Tom McDowall
@tommcdowall.bsky.social
Helping Learning and Development professionals evolve their practice for greater impact.
How much of our professional development ever develops us?
CPD isn’t about collecting courses or points. The real growth happens after the session ends, when you test what you’ve learned and see if it holds up.
Full post ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4qTvh8k
#CPD #LearningAndDevelopment #LND
CPD isn’t about collecting courses or points. The real growth happens after the session ends, when you test what you’ve learned and see if it holds up.
Full post ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4qTvh8k
#CPD #LearningAndDevelopment #LND
November 12, 2025 at 8:30 AM
How much of our professional development ever develops us?
CPD isn’t about collecting courses or points. The real growth happens after the session ends, when you test what you’ve learned and see if it holds up.
Full post ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4qTvh8k
#CPD #LearningAndDevelopment #LND
CPD isn’t about collecting courses or points. The real growth happens after the session ends, when you test what you’ve learned and see if it holds up.
Full post ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4qTvh8k
#CPD #LearningAndDevelopment #LND
I dictated over 51k words in October.
Being dyslexic, voice typing turned writing from painful to joyful. It’s accessible, fast, and sounds like me.
What assistive tech do you use to make your work life that little bit easier?
#Accessibility #Writing #AI #LND
Being dyslexic, voice typing turned writing from painful to joyful. It’s accessible, fast, and sounds like me.
What assistive tech do you use to make your work life that little bit easier?
#Accessibility #Writing #AI #LND
November 11, 2025 at 1:01 PM
I dictated over 51k words in October.
Being dyslexic, voice typing turned writing from painful to joyful. It’s accessible, fast, and sounds like me.
What assistive tech do you use to make your work life that little bit easier?
#Accessibility #Writing #AI #LND
Being dyslexic, voice typing turned writing from painful to joyful. It’s accessible, fast, and sounds like me.
What assistive tech do you use to make your work life that little bit easier?
#Accessibility #Writing #AI #LND
What if AI readiness isn’t about tools, but trust?
Most people use AI, yet fewer than half trust it.
If we repeat the mistakes of remote work, focusing on tech, ignoring humans, we’ll gain efficiency and lose connection.
Full post ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4oX1RV8
#AI #LearningAndDevelopment #LND
Most people use AI, yet fewer than half trust it.
If we repeat the mistakes of remote work, focusing on tech, ignoring humans, we’ll gain efficiency and lose connection.
Full post ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4oX1RV8
#AI #LearningAndDevelopment #LND
November 11, 2025 at 8:30 AM
What if AI readiness isn’t about tools, but trust?
Most people use AI, yet fewer than half trust it.
If we repeat the mistakes of remote work, focusing on tech, ignoring humans, we’ll gain efficiency and lose connection.
Full post ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4oX1RV8
#AI #LearningAndDevelopment #LND
Most people use AI, yet fewer than half trust it.
If we repeat the mistakes of remote work, focusing on tech, ignoring humans, we’ll gain efficiency and lose connection.
Full post ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4oX1RV8
#AI #LearningAndDevelopment #LND
Every facilitator knows that moment.
An innocent question turns into a full-blown rant about Janet from Finance, and suddenly the room’s gone negative.
In today’s Substack: how I handle it with The Moan Management Matrix.
🔗 bit.ly/3WKHkHr
#LearningAndDevelopment #Facilitation
An innocent question turns into a full-blown rant about Janet from Finance, and suddenly the room’s gone negative.
In today’s Substack: how I handle it with The Moan Management Matrix.
🔗 bit.ly/3WKHkHr
#LearningAndDevelopment #Facilitation
November 7, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Every facilitator knows that moment.
An innocent question turns into a full-blown rant about Janet from Finance, and suddenly the room’s gone negative.
In today’s Substack: how I handle it with The Moan Management Matrix.
