It has been an intense few months here in the Loriland of L&D! Lots of talks, webinars, and overall great connections with some very smart people! Thanks for all of the conversations (and vodka + sodas).

Here's a list of places I have been, as well as where you can find me in the future!

Degreed Lens

O.M.G. This was a fantabulous conference with some of the very smartest people in the industry. I got to meet quite a few of my heroes and was not disappointed. I also managed to finally get an ubiquitous "me-as-presenter-see-my-big-slides-behind-me" photo. You can see my presentation, but for much better viewing, I highly recommend the keynote by Dan Lyons. Insightful, gregariously funny, and simply real, Dan was my personal highlight.

A savvy facilitator observes the body language of their participants to gauge interest and engage. While an online environment lacks the face-to-face interaction, every drop-off, click, or share is a learner shouting their likes and dislikes. These actions are the digital equivalents of the eyerolls, smiles, and arms-crossed in the classroom.

The nature of work is changing, and fast. Technological disruption is cast- ing new, unprecedented challenges. Older workers, especially, are caught in the middle of this transition, unprepared. People like Dan Lyons, who entered the workforce in the 20th century, did so with expectations about what a career should look like: jobs for life, a pension.

Learning While Working Podcast

I was super-excited when Robin Petterd contacted me for his excellent podcast "Learning While Working". I have been a long-time fan and I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation, although I think you can hear the faint snores of my cat in the background. Clearly, she was not as interested. Robin - thanks for the opportunity!

As learners, do we have our own digital body language, and can this be tracked and measured? Learning strategist Lori Niles-Hofmann talks on the podcast in a discussion about her approach to data driven learning design, which begins with some very simple steps.

Human Capital Institute - It's Time to Embrace the Digital Revolution Webcast

Some of the most frustrating things for me to hear are, "this is just the start of journey", or "evolution takes time", or "we're not quite there yet, but we will be". Argh! To me, these are just platitudes that really mean, "we are not interested in changing and will only do so when everyone else makes us". That is why it was so refreshing to speak with Jeff Gothelf, Organizational Designer and author of Sense and Respond, and Doug Stephen, SVP of CGS Enterprise Learning. The topic was about the revolution that is here and now. No excuses or apologies. Listen here.

Elucidat - What's the science behind digital learning that works?

I have long enjoyed chatting with Kirstie Greany and wished we lived in the same time zone! We finally decided to capture some of the themes of our transatlantic rants into a tight webinar on November 22. You can hear the recording here.

CLO Media + Degree - Getting Started Using Learning Data to Improve Design

True confession: I did some jumpy claps when this webinar request came into my inbox. Not only do I have an active crush on the work done by Degreed, but I binge on Chief Learning Officer content (yes, I am that weird). The date is December 5...register here!

McLean & Company - Implement Curated Learning

This is a pretty S-WEET (yes, this sweet deserves two syllables) guide to learning curation. I was excited to be a part of the research and the results are extremely impressive. Membership required to view (worth it) and preview available here.

Torrance Learning - xAPI Party

Normally the word party would be a deal-breaker for this socially awkward non-butterfly, but I could not resist anything to do with xAPI and the amazing Megan Torrance. It is a phenomenal event for the novice and expert alike. What could be more fun than data, xAPI, and some cool L&D people? Join us here.

Well, I *think* this is everything so far. Phew! Let me know if you are attending any of the above. Also, if you cannot attend any of the above and just want to talk L&D, leave a comment and let's chat.

In the meantime, here's #1 on my playlist. Play it loudly.