Say Yeah was excited to participate as a sponsor, offering a suite of technology to accelerate learning transfer through scenario-based, data-driven learning programs. Sharing our handy Say Yeah notebook with every conference attendee, we know we packed ours with exceptional insights from a series of informative and inspiring conference sessions. We’re eager to share some of these insights with you.

I4PL 2024 conference takeaways

Let’s check out the key takeaways along the following themes:

• Tracking behaviour change
• Trends driving learning innovation
• Authentic learning with measurable results
• The future of L&D

Tracking behaviour change

Chris Taylor’s standout session emphasized how we can use technology to bridge learning and business goals by going well beyond evaluating knowledge retention and participant satisfaction. Chris shared a series of models that culminate in tracking corollaries to behaviour change early in order to ensure pathways to business impact.

This jam-packed session was full of insights that aligned with our own approach to personalizing learning for greater impact and maximizing digital learning ROI.

Here are a few key insights:

For every 1 part of content that is introduced, 3 parts contextualization are needed. For example:

• 10 minutes of content = 30 minutes of discussion and reflection

The goal of behaviour change needs to be embedded in all aspects of training programs. This starts with asking participants: What is one thing that you can put into practice that will make the biggest difference in your work?

Learning happens through interactions with colleagues, regular check-ins, and accountability partners.

Trends driving learning innovation

The pandemic reshaped training delivery—and it’s sticking. With 70% of organizations conducting less than 25% of their training in-person, digital transformation is here to stay.

Organizations know they have skills gaps in areas of digital transformation: 74% say they do—we’re inclined to believe the remaining 26% are in denial.

Interestingly, the priority remains on training soft skills over growing digital excellence.

AI dominated the conference floor, with vendors showcasing tools to personalize and enhance learning experiences.

Personalization for every learner continues to top the list of priorities, helping participants engage more deeply with tailored content.

Authentic learning with measurable results

A session from TD Wealth by Randy Sabourin & Courtney Appleby highlighted the importance of upfront research, strategic planning, and measurable outcomes.

Key highlights:

Use clear rubrics and coaching to normalize feedback across teams with multiple facilitators.

Create opportunities for immediate practice and feedback, with 1:1 practice sessions with a colleague, facilitator, or subject matter expert, not group role-playing.

Design “bring your own challenge” scenarios for practical, real-world learning.

The future of L&D

A keynote by Dan Pontefract reminded us that L&D is more than a function—it’s a fulcrum for workplace transformation. By integrating tools like AI and fostering empathetic, human-first training, L&D professionals can act as human performance change agents. This call to action sets an inspiring path for 2025!

A successful and inspiring I4PL 2024 conference!

The conference was a strong reminder that L&D isn’t just about delivering content—it’s about designing experiences that inspire action, change, and growth.

We’re inspired to integrate these ideas into our own work and help others leverage human-centred learning technology to make a measurable business impact with their training programs.

Ready to transform your training programs with personalized, adaptive technology?

Let’s talk

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Here’s what we learned.

The Training Industry Strategy Summit, held online September 25-26, 2024, brought together thought leaders, innovators, and training professionals to share insights and explore the future of the industry.

With so many shifts happening in the world of Learning and Development (L&D), this event provided an information and engaging exploration into where the future of training is headed and what businesses need to realize performane gains from L&D.

There were far too many great presentations to recap—and to attend! There was a one-hour interval where we were debating between three different sessions, but here’s a few representative takeaways from across the following themes:

• Training in the flow of work
• Changing priorities in Learning and Development
• Measuring training impact
• Where AI fits into training

Training in the flow of work

One of the key takeaways was the growing need for training in the flow of work—making learning available when it’s needed. With employees juggling multiple responsibilities and tight deadlines, self-directed learning is becoming more important. Whether it’s on-demand microlearning or an AI-powered coach, training that fits seamlessly into day-to-day tasks allows employees to upskill in real-time, boosting both efficiency and retention.

