How a Former Journalist Builds Corporate Training That Competes With TikTok and YouTube with Brad Ulmanu of Expedia Group
As learning and development teams navigate rapid technological change, evolving business priorities, and growing expectations from learners, the ability to connect learning with measurable business outcomes has become increasingly important. In this episode of Learning Leader Spotlight, Brad Ulmanu, Director of Learning Experience at Expedia Group, shares insights on career growth, storytelling, leadership, and the future of learning in an AI-enabled world.
Throughout the conversation, Brad emphasizes that effective learning is not simply about delivering content. It’s about creating meaningful experiences that engage people, support organizational goals, and inspire action through compelling narratives. Prior to entering corporate learning and development, he worked as a journalist, academic, researcher, and communication trainer.
His background in journalism has shaped his perspective on learning, particularly his belief that storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for helping people understand, connect with ideas, and navigate change. Drawing from experience across media, education, and corporate learning, Brad offers a multidisciplinary view of how modern learning organizations can create greater impact.
Storytelling as a Core Leadership and Learning Capability
Storytelling emerged as the most consistent theme throughout the discussion. Brad views storytelling as a bridge between journalism and learning and development, arguing that people naturally learn through stories rather than through the simple delivery of information.
He describes storytelling as more than a communication technique. It is a way of clarifying objectives, outlining journeys, and helping people understand the path from a current state to a desired future state. Whether gaining executive support, influencing stakeholders, or designing learning experiences, storytelling helps leaders create alignment and meaning.
Brad suggests that storytelling is one of the most valuable workplace skills because it enables professionals to communicate vision, drive action, and encourage engagement across teams and organizations.
Career Growth Is Rarely Linear
Reflecting on his own professional journey, Brad highlights the importance of remaining open to change and unexpected opportunities.
After building a career in journalism and academia, he transitioned into corporate learning and development, demonstrating how skills developed in one field can transfer successfully into another. Looking back, he would encourage his younger self to embrace uncertainty, recognize that careers rarely follow a straight path, and remain willing to evolve as interests and opportunities change.
This perspective reflects a broader reality of today’s workplace. Employees increasingly move across functions, industries, and disciplines throughout their careers. Adaptability and continuous learning have become essential traits for long-term success.
Brad also stresses that fulfillment should remain a constant. While roles and career paths may change, meaningful work that creates impact and personal satisfaction should continue to be an important consideration.
Audience Analysis in Instructional Design:
Balancing Impact and Enjoyment
Another recurring theme is the connection between purpose and enjoyment in professional life.
Brad consistently returns to two principles that have guided his career: creating meaningful impact and finding joy in the work. While acknowledging that every role includes challenges, obstacles, and less enjoyable tasks, he believes people should seek work that energizes and motivates them.
This philosophy is particularly relevant for learning leaders, whose work often focuses on enabling growth, improving performance, and supporting broader organizational success. Brad views impact not only as a measure of effectiveness but as a source of personal and professional fulfillment.
His comments offer a reminder that organizational performance and employee engagement are often interconnected. People are more likely to bring their best efforts when they feel connected to meaningful outcomes.
Human Relationships Require Curiosity and Openness
When discussing collaboration and leadership, Brad stresses the importance of challenging assumptions about people.
Rather than relying heavily on first impressions or secondhand opinions, he recommends approaching colleagues with curiosity and openness. While reputations and past experiences can provide context, he believes individuals should be evaluated through direct interactions and authentic relationships.
His experience has shown that many preconceived notions prove inaccurate once people work together. Strong partnerships often emerge when individuals take time to understand one another’s perspectives, motivations, and strengths.
Underlying this view is a fundamentally optimistic belief that most people care deeply about their work and genuinely strive to do their best. For leaders, this mindset can help foster trust, collaboration, and stronger working relationships across organizations.
AI Is Reshaping Learning, but Strategy Remains a Human Responsibility
The conversation also explores one of the most significant developments affecting learning organizations today: artificial intelligence.
Brad acknowledges that AI is making the creation of learning products faster, easier, and more affordable. Activities that traditionally required substantial time and resources can increasingly be accelerated through technology.
However, he argues that this shift elevates rather than diminishes the importance of learning leadership. As production becomes more efficient, the differentiating factor will be strategic alignment and business partnership.
According to Brad, learning leaders must become increasingly skilled at working with business stakeholders, identifying organizational priorities, and ensuring learning investments contribute directly to business outcomes. The focus cannot remain solely on activity metrics such as course completion rates.
Instead, organizations should place greater emphasis on business impact, performance improvement, and return on investment. Learning leaders who can connect capability development to organizational objectives will be best positioned to create value in the evolving workplace.
Business Metrics Every Instructional Designer Should Know
Learning Must Compete for Attention
One of Brad’s most compelling observations relates to the changing expectations of learners.
Today’s employees consume high-quality content across numerous platforms, including video channels, social media, television, news outlets, and digital entertainment. As a result, learning experiences are no longer evaluated solely against other corporate training programs. They are compared, consciously or unconsciously, with the broader media experiences people encounter every day.
Brad argues that learning experiences do not need to be dry, static, or overly instructional. Instead, they can incorporate many of the same principles found in successful media formats, including strong storytelling, thoughtful design, engaging visuals, and audience-centered communication.
This perspective challenges traditional assumptions about workplace learning. Effective programs can deliver serious business outcomes while still being engaging, enjoyable, and memorable for learners.
Practical Takeaways for L&D and Business Leaders
Build Stronger Connections Between Learning and Business Outcomes
As technology streamlines learning production, leaders should invest more attention in business alignment. Success measures may need to extend beyond participation and performance metrics toward indicators such as performance support, organizational objectives, and return on investment.
Develop Storytelling as a Strategic Skill
Storytelling can strengthen leadership communication, improve stakeholder engagement, and increase learner connection to content. Learning leaders may benefit from viewing storytelling as a strategic capability rather than simply a presentation technique.
Design for Engagement, Not Just Completion
Employees increasingly expect experiences that are intuitive, relevant, and engaging. Learning teams should consider how storytelling, media design, and user experience principles can support attention, retention, and application.
Encourage Adaptability Across Careers and Teams
Career paths often shift in unexpected directions. Organizations that value transferable skills, continuous learning, and professional flexibility may be better positioned to adapt to changing business needs.
Lead with Curiosity When Working with Others
Building relationships based on direct experience rather than assumptions can improve collaborative learning. Leaders who approach teammates with openness are more likely to uncover strengths, perspectives, and opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked.
Resources and Tools Mentioned
Organizations and Information Sources
- I4CP (Institute for Corporate Productivity)
- The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling by Stephen Denning
- The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman
Closing Reflection
Brad Ulmanu’s perspective reflects an important evolution in corporate learning. While technology continues to transform how learning is created and delivered, the most critical challenges remain deeply human: understanding people, communicating effectively, creating meaningful experiences, and aligning development efforts with business goals.
His emphasis on storytelling, curiosity, adaptability, and impact serves as a reminder that successful learning organizations are not defined solely by the custom content they produce, but by their ability to help people grow, perform, and navigate change in an increasingly complex environment.
Closing Reflection
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