🔗 bit.ly/3WKHkHr
#LearningAndDevelopment #Facilitation
An innocent question turns into a full-blown rant about Janet from Finance, and suddenly the room’s gone negative.
In today’s Substack: how I handle it with The Moan Management Matrix.
🔗 bit.ly/3WKHkHr
#LearningAndDevelopment #Facilitation
Been playing Dispatch this week, and it nails four UI heuristics most eLearning forgets: affordance,
consistency,
feedback,
and minimalism.
Proof that great design gets out of the way.
🔗 bit.ly/4oTmL7z
#LND #InstructionalDesign #UX
consistency,
feedback,
and minimalism.
Proof that great design gets out of the way.
🔗 bit.ly/4oTmL7z
#LND #InstructionalDesign #UX
November 6, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Been playing Dispatch this week, and it nails four UI heuristics most eLearning forgets: affordance,
consistency,
feedback,
and minimalism.
Proof that great design gets out of the way.
🔗 bit.ly/4oTmL7z
#LND #InstructionalDesign #UX
consistency,
feedback,
and minimalism.
Proof that great design gets out of the way.
🔗 bit.ly/4oTmL7z
#LND #InstructionalDesign #UX
Certainty feels safe, but it stops us listening, learning, and connecting.
Our strength isn’t in being right, it’s in being useful, in conversation, community, and curiosity.
🔗 bit.ly/47nkz2j
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Community #Collaboration
Our strength isn’t in being right, it’s in being useful, in conversation, community, and curiosity.
🔗 bit.ly/47nkz2j
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Community #Collaboration
November 4, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Certainty feels safe, but it stops us listening, learning, and connecting.
Our strength isn’t in being right, it’s in being useful, in conversation, community, and curiosity.
🔗 bit.ly/47nkz2j
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Community #Collaboration
Our strength isn’t in being right, it’s in being useful, in conversation, community, and curiosity.
🔗 bit.ly/47nkz2j
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Community #Collaboration
What would it take for L&D to be professionalised like medicine or engineering?
We’re a profession, but we lack shared standards and accountability. Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for them to appear and start building them ourselves. What do you think?
🔗 bit.ly/4qwNl86
#LearningAndDevelopment
We’re a profession, but we lack shared standards and accountability. Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for them to appear and start building them ourselves. What do you think?
🔗 bit.ly/4qwNl86
#LearningAndDevelopment
October 30, 2025 at 8:30 AM
What would it take for L&D to be professionalised like medicine or engineering?
We’re a profession, but we lack shared standards and accountability. Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for them to appear and start building them ourselves. What do you think?
🔗 bit.ly/4qwNl86
#LearningAndDevelopment
We’re a profession, but we lack shared standards and accountability. Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for them to appear and start building them ourselves. What do you think?
🔗 bit.ly/4qwNl86
#LearningAndDevelopment
We talk about motivation and mindset all the time, but rarely about sleep.
Without enough of it, the brain simply can’t learn.
Today’s post explores what that means for training design.
🔗 bit.ly/4hvqrdc
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Neuroscience
Without enough of it, the brain simply can’t learn.
Today’s post explores what that means for training design.
🔗 bit.ly/4hvqrdc
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Neuroscience
October 29, 2025 at 8:30 AM
We talk about motivation and mindset all the time, but rarely about sleep.
Without enough of it, the brain simply can’t learn.
Today’s post explores what that means for training design.
🔗 bit.ly/4hvqrdc
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Neuroscience
Without enough of it, the brain simply can’t learn.
Today’s post explores what that means for training design.
🔗 bit.ly/4hvqrdc
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Neuroscience
Sometimes the credibility gap between L&D and senior leaders isn’t about them not understanding us, but about what we’ve not yet demonstrated.
🔗 bit.ly/3JjUvMo
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Leadership
🔗 bit.ly/3JjUvMo
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Leadership
October 28, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Sometimes the credibility gap between L&D and senior leaders isn’t about them not understanding us, but about what we’ve not yet demonstrated.
