The Intersection of Communications and Training: Lessons from Flagger Force

Training doesn't end when learners leave the classroom. Tamara Palmer and Chris Byerly of Flagger Force, a leading short-term traffic control company, discuss how they blend communications, microlearning, and audience-centered messaging to keep critical safety information top of mind for a dispersed frontline workforce. 

Show Notes: Tamara Palmer and Chris Byerly share a practical framework for organizations with dispersed or frontline workforces to make training more effective by treating communication as an extension of learning. Their key takeaways include:

• Reinforcement is where learning becomes performance. People forget up to 80–90% of what they learn within a month. Palmer explains how Flagger Force uses mobile microlearning to reinforce classroom training with short, focused lessons that reach employees wherever they work.
• Treat training like an internal marketing campaign. Byerly argues that simply publishing training isn't enough. Organizations need healthy communication channels that employees actually value, then market learning through messaging that captures attention and builds engagement.
• Different audiences need different messages. Rather than sending everyone the same communication, Palmer shares her "balanced storytelling framework," tailoring messages for office staff, field leaders, and frontline workers based on each group's responsibilities and information needs.
• Understanding people is a strategic advantage. Drawing on employee research, Byerly explains why understanding the motivations, challenges, and needs of frontline workers leads to stronger communication, better learning, and higher engagement.
• Measure more than clicks. Open rates matter, but they're only the beginning. Palmer discusses using employee questions, microlearning performance, engagement data, and long-term safety outcomes to determine whether learning and communication efforts are actually changing behavior.

Listen to this Powered by Learning episode featuring Flagger Force:

Microlearning that Drives a Culture of Safety

About Chris Byerly 

Chris Byerly is Associate Vice President of Strategy at Flagger Force, where he leads cross-functional growth and transformation initiatives connecting brand, technology, people, and enterprise strategy. He has supported the company’s growth from approximately $30 million to $170 million in revenue through digital transformation, M&A integration, brand evolution, public affairs, and enterprise-wide strategic initiatives. Chris specializes in translating executive vision into scalable systems, aligned teams, and measurable business outcomes. His diverse background includes previous roles with Ahold, Leap Research, and Neiman, as well as serving as a professor of corporate strategy in Beijing. Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Penn State University and a Master of Science in International Management from SOAS University of London.

About Tamara Palmer, MA

Tamara Palmer, MA, is the Internal Communications Manager at Flagger Force, bringing more than 20 years of experience helping organizations communicate with employees and stakeholders across government, nonprofit, academic, and business sectors. In her current role, she manages the mobile app that connects Flagger Force’s highly dispersed workforce of more than 3,000 employees, maintaining a 98% employee activation rate while providing convenient access to resources and safety-based microlearning. Tamara combines digital technology with human-centered collaboration to connect and engage people, forge inspired insights, recommendations, and strategies.

Powered by Learning earned Awards of Distinction in the Podcast/Audio and Business Podcast categories from The Communicator Awards and a Gold and Silver Davey Award. The podcast is also named to Feedspot's Top 40 L&D podcasts and Training Industry’s Ultimate L&D Podcast Guide.

Learn more about d'Vinci at www.dvinci.com.
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