The UK was in recession, the pound had crumbled and I’d started working in L&D.

If I knew now what I knew then, what would I be telling myself?

Presentation is only part of the skill in helping people learn
You’re a good presenter Andrew, but don’t assume that presenting in an informative and entertaining (yes…entertaining) style is the pinnacle of your work.  Don’t put all your eggs in the presentation basket.  The edutainment style of presentation, the time away from the office on external courses, the large costly form of training will slowly but inexorably diminish.  You can fight it, but it will become a smaller and smaller part of your job.  Be the best you can be at it, but realise when to step away.

Network outside your business but inside your industry
Your business have trained you to train.  To train in their way, with their rules, their content.  Don’t assume your business knows best.  L&D is an industry in its own right; find the innovators and disruptors in L&D and make sure you note what they say.  And when someone offers to mentor you in about 4 years time (now -16 years), don’t ignore them.

Learn how to learn
You can challenge these models of learning you’re being told – they’re not sacred.  Keep up to date with thinking.  That idea you have about how you’ve learnt to train?  Expand on it, develop it, write it down and make it real.  There are others who think the same as you and are going to publish what you’ve always suspected.

Invest in technology
It will change the way people learn.  take the time to learn how this technology is designed.  Learn what design REALLY means to keep your originality.

Elearning is here to stay
Embrace it and think about how you can combine it with what you do.

What would you tell the you of 20 years ago?