Changing priorities in Learning and Development

The summit also shed light on the evolving priorities within L&D.

As technology continues to advance and workplace models shift, companies are focusing on building capability through upskilling and digital transformation. This, combined with the increasing use of AI, means there’s potential for a more streamlined, tech-driven approach to training.

However, we’re also seeing a strategic reduction in L&D staff, pushing organizations to rethink how they deliver training. With fewer people available to facilitate, methods that incorporate digital tools and automation are becoming essential to maintaining effectiveness.

Measuring training impact

To ensure that L&D efforts are truly impactful, companies must use both quantitative and qualitative data to validate their training initiatives.

Training programs must align with business objectives so organizations can see real results—not just in learning outcomes but in overall business performance.

Where AI fits into training

AI was a hot topic throughout the summit, particularly in terms of personalizing training pathways.

AI-driven solutions can adapt content to different roles, scenarios, and specific audiences, allowing businesses to extend core training with contextual content tailored to particular roles or situations.

This level of personalization makes learning more relevant and engaging, driving better outcomes for both employees and organizations.

Thanks to all the great people we met at Training Industry Strategy Summit 2024!

In addition to the insightful sessions, the Training Industry Strategy Summit 2024 was a fantastic opportunity to network with other L&D professionals.

Thanks to the organizers for hosting such an informative and valuable event.

We look forward to next year’s summit!

Ready to transform your training programs?

Connect with us to see how we can transform your training programs with personalized, adapative learning technology and turn training investments into workplace results.

Let’s talk

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With an estimated 50% of employees requiring reskilling by 2025, businesses that offer training and upskilling opportunities own a significant competitive advantage.

In this environment, the digital transformation of employee training through eLearning is a game changer. From onboarding to reskilling, online learning saves companies time and money, and has the potential to revolutionize the way we work and learn.

Effective and scalable eLearning gives your workforce the skills and capacity to adapt, innovate, and drive business growth to meet the challenges and opportunities of evolving global trends. However, unlocking the transformational aspects of going digital requires a shift of mindset. It starts with understanding key aspects unique to the digital learning experience.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

Effective eLearning incorporates principles of DEI by creating a sense of belonging for all course participants and helping them connect more deeply to the learning content. This not only improves the quality and effectiveness of employee training programs but can have a significant impact across your business.

Advantages of integrating DEI into your training program

• Increased profits. Companies without a DEI strategy or with an ineffective one are 27% less likely to be profitable compared to their peers. Bringing this practice to your training programs helps set the tone across your organization.
• Employee retention. Creating workplace environments that value the unique perspectives of employees reduces turnover. Demonstrating that you value your diverse employees through your training program content helps set this standard for every employee.
• Greater and more inspired innovation. Employees are more likely to innovate when they are empowered to bring their own ideas and worldviews to their work. Delivering improved, more inclusive training helps every employee grow their capacity and capability to innovate.

When inclusion flourishes, it permeates the whole work environment. It enables everyone to succeed, and it leaves no one out. It has a positive impact on people’s desire to work for an organization and how productive they are, the quality of decision making, customer relations, innovation, revenues, and reputations. ~ Rebekah Steele, INdivisible, 2020

How to leverage DEI to enrich your corporate learning programs

Championing DEI in learning involves engaging learners on a deeper level, for example, by:

• encouraging employees to bring their rich perspectives and realities to their learning experiences
• empowering employees to broaden their perspectives and innovate solutions for diverse markets
• exploring creative ways to promote DEI in organizational processes and practices

To achieve these objectives, digital learning programs can be made more accessible and inclusive through the following tactics.

Snapshot from an organizational training module on inclusive writing guidelines that we created for a client offering health support services for a diverse group of clients. We designed this custom writing guide to support their capacity to be inclusive in serving their market base. These kinds of writing considerations can be applied to any training program content and extend to any content developed by your organization.

