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Neal D. Clement

YOU WANT TO BE WHAT A TRAINING DIRECTOR

A STATEMENT OF TRAINING PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS

Learning and development teams have never had more tools at their disposal—platforms, content libraries, microlearning apps, AI—you name it. Yet, familiar challenges persist: skills gaps remain stubbornly wide, and learners are often disengaged or overwhelmed.Here’s a thought: maybe it’s not the tools. Maybe it’s the way we think about learning itself.Most traditional approaches treat learning as a series of one-off events. You take a course. Check a box. Move on. But in the real world, growth doesn’t happen in tidy modules. It happens in messy, interconnected moments—through feedback, collaboration, trial and error, and the occasional brilliant failure.That’s why the real opportunity for L&D isn’t just to provide more training. It’s to design better learning systems.What Systems Thinking Looks Like in L&DSystems thinking means viewing learning not as an end product, but as a continuous, connected process embedded across the organization. It involves designing touchpoints, feedback loops, and contextual supports that reinforce behavior change over time.Key elements of a learning system include:Manager-led feedback and coachingEmbedded just-in-time contentPeer learning and knowledge-sharing ritualsOn-the-job experimentation with reflection opportunitiesPerformance metrics aligned with learning goalsThis doesn’t mean formal training goes away. It means training becomes one part of a broader, more interconnected system.Why This Shift Matters (Now More Than Ever)Today’s workplace is fast, distributed, and constantly evolving. The half-life of skills is shrinking, and new priorities show up seemingly overnight. Under these conditions, L&D can’t just keep building more content. That model doesn’t scale, and it doesn’t stick.What’s needed is an environment where learning is:Agile, so it can respond to changeEmbedded, so it fits naturally into the flow of workSustainable, so it supports continuous growth without causing burnoutA systems approach delivers on all three by connecting learning to work, people to each other, and development to performance.How to Start Thinking Like a Systems DesignerYou don’t need a new tech stack or a six-month strategy sprint to begin this shift. What you need is curiosity—and a willingness to zoom out.Start here:Map the employee experience. Where does learning naturally occur? (Think onboarding, team meetings, performance reviews, project launches.)Audit learning touchpoints. Are your tools reinforcing one another or operating in silos?Build feedback loops. Application, feedback, and reflection should be baked into every learning moment.Measure what matters. Stop obsessing over attendance. Start tracking behavior change, team performance, and business impact.Partner with managers. Their feedback, coaching, and insight make them key drivers of learning on the ground.From Tactics to PerspectiveThese ideas aren’t a checklist; they’re a shift in perspective and a move away from isolated efforts toward something more connected, more contextual, and more enduring.Many teams are already heading in this direction, often without calling it “systems thinking.” They’re noticing where learning naturally happens, designing for what sticks, and making small changes that add up over time.It’s not about perfection. It’s about coherence. Because when learning experiences start to talk to each other across tools, teams, and touchpoints, the whole system gets smarter.See the System, Not Just the PartsMaybe the real opportunity isn’t adding more. It’s noticing what’s already there and connecting it with more intention. Even small shifts in how feedback is structured, content is surfaced, or performance conversations unfold can help build a more cohesive, responsive learning environment.That’s where systems begin. And often, that’s where the real learning lives.So, here’s a simple prompt to take with you: Where is learning already happening in your organization, and what would it look like to support it like a system?You don’t need to have all the answers. However, asking the right questions might be the most important first step.

