With all the existing and developing technology, there is a good chance that in a short while e-mail will become obsolete and we will communicate using live-like interactive holograms. Until then, writing and delivering electronic communication effectively is challenging enough.

At the end of a session people normally remember somewhere around 30% of the presented information. It’s clear that a lot more effort needs to be put not only into the design and delivery of a learning unit but also into follow-up activities and interventions.

Like any construction, an engaging workplace culture requires time, effort and resources. Not to mention constant upkeep and adjustments. The four pillars described above are, however, meant to provide a much needed stability and sustainability.

L&D professionals have had to adapt quite a lot in recent years. Everything from what to how and in what environment people learn has been subject to impressive transformation. Reward and recognition also needs to keep up and digital badges are the most sensible way to go.

Human memory is very selective and highly emotional. Designing a course so that it has an impact requires generating some degree of introspection in the learner, facilitating experiences rather that presenting lectures and making sure that only the most relevant subjects and information make the cut.

Instructional designers especially feel the need to up their game and release training material that has the power to attract, engage and ultimately lead to information assimilation. Knowing a thing or two about neuroscience can help, since the attention span is not really the issue but rather how it is captured and held.

In the case of e-learning, users find it easier to go through if a lot of the material is either film or animation. Static screens with lots of text on them are something of the past. In the face of this increasing appetence for video, L&D professionals need to get up to speed and become competent in creating relevant content fast.

Gamification has already proved to be more than a fad. Organizations have to be constantly in tune with these developments and adjust to them in order to be able to attract and retain the right people. Learning is not all about fun and games but fun and games can surely be beneficial to learning.

Storytelling is a very powerful tool, one that can be used in organizations everywhere. The ways in which storytelling can help smooth integrations, transitions and changes within an organisation are unlimited. Storytelling is all about moving people emotionally whether it is so that they remember an important piece of information, adhere to an organisational value or behave in a certain desirable way.

SMEs are not that easy to come by. In a time when information is so easily accessed, everybody can find out the basics of any topic – since most of them also have a ‘for dummies’ version targeted at those who really don’t have the first clue about a subject. Those who take the time and put in the effort to know more, to understand intricate workings and gather an extensive experience in a certain field are very valuable and should be treated as such.