23 useful resource hubs for learning & development professionals
In the ever-evolving landscape of learning and development, professionals are continuously seeking fresh resources to enhance their toolkit.
Whether you’re looking to plan new programmes, facilitate training or workshops, set goals for your team, or instigate changes in ways of working, this collection of toolkits, techniques and tactics might just add something new to your repertoire.
1) Atlassian Team Playbook
Free workshop resources for addressing common team challenges and starting important conversations. Includes formats for aligning on goals, collaborating remotely, and agile ways of working.
2) BetterWiki
A directory pointing to real-world documents from the world of people ops: staff handbooks, onboarding guides, career progression frameworks, mental health policies, and so on. So you can borrow all the best ideas!
3) Homebrew’s startup HR guide
VC fund Homebrew backs a whole lot of startups – here, they publicly share the valuable advice that they share with their portfolio companies, to help them get ‘people stuff’ right from Day 1. Includes guides to 1:1 meetings, employee benefits, evaluating CVs, performance management, and other core skills.
4) Design Kit methods by IDEO
This collection of 60 techniques from the design studio IDEO might help anyone who needs to solve complex problems, invent imaginative solutions, and make sound human-friendly decisions. So most of us, then.
5) Design Method toolkit
Produced by the Digital Society School at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, this free toolkit likewise contains a plethora of exercises and processes that assist in devising clever approaches to thorny challenges.
6) The Dropbox virtual-first toolkit
Virtual-first company Dropbox offer the resources and tools they’ve used to operate as a fully remote workforce, across effectiveness, wellbeing, communication and teamwork.
7) Playbook for Universal Design
Another library of 48 methods and processes for facilitating an inclusive design process, from discovering problems and prioritising pain-points to sketching and prototyping possible answers.
8) Facilitation Cards
60 more inspiring tactics to facilitate creative discussions in meetings, such as ‘Inside vs. Outside Thinking’ and ‘Spectrum Questions.’ You can buy the physical cards as props to use IRL, but you can view them online for free.
9) Fun Retrospectives
Based around the agile concept of the ‘retrospective’, this site actually contains dozens of group exercises that help teams reflect on their progress, plan for the future, share perspectives and engage with one another.
10) Gamestorming
This inspiring blog is full of creative games (conveniently broken into categories) including games for opening & closing meetings, making decisions, planning, innovating and strategising.
11) HyperIsland Toolbox
Containing 117 methods & tools to ‘unleash potential’ at your organisation, this helpful resource kit can be used to collaborate creatively, unlock insight, build effective teams, navigate change and protect wellbeing.
12) L&D Shakers hub
If this list just isn’t enough, explore this jam-packed directory of articles, toolkits, books, podcasts, courses and events relevant to anyone in the learning & development community.
13) LxD Labs learning & development tools
13 learning frameworks & theories to inform the design of your programme, from Flow Theory to the Content Triangle.
14) Miroverse templates
Everyone’s (?) favourite online whiteboard tool Miro offers thousands of hybrid-friendly templates for team collaboration, from icebreakers to action planning and after-action reflection. (And of course, you needn’t put them into practice on Miro itself!)
15) Mural whiteboard templates
Not to be overlooked, competitor digital whiteboard tool Mural also offers ready-to-roll templates for project kickoffs, strategy blueprints, team alignment workshops, stakeholder maps, and many many more.
16) New Ways of Working playbook
This intriguing little site curates resources from ‘progressive’ organisations, looking at how they handle common dynamics like meetings, decision-making and feedback just that little bit differently.
17) NOBL Academy
A library of practical tools and advice to help the reader make change within an organisation. Overcome barriers to change, run a ‘change audit’, create effective communication plans, and more.
18) People Ops library
Maria Gyemant’s curated bookshelf of helpful People Ops resources, in categories such as on- and off- boarding, workplace culture, hiring, talent development and workforce strategy.
19) Reforge Artifacts library
See how work gets managed at other companies (like HubSpot, CNN and Duolingo) with these shared behind-the-scenes documents, including career ladders, team communications and strategy.
20) SessionLab workshop resources
This huge library of facilitation techniques from Session Lab, each with detailed descriptions, can help you energise a team, generate ideas, resolve issues and spring into action.
21) Tools by SY Partners
Free tools, prompts, and exercises to help your teams flourish. Techniques are categorised under communicating, empathising, ideating, leading, planning and teambuilding.
22) Untools
A small but growing collection of tools and frameworks for thinking things through.
23) Visual Frameworks
Can you turn an uphill climb into a snowball effect? Are you in a doom loop – or a virtuous circle? This collection of 100 visual frameworks (also available as a stylish poster!) provides a creative jumping-off point for simplifying and symbolising key dynamics at your workplace.