🔗 bit.ly/3JjUvMo
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Leadership
🔗 bit.ly/3JjUvMo
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Leadership
We love to mock vanity metrics in L&D, but sometimes they’re the first sign something’s wrong.
The trick isn’t to ignore them, it’s to read them differently. Today’s article explores how.
🔗 bit.ly/4oEHsnU
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Data #PerformanceSupport
The trick isn’t to ignore them, it’s to read them differently. Today’s article explores how.
🔗 bit.ly/4oEHsnU
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Data #PerformanceSupport
October 24, 2025 at 7:30 AM
We love to mock vanity metrics in L&D, but sometimes they’re the first sign something’s wrong.
The trick isn’t to ignore them, it’s to read them differently. Today’s article explores how.
🔗 bit.ly/4oEHsnU
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Data #PerformanceSupport
The trick isn’t to ignore them, it’s to read them differently. Today’s article explores how.
🔗 bit.ly/4oEHsnU
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Data #PerformanceSupport
We need to talk about what happens when we start treating machines like people.
The science is early, but the warning signs are clear.
When we call AI a colleague, the humans pay the price.
Read the full piece ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4nhSPAM
#AI #LND #FutureOfWork
The science is early, but the warning signs are clear.
When we call AI a colleague, the humans pay the price.
Read the full piece ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4nhSPAM
#AI #LND #FutureOfWork
October 23, 2025 at 7:30 AM
We need to talk about what happens when we start treating machines like people.
The science is early, but the warning signs are clear.
When we call AI a colleague, the humans pay the price.
Read the full piece ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4nhSPAM
#AI #LND #FutureOfWork
The science is early, but the warning signs are clear.
When we call AI a colleague, the humans pay the price.
Read the full piece ↓
🔗 bit.ly/4nhSPAM
#AI #LND #FutureOfWork
Are we designing for certainty, or for change?
Experiment-led design helps L&D stay flexible, useful, and relevant when frameworks can’t keep up.
Check out the full article.
🔗 bit.ly/4hjhpQm
#LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #Experimentation
Experiment-led design helps L&D stay flexible, useful, and relevant when frameworks can’t keep up.
Check out the full article.
🔗 bit.ly/4hjhpQm
#LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #Experimentation
October 22, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Are we designing for certainty, or for change?
Experiment-led design helps L&D stay flexible, useful, and relevant when frameworks can’t keep up.
Check out the full article.
🔗 bit.ly/4hjhpQm
#LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #Experimentation
Experiment-led design helps L&D stay flexible, useful, and relevant when frameworks can’t keep up.
Check out the full article.
🔗 bit.ly/4hjhpQm
#LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #Experimentation
The problem isn’t attention, it’s distraction.
Human attention hasn’t changed, but the world has been engineered to steal it.
Before we make training shorter, maybe ask: are we giving people a fair chance to focus?
🔗 bit.ly/3KY3jb8
#LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment
Human attention hasn’t changed, but the world has been engineered to steal it.
Before we make training shorter, maybe ask: are we giving people a fair chance to focus?
🔗 bit.ly/3KY3jb8
#LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment
October 21, 2025 at 7:30 AM
The problem isn’t attention, it’s distraction.
Human attention hasn’t changed, but the world has been engineered to steal it.
Before we make training shorter, maybe ask: are we giving people a fair chance to focus?
🔗 bit.ly/3KY3jb8
#LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment
Human attention hasn’t changed, but the world has been engineered to steal it.
Before we make training shorter, maybe ask: are we giving people a fair chance to focus?
🔗 bit.ly/3KY3jb8
#LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment
New Sunday series: L&D Myth-Slaying! 🐉
This week’s dragon: the idea that people can learn while doing other things.
Spoiler: multitasking kills learning.
Each Sunday, I’ll tackle a new myth with evidence and plain English.
