Portfolio Pulse by Steven Huskey

Episode Summary:

‍In this episode of Portfolio Pulse, host Stephen Huskey (owner of Huskey Financial Consulting and Wealth Management) interviews training strategist Dr. Carrie Graham about the power of adult learning principles in creating effective educational experiences. The conversation centers on how adult learning differs fundamentally from childhood education, emphasizing that adults bring life experience to the learning table and are self-motivated learners. Dr. Graham shares her mission to eliminate negative learning experiences by helping professionals across industries develop better training and development programs that truly empower employees. The discussion covers how proper adult learning techniques can save businesses time and money while improving retention and application of critical information. They explore the importance of understanding your audience beyond demographics, creating structured learning experiences that engage rather than overwhelm, and developing leadership qualities through strategic professional development plans. Dr. Graham explains her process of using calm critique and clarity to help clients audit existing content and build comprehensive training programs. The conversation also touches on how effective training and development can transform organizations by ensuring employees not only receive information but can confidently apply their new leadership skills in real-world situations.

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Listen Here > https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-037-creating-incredible-course-clarity-educational

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10 Key Points:

1. Adults learn differently than children due to life experience, self-motivation, and existing mental models
2. Effective training and development requires understanding learners beyond basic demographics
3. Poor learning experiences create significant financial costs for organizations when information isn't retained
4. Adult learning happens across multiple platforms, not just traditional classroom or course formats
5. Strategic brainstorming, outlining, and engagement planning are essential for creating effective curricula
6. Professional development plans should focus on concrete, tangible information rather than general concepts
7. The adult brain fully develops around age 25, affecting how people process and retain new information
8. Learning experiences should be designed to help people change beliefs and behaviors, not just acquire knowledge
9. Auditing existing training materials can identify critical gaps in professional development programs
10. Successful training programs blend calm delivery with critical analysis and clear implementation strategies

10 Takeaways/Action Items:

1. Conduct a comprehensive audit of existing training and development materials to identify gaps
2. Shift focus from course creation to designing complete "learning experiences" across multiple platforms
3. Research your audience's life experiences, motivations, and learning preferences before developing content
4. Use strategic brainstorming processes to organize and sequence training information effectively
5. Create detailed outlines that break down expertise into digestible, sequential learning components
6. Design engagement strategies specifically for adult learners rather than adapting child-focused methods
7. Calculate the financial cost of poor training retention to justify investment in better professional development plans
8. Develop content that provides concrete, actionable information employees can immediately apply
9. Implement calm, critical, and clear approaches when reviewing and improving training programs
10. Focus training and development on transformation and behavior change rather than just information delivery

Key Insights:

‍Dr. Graham emphasizes that effective training and development must recognize that adults bring valuable life experience to learning situations and require different engagement strategies than traditional educational approaches. She advocates for creating comprehensive learning experiences that go beyond simple information delivery to focus on transformation, behavior change, and practical application that truly empowers employees to develop essential leadership qualities.

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Resources‍

Listen Here > https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-037-creating-incredible-course-clarity-educational

Read >  Cultivating Knowledge: Lessons from Gardening

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