At the third annual ATD India Summit, hosted by Infosys on its Bangalore campus, speakers and attendees tackled a perennial learning and development (L&D) problem: how to make training an irreplaceable part of an organization.

In his opening remarks, Krish Shankar, group head of HRD at Infosys, highlighted the benefits of gamification—knowledge sharing that’s coupled with fun activities. He also pointed out the advantages of making experiential learning the heart of the learning process.

Continuing in the same vein, Sardek Love, certified ATD facilitator and president of Infinity Consulting, challenged attendees to do more than simply impart knowledge. Manufacturing a learning experience, he said, was key. Love also noted that organizations must focus on the 25 percent of content that participants are likely to implement on the job.

However, most training programs don’t close skill gaps in the workplace, according to Jaideep Gerald, the COO of certification-training provider Simplilearn. He discussed four steps to help L&D practitioners make training more relevant to learners:  

1. spark their imaginations 

2. personalize training 

3. cultivate their curiosity 

4. celebrate their success.

Attendees also had the chance to share their own experiences during an intensive brainstorming session lead by Smitha Murthy, head of organization development at Infosys BPO. During the session, participants answered questions about how they designed and measured training programs, and the role L&D played in their organizations. One of the key challenges facing L&D, the session revealed, is establishing the business case for training.

Appropriately, the summit then featured a panel discussion on learning as a key business driver. The panelists talked about the importance of incorporating new technology into learning, speaking the language of business, and keeping abreast of trends and changes. Additionally, I spoke about some of the practices and ideas we’ve implemented at Infosys BPO, such as: Project Communic-Care, our Junior Management Leadership Program, a learning lounge, learning kiosks, and a cloud-based learning platform that helps people use technology to learn and makes learning autonomous.

During his closing speech, Raghavendra K, senior vice president and global head of HRD at Infosys BPO, echoed the sentiments of the other speakers. He stressed the need for L&D practitioners to adapt to today’s dynamic and globalized economy, and to ensure that training initiatives truly support learners.

Editor’s Note: The author would like to thank Savio Freitas, Siva R, and Dipanwita Bose, who contributed to this blog post.