This is an exciting time for the technology-inclined. Every week, it seems, a new tool is released to put more creative power into the hands of the masses.  Where we once created our own blogs, we can now create fully functional digital games, apps, and even robots with minimal coding knowledge. Other technologies are becoming more accessible simply by becoming more affordable.

But where the heck do you start? And how, as a training and development professional, do you cut through the hype and actually achieve more through technology?

I’m currently enrolled in a graduate program called ”Digital Futures,” in which I’ve had the at times painful pleasure of experimenting with a number of new(er) technologies that were not intended for training and development but may have potential in our field. I’m going to share these experiences over the next month, including thoughts on things like 3D printing and biometric sensors. They may sound way out there or scary to some, exciting to others, but will hopefully raise some big questions for everyone. I look forward to the discussion, so please comment if your interest is piqued.

Before we get going, there are a couple things I want to address to set the stage. Let’s call them mental pre-conditions for delving into uncharted digital territory.

1.  A shift toward experimentation.  If you’re starting to think outside of the realm of drag-and-drop activities, you must be willing to take a few more risks. Not everything is going to work—because not everything has been tried before.

2. An attitude of rapid prototyping. There is a misconception that all new technology projects are big, expensive, and time-consuming. Not true! There are often ways to get 90 percent there with relatively little investment. But there’s a catch: You’ve got to edit less, make and do more, and constantly assess.

So what’s the payoff for accepting these pre-conditions? Why take on ugly things like risk and all that ”making” if your current environment is working well enough?

Because calculated risk can have a big payoff: training impact, or in other words, results. Every organization has pain points, and each pain has its own set of opportunities. Maybe it’s better articulation of brand messages by a sales force. Maybe it’s improving the execution of one step of a technical process. Maybe it’s faster ramp up for new leaders.

Evolving digital technologies can augment current training approaches by helping us draw from models like experiential or multi-modal learning. And a particular technology may just make the difference: an increase in training impact to achieve competitive advantage or move closer to the leadership vision.

The keyword here is augment, as in, you don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater and totally overhaul your current approach. Baby steps will keep you closer to your comfort zone and reduce the risk that comes with experimentation. In my next few posts, I’m going to suggest possible ways to take these baby steps that will hopefully feel simple and achievable.

Another potential benefit is more subtle, but the enduring optimist in me says it’s more exciting.  It’s about fostering a culture of creativity, innovation, and fun. Judy Unrein touched on this in her recent ASTD Learning Technologies blog entry “What Unintended Messages Do Your Training Solutions Send?” Granted, not all organizations want the message that these technologies will send. But for those who do, let your training “walk the walk!” You never know how this might inspire your people.

Oh, and one more thing: I’ve heard many a warning that you should never let available technologies guide your design decisions. Many contend that there’s a danger of losing clarity and effectiveness, and that all the tools in the world will not mask (and in fact might enable) bad design. I think this is true, but I think that if we don’t experiment a bit, we’ll be stuck in our same old way of doing things— overlooking the infinite opportunities for innovation that lie before us. I’ll be discussing my take on how these technologies might support specific learning outcomes, but please, challenge me if you think the links are too tenuous.

On that note, I’ll see you next week