The Top 6 Learning, Development and HR Podcasts

Podcasting has taken the world by storm in recent years. On the commute to work or folding laundry, we can’t get enough of listening in to our favourite podcasts.

We’ve been toying with the idea of starting our own learning transfer podcast but in the mean time there are so many great podcasts out there I wanted to share my top 6 learning, development and HR podcasts.

  1. Trainer Tools

Brought to us from John Tomlinson in Europe, the concept is simple – to share effective training tools and tips across the training community in order to make all of us into more effective learning and development professionals. In each Trainer Tools episode, John Tomlinson interviews an experienced trainer and asks them to share a particular tool, tip or other content that can be of practical use to the learning and development community. I was thrilled to feature on John’s podcast a while back – you can listen to the episode here.

  1. GoodPractice

I recently discovered the GoodPractice podcast. It’s a must-listen for anyone in the industry. The weekly show, featuring regular appearances from members of the GoodPractice team, plus the occasional special guest, gets right to the heart of issues affecting the L&D and HR communities. From learning needs analysis and evidence-based practice through to the impact of technology on work and hot topics at industry conferences, you can get critical insights into the world of work, learning and performance. My recent favourite was one Karen Moloney from eLearning eXperts highlighted to me about how the language we use within learning effects learning outcomes.

  1. HR Happy Hour

HR Happy Hour is one of the longest running and most downloaded HR podcasts. It primarily focuses on human resources, management, leadership, and workforce technology. The show is hosted by Steve Boese, the Co-Chair of the HR Technology Conference, and Trish McFarlane, a Human Resources Executive, and writer/speaker on HR and workplace topics. With 300 episodes online you’re bound to find something of interest!

  1. CIPD Podcast

The CIPD is a worldwide professional body for HR and people development. Committed to championing better work and working lives, they have created a popular podcast charting the ebb and flow of an HR profession that’s fast-evolving into the 21st century. I’m a huge fan of Peter Cheese (CEO of CIPD) so anything he puts his name to is to be valued.

  1. Best Part of My Job

This is a fairly new podcast taking a slightly different angle than most other learning and HR podcasts. Each episode features a new story on an individual and their career story. These stories span a diverse mix of fields and professions. They explore different career paths to share wisdom and experience from a broad range of professions. Stories are of course a great way to learn.

  1. TD Podcasts from the ATD

I’m a huge fan of content from the ATD. The ATD’s podcast consists of audio readings of articles from ATD’s TD Magazine. The goal is to provide useful information on current best practices, share new technologies, report on emerging trends and address relevant and pivotal issues to the field.

If you have any other learning, development or HR podcasts that you’d recommend I’d love to hear what they are – please share in the comments below!

Emma Weber is a recognized authority on the transfer of learning. As CEO of Lever – Transfer of Learning, she has helped companies such as Telstra, Oracle and BMW deliver and measure tangible business results from learning. Emma has also been a guest speaker at learning effectiveness conferences worldwide and authored the hugely successful book Turning Learning into Action. Much more detail around the issues and solutions examined in this article are available in the book – please feel free to download a free chapter.