Hot Topics in Training

Last year, I did Hot Topics in Training - A Crude (but mildly interesting) Analysis where I analyzed the topics at Training 2005 and Training 2006 to determine what topics were emerging and fading. As a speaker and someone expected to have a pulse on what's happening, I thought this was mildly interesting. So, I'm doing it again this time based on the topics in Training 2007.

One of the reasons I choose the Training conference is that it's not as leading edge as eLearningGuild events, but is a bit more mainstream, corporate than ASTD conferences. Although people may debate this.

Some of the mildly interesting results:

• blog still didn't appear in a topic line, nor did social - but were discussed in several sessions
• wiki finally appeared in two talks - about a year later than one would have thought
• strategy/strategic and performance are back as topics after dropping way down in 2006
• surprisingly trainer is also back, you would think in the age of eLearning 1.0, 1.3 and 2.0 this would be down
  
• notable dropping topics: games, simulations, knowledge, interactive and blended
  

The fact that blended did not appear in a topic might suggest that it is assumed at this point - or maybe it's dead - see: Blended Learning Dead?

It's interesting that interactive / interactivity is dropping. Normally topics like "Adding Interactivity to your eLearning" are sure to pack the room. I wonder if the steady increase in rapid and the decrease of effective has anything to do with that?

	2005	2006	2007	Change	%Chg
results	9	0	2	2
wiki	0	0	2	2
assessment	3	1	3	2	200%
virtual classroom	5	1	3	2	200%
align/ment	8	1	3	2	200%
strategy/ic	10	3	8	5	167%
trainer	6	7	14	7	100%
performance	17	9	18	9	100%
lms	2	3	5	2	67%
rapid	3	4	5	1	25%
roi	9	4	5	1	25%
shoestring	0	3	3	0	0%
collaboration	1	2	2	0	0%
accelerated	3	2	2	0	0%
enterprise	8	1	1	0	0%
metrics	3	0	0	0	0%
blog	0	0	0	0	0%
training	43	50	49	-1	-2%
learning	102	73	71	-2	-3%
flash	3	7	6	-1	-14%
leadership	2	5	4	-1	-20%
authoring	4	4	3	-1	-25%
development	10	11	8	-3	-27%
design	26	25	18	-7	-28%
project	6	9	6	-3	-33%
powerpoint	6	3	2	-1	-33%
effective	5	5	3	-2	-40%
software	6	4	2	-2	-50%
tools	8	4	2	-2	-50%
delivering	5	5	2	-3	-60%
evaluation	1	3	1	-2	-67%
simulations	16	19	6	-13	-68%
games	0	23	7	-16	-70%
management	15	20	5	-15	-75%
technology	8	4	1	-3	-75%
knowledge	9	9	2	-7	-78%
interactive	5	13	2	-11	-85%
blended	4	4	0	-4	-100%