Learning Is a Process, Not an Event

In today’s dynamic work environment, 90 percent of organizations express concern over employee retention, with providing learning opportunities being the top retention strategy (LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2024). But what are the most effective strategies for retention, particularly around learning?As Dr. LaShonda Bracey aptly points out, “The rapid pace of change in technology and job requirements poses a challenge for government organizations to keep their training programs relevant and up to date” (The Current State of Training and Development in the Federal Government Workspace). Technology is a critical component in ensuring that learning is flexible and accessible. With the right tools, government agencies can offer diverse courses that accommodate various pedagogies and fit seamlessly into the lives of their employees and contractors. It’s crucial not to overlook accessibility; while compliance is the minimum standard, providing options that cater to different learning styles significantly strengthens retention.What Hasn’t WorkedBefore we explore how to enhance learning opportunities and meet employee expectations, let’s examine common pitfalls. Reskilling has been a buzzword, yet few organizations have effectively implemented it. According to the LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2024, fewer than 5 percent of companies that invested in reskilling have reached a stage where they can measure success. Why the shortfall? A one-size-fits-all approach and a checkbox mentality have led to missed opportunities. Instead of nurturing career tracks, many efforts have been superficial.What Employees WantDid you know that “4 in 5 people want to learn more about how to use AI in their profession” (LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2024)? This growing demand reflects a broader trend where employees seek to stay ahead of the technological curve. Whether it’s mastering machine learning algorithms, understanding the ethical implications of AI, or simply becoming proficient in AI-driven tools, the appetite for AI skills is vast. For instance, in government settings, understanding AI can help employees improve data analysis, enhance decision-making processes, and streamline administrative tasks. By offering targeted training in these areas, agencies not only fulfill the desires of their workforce but also improve their operational efficiency.The desire for career development also extends beyond AI. Employees are increasingly interested in skills that can lead to meaningful career progression. This includes not just technical skills but also soft skills like leadership, communication, and critical thinking. Organizations that offer comprehensive development programs, including mentorship and real-world project opportunities, are better positioned to retain their talent. The LinkedIn report underscores that employees are motivated by visible pathways to career advancement, making it imperative for L&D teams to incorporate these elements into their training strategies.How Learning and Development Teams Are RespondingAs government agencies prioritize retention in the coming fiscal year, their L&D teams must stay ahead of industry trends. For instance, 47 percent of L&D teams plan to implement microlearning programs in 2024 (LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report 2024). Digital solutions, such as learning management systems (LMS), facilitate the adoption and deployment of microlearning, catering to the need for diverse learning methods. As Dr. Bracey notes, “While challenges persist, the ongoing efforts to enhance training programs, leverage technology-enabled learning solutions, and promote a culture of continuous learning bode well for the future of training and development in the federal government workspace.”ConclusionChange is challenging, especially within government education and training programs. However, “by embracing innovation, diversity, and investing in the growth of its employees, the federal government is well-positioned to navigate the complexities of the modern world and deliver value to the citizens it serves” (Dr. LaShonda Bracey, The Current State of Training and Development in the Federal Government Workspace). To learn more about how Blackboard by Anthology empowers government agencies and the US military to modernize their education and training programs, visit our website.

The Future of Government Training Programs: Embracing Technology and Tailored Learning

