The How To Learn Podcast
A podcast about learning by Thembi Watt and Jonathan Marshall. Learning is a life skill. But how do we actually learn, in real life? And how can we benefit from understanding how to learn?
Episodes
It might feel like a boring chore to take notes at an event, or to 'cascade' some learning back to colleagues. or even to explain something that you know - or think you know.
But in this 5-minute mini-podcast, Thembi and Jonathan talk about the known 'Protégé Effect' - basically how teaching or explaining something helps you to learn it better. It can also add to your visibility in an organisation. Or maybe your pupil or 'protégé' ...
"Learning on the job" starts on Day 1. Here are three tips from Thembi and Jonathan:
- avoid the experts! (or rather: find somebody who can remember what is was like NOT to know what they were doing..)
- be curious: start volunteering for stuff beyond your role
- remember you need to induct THEM to YOU
It's also never too early to work out the skills you will need further down the line.
In this 5-minute mini-podcast, Thembi brings up a skill which is often neglected: conversation. We talk all the time, but how often do we think about it, consciously, as a skill which can be improved?
From active listening to building rapport, conversational skills are crucial for our working and social lives. Thembi talks about 'How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks' by Leil Lowndes as a way into this set of skills we should be ...
A cheerful mini-rant about good intentions and bad habits. Why do we trip up our own learning with procrastination, poor planning, bad filing and other habits? Or maybe it's just Jonathan? Plus a bonus moan on how the route to free content is strewn with annoying extras and roadblocks. Rant along with How To Learn..!
"You can tell when you're reading from the notes."
In this 5-minute mini-podcast, Thembi and Jonathan chat about office skills, and plunge straight into two examples: how to facilitate meetings, and how to deliver presentations. How did they actually get better over time? (assuming they did)
The episode covers:
- the role of observation, copying and practice
- using an emotional reaction to things you don't like, to motivate yourse...
A new study shows the difference that managers can make in encouraging their staff to pick up training opportunities. 'High-training managers' see up to 50% more participation - with benefits for performance and productivity.
In this mini-podcast, Thembi and Jonathan discuss:
- the link to leadership potential: are 'high-training managers' the leaders of the future?
- what to do if you've got a different type of manager..
We're all tempted to rush into a new job or project, to show that we can 'hit the ground running'.. but in this mini-podcast Thembi and Jonathan say: Please don't.
Much better approach:
- take your time, you have to crawl before you can walk (let alone run)
- be kind to yourself, it's ok not to know things
- don't abandon your induction halfway
- keep an induction mindset, and never stop asking questions.
We have a disagreement in this podcast: when you see a colleague demonstrate a real skill, is it intimidating ("oh wow, I don't know how to do that") or is it inspiring ("oh wow, show me how")? Either way, we think we should definitely learn more from others in the workplace.
The discussion also covers:
- are we losing random workplace learning?
- how can we be more curious, and more grateful?
Please share your ideas on getting th...
Thinking about your workplace: do team members feel able to admit mistakes? Do you feel comfortable asking questions, and expressing incomplete ideas?
Or do you find yourself avoiding situations, questioning your own capability, and feeling demotivated or stressed?
How you feel in the workplace is a major factor in how (and whether) you learn and develop. In this mini-podcast, Thembi and Jonathan explore Amy Edmondson's concept of ...
Don't bother blocking out time for learning.. just find a learning buddy instead!
In this episode, Thembi and Jonathan talk about how they used the learning buddy system to finally get round to reading a book (Julie Dirksen's Design for How People Learn). In the end, we feel more accountable to other people than to our Outlook or Google Calendars. Let's use that power!
The medieval apprenticeship model was a superb piece of learning design. Unfortunately a seven year skills programme is a hard sell in the modern workplace :)
But you can still use the apprenticeship model for your own benefit, even if you're not technically an apprentice, and even if you don't aspire to become a master violin-maker in Bavaria.
In this mini-podcast, Thembi and Jonathan offer a quick checklist: how do you know you'v...
Networking is an important part of learning - and even introverts can be brilliant at it!
In this two-minute special from the floor of a buzzing exhibition centre, Thembi and Jonathan share some quick networking tips:
- how to set yourself an achievable target
- how to use social media
- how to act like a pro and collect the contacts.
Plus - after many years on the diplomatic circuit - Jonathan's top reception survival tip :)
The human brain is wired for distraction.
We're always scanning, processing and deciding on trivial things.. from noises outside the window, to WhatsApp notifications, to random thoughts about shopping.
But can you really define the human (or goldfish) attention span? In this mini-podcast, Jonathan gets grumpy about fake precision and Thembi asks, so if this is affecting our learning, what can we do about it?
Part of learning is putting ourselves forward for new things: for new projects, for interesting experiments, for more responsibility, for stuff that looks a bit scary but will develop our confidence and skills. We need the confidence to say yes to good opportunities.
So why do we hold ourselves back?
This episode looks at 10 common psychological barriers to learning: from impostor syndrome to perfectionism, from fear of failure to ...
In this four-minute mini-podcast Thembi and Jonathan decide to pass some new legislation, and to enforce it immediately.
So please get ready to comply with:
🎇 the new National Labelling Scheme for Training, based on the traffic light model for sugar, salt and fat in foods. "Short, one-off things" are now labelled Red. Consumer choice and employer information are paramount. If it isn't based in learning science, it's not getting ...
How can we use small fluffy animals to get valuable feedback? In this 5-minute mini-podcast we look at two tricky issues:
- how can you persuade people to give you feedback?
- and how can you offer it yourself - tactfully - in a way that lands?
From hypothetical guinea pig hostage situations, to coaching techniques, here's five minutes of practical advice on feedback. Let us know what you thi...
In this mini-podcast, Thembi and Jonathan talk about learning through imitation:
- why copying people at work is a good thing
- why we should worry about unconsciously absorbing toxic cultures
- what we can learn from the story of the Japanese monkey and the sweet potatoes.
How do we actually learn? Thembi and Jonathan abandon the theory and talk about how they actually learn, in real life: through 'snacking' on learning content, and through observing others; through saying yes, but also through saying no; and through getting into situations where practice is unavoidable.
The good news: "There are no calories in learning" :)
Why do we insist on using 60 minutes as a standard unit of learning? Jonathan has looked into Babylonian astronomy and decided that basically hours are too long. A mini-podcast which is part rant, part discussion of how to maintain our attention spans.. and which finishes bang on five minutes.
In this mini-podcast, Thembi talks about being a panellist at a big event - and how you can use the 'discomfort zone' to learn new skills and push yourself. What's the worst that could happen? It's fine to feel nervous, just do it anyway!
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