About Guild Articles
Find practical, solution-oriented information—on design, development, management, technology, and executive matters—that you can use to make well-informed business decisions to ensure your organization’s success with learning.
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True Impact: Measurable Performance Gains with Workflow Learning
For years, Learning & Development (L&D) has struggled to bridge the gap between formal training and real-world performance. While traditional training metrics—completion rates, learner satisfaction, and knowledge retention—have served as indicators of effectiveness, they fall short in measuring true business impact. Workflow learning, often referred to as “learning in the flow of work,” has emerged as a transformative approach that embeds learning directly into daily work. But how do we quantify its success? Empirical evidence has shown that workflow learning significantly improves time to competence, reduces errors, and lowers training costs. Research by Katie Coates and Frank Nguyen further supports…
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The Human Skills Challenge: Using XR to Boost Soft Skills
Imagine a new manager preparing for a tough conversation with a team member. Instead of preparing using a one-off role-play in a classroom, she slips on a VR headset and encounters a lifelike virtual colleague. An AI-driven coach offers real-time feedback on empathy and clarity. Across the hall, a trainee uses an AR app to practice customer interactions in a simulated version of his actual store. These scenarios are already unfolding in forward-thinking organizations. AI, AR, and VR are reshaping how enterprises develop human, or “soft,” skills such as communication, leadership, and teamwork. These immersive methods promise faster learning, lower…
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Why Nurturing International Social Connections Is Good for You
Globalization was a big word some decades ago. But even before the trend emerged, on my travels, I had always been happy receiving a business card from a person who was living far away from me. In a completely different country, even on a different continent, often recognizable as “a different culture.” In modern times, with, as is said sarcastically, the problems remaining the only global thing, I still believe we should learn from one another—despite being physically far apart. Many years ago, it was my curiosity that drove me to my international connections—these subsequently resulted in some benefits for…
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Design for Change: Because You Know It’s Coming
By Megan Torrance and Lauren Milstid You’ve been there before. You mapped out the perfect route. The plan was solid, every step carefully laid out. The team was prepared, and the destination was clear. Then, the landscape shifted. A key stakeholder left, priorities changed, a new SME joined the team, or new requirements emerged. Suddenly, your well-planned path no longer works, and you’re forced to reroute. Your project has been waylaid by an onslaught of change. What if, instead of resisting change, you designed for it from the start? That begins with anticipating the shifts ahead—before they disrupt your project.…
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Innovating in L&D: Practical Strategies for Real Impact
To innovate is to make changes to something established by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. Let’s explore actionable ways to spark innovation within L&D.
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Cracking the Learning Code: How Personas Transform Training from Good to Great
Imagine Ruth, a seasoned and dedicated instructional designer working at a leading online learning platform organization for business professionals. She loves her job and is proud of her work. As she reviews feedback from the latest courses, she smiles at all the positive feedback; until she encounters a series of frustrated messages from busy learners: The content is good, but the format doesn’t work for my schedule. I can’t balance this course with my full-time job. These comments hit hard because Ruth prides herself on creating engaging learning experiences, but, it seemed, she’d fallen into a common trap: designing for…
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Establishing ROI at Every Phase of ADDIE
One of the hot topics in L&D right now is establishing an organization’s return on investment (ROI) from training offerings. This can feel daunting, especially if your L&D department lacks bandwidth. With increasing demands to do more with less, finding time to do the legwork to gather and compile all the data can feel like the final straw on the camel’s back.
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Promoting Employee Development: Beyond the ‘Banking Model’
Creating effective design strategies in line with effective adult learning theories is not an easy task for L&D specialists who face corporate constraints, such as appeasing company policies, scheduling development opportunities around busy schedules, meeting ROIs, and working with limited budgets. These constraints also cascade to employees who resist learning opportunities based on prior experiences of lackluster development programs. While published over 55 years ago for an academic audience, Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed provides useful insight for L&D specialists who face corporate constraints and employee resistance when designing and implementing learning opportunities. In this text, Freire theorizes that…
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New Dates & Location for the Learning Leadership Conference 2025
The Learning Guild announces the 2025 Learning Leadership Conference in Orlando (Oct 1-3), featuring L&D executives from top companies, expanded networking, and deep dives into AI, data, and leadership development. Early registration discounts available.
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You Can Lead a Horse to Water: Make Learning Stick with Soft Skills
We’ve all heard the saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” This adage is particularly relevant in the world of learning and development. As educators, trainers, or mentors, we can provide learners with all the resources and opportunities they need, but how do we ensure that the learning behavior sticks? This is a question my coworker recently posed, and it got me thinking about the role of soft skills in fostering lasting behavior change. The challenge of behavior change Behavior change is a complex and multifaceted process that extends far beyond the simple…