#LND #LearningMyths #InstructionalDesign
🔗 bit.ly/4ovK0Vi
This week’s dragon: the idea that people can learn while doing other things.
Spoiler: multitasking kills learning.
Each Sunday, I’ll tackle a new myth with evidence and plain English.
#LND #LearningMyths #InstructionalDesign
🔗 bit.ly/4ovK0Vi
October 19, 2025 at 7:30 AM
New Sunday series: L&D Myth-Slaying! 🐉
This week’s dragon: the idea that people can learn while doing other things.
Spoiler: multitasking kills learning.
Each Sunday, I’ll tackle a new myth with evidence and plain English.
#LND #LearningMyths #InstructionalDesign
🔗 bit.ly/4ovK0Vi
This week’s dragon: the idea that people can learn while doing other things.
Spoiler: multitasking kills learning.
Each Sunday, I’ll tackle a new myth with evidence and plain English.
#LND #LearningMyths #InstructionalDesign
🔗 bit.ly/4ovK0Vi
If we want to call ourselves evidence-informed, we need to show our working.
Cite your sources. Credit the people whose research you build on.
It’s not just honesty; it’s how others keep learning, too.
🔗 bit.ly/47atByd
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Research
Cite your sources. Credit the people whose research you build on.
It’s not just honesty; it’s how others keep learning, too.
🔗 bit.ly/47atByd
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Research
October 17, 2025 at 7:30 AM
If we want to call ourselves evidence-informed, we need to show our working.
Cite your sources. Credit the people whose research you build on.
It’s not just honesty; it’s how others keep learning, too.
🔗 bit.ly/47atByd
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Research
Cite your sources. Credit the people whose research you build on.
It’s not just honesty; it’s how others keep learning, too.
🔗 bit.ly/47atByd
#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Research
Personalisation feels like a no-brainer, right?
More tailored = better learning.
Except… the evidence doesn’t really agree.
Today’s Substack looks at when it actually helps, when it doesn’t, and why that matters.
🔗 bit.ly/4h9PEtA
#LND #InstructionalDesign #IDTInsights #EvidenceInformedPractice
More tailored = better learning.
Except… the evidence doesn’t really agree.
Today’s Substack looks at when it actually helps, when it doesn’t, and why that matters.
🔗 bit.ly/4h9PEtA
#LND #InstructionalDesign #IDTInsights #EvidenceInformedPractice
October 16, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Personalisation feels like a no-brainer, right?
More tailored = better learning.
Except… the evidence doesn’t really agree.
Today’s Substack looks at when it actually helps, when it doesn’t, and why that matters.
🔗 bit.ly/4h9PEtA
#LND #InstructionalDesign #IDTInsights #EvidenceInformedPractice
More tailored = better learning.
Except… the evidence doesn’t really agree.
Today’s Substack looks at when it actually helps, when it doesn’t, and why that matters.
🔗 bit.ly/4h9PEtA
#LND #InstructionalDesign #IDTInsights #EvidenceInformedPractice
How are you using desktop wallpapers at work?
Probably not at all.
But they’re free real estate for behavioural nudges.
Subtle, visual reminders can drive change without a course in sight.
Where else could you place a nudge in your workplace?
🔗 bit.ly/3J4bbqU
#LearningAndDevelopment #LND #Nudge
Probably not at all.
But they’re free real estate for behavioural nudges.
Subtle, visual reminders can drive change without a course in sight.
Where else could you place a nudge in your workplace?
🔗 bit.ly/3J4bbqU
#LearningAndDevelopment #LND #Nudge
October 14, 2025 at 7:30 AM
How are you using desktop wallpapers at work?
Probably not at all.
But they’re free real estate for behavioural nudges.
Subtle, visual reminders can drive change without a course in sight.
Where else could you place a nudge in your workplace?
🔗 bit.ly/3J4bbqU
#LearningAndDevelopment #LND #Nudge
Probably not at all.
But they’re free real estate for behavioural nudges.
