iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Check out this quarter's book recommendations in the Learning and Performance magazine 🔗 idtx.co.uk/magazine #LearningAndDevelopment #LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningScience #HR

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Are conferences useful in developing your practice? A lot of people right now say fun, not effective. The value of an event moves as your practice moves, so work out what you're developing before you look at what's on. #LND #CPD #LearningAndDevelopment

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In Defence of Conferences

Choosing events that support development over attendance

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Is our excitement about AI literacy damaging AI adoption? I've seen organisations train people on LLMs they can't access, 'so they're aware'. Workers need what they can use today, how to use it, and the results they should expect; the rest can wait. bit.ly/4wTbubK

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Observations are the gold standard of behaviour measurement. But how do you analyse observation data at scale? Today's Substack looks at exactly this. 🔗 bit.ly/4fBNlAs #LND #Data #PerformanceEnablement

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I had great fun appearing on the Assemble U podcast a few weeks ago, and our episode is live today! I share my view: we need to stop ad hoc justifications for our work and focus on being valuable from the ground up. We also explore the practical application of metric chains. 🔗 bit.ly/4xk6InI #LND

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

AI coaching scales well, but is it effective? In today's Substack, I look at a recent study on the effectiveness of AI coaching tools and share the questions I think we need to be asking ourselves. What do you think? 🔗 bit.ly/4pEyZmk #LearningAndDevelopment #AI #Coaching #EdTech

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Todays' Substack looks at multimodal learning and how we often confuse the signs of it being effective with the classic learning styles myth. 🔗 bit.ly/4vZ8U3j #LearningAndDevelopment #LearningScience #EvidenceInformedPractice #InstructionalDesign

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Pre-registration for IDTX: Evidence Informed practice 2027 is now open! Be the first to know when tickets go on sale in July and book your place at the best possible price. 🔗 bit.ly/4aqAbDg #LearningAndDevelopment #EIPC27 #IDTX #LearningScience #Community

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Today's Substack focuses on the importance of reading beyond our own existing insights, drawing ideas and knowledge from other fields and synthesising our own new approaches to workplace training. 🔗 bit.ly/4v6Anjq #LND #LearningScience #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #EIPC26

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Did you know examples can create a false sense of competency and overconfidence? If that's true, why is it that worked examples are such a highly effective training tool? Sunday's Substack looked at the evidence for both. 🔗 bit.ly/4e9IxAp #LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningScience

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Speaker submissions are open for the IDTX Virtual Summit in October. Whether you're an experienced public speaker or want to try something new, if you've got an interesting and useful piece of best practice to share, I'd love to read a proposal from you. 🔗 bit.ly/3RS5mBa #IDTX #VS26 #CPD

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

What happens when a senior leadership team realises their approach to #AI rollout is embedding fear across their organisation? In today's Substack, I share my thoughts on the latest cohort of leaders to go through the Leading in the Presence of Fear programme. 🔗 bit.ly/4uWT9cN #LND #Culture

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

🎙️ Just published a new episode of IDTX Podcast: Evidence-Informed Practice, Motivation and Freelancing in L&D. Have a listen:

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Evidence-Informed Practice, Motivation and Freelancing in L&D

In this episode, I chat with Matthew Richter and Kim Ellis about the...

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Alignment is the key to our ability to demonstrate real value to the wider organisation. This was a key theme in my recent conversation with Bridge LMS as we discussed Skills@Work. youtube.com/shorts/wNebg... #LnD #Skills #StrategicAlignment

youtube.com

Alignment Is How L&D Earns Relevance Skills@Work by Bridge LMS

YouTube video by Instructional Design Tips

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

This month, the ID update is coming to Substack! Come and join me and Heidi at 6 pm GMT this Friday! open.substack.com/live-stream/...

open.substack.com

LIVE SOON: The ID Update with Tom McDowall and Heidi Kirby

Starting Mar 27 at 2:00 PM EDT

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

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. 🔗 bit.ly/4ub3br8 #LND #Agile #ProjectManagement

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 25/02/2026

Today's Substack article looks at the importance of trusting the workforce when designing training interventions. 🔗 bit.ly/3OxvRtW #LND #HR #TalentManagement #Culture

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Ahead of this week's podcast learning festival, I thought I'd share some of my ideas on where podcasting has worked well. 🔗 bit.ly/46oulAx #LearningAndDevelopment #KnowledgeManagement #InstructionalDesign #EdTech

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

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. 🔗 bit.ly/4rwWMVt #LearningAndDevelopment #InstructionalDesign

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

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

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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...

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

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

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Becoming a Strategic Learning Partner and The 12 Levers of Learning Transfer

In this episode, I chat with Linnéa Sjögren and Melanie Martinelli about...

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

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

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

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 £35/year and gets you the fortnightly omnibus (3 to 5 extra short articles). 🔗

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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…

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

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. 🔗 bit.ly/4bomOoG

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

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 “I will”, but “If X happens, then I’ll do Y.” What’s your best follow-through trick? bit.ly/3NBmTve #PerformanceEnablement #BehaviouralScience #PeopleOps

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

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. 🔗 bit.ly/49P4xyk #LND

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

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 ↓ 🔗 bit.ly/4qUjSVR #LNConnect2025 #LND #Leadership

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

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 ↓ 🔗 bit.ly/43j11da #LND #Leadership

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

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 ↓ 🔗 bit.ly/4qTvh8k #CPD #LearningAndDevelopment #LND

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

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

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

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 ↓ 🔗 bit.ly/4oX1RV8 #AI #LearningAndDevelopment #LND

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 07/11/2025

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. 🔗 bit.ly/3WKHkHr #LearningAndDevelopment #Facilitation

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

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. 🔗 bit.ly/4oTmL7z #LND #InstructionalDesign #UX

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

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. 🔗 bit.ly/47nkz2j #LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Community #Collaboration

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

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? 🔗 bit.ly/4qwNl86 #LearningAndDevelopment

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

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. 🔗 bit.ly/4hvqrdc #LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Neuroscience

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

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. 🔗 bit.ly/3JjUvMo #LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Leadership

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

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. 🔗 bit.ly/4oEHsnU #LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Data #PerformanceSupport

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

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 ↓ 🔗 bit.ly/4nhSPAM #AI #LND #FutureOfWork

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

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. 🔗 bit.ly/4hjhpQm #LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment #Experimentation

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 21/10/2025

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? 🔗 bit.ly/3KY3jb8 #LND #InstructionalDesign #LearningAndDevelopment

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

New Sunday series: L&D Myth-Slaying! 🐉 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 🔗 bit.ly/4ovK0Vi

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

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. 🔗 bit.ly/47atByd #LND #LearningAndDevelopment #Research

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

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. 🔗 bit.ly/4h9PEtA #LND #InstructionalDesign #IDTInsights #EvidenceInformedPractice

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

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? 🔗 bit.ly/3J4bbqU #LearningAndDevelopment #LND #Nudge

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

I've been thinking a lot about Alexander Stubb's address at the UN. His ideas around values, interests, and power really got me thinking about how we work with and around others. This got me thinking about Julian Stodd's work on the shadows we cast. 🔗 bit.ly/4nKTOu6 #LND #HR #Leadership

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Tom McDowall @tommcdowall.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Compliance training works when it’s hyper-contextual: the exact actions, decisions, and processes people face in their role, nothing else. That’s today’s article in my week-long series. What’s the most irrelevant detail you’ve sat through? 🔗 bit.ly/4mzQNvr

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