Organizations must think carefully before investing in technology for workplace training. Technology is great – but it’s not the panacea. Blindly invest in technology and you risk losing the human element which makes the best training so engaging and motivating.

And beyond that, when content and resources are so easily available online, training can diminish in value. And it’s possible that training companies’ very existence could be in doubt, unless they innovate and enhance the services they offer.

So how can we stop the rot? The real value of training is in the experience. Putting the user first is essential. And in this world where personalization is key, technology should be viewed as an enabler – enhancing the human experience. It’s the means to an end, not the outcome itself.

With this in mind, organizations need to properly harness the technology they use to achieve its full potential – to make teaching and learning better. So, let’s look at the three C’s for making technology work in corporate training.

Understanding the consumer

We need to start with a mindset shift. Your employees are consumers and understanding them is vital. And just as the use of data in the commercial world has grown in the last five years to understand and serve customers better, we now see the adoption of data and analytics in training. Used in the correct way, data can help trainers understand students’ learning behaviors, how they’re consuming training material and where they’re excelling or struggling. Harnessing data allows trainers to personalize learning and demonstrate added value. Timely intervention, based on data-led insight, helps improve results and, ultimately, demonstrates ROI on training spend.

Collaboration is key

When people work together their performance is enhanced. Most trainers know this – of course – and encourage teamwork, both inside the training room and in a virtual learning environment. But comprehensive collaboration, or connected learning, is more than just bringing trainer feedback online and offering the right to reply. A 360 approach to connected learning combines peer-to-peer engagement, reciprocal teaching and delegate/trainer collaboration. It provides delegates with the ability to learn on their own terms, in their own way and gives trainers a better view of progress.

Content is, and has always been, king

It’s trite, but it’s true. The content we consume has the ability to educate, entertain and inspire. And the plethora of content available online, and from our broadcast industry, must be better harnessed for corporate training. To enable the use of relevant multimedia content in training, organizations can utilize content library platforms with curated educational video clips from reputed content producers from around the world. This means trainers don’t have to create the content themselves or figure out where to store it. It’s all nicely stored in the cloud through an easy-to-use interface. Organizations can also strategically select the videos in the learning library to align with individual roles and business goals.

By understanding these three rules, learning and development can use technology to increase performance and productivity, while delivering a return on training dollars. We all know that the most pressing challenges for any company is to attract the best talent, and to keep them motivated and inspired when in employment. By delivering engaging, collaborative and, dare I say, entertaining training, organizations are taking a key step on the path to meeting these objectives.