Subtle, visual reminders can drive change without a course in sight.
Where else could you place a nudge in your workplace?
🔗 bit.ly/3J4bbqU
#LearningAndDevelopment #LND #Nudge
I've been thinking a lot about Alexander Stubb's address at the UN.
His ideas around values, interests, and power really got me thinking about how we work with and around others. This got me thinking about Julian Stodd's work on the shadows we cast.
🔗 bit.ly/4nKTOu6
#LND #HR #Leadership
His ideas around values, interests, and power really got me thinking about how we work with and around others. This got me thinking about Julian Stodd's work on the shadows we cast.
🔗 bit.ly/4nKTOu6
#LND #HR #Leadership
September 28, 2025 at 7:30 AM
I've been thinking a lot about Alexander Stubb's address at the UN.
His ideas around values, interests, and power really got me thinking about how we work with and around others. This got me thinking about Julian Stodd's work on the shadows we cast.
🔗 bit.ly/4nKTOu6
#LND #HR #Leadership
His ideas around values, interests, and power really got me thinking about how we work with and around others. This got me thinking about Julian Stodd's work on the shadows we cast.
🔗 bit.ly/4nKTOu6
#LND #HR #Leadership
Compliance training works when it’s hyper-contextual: the exact actions, decisions, and processes people face in their role, nothing else.
That’s today’s article in my week-long series.
What’s the most irrelevant detail you’ve sat through?
🔗 bit.ly/4mzQNvr
That’s today’s article in my week-long series.
What’s the most irrelevant detail you’ve sat through?
🔗 bit.ly/4mzQNvr
September 24, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Compliance training works when it’s hyper-contextual: the exact actions, decisions, and processes people face in their role, nothing else.
That’s today’s article in my week-long series.
What’s the most irrelevant detail you’ve sat through?
🔗 bit.ly/4mzQNvr
That’s today’s article in my week-long series.
What’s the most irrelevant detail you’ve sat through?
🔗 bit.ly/4mzQNvr
Why is compliance training, with budget and leadership backing, still the part of L&D we’re most embarrassed by?
First in a four-part series on how we can do better.
🔗 bit.ly/4nQh225
What’s the first word you’d use to describe compliance training?
First in a four-part series on how we can do better.
🔗 bit.ly/4nQh225
What’s the first word you’d use to describe compliance training?
September 23, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Why is compliance training, with budget and leadership backing, still the part of L&D we’re most embarrassed by?
First in a four-part series on how we can do better.
🔗 bit.ly/4nQh225
What’s the first word you’d use to describe compliance training?
First in a four-part series on how we can do better.
🔗 bit.ly/4nQh225
What’s the first word you’d use to describe compliance training?
What does community really mean in L&D?
How do we tell the difference between a genuine space built for members & a sales funnel with a shiny label?
Check out the full article: bit.ly/46mVPpe
#LND #Community #Networking
How do we tell the difference between a genuine space built for members & a sales funnel with a shiny label?
Check out the full article: bit.ly/46mVPpe
#LND #Community #Networking
September 19, 2025 at 7:30 AM
What does community really mean in L&D?
How do we tell the difference between a genuine space built for members & a sales funnel with a shiny label?
Check out the full article: bit.ly/46mVPpe
#LND #Community #Networking
How do we tell the difference between a genuine space built for members & a sales funnel with a shiny label?
Check out the full article: bit.ly/46mVPpe
#LND #Community #Networking
Not every L&D event is worth your time.
Before booking I ask:
- what type of event is it,
- whose interests come first,
- and how honest are they about it?
My latest article explores how I decide where to show up.
🔗 bit.ly/46DRf7g
#LND #CPD #Events #Conference #Exhibition
Before booking I ask:
- what type of event is it,
- whose interests come first,
- and how honest are they about it?
My latest article explores how I decide where to show up.
🔗 bit.ly/46DRf7g
#LND #CPD #Events #Conference #Exhibition
September 17, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Not every L&D event is worth your time.
