6 Learning and Development Trends in 2021: Finding Opportunity in Change
Want to see more up-to-date trends? You might like this post on L&D trends to expect in 2022. If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that 2020 didn’t quite turn out the way we expected. While 2020 was the year of massive change and flux, it’s likely that the ripples will be […]
How to Ace Your Skills Gap Analysis
As its name implies, a skills gap analysis is a process by which an organization determines what gaps exist between employees’ current skills and the skills considered necessary or even critical for the organization to reach its current and future goals. This is no simple task. The process itself requires widescale participation and the results […]
Effective Learning Objectives Can Engage Everyone
Instructional designers want their courses to work. However, all the animations, videos, and gee-whiz visuals won’t work unless there are effective learning objectives. Sure, an engaging course might thrill learners at the moment, but if the course isn’t effective, then ROI disappears and your’e stuck at square one. How to write effective learning objectives? We’ve […]
The 6 Components of Flawless eLearning Project Management
Projects of any kind can produce all manner of challenges. But when the purpose of the project is an output with complex development processes, such as eLearning, those challenges are only magnified. From dealing with too many cooks in the kitchen to being left stirring all the pots yourself, eLearning project management requires strong leadership […]
How to Conduct the Perfect Training Project Kick-Off Meeting
Whether you’ve volunteered or went out of your way to sign up to do so, leading a training project kick-off meeting can be quite daunting. This could be for several reasons: It’s your first time leading a team. It’s your first time leading a large-sized team. The subject matter expert (SME) involved is “famous” within […]
4 Ways You’re Managing Training Projects Wrong
L&D teams work hard to deliver training that inspires and engages learners while delivering performance-driving organizational impact. So it can be frustrating when you’re managing training projects and continually finding it stressful and challenging. Some of those frustrations include missing deadlines, struggling to work efficiently with stakeholders, dealing with moving goalposts when it comes to […]
How to Optimize Capacity Planning for Stronger Learning Outcomes
We’ve written previously about capacity planning as it relates to L&D. From strategic planning to cost reduction to skills management, benefits abound. However, capacity planning is certainly not without its challenges. Many L&D teams have become overwhelmed recently with sudden business disruptions and shifting business priorities. Below are a few suggestions to help learning leaders […]
Herding Cats: How to Improve Relations with SMEs on Learning Projects
Should you give your Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) a deadline? Of course—she is a team member like everyone else. Should you create a unique user ID for your SME so that she can access your authoring tool? Hmmm—that’s a tough one, as this might incur additional expenses. Questions about working with SMEs arise from time […]
6 Things You Need to Know About Working with SMEs on a Training Project
We write about working with subject matter experts (SMEs) from time to time, in order to share experiences and new insights. SMEs may not be instructional designers but without their expertise, courses cannot be built. With the explosion in the need for learning experiences, the ability to work successfully with SMEs has become of the […]
Tweaks to Your Training Request Process That Will Increase Learner Engagement
You’ve worked so hard to build a training intake system. But apart from delivering you more requests, is it making your learners more engaged? We’ve written extensively before about the need to streamline the training request process. Not only does a well-planned, automated system reduce paperwork and headaches, but it also increases learner engagement, helping […]
