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Kati Ryan is senior director of learning and development for Distil Networks, a cybersecurity company blocking malicious bots from harming a company’s website and brand. She has built and led award-winning training teams and programs for the past six years, previously running sales and product training at G/O Digital, where she oversaw a team of trainers responsible for the career development of thousands of employees. She also led the classroom training division for LivingSocial, shifting into the position from a sales role upon discovering her passion for helping businesses build comprehensive learning and development curriculums from the ground up. Kati is a professionally trained and engaging public speaker and subject matter expert. She has spoken on several industry roundtables, including B2B Learn Summit; contributed content to publications such as Building the Sales Machine Blog and #GirlBoss; and been quoted in Fast Company on effective team-building practices.

Kati Ryan

Gamification is an active way of learning and motivating learners in the classroom or online. Kati Ryan details five cost-effective gamification ideas for your classroom.

5 Ways to Gamify Learning Without Breaking the Bank

Bringing Boring Concepts to Life for Millennials Through Gamification and Microlearning (SU215)

In its second year, the hackathon held during ATD TechKnowledge 2021 took a fully virtual form. This year, the goal was to support Design by Humanity (DxH).

2021 TechKnowledge Hackathon: Supporting Design by Humanity

Mercer’s 2017 Global Talent Trends Study explores top priorities for HR and talent development leaders.

Most Global Organizations Plan to Transform HR and Talent Development, Says Mercer

Kat Kibben is an award-winning writer and renowned keynote speaker known for helping hiring teams write inclusive, unbiased job postings that help them hire the right person faster. Before founding Three Ears Media, Kat was a CMO, technical copywriter, and managing editor for leading companies like Monster.com, Care.com, and Randstad Worldwide. Today, they are a featured HR and recruiting expert, working with organizations like Zoom, Instacart, Zillow, and more. Kat travels the country in their RV while dividing time between North Carolina, Colorado, and the dogs behind the name Three Ears Media.At Three Ears Media, we train teams to make hiring more human. Whether it’s job posts, hiring manager intake, or better recruiting processes, let us use our 15+ years of experience to help your team. We offer team training, lunch and learn sessions, online coaching, and services that help teams get results faster. 

Kat Kibben

Kate Markin Coleman directs ias advising LLC and is former executive vice president, chief strategy, and advancement officer of YMCA in the US. She spent the first half of her career in the private sector, transferring to the social sector after she and her colleagues sold the fintech firm they ran. Coleman was a top official in one of the country’s largest nonprofits, the national YMCA, where she advanced innovation and effectiveness. She studied cross-sector collaboration as a Harvard Advanced Leadership Fellow and is the co-author of two books that offer practical insights on how to design effective solutions to challenging urban problems.

Kate Markin Coleman

A well-crafted strategy is about making intentional choices that position organizations for long-term success. A thoughtful approach defines where you’re going and lays out a clear, adaptive path forward that everyone within the organization can understand. Great strategy goes beyond planning—it’s about centering people, creating alignment across the organization, and developing resilient and responsive plans. Here’s how organizations can bring strategic alignment and planning into focus.The Key Elements of a High-Impact Strategic PlanA successful strategic plan engages stakeholders, translates complexity into clarity, and provides actionable steps forward. Based on insights from diverse industries, high-impact strategies tend to include these foundational elements:Clear insight: Effective strategy starts with a clear understanding of the organization’s current reality. Leveraging data and insights from both internal and external sources reveals opportunities and pinpoints challenges, building a strong foundation for decisions.Stakeholder engagement: Building a strategic plan is as important as the strategy itself. Engaging a range of perspectives across the organization supports buy-in and ensures that diverse needs and ideas are represented. A shared commitment emerges naturally when the process includes the voices of those affected.Clarity (not certainty): A great plan is clear, accessible, and memorable even amid the ever-increasing velocity of change affecting the business environment. While strategies often include detailed steps, the essence should be easy to communicate and inspire everyone involved, serving as a guide that motivates people to act even in the face of adversity and business challenges.Purposeful prioritization: Successful strategies provide focus, helping leaders and teams prioritize what matters most. With clear priorities, leaders can make informed decisions about where to direct resources and energy—guiding what to pursue and what to pause.Adjustability: Strategy is not a one-time event. A dynamic plan is regularly refreshed, keeping it relevant and aligned with the organization’s evolving landscape and goals.A Framework to Establish a Foundation for ActivationStrategic alignment and planning aren’t one-size-fits-all. Every organization’s journey is unique, requiring a tailored approach that meets specific needs—whether through targeted prioritization, collaborative strategy development, or a comprehensive, multi-year planning effort.A strategy succeeds when it’s embraced by the people who carry it forward. The best strategies are developed with an eye toward activation—doing so will transform the strategy from ideas on paper into actions that drive progress. Use the following strategic planning framework to establish the foundation for successful activation:1. Assess: Begin with data collection, interviews, and a thorough assessment to establish a baseline understanding. This stage reveals valuable insights and identifies critical factors needed to move forward.2. Envision: Strategy gains momentum when leaders collaborate to define a shared vision for the future. Through structured visioning sessions, organizations can establish a clear, mid-term outcome that anchors the strategic plan.3. Align on priorities: With a vision in place, it’s time to set priorities, create a change narrative, and establish metrics for success. Tools like strategic dashboards can provide ongoing visibility into progress and impact.4. Activate: Effective activation includes planning for communication, ensuring teams understand and support the strategy, and assessing readiness for change. This is the point at which strategy transitions into action.How to Elevate People-Centered Strategy at Your OrganizationA strategic approach that resonates with people at all levels creates authentic and meaningful alignment. Organizations can elevate human-centered strategy through the following methods:Collaborative workshops: Bringing stakeholders together to co-create clarity accelerates alignment and enhances buy-in. Visual tools, design sprints, and collaborative frameworks are effective for simplifying complex ideas and building consensus.Narrative and visualization: Translating strategy into compelling, accessible visuals and stories makes it easier for everyone to connect with the purpose behind the plan. Design assets and storytelling transform strategy from abstract ideas into inspiring, relatable messages.Develop buy-in from the start: Strategic plans reach their full potential only when followed by actionable, continuous alignment. Ensuring there’s support for ongoing execution and a willingness to adapt over time helps keep momentum alive.Consider an example from the healthcare sector, where a major professional association faced declining membership and financial strain. With new leadership in place, the organization sought a strategy that would stabilize its operations and enable growth. By conducting a thorough assessment, gathering input from stakeholders, and developing a comprehensive four-year plan, the organization transformed its trajectory. The results were clear: a 33 percent increase in revenue over three years, improved engagement, and renewed alignment around a shared vision. With a thoughtful strategy and commitment to people-driven activation, the association strengthened its role and impact in the healthcare industry.A successful strategy is one that people believe in and are motivated to carry forward. When leaders commit to creating clear, inclusive, and adaptable strategies, they set the stage for lasting impact. By centering on people and creating alignment across every level, organizations can build a resilient foundation for sustainable growth and transformation—driven by strategy, supported by people.