Half of all employees will need reskilling by 2025—yet only 17 percent of organizations feel prepared to anticipate which skills they’ll need next. Every day your learning strategy stands still, the skills gap widens, and your workforce risks falling behind. While traditional training methods—classroom sessions, static e-learning, and one-size-fits-all programs—once served their purpose, they now struggle to keep pace. They can drain budgets, disengage learners, and leave skills gaps that put your organization at risk. Why Change Is Urgent High costs and travel expenses Outdated, passive content with low engagement Lack of personalization for diverse teams Exposure to compliance risks and lost productivity Sticking with the status quo means falling behind competitors and risking talent loss. Consider the case of a manufacturing company that was heavily reliant on traditional classroom training. When new machinery was urgently introduced to enhance its agility against impending market changes, their usual training approach proved inefficient. The need for hands-on learning led to complex scheduling, significant production downtimes, and the creation of backup paper manuals to mitigate costly errors. Employees struggled to retain vital information, resulting in substantial production delays that directly affected the company’s profitability. Similarly, a financial services firm found that their compliance training, delivered through static e-learning modules, failed to engage employees. Ineffective compliance training—especially when it fails to engage employees—can result in substantial financial losses, regulatory penalties, operational inefficiencies, and reputational harm. Investing in more engaging, effective learning solutions is not just a regulatory requirement; it is a strategic imperative for financial performance and long-term business success. The Future of Learning: Blended and Immersive Blended learning combines digital, in-person, and on-the-job experiences, powered by extended reality (XR), AI, and data analytics: VR/AR simulations for safe, on-demand practice Real-time guidance to speed onboarding and reduce errors Collaborative virtual environments for soft skills AI-driven roleplay for authentic, personalized coaching Scalable virtual instructor-led training (VILT) Organizations adopting these approaches report: Up to 50 percent reduction in training time Improved retention and fewer errors Lower downtime and cost For example, a major airline used AI-powered roleplay to train customer service agents in handling irate passengers. The dynamic, unscripted scenarios helped employees build confidence and empathy, leading to a measurable drop in customer complaints. In manufacturing, XR simulations have enabled technicians to practice complex assembly tasks repeatedly without risk, reducing errors on the production line and accelerating time to competence. Anytime they need a refresh, an action-oriented mobile XR experience is just a pocket away. Data-Driven Personalization AI and analytics deliver targeted training to close skills gaps efficiently, ensuring every learner gets exactly what they need. The Human Element While technology enables scalable, efficient training, human judgment remains vital for complex, ethical, and cultural learning. The most effective L&D strategies blend automation for repeatable skills with coaching and mentorship for nuanced, judgment-based scenarios. Act Now or Risk Falling Behind Early adopters see faster onboarding, higher engagement, and scalable programs. Hesitation means losing ground in a competitive market. The cost of inaction is high: slower time to competence, increased errors, compliance risks, and ultimately, lost revenue and market share. The future belongs to those who act decisively. Don’t let your organization be left behind as others leap forward with immersive, personalized, and scalable learning solutions. 

Don’t Get Left Behind: The New Standard in L&D

If you’re an L&D professional trying to get internal buy-in for a new training initiative, you’ve likely felt the pressure to create a full-blown, highly detailed proposal before bringing it to leadership.But what if the fastest way to a “yes” isn’t about completeness, but about confidence?Here’s a powerful, time-saving idea: Pilot your idea before proposing the full program.Instead of writing a 20-page proposal and waiting weeks for feedback (or silence), run a small version of the training with a test group. Think of it as building a prototype instead of a polished product.Why Pilots WorkExecutives aren’t just evaluating your proposal—they’re evaluating you. A pilot says:“I’ve already tested this idea.”“I’m not asking for a leap of faith.”“Here’s real-world data and feedback.”Even better, it gives you the chance to:Gather quotes and results that strengthen your case.Adjust based on early feedback (before you go wide).Demonstrate initiative, ownership, and results-orientation.Real-World Example: A Pilot That Opened the DoorIn 2020, the U.S. Air Force recognized a growing need to strengthen data governance across its departments. Instead of pitching a massive training overhaul, they started with a three-day pilot course for just two staff members. The results were so promising that leadership approved a three-year agreement to expand the program across the entire agency.How to Pilot FastHere’s the streamlined version:Start small. Pick one team or department where the training will have a noticeable impact.Keep it light. Think microlearning, a one-hour workshop, or even a facilitated team meeting with a training component.Measure something. Track one or two outcome indicators—engagement, confidence, behavior change, feedback ratings.Share the story. When you pitch the larger initiative, lead with a real story: “Here’s what happened when we ran this with the support team last month…”Suddenly, your proposal isn’t just an idea—it’s a proven improvement.Especially Helpful If You’re NewIf you’re new to your organization, a pilot can be your secret weapon. You’re still learning the culture and building credibility. A lightweight prototype lets you earn trust, start conversations, and show results fast—all without needing immediate executive buy-in for a massive rollout.The TakeawayYou don’t need perfection to get approval. You need proof. A well-executed pilot gives you that proof—without burning time or political capital.Ready to Try a Pilot? Start Here.Find a friendly team. Choose a department with a known need and a manager who’s open to experimentation.Pick a slice. What’s one lesson, tool, or concept from your bigger idea that you can test in 30–60 minutes?Measure one thing. Ask participants one question before and after. Even a small shift can signal impact.Want to Increase Your Chances Even More?Download the LPC Winning Training Proposal Checklist—a one-page guide you can use to quickly evaluate your proposal (or pilot!) before you send it up the chain.Covers the top elements executives look forBased on research-backed insightsWorks at any stage: idea, draft, or ready-to-sendGrab the checklist here → leadershipprogresscycle.com/winning-training-proposal-checklist.(And if you want a second pair of eyes, reply to the download email—we write a lot of proposals and we’re always interested in sharing, gathering new insight, and building relationships.)

