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How I Use Discovery Sessions To Design Meaningful AI Skills Programmes
Ross Stevenson
May 21st, 2024
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Today’s Thoughts ☠️
Ahoy there 👋,
What a week it’s been, friend.
I know a number of you have been focused on a variety of learning at work week events these past 7 days and I hope they’ve gone well. I even turned up at some of your events to chat all things learning tech - thank you for having me.
Outside of this we’ve had huge updates from the big tech world that continue to reshape how we think about digital learning.
Today, I’m going to peel back the curtain, once again, to give you a glimpse into some of the work I do with global companies. Among explaining WTF is generative AI for L&D teams and their workforces, I spend a great deal of time designing upskilling programmes around AI too.
It occurred to me one random afternoon that this could be useful to share (if not, tell me).
So, here it is, in all it’s glory…
My step by step approach to using discovery sessions to design meaningful AI skills programmes.
Get your tea or beverage of choice ready, 🍵.
We've got lots to discuss!
→ Much love to today’s sponsor, Sana ❤️
In today’s chat:
TOGETHER WITH SANA
The learning technology market is vast and fast-moving—it's easy to feel overwhelmed when you're looking for a new tool.
Klarna's former Head of L&D Rita Azevedo has a simple recommendation: don't get distracted by the feature list. Stay relentlessly focused on the learning culture you want to create.
THE BIG THOUGHT
How I Use Discovery Sessions To Design Meaningful AI Skills Programmes
Want a peek behind the curtain to see what the Wizard of Oz gets up to?
This is it.
I’d class this as a minimal playbook in what I do when working with companies to construct both meaningful and practical AI upskilling programmes. Nothing to do with perfect prompts or AI-first operations. This is about understanding the human a little more.
Here’s a little preview of the daily discussions I have with fellow humans:
Me: Generative AI can't do that.
Client: That's crap. It's useless!
Me: No, your understanding of how GEN AI works and tool selection for tasks is crap.
Obviously, I didn't say it quite like that.
Many drink the Kool-Aid from social media. Expecting Gen AI to do everything.
Why discovery is so important
A core part of my work with upskilling L&D teams starts with a discovery conversation.
When it comes to AI upskilling these are incredibly revealing for 3 reasons:
I get an idea of what they know vs what they think they know about Gen AI
Discover what they believe Gen AI can help with at work
Unpack what non-AI tech they already have
These 3 things tell me a lot about a team’s knowledge and maturity level.
It's safe to say that number 1 is where so many people fall.
↳ You can't use a tool intelligently if you don't understand how it works.
My toolkit
In addition to my super-savvy performance consulting skills, I use two tools in particular:
My AI skills readiness model
A no-nonsense set of 9 questions to cut through the BS
Let’s explore these ↓
The Generative AI readiness model: Where are you?
Ok. Time to get clear on where you are today.
I’m 99% certain as of 2024, you’d do well just to reach ‘Awareness’.
The forward thinking teams and individuals will be aiming for ‘Exploration’. Everyone is still figuring this out. Take your time at the ‘Awareness’ stage.
Phase 1: Awareness
You recognise the importance of Gen AI but have limited understanding or practical experience. Here, the focus is on building basic knowledge about what AI is, its potential benefits, and the various technologies involved.
Phase 2: Exploration
You actively engage with AI concepts through learning and experimentation.
You may start small-scale pilot projects or experiments to understand how AI can be applied to their processes or products.
Phase 3: Adoption
This signifies a commitment to integrating AI into organisational processes or products. At this level, there is a good understanding of AI, and it's being actively used to enhance operations, decision-making, or customer experiences.
Phase 4: Scaling
You’re fully prepared to integrate and scale AI solutions.
This means having the technical capabilities, strategic alignment, and organisational culture to support AI at scale.
9 questions to design practical AI skills programmes
I use these with my clients, but you can use them with your stakeholders.
Adapt these to your specific needs. Context is everything!
What specific tools or technologies are you currently using in your workflow that involve AI or machine learning?
Why: This helps you understand their current technological landscape and familiarity with AI.
Can you describe some of the tasks or projects where you think AI could have the most significant impact?
Why: This question aims to identify specific areas where AI can be applied effectively.
What are your main goals or objectives in integrating generative AI into your processes?
Why: Understanding their level of GEN AI know-how is an essential part of your discovery
Are there any challenges or pain points in your current workflow that you believe AI could solve?
Why: This question helps in identifying problems that AI could potentially address.
How do you envision generative AI changing your role or the work of your team?
Why: We use this to encourage teams to think about AI's potential to transform their daily tasks and overall workflow.
What level of understanding and hands-on experience does your team currently have with AI and machine learning technologies?
Why: You can't create a great programme without knowing where they are today.
What are your expectations for this workshop? Are there specific skills or knowledge areas you hope to gain?
Why: A killer question. Now you'll understand how real expectations of GEN AI tech is.
How do you plan to measure the success of integrating AI into your workflow?
Why: Does any of it actually count if it's not measured?
What kind of follow-up support or resources do you believe would be helpful after the workshop?
Why: The learning never stops. Help teams think long-term about this tech
Final Thoughts
Gen AI tools have opportunities and limitations.
Spending the last year teaching 300+ students through my online course and working with 20 companies has validated a HUGE revelation for me:
There is a serious misconception about how GEN AI tools work that’s crippling many from maximising them.
Use these methods to craft meaningful upskilling programmes for AI in your work.
If you’re reading this and thinking “I want to become AI confident”.
I can help you with that. Learn more about my no-fluff AI upskilling services for Business (or please recommend me to a friend 😉).
Till next time.
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SMART THOUGHTS
🤔 Microsoft’s HR Vice-President shares what companies can learn from their AI adoption strategy
It’s no surprise that Microsoft is focusing on AI.
Not that we can miss all those billions being spent. Yet, you don’t expect to hear much from the HR side. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see their VP of HR publicly share how they’ve transformed their HR approach on LinkedIn.
Get all the details to ignite your own ideas.
💡 Now everyone can chat with my book
Everyone can finally access AI assistants created in ChatGPT for free.
Which means you can now access two of my most popular assistants:
The Careerverse Companion: Basically talking to my book on non-obvious career tools and tactics
Play with them, leave me feedback and enjoy the learning.
🔥 Professor Scott Galloways 2024 predictions
Prof G brings the heat with the biggest human issues for 2024.
From AI to weight loss drugs to global loneliness. These are the biggest things we have to tackle as a society.
How I can help you
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