NovoEd’s Top 10 Picks of 2020 – Must Reads and Must Listens

The holidays are a time for not only celebration and relaxation, but reflection as well. As our year is coming to a close, the learning community can look back on 2020 with pride. There were many challenges unique to this year (including unprecedented use of the word “unprecedented”) that L&D professionals met with grace, and we can appreciate our success in finding new ways to work together.

This year, the NovoEd team created content from learner engagement, to DE&I, to leadership development, and more. Here are some of our favorite pieces that will help support you going into next year.

1. 4 Key Steps to Move Training Online – Infographic

Widespread digital transformation, accelerated by the pandemic, has prompted a profound shift in how companies can deliver critical training. We break down how to move your in-person training to an online modality in 4 steps, from design to launch and beyond. 

2. The Essentials of Engagement – eBook

Based on years of experience with enterprise clients, our expert team of learning experiences designers shares their 3-step plan to incorporate effective facilitation into online training programs. This eBook covers the necessary preparation for engagement, facilitation models, and measuring your programs’ impact.

3. Leadership Development for Business Transformation – On-Demand Webinar

Global construction materials giant CEMEX has adopted a leadership model that emphasizes new ways to think, act, and react differently. In partnership with Brandon Hall and CEMEX, this webinar connects the latest research on leadership development to the implementation of CEMEX’s award-winning leadership development program.

4. Learning Engagement in a Time of Zoom Fatigue – Blog

Organizations that simply switched over to video conferencing are encountering a new pandemic – digital fatigue – which has resulted in reduced productivity and decreased engagement in learning. We explore some of the challenges of working remotely and identify methods you can apply to improve engagement.

5. Diversity for Innovation – eBook

Diverse and inclusive work environments positively impact the bottom line for business, but creating an authentically diverse and inclusive workplace is more than a compliance exercise: it’s a cultural transformation requiring changes in employees’ mindsets, behavior, and capabilities. This eBook explores how D&I can become an organizational capability, and L&D’s role in making it happen. 

6. Staying Ahead of Critical Training Initiatives During a Pandemic – Blog

Businesses need to activate new organizational capabilities at an unprecedented speed and scale in order to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic and continue business success. Engagement and collaboration will be critical in this effort.

7. 3 Core Design Principles for Inclusive Learning – Infographic

For inclusivity to stick, learning experiences must align with a company’s overall purpose, be tailored to its culture, and support the needs of diverse learners. This infographic outlines the essentials of creating an inclusive learning experience.

8. The Guide to Design for Learning: Overcoming Digital Fatigue & Creating Engagement – eBook

This eBook defines different approaches to learning (synchronous, asynchronous, and blended online modalities) and contextualizes how to best leverage each. Discover how effective learning design can meet the needs of learners, achieve core learning objectives, and advance business objectives

9. Busting the Myths of Building Leadership Skills Online – Podcast 

Stanford GSB’s Managing Director, Online & Entrepreneurship Education shares her experience developing the LEAD Online Business program. This podcast busts some myths about online learning, revealing the reality of online learning’s potential for cultivating leadership skills.

10. How Purpose Serves as an Organizational Constitution – Podcast

In this podcast, Medtronic’s VP of Global Learning & Leadership, Jeff Orlando, discusses how Medtronic’s mission acts as a constitution for the organization and how employees are stewards of the organizational purpose. Learn how L&D’s curricula, resources, and unique approach to purpose awards cement purpose in Medtronic’s culture.

Wishing you happy holidays from the NovoEd team!