Want to Sell a Training Proposal Fast? Don’t Build the Whole Thing First

For 70 years, Denny’s has been an icon in the casual dining industry, building on its proud position as “America’s Diner.” To live up to its reputation of being a place where everyone is welcome, the company had to make diversity, equity, inclusion, and well-being a top priority.Beyond creating a safe and welcoming workplace, Denny’s leadership recognized that investing in DEI would improve employee engagement, reduce absenteeism, and improve overall financial performance. Additionally, prioritizing employee well-being can lower healthcare costs, increase productivity, and improve financial outcomes.Ultimately, the goal of these efforts is to establish a community where everyone feels valued, appreciated, and accepted as they are—and not just for guests but for team members as well. The challenge, as is often the case with large organizations, was finding a way to enact meaningful and sustainable change for all employees.The numbers don’t lie. Research shows that when employees feel a genuine sense of inclusion and belonging, their work performance increases by 56 percent, while sick days decrease by 75 percent, and the risk of turnover drops by half. Yet, just a single incident of micro-exclusion can lead to an immediate 25 percent decline in an individual’s performance.So, where to begin?Learning From the PastThe Denny’s brand has had its share of missteps over the years, culminating in a multi-million-dollar settlement payout in a 1994 racial bias lawsuit. Rather than bury or shy away from its past, however, the company has used this as an opportunity to learn and improve. The result: 58 percent of Denny’s restaurants are minority-owned. Likewise, among our board members, 56 percent come from underrepresented groups, and 44 percent are women. Yet, even with numbers trending in the right direction, Denny’s leadership recognized the need for ongoing and substantive DEI and well-being efforts.The fact is that most organizations approach DEI and well-being by providing a traditional one-day workshop. Unfortunately, this tactic fails to create awareness or generate an authentic change in the mindset or behaviors of many participants. Hence, the Denny’s Together initiative was born.Create a Place for AllThe Denny’s Together culture journey comprises several elements that support each other. The first is learning and embodying Denny’s “Rules to Live By,” which offers a set of foundational expectations that inform how team members treat Denny’s guests and one another. The L&D (leadership and development) team delivers interactive webinars and e-lessons to share these “rules” with restaurant team members.To boost awareness about DEI and well-being among Denny’s corporate team members, we offer the Go Beyond program. This collaborative program challenges participants to go on a journey of self-discovery as they take a deep dive into the advantages, barriers, and science of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Over 30 days, the program uses daily challenges to encourage team members to observe and explore their individual experiences and beliefs with compassion and curiosity.For example, Go Beyond kicks off with “reflection” activities, which include conversations led by other people leaders within the organization. In addition, there are community events where participants gather to share food and dialogue aided by conversation cards with specific reflection questions like, "What did you learn about bias and how it impacts your decision making?"What’s more, themed daily challenges and reflections, such as: “What Is Appearance Discrimination” and “How to Minimize the Bias Impact,” work to open participants’ minds about their own biases, attitudes, and relationships, while also coming together as one big Denny’s family. Example topics covered in these daily challenges include representation, appearance discrimination, implicit bias, inclusive language, empathy, bias blind spots, micro-affirmations, and allyship. Here’s an example of a daily challenge:Example of Daily ChallengeThe DEI Council and Business Resource Groups champion the theme. Team leaders discuss and reflect on challenge topics in meetings, and a weekly email supports exploring the challenges.To sweeten the pot and generate as much engagement as possible, raffles and giveaways for various challenges gamify the overall experience. For instance, all participants who complete challenges are entered to win a grand prize of two roundtrip airfare tickets to anywhere in the continental United States.Lasting ChangeThere were many lessons learned from the first two years of the Denny’s Together and Go Beyond programs. The four most powerful ones are:1. Get full buy-in from all key executives.2. Understand the culture you are starting with.3. Establish a sense of trust and safety for employees to freely participate.4. Set a high standard and invite employees to participate without a requirementIn addition to understanding that DEI efforts must be immersive to be effective, Denny’s leadership recognizes that achieving an entire cultural transformation that will affect the company from the top down and the bottom up requires an ongoing effort.But to measure the fruits of these efforts so far and guide future iterations, Denny’s leadership embarked on a comprehensive initiative to survey participants on how they felt about the Go Beyond program and the brand in general from a DEI perspective.Nearly all participants (94 percent) of team members felt that the Go Beyond program was an engaging experience, with 73 percent saying that it helped them grow as individuals. In fact, it was such a positive experience that 60 percent said they would be eager to participate again.More importantly, 82 percent of participants said they would recommend Denny’s as an employer, largely because of initiatives like this.Building on the success of Denny’s Together and the initial Go Beyond challenge, the company recently completed the second Go Beyond challenge, this time with the theme of Empowered Well-Being. Likewise, also in the works is the Championing Humanity challenge, a four-week reflection that will help participants discover what active allyship looks like, what shared power means, and most importantly, how to create a safe place for all.Moving forward, the L&D team is also working on rolling out a new leadership development program called Elevating the Power of We. This two-day, cohort-based program will have participants explore how to communicate in a supportive way, cultivate empathy and compassion, and genuinely listen to other people’s stories and perspectives.At Denny’s today, individuals are viewed as holistic beings. As such, their physical, emotional, and mental well-being must be prioritized. This is why Denny’s leadership is on a mission to create a brand that actively promotes mental fitness and overall empowered well-being. By creating a safe place to have candid conversations about real things that matter to real people, Denny’s is well on its way to creating a culture that embraces differences, welcomes personal stories, and celebrates all voices.

