From Strategy to Skill: How to Upskill for Organizational Agility
Featuring insights from two D2L L&D experts, discover how strategic upskilling turns business strategy into skill-building that drives agility and growth across your organization.
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AI is reshaping the business landscape—and learning and development (L&D) is no exception. While the potential is huge, building a smart AI strategy takes more than enthusiasm. It requires thoughtful preparation, adaptability and a willingness to experiment.
In this piece, L&D experts and the hosts of D2L’s L&D series, Let Them Cook, Kristina Tsiriotakis and Jenna Lauren, share five practical tips to help your team harness AI effectively and drive real impact.
1. Start With Content Development
One of AI’s most exciting and immediate opportunities for L&D teams is in easing content creation. “We spend hours on content design as learning practitioners, and we often do this with tight timeframes,” says Kristina Tsiriotakis, senior director, learning and organizational development at D2L.
This isn’t about AI replacing us as content creators. It’s about helping us streamline our processes. Whether it’s hours spent in research, workshop planning or assessments, there are so many ways we can leverage AI to help us develop content.– Kristina Tsiriotakis, senior director, learning and organizational development, D2L
Remember—communication is key when working with AI. Be specific in your prompts, provide clear feedback and be ready to iterate until the output reflects your vision.
2. Use Predictive Analytics to Make Smarter Decisions
AI can enable organizations, L&D teams and employees to leverage analytics in new ways and help make data-informed decisions. “If you’re not leveraging technologies that are leading the way in predictive analytics, you’re definitely missing out,” says Kristina. “As a people or learning leader, they can do so much to help analyze job roles, skill gaps, career progression patterns and industry trends.”
Kristina also shares how D2L uses technology to offer learners a personalized skill assessment that maps their current skills to their career aspirations. This provides them with a personalized, targeted and highly impactful development plan.
3. Reduce Repetitive Tasks and Processes
Another area of promise is AI’s potential to help L&D teams automate repetitive, manual tasks—such as answering questions about company policies—and create valuable time for them to focus on more strategic work. “This really empowers your people, creating a better employee experience,” says Jenna Lauren, L&D partner at D2L.
“It’s not about replacing what you do,” says Kristina. “It’s about freeing up your time to do your best work. I think that’s really what automation is about.”
4. Support Personalized Coaching and Feedback
AI can also be used to deliver personalized coaching and real-time feedback, offer instant corrections and explanations, and guide learners through more complex topics.
When training our sales teams using Video Assignments, AI can provide feedback on things like speech clarity, filler words or even keywords set out by the instructor in advance. This is a really great example of human-first, AI-enabled learning.– Jenna Lauren, L&D partner, D2L
Rather than replacing human interaction, AI can enable a deeper, more scalable learning experience. “At the end of the day, most organizations can’t offer personalized coaching at scale,” adds Kristina. “If you can imagine a workplace where all employees have access to coaching and to these supports, you can imagine how much more taken care of your people will be.”
5. Adopt a Growth Mindset
Integrating AI into your practice requires curiosity and a willingness to experiment. Stay open to new approaches, engage with your professional network and reflect on how AI can make your work more impactful. Remember, it’s not about following a rigid formula—it’s about finding what works for your organization.
The Big Idea
AI isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, but it can be a powerful tool to amplify creativity, streamline processes and open up new possibilities for L&D. The key is to move forward with intention and take one thoughtful step at a time.
As Kristina says, “AI is here to enhance your skills and creativity, not replace them. Embrace it with an open mind, and you might be amazed where it can take you.”
Enjoy a Fresh Take on Corporate L&D
Let Them Cook is a sizzling video series where your hosts, Kristina and Jenna, stir up timely, relevant topics in L&D. From strategy to upskilling, leadership to learner engagement, we serve it all with heart, humor and a side of heat.
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