Drive Action With a People-Centered Approach to Strategic Planning

In today’s fast-paced world, effective educational content is crucial for professional development on an employee and business level. As an organization looking to train or upskill your employees, the decision between using curated or custom educational content can influence your outcomes. This blog post aims to help you navigate this choice by exploring the benefits of both approaches and offering guidance on when to choose each.Understanding Curated Educational ContentCurated educational content consists of resources that can come from various learning organizations or training providers and is collected and organized to provide valuable learning experiences. Think of it as a carefully selected assortment of courses, programs, or certificates that are relevant to a particular career path, emerging industry, or company.Examples of curated educational content include online learning platforms that aggregate courses from different providers. Experienced upskilling platforms will even be able to match their offerings to individual users to create a personalized learning experience, or help companies fill skill gaps by identifying content within their network to best upskill employees.Benefits of Curated Educational ContentTo help you weigh your options, here are some benefits of curated content:Time Efficiency: Instead of creating courses or programs from scratch, with curated content, you can quickly access educational resources that have already been vetted.Expertise: By drawing from a diverse range of sources, curated educational content often brings together insights from various experts and institutions, providing a well-rounded perspective.Cost-Effectiveness: Generally, curated content has lower upfront costs than developing custom content because it doesn’t require extensive creation or development costs.Understanding Custom Educational ContentCustom educational content is tailored specifically to meet the unique needs and objectives of an audience or organization. This can include training programs, specially designed courses, and exclusive workshops created from in-house expertise.Examples include a learning company designing an internal training module for a new software tool, or an educational institution developing a specialized curriculum for a niche subject.Benefits of Custom Educational Content Here are a few perks associated with custom content:Relevance: Custom content is crafted to address specific learning objectives, organizational goals, or personal interests, making it highly relevant to the audience.Engagement: Tailored content is often more engaging because it resonates with the unique needs and contexts of the learners.True to You: Custom content can reflect your organization’s values, culture, and branding, providing a cohesive and tailored learning experience.Choosing Between Curated and Custom ContentWhen deciding between curated and custom educational content, consider these factors:Learning Objectives If your goal is to provide a broad overview or introductory material, curated content may be sufficient. For learning objectives that require knowledge unique to your organization, custom content might be necessary to provide the depth and detail required.Audience Needs and Preferences Assess your audience’s familiarity with the topic and their learning preferences. If they need foundational knowledge or diverse perspectives, curated content might work well. For specialized needs or specific use cases, custom content can be tailored to address those requirements if the curated content doesn’t exist.Budget and TimeCurated content is often more budget friendly and can be implemented quickly. If resources are limited, leveraging existing materials might be the practical choice. Custom content may be more resource intensive and require longer development time but can be a worthwhile investment for high-impact training or specialized knowledge.Making the Right ChoiceIt doesn’t have to be one or the other—it can be both. In many cases, a hybrid approach that combines both content types can be effective. For instance, you might use curated resources to provide a foundational understanding and then develop custom content for advanced topics or specific applications.Deciding which type of educational content is right for your business depends on various factors including learning objectives, audience needs, budget, and time constraints. By carefully assessing these elements, you can select the approach that best fits your situation and maximizes the effectiveness of your educational initiatives.

Comparing Curated and Custom Educational Content

Peter C. Diamond is the author of Amplify Your Career and L ife: 4 Steps to Evaluate, Assess and Move Forward . He is a professionally trained, certified coach. He works with hundreds of senior-level executives and others to guide them through change, ranging from navigating career shifts and creating better work-life fulfillment to greater career and leadership enlightenment, and renewed self-respect. His corporate clients include Leo Burnett, United Airlines, National Association of Realtors, Razorfish, mcgarrybowen, Fresenius Kabi, PVS Chemicals, Human Rights Watch, and Intelligentsia Coffee. For more information, please visit www.petercdiamond.com and connect with him on Twitter, @petercdiamond.

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