How can podcasting be used as part of an effective workplace training programme?
Public Long Read
Workplace learning is often expected to be neat, trackable, and tightly scheduled, three things that almost never describe how actual learning happens. Somewhere between the click-through eLearning and the hastily arranged lunch-and-learn, people are trying to make sense of their jobs. They’re finding ways to do the thing faster, better, or just slightly less stressfully than they did yesterday.
Podcasting, in all its scrappy, audio-only glory, might just be one of the most underutilised tools in the L&D kit for supporting that kind of real-world learning. Not because it’s new (it isn’t), and not because it’s trendy (it has been), but because it fits into people’s lives in a way most training simply doesn’t.
So, let’s explore how podcasting, done properly, can contribute meaningfully to a workplace training programme. And we’ll bring along some actual research this time rather than just a list of hopeful tips.
Learning in motion: Why podcasting works
One of the strongest arguments for podcasting in workplace learning is its alignment with situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991). This theory argues that learning is most effective when it happens within the context in which it is applied. In other words, learning isn’t something that occurs separately from work; it is work or should be.
Podcasts, when delivered effectively, offer a way to embed learning into the flow of work. They’re accessible while commuting, walking between meetings, or powering through repetitive admin. Unlike formal training sessions, podcasts don’t require a person to stop working in order to start learning. They allow information to seep in gently, repeated over time, in a familiar context, which, according to encoding specificity theory (Tulving & Thomson, 1973), improves recall when needed most.
There’s also the cognitive load angle. Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning (2001) reminds us that humans have limited working memory. Podcasts, being audio-only, avoid the common overload that comes from trying to process text, images, video, and a droning voiceover simultaneously. This single-channel approach can be an advantage; it allows learners to focus on narrative, language, and ideas without visual distraction, especially when the goal is conceptual understanding or storytelling.
But let’s not over-romanticise it. Audio isn’t inherently better. What it is is different, and in some learning contexts, that difference is exactly what’s needed.
Building tacit knowledge and a sense of culture
Not all knowledge in the workplace is explicit. In fact, much of what helps people do their jobs well is tacit: stories, shortcuts, ways of thinking, the bits that never made it into the manual. Podcasting, with its conversational tone and long-form space, is well suited to sharing this kind of know-how.
When a senior engineer talks through a mistake they made and how they fixed it on a podcast, they’re not just transferring knowledge. They’re modelling behaviours, sharing mental models, and giving permission to experiment. This is vicarious learning at its most organic, backed by the social learning theories of Bandura (1977). Hearing real people talk about real work builds both confidence and competence in others.
It also builds connection. At scale, particularly in large or distributed organisations, podcasting can create a sense of shared culture. It allows leaders and subject matter experts to be present in the organisation without being physically or temporally available. It’s asynchronous, but it doesn’t feel like it.
It’s not “training”, but it is learning
Now, a small but important distinction: podcasting, in most cases, is not a suitable tool for skill acquisition in the traditional sense. You won’t teach someone how to operate heavy machinery through a podcast. But what you can do is build the awareness, interest, and confidence that encourage people to engage with more hands-on practice. In L&D terms, you’re supporting the affective domain (Krathwohl et al., 1964), attitudes, values, and motivation rather than psychomotor or cognitive-heavy learning.
This is particularly valuable in areas where behaviour change is the goal. Diversity and inclusion, psychological safety, and leadership development aren’t tick-box training subjects. They’re human, messy, ongoing. Podcasts are uniquely good at staying in the learner’s ear long enough for ideas to settle, shift, and resurface later.
Why don’t more L&D teams use podcasting, then?
Good question. Some assume it’s too hard. (It isn’t. With a decent mic and free software like Audacity or Descript, you’re up and running.) Others worry about engagement. (Fair. But have you seen the completion rates on your eLearning modules lately?) Mostly, though, I suspect it’s because podcasting doesn’t fit neatly into existing systems. It’s harder to track. It resists measurement. And that makes some people in HR very nervous.
But we have to ask: do we want measurable training, or meaningful learning? Because they are not always the same thing.
If we trust our people to manage their own development, then giving them access to timely, relevant, well-made podcasts is one way to support that trust. We don't need to gamify it, badge it, or wrap it in SCORM.
We just need to make it good.
Practical applications that actually work
Let’s leave you with a few grounded examples where podcasting adds real value to a learning programme:
Onboarding journeys: Help new hires understand culture and context, not just compliance. Think origin stories, team interviews, and unwritten rules.
Change management: Use serialised episodes to communicate the why behind big shifts, from leadership voices, not just intranet announcements.
Communities of practice: Let internal experts reflect on challenges and share experiences across teams. Especially useful in technical or regulated roles where formal sharing is difficult.
Post-training reflection: Reinforce content from workshops by revisiting ideas weeks later, with added depth or learner voices.
In each case, the podcast isn’t the course; it’s the conversation that keeps the course alive.
Still sceptical? Or already planning your pilot?
Either way, I’d love to hear from you. Are you already using podcasts in your learning programme? What’s working? What fell flat? And what would it take for you to experiment with audio as part of your learning design?
Drop a comment, send a message, or even better, start your own L&D podcast and send me the link.
References
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Krathwohl, D. R., Bloom, B. S., & Masia, B. B. (1964). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. Handbook II: Affective domain. New York: David McKay.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mayer, R. E. (2001). Multimedia learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Tulving, E., & Thomson, D. M. (1973). Encoding specificity and retrieval processes in episodic memory. Psychological Review, 80(5), 352–373. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0020071