Before booking I ask:
- what type of event is it,
- whose interests come first,
- and how honest are they about it?
My latest article explores how I decide where to show up.
🔗 bit.ly/46DRf7g
#LND #CPD #Events #Conference #Exhibition
Before booking I ask:
- what type of event is it,
- whose interests come first,
- and how honest are they about it?
My latest article explores how I decide where to show up.
🔗 bit.ly/46DRf7g
#LND #CPD #Events #Conference #Exhibition
When was the last time a podcast actually changed how you worked?
In L&D, podcasts only shine when part of something bigger, campaigns, CPD, or culture change.
I’ve shared practical ways to make that happen. Link in comments.
🔗 bit.ly/4nB7wzz
#LND #InstructionalDesign #Podcasting #ELearning
In L&D, podcasts only shine when part of something bigger, campaigns, CPD, or culture change.
I’ve shared practical ways to make that happen. Link in comments.
🔗 bit.ly/4nB7wzz
#LND #InstructionalDesign #Podcasting #ELearning
September 16, 2025 at 7:30 AM
When was the last time a podcast actually changed how you worked?
In L&D, podcasts only shine when part of something bigger, campaigns, CPD, or culture change.
I’ve shared practical ways to make that happen. Link in comments.
🔗 bit.ly/4nB7wzz
#LND #InstructionalDesign #Podcasting #ELearning
In L&D, podcasts only shine when part of something bigger, campaigns, CPD, or culture change.
I’ve shared practical ways to make that happen. Link in comments.
🔗 bit.ly/4nB7wzz
#LND #InstructionalDesign #Podcasting #ELearning
🎥 Video doesn’t need to be high-budget or high-stress.
Join our free webinar on 25 Sept, 16:15 BST, to learn how to create confident, engaging learning videos without a studio setup.
🔗 bit.ly/3VjuT4C
#LND #Webinar #CPD #InstructionalDesign #ContentCreation
Join our free webinar on 25 Sept, 16:15 BST, to learn how to create confident, engaging learning videos without a studio setup.
🔗 bit.ly/3VjuT4C
#LND #Webinar #CPD #InstructionalDesign #ContentCreation
September 14, 2025 at 12:00 PM
🎥 Video doesn’t need to be high-budget or high-stress.
Join our free webinar on 25 Sept, 16:15 BST, to learn how to create confident, engaging learning videos without a studio setup.
🔗 bit.ly/3VjuT4C
#LND #Webinar #CPD #InstructionalDesign #ContentCreation
Join our free webinar on 25 Sept, 16:15 BST, to learn how to create confident, engaging learning videos without a studio setup.
🔗 bit.ly/3VjuT4C
#LND #Webinar #CPD #InstructionalDesign #ContentCreation
Just read the WCAG 3.0 draft.
No more A/AA/AAA, now Bronze–Gold.
Moving from pass/fail to a spectrum of progress
Feels like accessibility growing up, covering more needs and more tech.
Exciting step forward.
What do you think of the shift?
🔗 bit.ly/3VjuT4C
No more A/AA/AAA, now Bronze–Gold.
Moving from pass/fail to a spectrum of progress
Feels like accessibility growing up, covering more needs and more tech.
Exciting step forward.
What do you think of the shift?
🔗 bit.ly/3VjuT4C
September 14, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Just read the WCAG 3.0 draft.
No more A/AA/AAA, now Bronze–Gold.
Moving from pass/fail to a spectrum of progress
Feels like accessibility growing up, covering more needs and more tech.
Exciting step forward.
What do you think of the shift?
🔗 bit.ly/3VjuT4C
No more A/AA/AAA, now Bronze–Gold.
Moving from pass/fail to a spectrum of progress
Feels like accessibility growing up, covering more needs and more tech.
Exciting step forward.
What do you think of the shift?
🔗 bit.ly/3VjuT4C