Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Learning and Development Handbook summary
Michelle Parry-Slater
A Learning Practitioner's Toolkit
20 mins
Brief summary
The Learning and Development Handbook by Michelle Parry-Slater is a comprehensive guide to creating effective training programs. It covers various aspects such as adult learning theories, designing and delivering learning, and evaluating its effectiveness.
Topics
Table of Contents
The Learning and Development Handbook
Summary of 5 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 5
Organizations can’t rely on old learning models in a changing world.
To start off, we’re going to be talking about learning in a particular context – organizations and companies. In other words, we’ll be looking at professional development.
Our question, then, is how professionals master new skills and pick up the know-how they need in today’s fast-moving workplaces. But before we get to that, let’s take a step back and think about learning in general. How does any learning take place?
From schools to universities, public talks, and office training programs, it often happens in a similar way. This learning model centers around the sage on the stage. Let’s break that down.
Although the specifics vary, the idea is usually the same. There’s an expert – an individual with special access to some kind of knowledge. Then there’s the audience – the people who turn up at a certain time and place to learn from that sage. This model is face-to-face: everyone is present in person. It’s also top-down. The teacher talks; the audience listens.
There’s a reason this model is so common – it can be very effective. As we found out during the Covid-19 pandemic, something important gets lost when traditional learning environments like classrooms disappear. And there are things you really only can learn if you’re physically present. Online-only courses aren’t a great way of acquiring first-aid skills, for example. You need the real-world, face-to-plastic experience of breathing into a CPR doll. It’s the same with learning to drive – you have to sit in an actual car on a real road with a bonafide instructor.
Thing is, though, face-to-face learning isn’t the only way people can learn. It’s a cliché, but, like so many clichés, it’s true: the digital revolution is a game-changer. The smartphones in our pockets give us unprecedented access to knowledge, bypassing that sage on the stage. The laptops in our bags meanwhile allow us to work remotely, eroding the old emphasis on physical presence. These are simple facts, Michelle Parry-Slater says, and neither organizations nor learning and development specialists can wish them away. The upshot? We need new approaches to professional development.
That doesn’t mean abandoning tried-and true methods in favor of fashionable gimmicks. Immediately adopting the latest tech isn’t a cure-all. But we can’t just keep doing what we’ve always done because, well, that’s how things are done. What we need to do, she suggests, is spend more time thinking seriously about learning in this new environment. In some cases, face-to-face will still be the way to go; in others, it won’t. Oftentimes, the best approach will be to blend different models.
Take just one example. When the author worked with the Girl Guides, she looked at their first-aid program. She realized that some 80 percent of the organization’s refresher courses could be taken online. You just don’t need people to be physically present to sit multiple-choice tests on basic medical knowledge. A skill like CPR is different – you need to practice it for real, with an expert. And that’s what the Girl Guides do. They keep the analogue stuff analogue and move the rest online.
The point, here, is that face-to-face learning isn’t going away – it’s too important. But it’s not the be-all and end-all of learning. That, Parry-Slater thinks, is the key lesson for organizations and their learning and development teams. In practice, though, that’s often easier said than done.
Want to see all full key ideas from The Learning and Development Handbook?
Key ideas in The Learning and Development Handbook
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Learning and Development Handbook about?
The Learning and Development Handbook (2022) is a practical guide for human resources experts who want to upgrade how people learn in their organization without slavishly following new fads. So what’s their best bet? Michelle Parry-Slater thinks companies’ can benefit from the digital revolution, but only if they embed professional development in wider cultures of learning. That means one thing above all: working with the grain of human psychology, collective as well as individual.
The Learning and Development Handbook Review
The Learning and Development Handbook (2021) is a comprehensive guide that provides valuable insights into building effective learning and development strategies. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- Its practical approach offers actionable advice for creating impactful learning programs and fostering continuous growth within organizations.
- By combining expert knowledge, case studies, and real-world examples, it brings the content to life and helps readers understand how to apply it in their own context.
- The book's accessible and engaging style ensures that the topic of learning and development is far from boring, making it an enjoyable read for professionals in the field.
Who should read The Learning and Development Handbook?
- Human resource managers
- Coaches and educationalists
- Psychologists interested in learning
Categories with The Learning and Development Handbook
Book summaries like The Learning and Development Handbook
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
35 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
The Learning and Development Handbook FAQs
What is the main message of The Learning and Development Handbook?
The main message of The Learning and Development Handbook is to provide an all-encompassing guide to learning and development in the workplace.
How long does it take to read The Learning and Development Handbook?
The reading time for The Learning and Development Handbook varies depending on the reader's speed, but it typically takes several hours. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Learning and Development Handbook a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Learning and Development Handbook is a must-read for professionals in the field. It offers practical insights and strategies for effective learning and development.
Who is the author of The Learning and Development Handbook?
The author of The Learning and Development Handbook is Michelle Parry-Slater.
What to read after The Learning and Development Handbook?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Learning and Development Handbook, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Design for How People Learn by Julie Dirksen
- The Upskilling Imperative by Shelley Osborne
- Long Life Learning by Michelle R. Weise
- Evidence-Informed Learning Design by Mirjam Neelen & Paul A. Kirschner
- Effective HR Communication by Debra Corey
- Learning at Speed by Nelson Sivalingam
- Brilliance by Design by Vicki Halsey
- Living the 80/20 Way by Richard Koch
- The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma
- The Modern Learning Ecosystem by JD Dillon