Denny’s Together

The ATD Talent Development and Training in Healthcare Handbook (ATD Press, November 2021) addresses the many opportunities and challenges TD professionals face in the growing and rapidly changing healthcare space. Effective talent development is the thread that weaves through an entire healthcare organization to ensure it is up to standard with the latest practices in treating patients while providing a safe and engaging environment for staff. TD professionals have the unique role of tying together organizational and employee advancement in healthcare systems—and likewise, this handbook dives into areas for both business and professional evolution.Niranjani Chidamber Papavaritis is the former head of content for ATD's healthcare and government industry verticals, and she was the editor for ATD Talent Development and Training in Healthcare Handbook. In this spotlight Q&A, learn more about Papavaritis and her contribution to the book.What distinguishes or differentiates talent development in the healthcare field from talent development more broadly?Healthcare is a nuanced field that is continuously evolving, innovating (then re-innovating), and one-upping itself with breakthroughs. Provider spaces, specifically, contain multidimensional factors, making talent development priorities one-of-a-kind.Unlike other industries, healthcare deals with the most essential components of the human experience: birth, injury, functionality, physical and mental well-being, and mortality. Furthermore, every component of healthcare learning and development ends up impacting two distinct groups of people: the primary audience of employees and workforces within the industry and a deeper, embedded audience of patients who receive care from these healthcare professionals. That grants trainers direct and indirect influence that can be seen at every turn in a hospital hallway.There’s a quote from the show Scrubs that summarizes how everything a health provider does is done with the intention of staving off injury and death. “You’re in medicine. You gotta accept the fact that everything we do here—everything—is a stall.” (For the record, I don’t refer to this show for medical advice … but it has some great one-liners that aptly describe working in a hospital.) Talent development professionals must train with that ultimate goal in mind—to equip every employee with the right skillset to keep the hospital thriving to provide high-quality patient care.Trainers wear several caps simultaneously, approaching topics from a business perspective, a clinical perspective, an employee-development perspective, a broader organization-development/culture perspective, and a patient-care perspective. Though the multiple ongoing priorities, workforce demographics, job functionalities and concentrations are seemingly siloed, talent development is the glue that brings them all together to form an interconnected, symbiotic business. This handbook provides a comprehensive spectrum of the healthcare talent development landscape, categorized into six broad fields: L&D basics, organization development, employee development, business acumen for the health system, digital transformation and literacy, and patient-centric care.What are some of the challenges or barriers to talent development in healthcare?I recently started Dr. Rana Awdish’s book In Shock (which I highly recommend to anyone in healthcare leadership or TD), and she explains, “Healthcare is exceedingly complex. Errors will inevitably occur at even the best hospitals. What seems different … is the transparent willingness to acknowledge that we are a learning organization.” That resonated so deeply for me.Efficient talent development has a high return on investment (ROI) for any organization or individual’s professional growth. Unfortunately, healthcare has limited resources for talent development priorities, which are typically underfunded and need more support from leaders. Training is an ongoing process—a necessary supplement to knowledge and preparedness gained from medical/business/law school—to allow for continuous growth and upskilling through one’s career and the organization’s lifespan.Challenges arise in delivering more comprehensive training when the workforce does not always work a typical 9–5 day. Non-clinical staff are available at different times than clinicians and nurses, who work shifts spanning all hours of the day. Furthermore, training delivery needs to be easy, digestible, and time-sensitive not to overload practitioners, who already juggle numerous tasks mentally. Current