Stop Consuming, Start Implementing

It all started with the BIG question on the table. What's the one skill you want to go deeper on this year—and how are you going to get there? This Coffee Chat was about moving from broad knowledge to deep expertise. We kicked off with a quick level set: participants named skills they wanted to build—AI, gamification, executive presence, communication, writing learning objectives, digital acumen. But wanting to go deeper and actually doing it are two different things. One person said they're already consuming the next thing they won't implement. The group nodded hard—it's exactly what our learners go through with our content. The conversation turned to barriers and breakthroughs. Someone shared their journey building executive presence through reading, observing people who model it, and creating a mental model of what success looks like. Another talked about using AI to develop exam questions and building tools that rejuvenate weak test items. Someone admitted they hate choosing tools because the learning curve feels endless, so they refuse to choose at all. The reality? We're all struggling to bridge training to implementation—even though that's literally what we do for a living. We explored practical tools for going deep. ChatGPT can act as your instructor—upload a report, ask it to quiz you over coffee, and get feedback without judgment. Toby helps manage tab addiction by organizing articles for review so you don't lose track of what you want to learn. NotebookLM became the star of the show—upload sources, generate flashcards, create audio overviews you can listen to on your commute, or interrupt the podcast to ask questions. One participant realized the exploration is endless, which is both exciting and paralyzing. The group talked about structuring learning time. Set a 30-minute timer. Focus on one Articulate skill. Stop when the alarm goes off. Listen to audio files during lunch. Quiz yourself in the grocery store line. Use AI to figure out where to start—ask it what a future-facing L&D leader would prioritize. The key is treating yourself like you're back in school, but on your terms. The takeaway? The job market is shifting. AI can do some of what we used to do. We need deeper functional knowledge in areas AI can't replicate—strategy, gamification, executive presence, creative problem-solving. Know what you're good at as a human, as an L&D professional, and then pick one thing to go deep on. Follow that T-shaped path down. So what's your one thing? Stay curious! -Shannon

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Resources: NotebookLM

Microsoft Copilot

Articulate Storyline Toby LinkedIn Learning Books: The Coaching Habit — by Michael Bungay Stanier

Write Better Multiple-Choice Questions to Measure Learning — by Patti Shank

The One Thing —   Authors: Gary Keller and Jay Papasan . Radical Candor — by Kim Scott

Be part of the Community. Gain more valuable resources to build your skills! Learn more here. Join the conversation Be part of the live chat! Sign up here. Hire Learning Rebels When you need learning that sticks, we’ll fight to make performance results happen. Visit the Learning Rebels website to learn more Host: Shannon Tipton Podcast produced by: Obsidian Productions