• Ensure the stock images, videos, and illustrations used in a course reflect the diverse identities, backgrounds, and roles in your company.
• Use simple, clear, and inclusive language that everyone can easily understand and relate to. We recommend creating a company-wide inclusive writing framework that can be customized for each department.
• Incorporate video translations to serve a multilingual market. For Canadian organizations, consider French, American Sign Language (ASL), and Langue des Signes Quebecoise (LSQ). US organizations may prioritize Spanish and ASL.
• Give learners agency by providing a balanced mix of audio, text, images, and videos.
• Evaluate content for bias and preconceived assumptions about the employees and any other course participants. Are there options for flexibility in the learning program? Do all employees have access to resources and requirements to take the course?

Put learners at the centre of your training programs and watch them flourish.

User experience (UX) and accessibility

Today’s employees have high expectations of their online experiences and interfaces, and that includes your eLearning offerings. Leveraging the convenience and flexibility of eLearning requires expertise in designing a user experience that helps ensure employees can retain and connect new knowledge to their work.

Complicated learning software features, unfamiliar navigation controls, and disorganized course interfaces and content structure on learning management systems (LMSs) can make content inaccessible and difficult to understand.

Drawbacks of poor UX design

• Low learning engagement. Learners disengage when navigating poorly designed interfaces.
• Poor knowledge retention. Employees can’t assess their knowledge and retain information if the course interface and structure are not accessible, organized, and responsive.

How to enhance UX and accessibility to maximize eLearning ROI

Screenshot from a case study demonstrating user experience-led features we developed for George Brown College. Read the case study here.

• Ensure consistency in content flow, navigation controls, and design elements. (Leading with people-centred design allowed us to build a flexible and accessible eLearning program for George Brown College that is now being used across Ontario higher education institutions.)
• Make the course more flexible by providing access via multiple screen sizes and devices. It’s helpful to adapt the course to fit the needs of employees who prefer to learn on their smartphones and mobile devices.
• Tailor the interactions and activities to give choice and agency to the learners. For instance, you may want to incorporate features such as resource aids, personalized reflection activities, and scenario-based assessments to enable course participants to put their learning into practice.
• Deliver similar content in multiple formats—from text to images, quotes, and videos—to improve accessibility and enable participants to engage with content in more than one way and support the diverse learning preferences of each of your learners.

Digital instructional design principles

Instructional design is different from UX design in eLearning, although they work hand in hand. Instructional design focuses on how people learn and how to transform subject matter content into a learning product. UX design then leverages instructional design to ensure the course material translates seamlessly on an LMS platform and is usable, scalable, effective, and accessible to all course participants.

Business impacts of incorporating instructional design principles into corporate training

Implementing instructional design principles in your training programs benefits your employees and organization, improving eLearning ROI in the following ways:

• Enhanced productivity and engagement. From onboarding to reskilling, effective learning programs empower people with the skills to become more effective at their jobs, which leads to increased efficiency and productivity.
• Improved retention. A 2023 Work Institute report analyzing employee retention complexities shows that professional development is a leading reason people resign. Learner-centred training programs help address this by opening up ways for employees to add value and impact to the business while pursuing self-improvement.
• Saved costs. It costs more to hire new employees than to train and reskill existing ones. Improving retention through people-focused professional development programs will save you time and money while adding to your bottom line.

Investing in learning helps establish a critical competitive advantage—and eLearning designed with a focus on DEI, UX, and instructional design will give your organization a chance to realize this advantage in terms of hiring, employee retention, and performance.

Start the discussion about eLearning ROI with your learning and training team by asking the following questions:

• Is there more we could be doing to make our eLearning programs inclusive, accessible, and effective for all employees?
• Are we creating opportunities for learners to apply new knowledge and skills in their work?
• How are we leveraging the latest eLearning practices to improve retention and productivity?

Interested in learning more about how to maximize the impacts of your digital learning and training programs?

We’d love to chat. Our multidisciplinary team at Say Yeah specializes in delivering holistic and customized corporate eLearning solutions that help organizations turn training into a competitive advantage.

Get in touch

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