Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2023 - 11

WHAT'S NEXT
IN TECH
STELLA LEE,
PH.D.
DOING MORE WITH LESS: HOW L&D CAN
LEVERAGE TECH TO SHOW VALUE
This year hasn't been a walk in the
park. With rounds of tech giants' layoffs,
relentless inflation, continuing supply
chain disruptions and a potential looming
recession, organizations are feeling the
burn.
Executives and decision-makers
alike are reacting by trimming spending,
scaling down project investments and
cutting budgets. As we are well aware,
learning and development (L&D) budgets
are usually the first to be cut. In times
of economic uncertainty, how can we
continue to prove our value?
Below are some tips on how we can take
advantage of a variety of technologies
and tools to drive impact.
LEVERAGE CHATGPT
The popular chatbot ChatGPT is
everywhere and the world is already
abounding with use cases for this recent
development. Chatbots and other virtual
assistants can indeed help automate
some of our work processes, generate
ideas, write content, create examples
and analyze data.
For example, to automate workflow,
ChatGPT can conduct post-training
surveys, collect and convert data and
analyze the results. If you are planning to
write scenario-based learning content,
ChatGPT can be used to brainstorm
different scenarios and you can refine
it to suit your specific context.
Do keep in mind that while chatbots
can be used for many tasks, they are
not a substitute for human judgment
and expertise. Consider it a powerful
tool that can aid your work, and the final
decision should always be yours.
CURATE RATHER THAN CREATE
Creating training material from scratch is
not always feasible. Luckily, there are an
increasing number of quality resources
available, both free and subscriptionbased.
Curate content by adding
comments, context and examples to the
material. If you work with subject matter
experts (SME), collaborate with them.
Rather than writing content for an online
course, ask your SME to examine the
material and add insights and perspectives
that are relevant to your organization.
L&D CAN SHOW
RESILIENCE AND
DEMONSTRATE THAT
WE CONTINUE TO
BE A CRITICAL AND
STRATEGIC PARTNER.
For example, if you work in the energy
sector and are sharing a blog post about
leadership communication styles, you
might want to comment on what type
of communication styles are needed for
leaders to talk about the shift to clean
energy and how staff is impacted.
EMPHASIS ON
PERFORMANCE SUPPORT
To connect learning to application,
performance support is key. To
demonstrate that L&D is more than
classroom
facilitators
and
course
providers, place more emphasis on
performance support and create ways
to complement training. To quote Guy
Wallace, a performance improvement
consultant: " There is a need for people
in the training field to take a more
performance-focused orientation and
become performance improvement
technologists. "
To get started, consider the array of tools
that your organization might already
have in place or approaches that you
can quickly adopt, including searchable
knowledge-based platforms, mobile apps
that are designed for task-specific guides
and references and collaboration tools
that allow team members to collaborate or
to coach others and share best practices.
DATA-INFORMED DECISION-MAKING
Data is everywhere, but much of it
remains unutilized. Use data you have
and can collect to help inform decisions.
For example, data analytics can shed
light on what type of learning and
performance support interventions to
focus on. It can also help us review which
resources need to be revamped. Keep
in mind that while data is an important
tool, it should be used in conjunction
with other factors such as the business
context and employee feedback.
While the road ahead might be slightly
bumpy, L&D can show resilience,
maintain
visibility and
demonstrate
that we continue to be a critical and
strategic partner in the organization.
Dr. Stella Lee has over 20 years of
experience in consulting, planning,
designing, implementing and measuring
learning initiatives. Her focus is on
large-scale learning projects including
LMS evaluation and implementation,
learning analytics, and artificial
intelligence applications. Email Stella.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - SPRING 2023 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
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https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/jan-feb-2020/cutting-through-the-clutter-how-to-curate-content-to-drive-high-impact-courses/ https://trainingindustry.com/articles/content-development/how-to-collaborate-with-subject-matter-experts-to-create-impactful-learning-content/ https://trainingindustry.com/articles/measurement-and-analytics/shifting-the-curve-using-data-analytics-to-improve-performance/ https://trainingindustry.com/articles/measurement-and-analytics/shifting-the-curve-using-data-analytics-to-improve-performance/ https://cookup.ai/chatgpt/usecases https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-podcast-guy-wallace/ https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-podcast-guy-wallace/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/magazine

Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2023

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