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Tom McDowall

@tommcdowall

Helping Learning and Development professionals evolve their practice for greater impact.

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13.11.2024
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Latest posts by Tom McDowall @tommcdowall

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Are we working quickly or building velocity?

In today's Substack I explore what I learned as a product manager around the importance of asking the right question when measuring progress.

πŸ”— bit.ly/4ub3br8

#LND #Agile #ProjectManagement

03.03.2026 08:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Today's Substack article looks at the importance of trusting the workforce when designing training interventions.

πŸ”— bit.ly/3OxvRtW

#LND #HR #TalentManagement #Culture

25.02.2026 08:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Ahead of this week's podcast learning festival, I thought I'd share some of my ideas on where podcasting has worked well.

πŸ”— bit.ly/46oulAx

#LearningAndDevelopment #KnowledgeManagement #InstructionalDesign #EdTech

24.02.2026 08:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Today's sub stack article explores goal orientation theory.

What it is,
where it comes from,
and how it informs our work in learning and development.

Check out the full article and let me know what you think down in the comments.

πŸ”— bit.ly/4rwWMVt

#LearningAndDevelopment #InstructionalDesign

22.02.2026 08:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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A New Framework for Measuring Impact and A Safe Place to Practice In this episode, I chat with Dr Heidi Kirby and Helen Routledge about...

πŸŽ™οΈ Just published a new episode of IDTX Podcast: A New Framework for Measuring Impact and A Safe Place to Practice. Have a listen:

17.02.2026 18:15 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Becoming a Strategic Learning Partner and The 12 Levers of Learning Transfer In this episode, I chat with LinnΓ©a SjΓΆgren and Melanie Martinelli about...

πŸŽ™οΈ Just published a new episode of IDTX Podcast: Becoming a Strategic Learning Partner and The 12 Levers of Learning Transfer. Have a listen:

17.02.2026 12:14 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Evidence Informed Practice Conference 2026: 29 May, Birmingham url:https://learningnews.com/news/idtx/2026/evidence-informed-practice-conference-2026-29-may-birmingham

09.02.2026 14:56 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Instructional Design Tips | Tom McDowall | Substack Tom's thoughts on workplace learning and development. I publish two short reads and three long reads a week. Click to read Instructional Design Tips, by Tom McDowall, a Substack publication with…

If you’re into instructional design, performance enablement, learning science, content, or EdTech, consider becoming a free or paid member of my Substack.

I publish 5x a week. Paid is Β£35/year and gets you the fortnightly omnibus (3 to 5 extra short articles).

πŸ”—

31.01.2026 08:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Today's Substack article explores some of the work I've been doing with leadership teams over the last six months.

The central idea is that leaders don't really need more quadrant-based models for prioritising tasks or horoscope-style personality assessments.

πŸ”— bit.ly/4bomOoG

28.01.2026 08:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Ever had people leave a session with great plans, then… nothing?

Implementation intentions pair the change with a cue and an if/then plan.

Not β€œI will”, but β€œIf X happens, then I’ll do Y.”

What’s your best follow-through trick?

bit.ly/3NBmTve
#PerformanceEnablement #BehaviouralScience #PeopleOps

25.01.2026 08:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Today's article explores perception and how our brains are not passive collectors of sensory input but constructivist builders of our own personal realities.

You'll also find four practical approaches for bridging perception gaps to minimise friction in times of change.

πŸ”— bit.ly/49P4xyk

#LND

20.01.2026 08:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Today’s Connect 2025, my last as organiser.

After 3 years, I’m handing it over.

In L&D, as in leadership, we don’t own things. We steward them for a while, do our best, then pass them on. That’s the work, and the privilege.

Full post ↓

πŸ”— bit.ly/4qUjSVR

#LNConnect2025 #LND #Leadership

14.11.2025 08:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Office politics isn’t toxic by default.
It’s just how decisions get made when people with different priorities work together.

Ignore it, and even your best ideas stall. Engage with it ethically, and it’s how real influence and change happen.

Full post ↓

πŸ”— bit.ly/43j11da

#LND #Leadership

13.11.2025 08:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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How much of our professional development ever develops us?

CPD isn’t about collecting courses or points. The real growth happens after the session ends, when you test what you’ve learned and see if it holds up.

Full post ↓

πŸ”— bit.ly/4qTvh8k

#CPD #LearningAndDevelopment #LND

12.11.2025 08:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I dictated over 51k words in October.

Being dyslexic, voice typing turned writing from painful to joyful. It’s accessible, fast, and sounds like me.