mundane modules or mandatory in-person lessons are not always seen as relevant, but rather as distractions from daily tasks—and that method and perception of training needs to shift drastically.Furthermore, the internal structure of health systems doesn’t lend itself to a cohesive organization; the onus falls on talent development professionals to bring moving parts together. Departments are siloed, functioning independently with its own set of norms and practices. This extends throughout the industry as well. The limited training resources and success stories that do exist are contained within their respective health systems, and they are shared only on a microscale through mediums among the broader provider space network.While there may be differing priorities within specialties, there needs to be uniformity in training practices for interdepartmental collaboration—so that all the moving parts can come together to run as one smooth entity of the health system. And for successful (and unsuccessful) practices to be shared within the industry at large.Continuous education should be a part of healthcare careers and organization culture, and through robust talent development initiatives, practitioners and leaders can stay current with the latest trends such as digital literacy, management styles, and interpersonal skills. The ROI for training needs to be better recognized by those in leadership positions. They have the power of positive influence, the ability to guide decisions for an organization’s trajectory that will better serve employee development and performance improvement.How is the COVID-19 pandemic changing talent development in healthcare? What talent development needs does the healthcare field have as a result of the pandemic?Every aspect of healthcare performance has been impacted by the pandemic; areas of change management, leadership development, and patient care were especially put to the test and continue to be amended on-the-fly. The past two years have changed the entire landscape for talent development, making it evident that the industry needs 1) a more collaborative approach, strengthening teambuilding and interdepartmental collaboration, and 2) a more focused, concerted effort to improve training practices at every employee level and specialty area.A very pressing issue, requiring immediate attention, is physician and nurse well-being. With the pandemic raging since early 2020, clinicians are exhausted in every way possible. I’ve read truly heartbreaking recounts from clinicians who are barely staying afloat emotionally, questioning their entire career paths due to how worn out they are. With increasing turnover rates, the acute care infrastructure is increasingly short-staffed, causing more stress and overload.Addressing burnout and tactics to build resilience requires an all-encompassing re-evaluation of leadership development. Leaders who employ adaptive and effective management styles can bring together aspects of teambuilding, organizational safety and reliability, performance improvement, and value-based care to create a long-term, sustainable approach to addressing clinician well-being. To achieve success, focus needs to be brought back to the humanistic elements of the industry—care and empathy—not just for patients, but for the workforce as well, finding ways to better incorporate these qualities in a health system’s culture.I explored some of these trends as shifts were occurring and found that digital transformation was reshaping the landscape entirely as health systems adjusted to remote workforces and provided care through telehealth platforms. New learning technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR) are emerging to revolutionize training delivery, using simulations to create real-life, interactive experiences for departmental priorities.Though the dust hasn’t settled, there has been more time to assess the damage and for talent development professionals to analyze areas for improvement or increased focus within learning and development. Now, more than ever, is the time for TD professionals and trainers to shine.How can talent development help meet the goals of interprofessional education?Effective branding of talent development can provide great opportunities for interprofessional education goals. With broader L&D subject matter experts and healthcare professionals working in tandem, the talent development sphere can help individuals grow in their careers by expanding existing skillsets and/or preparing for new roles. The L&D field holds promise for the growth of