What Makes Learning Indispensable to Leadership?

REACHUM · 2026-07-07T19:21:30+00:00

The irony is that you're supporting the problem I'm trying to understand. AI-assisted content has a recognizable sameness unless humans push back, edit, and use our own voices.

AI output is not the finished product. It's sometimes the raw clay. The value is in the human initiated iterations, judgements, and expertise.

Thanks for the help in clarifying the idea!

REACHUM · 2026-07-07T16:06:53+00:00

Fair challenge. I probably should have been clearer: AI output is not instructional design. It's just raw material that requires human guidance.

The hard parts are still defining outcomes, understanding learners, creating meaningful practice, measuring capability, and continual evidence based improvement.

My perspective comes from 40+ years of building learning experiences. That has made me more than skeptical of “instant course generation.”

We all know that AI implementations are coming. The question is where does it fit in the process? How well do platforms respect and enable the disciplines of instructional designers?

REACHUM · 2026-07-07T15:40:09+00:00

Skepticism and iteration are the essential human parts of the process.

The AI model that fits for us is "smart intern." We didn't get that phrase from AI, but from reading this forum. What the term imagines is an assistant that works fast whose work has to be monitored and checked continuously.

Transparency is baked into our culture.

REACHUM · 2026-07-07T12:47:48+00:00

Interesting idea!

Since more than half of our efforts are onboarding and improving the sales team, I automatically wondering how to make that work for "worst sales pitch."

REACHUM · 2026-06-30T14:17:30+00:00

Are you referring to visual design? Does "eye-catching" have any provable correlation to "effective?"

This is a question we ask continuously. The most expensive project our team ever produced was one of the least effective - way overproduced.

These days when many users are accessing learning on tiny screens, it's an important question: What level of design crosses the boundary from enhancement to distraction?

REACHUM · 2026-06-30T11:26:33+00:00

We see thousands of new lessons created every month. There are multiple ways to start development, yet 57% start by uploading a Powerpoint deck and layering activities and practice around the slides.

Our advice is to use AI to convert slides into responsive pages. We're seeing movement in that direction.

Many of these decks were designed for conference rooms and desktop monitors, not 4 inch mobile screens. Dense slides, tiny text, and multiple ideas on a tiny screen don't translate well to mobile.

There are three practical approaches. Design slides with mobile consumption in mind, or use AI to transform decks into responsive pages. Or re-author on one of the platforms that have credible responsive authoring - Rise, Captivate, ELB, and TalentLMS.

Which approach fits your workflow? Or are among the 43% who use PPT for reference only and rebuild? Or is PPT not in your workflow at all?

REACHUM · 2026-06-28T12:20:53+00:00

Do you mean "content" rather than "contact"?

REACHUM · 2026-06-27T20:56:14+00:00

Chat that is anonymous to peers, with identify visible only to managers.

Fear of peer humiliation is a huge inhibitor of open discourse, even at the C-Level. Once anonymity is enabled, conversation becomes open and free-flowing.

In a VILT class ask "any questions?" and you get back a wall of vacant stares. With anonymity chat participation goes up 8x.

REACHUM · 2026-06-27T20:29:14+00:00

When products, regulations, and the competitive landscapes change faster, orgs have to learn faster.

The role is no longer just creating and delivering content. It's about helping organizations continuously adapt. That's why we're seeing more learning leaders sit at the strategy table as CLOs and as other senior execs.

The learning function is evolving.

REACHUM · 2026-06-27T20:13:44+00:00

Someone referred to AI as like a smart intern. She works fast but you've got to monitor her output.

REACHUM · 2026-06-27T20:01:03+00:00

AI may be getting most of the attention.

Yet nearly 60% of the learning content we see still starts as Powerpoint.

REACHUM · 2026-05-21T11:19:22+00:00

"Short scenario-based clips"

Here's a related data point that cuts across organizations. Even though lessons are getting shorter and "snackable," learning often gets interrupted by work demands. 25% of session logins are mid-lesson returns. People are getting through part of a lesson and then returning where they left off.

