In this special live episode recorded at the Podcast Learning Festival, Adam speaks with Stephen Holderness, Learning and Development Lead for Digital Strategy and Growth at AO.com.

Stephen shares his journey of transforming the digital learning offering at AO, a rapidly growing electrical retailer known for owning every part of its customer journey—from in-house legal teams to logistics networks and a massive fridge recycling plant. Recognising that traditional e-learning was not meeting the needs of this diverse, 3,000-strong workforce, Stephen pioneered the introduction of audio learning to the business.

In this interview, Stephen offers a candid look at the successes, mistakes, and lessons learned from launching an audio learning initiative. He discusses:

1. Listening to the Learner: Stephen's first step was to stop looking at what other companies were doing and instead ask AO employees what they actually wanted. A company-wide roadshow revealed a strong preference for audio formats and podcast-style learning, especially among neurodivergent staff who struggled with text-heavy e-learning.
2. The Power of the Expert Voice: AO employees specifically requested to hear from verifiable experts rather than faceless, authorless e-learning modules. Knowing the source of the information added immediate credibility and trust to the content.
3. Unlocking the "Commute Commute": By offering learning via a mobile app, AO inadvertently transformed its 9-to-5 learning culture into a 24/7 operation.
4. The L&D Professional as Marketer: Stephen emphasises that simply having a content library is not enough; L&D must act like marketers. He advocates for relentless, multi-channel promotion, integrating audio into existing leadership programs, aligning content with internal awareness days, and leaning heavily on word-of-mouth advocacy from peers.
5. Measuring Impact Through Stories: While AO uses quantitative data, Stephen argues that the most powerful ROI metric is qualitative storytelling. The fact that operational staff (who previously only completed mandatory compliance) are now voluntarily learning on their own time is a massive win that proves the "cost of inaction" was too high.

Stephen offers a highly practical roadmap for any organisation considering audio learning. If you want to understand how to align your training formats with your employees' daily realities, this is a must-listen episode.

Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn: Stephen Holderness

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