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Episode 168: An L&D Detective solves the ultimate measurement mystery with Kevin M Yates

They call him the L&D detective because he solves mysteries. The mystery he solves is, "What is the impact of learning?" It's not a murder mystery. It's a measurement mystery!

Ooh - how’s this for a first time? It’s the first time we’ve had an L&D detective on the show and he’s here to answer the #1 question that plays on all of our (and our clients’ minds): “How can we measure the results, and the ROI of our workshops?”

Known in the global learning and development (L&D) community as “the L&D detective,” Kevin M. Yates answers the question, “What is the impact of learning?” 

He solves measurement mysteries and investigates how learning activates performance and business goals using facts, clues, evidence, and data. 

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Kevin’s career in the learning and development profession includes over 20 years of experience in local and global roles for facilitation, instructional design, learning technology, program management, leadership development, impact analysis and more.

His reach is worldwide through in person and virtual keynote presentations, panel discussions, and workshops across the globe. 

If you’re curious on how to measure your workshop results, setting measurable targets, identifying performance gaps and helpful questions you can use after your workshop, you’ll enjoy this episode.

About today’s guest: Kevin M Yates

Kevin is a learning and development (L&D) detective and he solves mysteries. The mystery he solves is, “What is the impact of learning?” He looks for facts, clues, evidence, and data as proof for learning’s influence on performance, behaviour, actions, and business goals. He examines outcomes for training and learning.

His reach is global with in-person and virtual keynotes, presentations, panel discussions, podcast interviews, live-streams, and his eBook, the 𝙇&𝘿 𝘿𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙈𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨. He shares actionable methods and techniques for removing the mystery from measurement. He demonstrates how to proactively plan for impact in the beginning so it’s easier to measure in the end.

His message is firmly rooted in the belief that measuring impact is possible, necessary, and actionable. He acknowledges challenges and searches for what makes measuring impact possible. He finds joy, fulfilment of purpose, and excitement in helping the global learning and development community.

In this episode you will learn:

  • How to measure results of the workshops you deliver

  • How to clarify your targets in order to measure your results

  • A format for driving a discovery conversation with your clients to reveal their performance requirements and help set goals

  • What you can do with post-workshop results

Here are some questions I asked Kevin in the interview:

  • What are your thoughts on the work that we do - can we quantify it having a real impact on business results?

  • As an L&D people, how can we take on that role influencing people (rather than being an order-taker)? 

  • What do you think about the post workshop survey?

  • Can you please share a bit more about the philosophy that you really believe in the magic of timing, if the timing is right, things will happen? Can you talk more about that statement?

  • When you turned a certain age, something changed within you, you felt like it was just okay to be you. Can you elaborate on that? And how do we get that feeling now even before turning that age?

Resources:

Watch the full episode now!


About your host: Leanne Hughes

Leanne Hughes is an international facilitator, speaker and coach who loves creating unpredictable workshop experiences, that predictably work.

She combines her experience in Marketing, with her education in Human Resources and Psychology, to help leaders create engaging everyday experiences - that are so contagious they scale across teams, functions and regions.

Leanne has facilitated leadership, onboarding and team-development workshops across Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore and believes in a strengths-centred approach to learning and development.  She has over 14 years’ of experience across a range of industries including mining, government and tourism sectors.

She’s the host of the First Time Facilitator podcast and was a finalist in the 2018 Australian Learning Impact awards for Learning Professional of the Year.



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