the healthcare industry—especially in terms of understanding the neuroscience and behavior of learning to better customize lessons. L&D professionals with expertise in instructional design, training delivery, and continuing education across a spectrum of workforces have great insight and successes that can be customized to the healthcare space.On the flip side, those in healthcare can provide innovative insight to the broader L&D world as well. Practitioners and healthcare trainers have firsthand experience working with tight schedules, juggling multiple priorities, moving on fast deadlines, and dealing with the most crucial kinds of change management and interpersonal relationships through both employee engagement and patient engagement.As mentioned earlier, effective executive leadership is key to forming and sustaining such collaborations. Health systems have a lot to learn from both successes and setbacks of the past 22 months—takeaways that can influence future training for all employees. It’s up to leaders to ensure that talent development professionals receive support to provide interprofessional education opportunities and employees feel motivated to meet such goals for their own growth and performance development.What are your goals for the ATD Talent Development and Training in Healthcare Handbook? What impact do you hope this book has on the field?I can’t tell you how incredibly excited and proud I am that this handbook was created! Having an evergreen resource that can enhance the TD sphere within healthcare has been a long time coming! This handbook is truly groundbreaking and has the potential to positively impact everyone who steps into a provider space.When the book first launched in November, I discussed how “an ongoing emphasis on learning and development is the key to success” for “the constant, multiple moving parts and various groups of workforces (clinical, nonclinical, multigenerational, interdepartmental, interpersonal, as examples) that are engaged daily…”.There are case studies and take-aways from experts that can support trainers and leaders to create a collaborative environment; where systems and priorities don’t need to be siloed, and each part of a health system can come together to create a united organizational culture. Up until a few months ago, there has not been a resource pulling together expertise from multiple healthcare leaders, practitioners, consultants, and innovators. It’s somewhat poetic how the collaboration within this handbook is an example for the collaboration potential that exists within the industry.I am passionate about the intersection of business acumen and interpersonal skillsets within leadership development, as it is the perfect combination for impactful patient care. Healthcare leaders who are reskilled and upskilled to use analytic business acumen, interwoven with empathy, EQ, and compassion, can shape provider spaces into well-rounded care facilities. Because it is the first-of-its-kind, I’m hoping for tangible results in teambuilding, so that existing gaps in interdepartmental priorities can be filled.While the handbook is geared toward talent development professionals, my goal when forming it was to bring out possibilities for improved leadership within each chapter and topic area. I wanted every leader and manager to find tangible advice as they are often “accidental trainers” themselves. This handbook provides countless opportunities for improved training and leadership—for anyone who finds themselves in a training role, including talent development professionals and trainers, C-suite executives, clinicians, and managers or heads of departments, who often find themselves coaching others at various points during their careers.This provides a promise for organizational, employee, and patient wellness not just during turbulence, but for long-term sustainable success within the industry. The wide array of topics covered by some of the best subject matter experts within this book can ideally contribute to increased innovation, collaboration, and organizational culture at micro and macro scales, bringing about interdepartmental successes.As the field continues to evolve with medical breakthroughs, I hope this handbook will help reimagine talent development initiatives for all providers—health systems, the armed services, EMTs, private practices, local state and city departments of health, and more. And ultimately, I hope this handbook brings out the very best in every employee and function so we can better serve our communities with the highest quality of care.

