L&D and HR leaders face a challenge: how to harness new learning technologies without losing the human touch that makes learning effective.
The recently published ATD report — Human-Tech Interface: Finding the Right Blend in Learning Design — examines this exact challenge. The report highlights that talent development professionals and everyday employees care deeply about how training is delivered. And for good reason.
It turns out how learning is delivered and whether it includes human facilitation profoundly impacts whether people feel safe, motivated and engaged. The human touch remains key to driving learning effectiveness, even when combined with AI tools and digital platforms.
For L&D decision-makers seeking a proven, human-centered solution, Insights Discovery stands out as the ideal choice. It’s a trusted, facilitator-led development program built around a robust personality framework, used by thousands of organizations worldwide. Nearly half of the Fortune 500 companies rely on Insights as a key learning and leadership development partner.
Below, we explore how Insights Discovery uniquely delivers on the modern learning needs highlighted in ATD’s research, from ensuring human connection and building trust to driving engagement and behavioral change.
Insights Discovery is both a people development framework and an L&D program that helps teams transform their performance and productivity. Each participant receives an Insights Discovery Profile, a simple yet powerful and memorable psychometric profile relying on a four-color energy model.
Profiles are highly personalized and offer a clear view of each individual’s work and communication preferences, including their strengths and development areas. They’re also psychologically validated and consistently score above 90% in accuracy ratings based on learner feedback.
Insights Discovery as a program
Insights Discovery is delivered through workshops led by trained human facilitators. Participants receive their Personal Profile, then explore what it means in the context of their roles and relationships. The delivery is adapted to the group, so it works for organizations of any size and with any work arrangement.
Insights Discovery as an L&D framework
Insights Discovery acts as a force multiplier for L&D efforts. By creating a common language teams can use to discuss and improve their needs and preferences, conversations are more fruitful and efficient. Insights Discovery also improves self-awareness, equipping individuals and L&D leaders to understand what development areas require attention, often with enough specifics to chart a clear path forward.
Insights Discovery is applicable to all initiatives, whether the focus is leadership development or building more effective working relationships.
Along with championing human-led learning, the ATD report highlighted that learning effectiveness is linked to training that is credible, psychologically safe, engaging, and personalized. Here’s how Insights Discovery compares against these crucial criteria.
Training is credible and trusted
One clear finding from ATD’s report is that live, human-facilitated training earns far more trust from learners than self-paced e-learning. Learners associate credibility with having a knowledgeable instructor and clear goals, elements that can be lacking in automated or one-size-fits-all digital courses.
Insights Discovery embodies this credibility by using expert human facilitators in every session. Workshops are led by accredited practitioners who establish rapport, explain the science behind the Insights Discovery four-color model and link learning to team roles. When used as a framework, Insights Discovery’s proven approach and accurate profiles lend credibility to L&D initiatives.
Learning is psychologically safe
Without psychological safety, meaningful learning can’t happen. Teams need to feel safe to ask questions, admit confusion and share ideas. The ATD research confirms this, adding that live, human-led sessions create the most comfort.
Insights Discovery gives learners their own personalized Insights Discovery profile, which uses the non-judgmental language of color energies to describe their preferences. This shared, empathetic language reduces friction and fear of being “wrong,” ensuring participation feels safe and constructive.
At the same time, Insights Discovery facilitators establish ground rules for respect and confidentiality, and the program’s positive psychology approach ensures that differences in style are celebrated.
Sessions are engaging and encourage participation
Teams learn best when actively engaged. As the ATD report highlights, “learning sticks when people participate and practice, rather than passively consume content.”
Insights Discovery is deliberately designed to maximize learner engagement through rich interaction and practice. An Insights session is a dynamic experience where participants move around, exchange perspectives and take part in hands-on exercises. For example, learners might break into groups to solve a problem using diverse thinking styles, or practice adapting their communication approach to someone of a different color energy. This hands-on learning keeps energy high and helps translate theory into skills.
Insights Discovery enables personalization
ATD research reveals that most teams expect and want personalization in their training programs. After all, personalization ensures L&D is relevant to each individual’s needs.
With Insights Discovery, no two sessions are the same. Every participant’s journey starts with a personal and detailed psychometric assessment. This profile serves as a customized and actionable roadmap for growth. Throughout the workshop, facilitators use these profiles to tailor discussions and exercises.
Beyond Insights sessions, these profiles empower other courses. They provide a rich treasure trove of information for determining and actioning development pathways. Profiles also equip trainers to shape content and facilitation to the people in the room.
The impact is measurable
Insights Discovery’s entire approach centers on increasing self-awareness and then turning that insight into behavior change. As learning outcomes are tied to observable behaviors like improved communication, more effective teamwork and better leadership, it’s much easier to track impact.
This focus helps solve a key issue revealed by ATD research, which is that few organizations collect data measuring the impact of training on behavior change. After all, behavior change is a profound marker of learning effectiveness.
Employees today want learning that is trusted, engaging, personalized and impactful. ATD’s latest research reinforces that live, human-centered development experiences check all those boxes.
Insights Discovery embodies this human-centered approach in a standalone, proven solution. It strikes the right balance between high-tech and high-touch: while it uses an online assessment and can integrate with digital tools, its core is a facilitator-led experience that brings people together.
Highly valuable for organizations using the platform, Insights Discovery integrates with Microsoft Teams, helping every person on your team connect and perform better, right where work happens.
If you are evaluating programs that improve communication and working relationships across teams, Insights Discovery might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Considering Insights Discovery? Tell us about your learning and development goals. One of our specialists will be in touch to explore how we can make the greatest impact in your organization.