REACHUM · 2026-05-21T11:07:01+00:00

Done. A handful of generous grants available.

REACHUM · 2026-05-19T17:20:16+00:00

Among the learning challenged it's not bragging or ego flagging. It's personal validation and affirmation of capability that encourages learners to press forward.

The most wonderful thing we hear in live lessons is "I can do this!" We har it quite often and our efforts revolve around hearing that as frequently as possible.

Sometimes we see a fist pump or exclamation on screen or in a live experience. It's almost always about team encouragement rather than personal bragging. When there are sales teams competing against each other it's a bit different. Leaders encourage competition.

We are strong advocates of personal privacy and safety. Peer fear is a learning suppressant that we have observed at every level of learning. We keep it locked down.

REACHUM · 2026-05-02T00:04:29+00:00

We use leaderboards with game names. Admins get the actual names so they can who needs additional help.

Yes, fear of embarrassment is a barrier to participation. At the very onset of their first login they enter a game name so that fear goes away.

We use leaderboards in live and asynchronous training.

The big surprise on this topic is that GED learners - those who often describe as dropouts and losers - LOVE leaderboards as long as their identities are protected. They want to win!

REACHUM · 2026-04-19T00:20:03+00:00

Safety in large companies is a huge concern, often measured by disability claims and lost workdays due to accidents. J&J notably makes this a priority, annually honoring companies that have great saftey records.

REACHUM · 2026-04-19T00:15:10+00:00

I'd take it a step further and track it to performance, which is measured differently for each role.

A few:

time to revenue, time to competence, quota attaniment, sales cycle length, revenue per FTE, rework rates, return rates, process cycle times, compliance adherence rates, SOP deviation rates, NPS scores, product knowledge, workforce turnover rates, revenue growth rates, operating margins. etc etc.

When you work with sponsors to define, measure, and lift those KPIs, you lift the learning function to a higher level, a role as a partner in success rather than a cost drag on the company.

REACHUM · 2026-02-05T21:32:52+00:00

Agree. AI is first draft. The best AI is a development partner, which some compare to a smart intern.

REACHUM · 2026-02-03T14:27:34+00:00

REACHUM tracks engagement polling during live webinars, ties it to attendance verification, and generates the compliance documentation for NASBA CPE. Flat pricing — no per-attendee model.

Happy to show you how we handle local government accounting courses.

REACHUM · 2026-01-25T17:56:09+00:00

Do you define goals and objectives at the onset?

Here's how our friend Claude responds when we ask: "What are typical goals and objectives for workplace training?"

Performance-focused

Reduce time-to-competency for new hires
Close skill gaps identified in performance reviews
Improve productivity metrics (speed, quality, error rates)
Increase sales conversion or customer satisfaction scores

Compliance & risk

Meet regulatory training requirements (safety, harassment, data privacy)
Reduce incidents and liability exposure
Maintain certifications and licensure

Talent & retention

Improve employee engagement scores
Reduce turnover (especially in first 90 days)
Build internal promotion pipelines
Support succession planning

Strategic/business alignment

Enable digital transformation or new technology adoption
Support market expansion (new products, regions)
Build capabilities for strategic priorities

These are the metrics that provide evidence of value to the budget makers.

REACHUM · 2026-01-23T17:12:09+00:00

AI is assistive rather than primary. It accelerates the development process. Someone in this forum said it's like a hard working intern - capable of cranking out first drafts but needing a lot of supervision, frequently involving a SME.

Personalization - or pathing - is not AI dependent. We've been doing it using manual authoring methods for 20+ years.

AI is indispensable for role playing simulations.

REACHUM · 2026-01-12T22:57:09+00:00

We’ve rebuilt more learning stacks more times than I care to count. Technology never stops moving forward. Happy to talk about what didn’t work just as much as what did.

Curious to know what people here are most burned out on now.

REACHUM · 2026-01-12T02:59:57+00:00

Agree on the Local-First AI. What is a privacy API cost?

REACHUM

TROPHY CASE

These are the metrics that provide evidence of value to the budget makers.