Recent studies are encouraging regarding the evaluation of talent development at the impact and ROI levels. For example, a major study showed that 43% of learning managers report that their business goals and learning goals are very aligned (that's impact). Also, 46% indicate that they are successful at comparing the costs and benefits of a learning program (that's ROI). Other trends indicate the improvement in measurement, pushing it beyond traditional measurement of reaction, learning, and sometimes application. While the driver for ROI is still the C-suite, more organizations are being proactive and getting ahead of the request. In the midst of all the positive news, there is still the nagging issue that evaluation at the impact and ROI levels appears to be difficult and time-consuming. 

This session will examine seven important trends that are developing and explore how to step up to the challenge of connecting programs to the business and evaluating at the impact and even ROI level, with not so much effort. 

One of the trends is that soft skills are typically a target for requests at the impact and ROI levels. In this session, we'll take an example of a soft skills request and present an easy way to connect soft skills to impact and ROI with very little effort on the part of the L&D team. Bring an open mind and your key questions to this high-content-based session. 

Objectives

After attending this session, participants should be able to:

1. Articulate the five levels of outcomes that are present in all learning and talent development programs.
2. Describe how to get participants more involved in evaluating programs at the impact and ROI levels. 
3. Explain a simple ROI evaluation showing how it was planned and how data are collected, analyzed, reported, and leveraged. 
4. Plan next steps for bringing more accountability to learning.

Jack J. Phillips, Ph.D., chairman of ROI Institute, Inc., is a world-renowned expert on accountability, measurement, and evaluation. Former bank president, HR Executive, and learning manager, Phillips provides consulting services to Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit entities, and government and non-governmental organizations worldwide. He is the author or editor of more than 100 books, conducts workshops, and presents at conferences worldwide.

Jack has received several awards for his books and work. The American Society for Training and Development gave him the award, Distinguished Contribution to Workplace Learning and Development, and the Thought Leader Award (its highest award). The International Society for Performance Improvement presented Jack with its highest award, the Thomas F. Gilbert Award, for his contribution to human performance technology. The Society for Human Resource Management presented him with an award for one of his books and honored a Phillips ROI study with its highest award for creativity.

In 2019, Jack, along with his wife, Patti P. Phillips, received the Distinguished Contributor Award by the Center for Talent Reporting for their contribution to the measurement and management of human capital. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Fortune. He has been interviewed by several television programs, including CNN.