Meeting Talent Development Goals in Healthcare: Q&A With Niranjani Chidamber Papavaritis

Since the beginning of this decade, we’ve been experiencing a digital acceleration that has forced us to rethink corporate training. With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing everything online in a matter of months, the need to renew virtual formats that develop our teams’ talents has become even more apparent. As we’ve learned from the Contradictions of Corporate Training 2021 report, employees’ main complaints about online training in its current form are that it’s boring and lacks interactivity. HR and L&D professionals already know this, with more than half of those surveyed confirming that simulations of real-life cases would improve the effectiveness of their training. Game-based learning has positioned itself as the best solution to meet everyone’s needs. In the Game-Based Learning in Action whitepaper, we learn what makes game-based learning the most effective methodology for online corporate training, and we hear from some of the HR and L&D managers at companies that are already successfully implementing it.Game-Based Learning in Action: The Three Keys to SuccessTo get the most out of game-based learning, a program must include these three indispensable components:Quality content that’s directly applicable to employees’ jobsElements of gamification paired with an interesting story to keep learners engagedReal-life simulations that provide immediate and personalized feedbackQuality content is essential in any corporate training course. The content is what the employees will be learning, so it needs to be useful to them and to their jobs. In recent years, there’s been a trend toward learning soft skills. Skills such as critical thinking or emotional intelligence are becoming more important to the modern workplace. Game-based learning is particularly well-suited to teaching these skills because it provides experiential learning. An effective game-based learning course will include applicable educational content, with a solid theoretical base and practical cases that allow learners to practice the relevant skills. But once we have the right content, how can we guarantee employees stay motivated and engaged enough to finish the course? Here’s where storytelling and gamification step in.When creating a serious game for a training program, it’s essential to have an interesting story that will keep learners engaged from start to finish. Wanting to know what happens next and how the story ends ensures employees remain engaged and finish the course. And, of course, it wouldn’t be game-based learning without gamification. At the end of the day, gamification makes the course fun. Along with the story, it’s the game mechanics that keep learners motivated to finish the course. Gamification and storytelling increase completion rates and knowledge retention, guaranteeing the success of the training program. The final component of an effective game-based learning program is real-life simulations with personalized feedback. Simulations allow employees to put the knowledge they learn in the course into practice in real-life situations. From this experience, learners gain knowledge on the consequences of their actions in a safe environment, which means they can experiment with different decisions and see different outcomes, leading to a more practical understanding of the knowledge and more confidence in their skills. Being able to see the direct consequences of their decisions gives them direct and personal feedback that they can use to course correct. This ensures no bad habits are internalized and employees understand what they are learning, not simply memorizing. When all these elements work together, we get the kind of corporate training that meets everyone’s objectives and delivers tangible results.In the words of Natasa Basic, FastForward and management trainee program manager at Coca-Cola HBC, who is already implementing a successful game-based learning program, “It is the fine blend of all the elements of game-based learning that makes the Gamelearn serious games impactful, both on experience and development of the learner: quality content for each skill being developed, interwoven with an interactive storyline and gamification that makes learning more engaging and fun, as well as personalized feedback and materials that the learner can download and keep for future reference as a reminder and inspiration for further application in real day-to-day work what they have been learning and practicing in the simulated environment.”

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