what future-ready L&D teams are doing differently. Ep. 76 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

Is efficiency really the goal of L&D – or have we been optimizing for the wrong thing? In this episode of Learning at Large, we're joined by Neil Hunter, Chief Learning Officer at Deloitte Canada, who's on a mission to put people – not processes – back at the center of learning. Neil shares how his team is using neuroscience, experimentation, and empathy to reframe what "effective" really means in the modern learning landscape. Ep. 75 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!

How do you know if your L&D team has slipped into tunnel vision? When the same mindsets, metrics, and default solutions keep showing up - even as the business around you changes. In this episode of Learning at Large, we're joined by Mark Sheppard, Diagnostic Learning & Development Lead at General Motors, who's spent 35 years exploring how to break free from the L&D echo chamber. He shares practical ways to challenge your own assumptions, borrow smarter ideas from other disciplines, and build politically savvy strategies that make a real business impact. Ep. 74 Brought to you by Elucidat.  Want more insights? Get the latest tips, expert advice, and best practices from top L&D leaders - delivered straight to your inbox. The Learning at Large newsletter brings you monthly insider content to help you create and scale impactful learning. Subscribe now and never miss an edition!