What do you do if you're struggling to keep up with the latest trends in Training and Development (HR)?

Don't chase trends. Solve problems. Learning is fundamentally about solving problems. It's not about content, tips and tricks, or even chasing trends. Find real training and development challenges you need to solve. Look for proven solutions. One thing that works well: 1. Clearly define the problem 2. Identify someone who has solved it 3. Find how what they did Let's say you have remote employees who need to learn specific skills to do their jobs. Find someone who has already solved this problem and can tell you what they did.

I was shortlisted by a college for a guest lecture on AI | AR - Current Marketing Trends & Sustainability. Acceptance brought in overwhelming thoughts about the program's success. When I say success it means relevance & value for money for Students. These thoughts brought in a sense of responsibility. Now is the time to Plan & Create the Presentation/ That means the CHANGE by Learning the new facts. Let's GOOGLE! I started creating the topics followed by Ice-Breaker, AI/AR live activity for hands-on experience. Each topic was connected with the insights they learnt. The focus was on Students Connecting to the TALK & get COMPLETELY IMMERSED in the discussion! It was a CRACKER! My takeaways - Be Ready to Embrace Change & Prepare for it!

To stay updated Begin by scheduling dedicated learning time, allocating specific slots at least twice a week for hour-long sessions focused solely on HR trends. Explore various learning activities such as attending webinars, reading articles, and subscribing to YouTube channels that cover HR insights. Personalize your learning experience by choosing formats that resonate with you, whether it's webinars, articles, or videos. Additionally, network with fellow HR professionals through social media groups, conferences, and workshops to exchange ideas and gain valuable insights. Finally, take time to reflect on your learnings and actively apply them in your work to reinforce your knowledge and stay aligned with industry advancements.

Networking requires intent, some good amount of work and structured process. Once you get it right, your network can surely help you in multiple ways including supporting your learning agenda

Today we are fortunate to have access to many HR forums, groups, portals, consultants & programmes conducted by institutions of repute to keep HR leaders appraised of industry trends & developments. We just need to stay connected

Utilize networking to stay informed. Join HR associations, online forums, and local meetup groups to connect with peers. Engage in discussions to learn about the latest tools and techniques used by others in your field, inspiring and informing your practice.

Join Training & Development communities. Offbeat and L&D Shakers are some great starting points to get inspiration and resources. Don't be shy - ask your fellow L&D professionals what groups they're part of and how they leverage these communities.

Set alerts for all those newsletters and podcasts you want to read/listen to, which are full of L&D trends insights. Oh, and of course set some time aside in your calendar for doing so. How about adding some 15-30 min slots here and there, right now?

There’s always more to know and learn than time in the day. And to be fair, not all learning trends and updates are interesting to each individual. Intentional networking allows you to engage and share what is interesting to you with others and vice versa creating dialogue and connection without professionals needing to know, track and utilize every trend.

Let's face it: there are hundreds of sales reps approaching you on a weekly basis if you're a Learning and Development professional. While time (and interest) may not permit for you to meet all, use these 30-min demo meetings to understand new products and services offered to streamline Learning and Development processes and procedures.

Cuando enfrentas dificultades para mantenerte al día con las últimas tendencias en capacitación y desarrollo, la tecnología puede ser tu aliada. Utiliza plataformas en línea, como cursos virtuales, webinars y recursos educativos en línea. Apóyate en aplicaciones móviles especializadas en el aprendizaje continuo y únete a comunidades en redes sociales profesionales para intercambiar conocimientos. Además, considera la posibilidad de utilizar herramientas de análisis de datos para identificar áreas de necesidad y personalizar programas de formación.

An example illustrating this is a multinational corporation that transformed its training through data analysis, focusing on objectives beyond completion rates, like post-training performance improvements. Using analytics tools, the team identified a key trend: customized and blended learning significantly increased engagement and performance. Analysis linked training data with performance metrics, showing the effectiveness of specific programs and guiding strategic adjustments. Leveraging insights, the company personalized training, enhanced feedback, launched leadership programs and upskilled HR in analytics. The outcome was a notable boost in performance and engagement, showcasing the power of data-driven HR decisions.

Learn data analysis skills for HR. Understand how to collect and interpret training outcome data to make informed decisions. This may involve using analytics tools or collaborating with data specialists to assess training program effectiveness.

The most important aspect of data analysis is having a clear strategy for what you're going to do with the outcomes of your data. What decisions do you want to make with the data you collect? With clarity on decisions and actions you hope to take with insights from your data, this helps you ask the right questions and locate the best data artifacts to support your plans for using the data!