What assistive tech do you use to make your work life that little bit easier?

#Accessibility #Writing #AI #LND

11.11.2025 13:01 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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What if AI readiness isn’t about tools, but trust?

Most people use AI, yet fewer than half trust it.

If we repeat the mistakes of remote work, focusing on tech, ignoring humans, we’ll gain efficiency and lose connection.

Full post ↓

πŸ”— bit.ly/4oX1RV8

#AI #LearningAndDevelopment #LND

11.11.2025 08:30 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Every facilitator knows that moment.
An innocent question turns into a full-blown rant about Janet from Finance, and suddenly the room’s gone negative.

In today’s Substack: how I handle it with The Moan Management Matrix.

πŸ”— bit.ly/3WKHkHr

#LearningAndDevelopment #Facilitation

07.11.2025 08:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Been playing Dispatch this week, and it nails four UI heuristics most eLearning forgets: affordance,
consistency,
feedback,
and minimalism.

Proof that great design gets out of the way.

πŸ”— bit.ly/4oTmL7z

#LND #InstructionalDesign #UX

06.11.2025 08:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Certainty feels safe, but it stops us listening, learning, and connecting.

Our strength isn’t in being right, it’s in being useful, in conversation, community, and curiosity.

πŸ”— bit.ly/47nkz2j

#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Community #Collaboration

04.11.2025 08:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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What would it take for L&D to be professionalised like medicine or engineering?

We’re a profession, but we lack shared standards and accountability. Maybe it’s time to stop waiting for them to appear and start building them ourselves. What do you think?

πŸ”— bit.ly/4qwNl86
#LearningAndDevelopment

30.10.2025 08:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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We talk about motivation and mindset all the time, but rarely about sleep.
Without enough of it, the brain simply can’t learn.

Today’s post explores what that means for training design.

πŸ”— bit.ly/4hvqrdc

#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Neuroscience

29.10.2025 08:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Sometimes the credibility gap between L&D and senior leaders isn’t about them not understanding us, but about what we’ve not yet demonstrated.

πŸ”— bit.ly/3JjUvMo

#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Leadership

28.10.2025 08:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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We love to mock vanity metrics in L&D, but sometimes they’re the first sign something’s wrong.

The trick isn’t to ignore them, it’s to read them differently. Today’s article explores how.

πŸ”— bit.ly/4oEHsnU

#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Data #PerformanceSupport

24.10.2025 07:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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We need to talk about what happens when we start treating machines like people.

The science is early, but the warning signs are clear.
When we call AI a colleague, the humans pay the price.

Read the full piece ↓

πŸ”— bit.ly/4nhSPAM

#AI #LND #FutureOfWork

23.10.2025 07:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Are we designing for certainty, or for change?

Experiment-led design helps L&D stay flexible, useful, and relevant when frameworks can’t keep up.

Check out the full article.

πŸ”— bit.ly/4hjhpQm

#LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #Experimentation

22.10.2025 07:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The problem isn’t attention, it’s distraction.

Human attention hasn’t changed, but the world has been engineered to steal it.

Before we make training shorter, maybe ask: are we giving people a fair chance to focus?

πŸ”— bit.ly/3KY3jb8

#LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment

21.10.2025 07:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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New Sunday series: L&D Myth-Slaying! πŸ‰

This week’s dragon: the idea that people can learn while doing other things.

Spoiler: multitasking kills learning.

Each Sunday, I’ll tackle a new myth with evidence and plain English.

#LND #LearningMyths #InstructionalDesign

πŸ”— bit.ly/4ovK0Vi

19.10.2025 07:30 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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If we want to call ourselves evidence-informed, we need to show our working.
Cite your sources. Credit the people whose research you build on.
It’s not just honesty; it’s how others keep learning, too.

πŸ”— bit.ly/47atByd

#LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Research

17.10.2025 07:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Personalisation feels like a no-brainer, right?

More tailored = better learning.

Except… the evidence doesn’t really agree.

Today’s Substack looks at when it actually helps, when it doesn’t, and why that matters.

πŸ”— bit.ly/4h9PEtA

#LND #InstructionalDesign #IDTInsights #EvidenceInformedPractice

16.10.2025 07:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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How are you using desktop wallpapers at work?
Probably not at all.
But they’re free real estate for behavioural nudges.

Subtle, visual reminders can drive change without a course in sight.

Where else could you place a nudge in your workplace?

πŸ”— bit.ly/3J4bbqU
#LearningAndDevelopment #LND #Nudge

14.10.2025 07:30 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0