Your learners loved the course… and then nothing changed. In this episode, Jess talks with Melanie Martinelli (Institute for Transfer Effectiveness) about why L&D's obsession with "great training" often fails at the only thing that matters: on-the-job application. You'll unpack the 12 Levers of Learning Transfer, learn how to run a quick transfer audit, and hear a case study where a clunky old e-learning outperformed a shiny new one. All because the ecosystem mattered more than the content.

Jess and Melanie discuss

• Why L&D "falls in love with the solution" instead of diagnosing the real performance problem
• The difference between learner satisfaction and business impact (Level 1 vs. Level 3)
• What "learning transfer" actually means: application back on the job
• The 12 Levers of Transfer (trainee, training design, and organizational factors)
• How to use a "transfer audit" to find the biggest barriers for that specific program
• Why you shouldn't try to pull all 12 levers at once (perfectionism kills transfer)
• Active learning vs. active practice—and why practice gets cut first
• Designing for constraints: what to do when training time is limited
• Why investing in "before and after" support beats polishing course content
• The "Certificate of Implementation" tactic that drives supervisor support

About Melanie Martinelli

Melanie Martinelli combines her entrepreneurial spirit with her 20 years of experience in L&D to help build memorable & results-based learning experiences. In her role as CEO of the Institute for Transfer Effectiveness and Founder of Going Beyond Training, she applies strong business acumen, rich practical experience across cultures & a deep understanding of what makes learning transfer happen to support her clients in being more strategic in their L&D initiatives.

Find and Connect with Melanie Martinelli

• LinkedIn
• Institute for Transfer Effectiveness
• Book: What Makes Training Really Work

Find and Connect with Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner

Introducing the L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Development Blueprint

Want to know how your L&TD team can stop reacting to requests and start operating as a true strategic business partner? The L&D Strategic Business Partner Team Assessment and Development Roadmap shows you exactly where your team is today and provides a clear, practical path to change how you work, build credibility with leaders, and deliver measurable business impact. Learn more and reach out to Jess Almlie to bring this tool to your team.

Your learners don't need another "fun" workshop; they need results. In this episode, Jess and Brian Washburn unpack why engagement alone is a dangerous success metric and how to design for real performance change. Brian introduces his simple four-step facilitation model: Anchor, Content, Application, Future Use, which turns any session into a repeatable, effective learning experience. They explore how to equip SMEs to facilitate (without gimmicks), handle awkward moments like silence or "I don't know," and adapt these principles for virtual and global audiences.

• Why engagement alone doesn't equal effective training
• The four-step facilitation model and how to use it every time
• Moving SMEs from knowledge dumps to true facilitation
• Simple, non-gimmicky activities that prove people "get it"
• Handling silence, tough questions, and tech failures with confidence
• Adapting facilitation for virtual rooms and global cultures

About Brian Washburn

Brian Washburn is an author, a sought-after speaker, and an experienced instructional designer who has been working in the field of learning and development for more than two decades.

Brian's work has been published in TD magazine, the monthly trade magazine for the Association of Talent Development (ATD), and he was named a Top Young Trainer by Training Magazine in 2011. Brian's first book, What's Your Formula? Combine Learning Elements for Impactful Training, was published by ATD Press in June 2021. Modeled on the original periodic table of elements, the book explores a wide range of approaches to organizational training needs and new ideas and ways to organize the design of learning programs.

His second book, Instructional Design on a Shoestring, was released in January 2024, and will be provided to each participant in this train-the-trainer program. Brian holds an MA in Organizational Development from Antioch University.

Find and Connect with Brian Washburn

• LinkedIn
• Website: Endurance Learning
• Book: What's Your Formula? Combine Learning Elements for Impactful Training
• Book: Instructional Design on a Shoestring

Find and Connect with Jess Almlie

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner

Additional Links from the Episode

• Gagne's 9 Events of Instruction
• The Bob Pike Group
• Malcolm Knowles Adult Learning Theory
• On Teaching and Learning: Putting the Principles and Practices of Dialogue Education into Action by Jane Vella
• Endurance Learning Training Activity Cookbook
• L&D Must Change Podcast Episode 08 with Kassy Laborie (Online Training That's Better Than In Person)
• Interact and Engage! 75+ Activities for Virtual Training, Meetings, and Webinars by Kassy Laborie and Thomas Stone
• L&D Must Change Podcast Episode 22 with Chris Taylor (Designing and Measuring On Purpose)

AI isn't coming for your L&D job... it's rewriting it. In this episode, Jess and AI-in-L&D veteran Josh Cavalier dig into his provocative "Human Machine Performance Analyst" L&D role, why content creation is still on the table, and how to build the business, data, and learning-science muscles you'll actually need. They unpack the real story behind AI layoffs, the emerging L&D tech ecosystem, and practical, low-risk ways to get your AI learning and practice reps in today.

Jess and Josh Discuss

• Why Josh believes L&D must evolve into "Human Machine Performance Analysts."
• The shift from building courses to orchestrating human AI performance.
• Core skills for L&D to double down on: performance consulting, business acumen, data and analytics, and learning science.
• Which L&D tasks AI will automate.
• What AI-related layoffs are really funding.
• How the AI ecosystem flows from platforms like Microsoft, Google, and Workday down into L&D tools.
• The risks of shadow AI usage and protecting organizational IP.
• Cross-functional AI operations to enable responsible adoption
• Simple, safe ways to start with AI in content creation and get your "AI reps" in.
• Why strategic curiosity, not fear, is L&D's best response to AI.

About Josh Cavalier

Josh Cavalier is on a mission to bridge the gap between Learning & Development professionals and the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence. His own "aha!" moment arrived in late 2022 when an AI generated a remarkably effective educational video script on his prompt, instantly revealing its potential to revolutionize learning. Drawing on 30+ years of experience, including leading Lodestone Digital to radically improve clients' edtech implementations, Josh now guides organizations through the complexities of AI integration.

• LinkedIn
• Website: JoshCavalier.ai
• YouTube Show: Brainpower: Your Weekly AI Training Show
• Book: Applying AI in Learning & Development: From Platforms to Performance

• LinkedIn
• Website: www.jessalmlie.com
• Book: L&D Order Taker No More! Become a Strategic Business Partner
• L&D Business Acumen Checklist