Analyze Data: Analyze training data, such as learner performance metrics, feedback, and engagement levels, to identify trends and areas for improvement. For example, analyzing completion rates and quiz scores can help determine which training modules are most effective and which may need updating to align with current trends.

Verify your data points; what problem are you trying to solve; what data points will illustrate success? Get agreement from your stakeholders on this point. Surveys are good for baseline data, but response rates can be spotty. What can add more color is an LMS that provides detailed reporting and strategic questions in your assessments. Some platforms can drill down into the choice rate on specific answers - i.e, how many people chose A (correct answer) versus another answer. Follow that question with a required text response: Explain your answer. These together give qualitative and quantitative insight into the learning program; no survey required. The responses will tell you where to focus your efforts to stay ahead of trends.

Customize training programs to meet the unique needs of your organization and employees. Stay adaptable and adjust strategies as new trends arise to ensure training remains relevant and effective in a rapidly changing field.

Customize the training as per the requirement which is always effective. It is directly proportional to the productivity of the company and also it's a win - win situation to both employees and employers.

Although customizing training is undoubtedly important, the trainer is more important. A great trainer can make drab content fun, outstanding content more fun, and can adapt on the fly. While many are shifting to an "all LMS delivery", others remain smart and do a hybrid approach. Videos can show you the mechanics of something, a good trainer can make you proficient at it

"Sábio n?o é aquele que sabe muitas coisas, mas aquele que sabe coisas úteis." (Heráclito) Concentre seus esfor?os em aprender as coisas que ter?o maior impacto para o seu crescimento. Esse discernimento é essencial.

Gather feedback regularly from trainees, managers, and stakeholders to gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your training programs. Use this feedback to refine your approach and incorporate new trends that better meet the needs of your learners.

Feedback is always your eyes and ears which are a must to take, to help you understand where and what went wrong or good, what can change, and how some of the aspects changed can bring huge profit to the company. Feedback grounds you, and holds you there to learn as to what are the gaps between what you teach and perceived by the learners. Feedback can teach you to add the latest needs of students and tools to make your teachings more exciting and interesting.

Seeking feedback from the audience, leadership, my own network and industry or profession influencers is a great way for me to not only validates my own thoughts and learning of what's new and trending, it helps focus or direct my efforts based on their experiences, tests, etc. I can make a more informed decision on which trends to invest in to make an impact.

Feedback is key to growth and success. Seek feedback from colleagues, clients, staff and stakeholders. It’s easy to go “blind” in the daily efforts and keep doing what you’ve always done. Use the feedback as guidance, but don’t jump to conclusions. We do not always express what we truly believe and the feedback is often more tailored to what we believe the person wants to hear. This is what psychologists refer to as “Socially Desirable Response” You might want to take this into consideration when you evaluate the feedback.

Follow people not concepts. Find people you trust to help you break through the noise and focus on topics that matter. Elevate these voices within your network. Reassess your SMEs regularly. Unfollow when the value recedes.

There are two choices Training & Development professionals have- A) Keep struggling and worrying about not being able to catch up on the latest trends Or B) Start somewhere and start small. Start with investing 15 mins a day to read about latest trends, subscribe to at least one newsletter that will give you insights, follow at least 1 strong insightful L&D leader who you want to learn from It is not possible to know it all and know it at all times. But it is possible to start and keep learning and developing!

I recently had to work on creating a hands-on training approach and implementation plan. And boy did I get stuck! I was not as aware on how to handle this. So I reached out to others in my network from similar industries and took inputs from them. I reached out to the Subject matter experts in-house and then created a pilot run and implemented that. I opened myself up to feedback and basis the feedback received, tweaked the plans and carried out reiterations to perfect a customized plan fit for the internal stakeholders. Throughout this process, I realized that openness to feedback, flexibility to reiterations, an open mind and being open to insights works. Add to that, a Learning mindset and agility are also enablers.

Be strategic with your learning. Not every course with a cool name is actually going to help you on your career path. Pick things that align with your long-term goals, and give the rest a high five Basically, choose learning that fits your vibe, not your anxiety. There's a whole T&D world out there to conquer, but you don't have to do it all at once. Take a breath, pick your battles, and you'll be a training pro in no time!

Staying informed about trends is crucial for professionals. Strategies include continuous learning, networking, reading industry reports, collaborating with colleagues, leveraging technology, attending webinars/virtual events, and collaborating across departments. Engaging in lifelong learning, networking, and reading industry reports can provide insights into skillset changes and workforce demands. Embracing a growth mindset and adapting to change can help navigate the dynamic landscape of Training and Development. By embracing a growth mindset and being open to exploring new ideas, professionals can remain well-prepared for the ever-changing landscape.