Pallavi Jha of Dale Carnegie on AI in Training, Leadership Demand, and the Future of Professional Growth
đź“ťInterviews
In this exclusive interaction with StartupTalky, Pallavi Jha, Chairperson and MD of Walchand PeopleFirst Limited and Dale Carnegie Training India, shares insights into professional development. She explains how Dale Carnegie adapts their training methods to meet today's business needs, using AI, digital tools, and behavioural science. Jha highlights the rising demand for leadership and public speaking courses in India and how customised training delivers real results. She also discusses empowering women leaders and key trends shaping the future of professional learning.
StartupTalky: Dale Carnegie has been transforming lives for over a century. How has the company evolved its training methodologies to meet the changing needs of professionals and businesses today?
Ms Jha: Dale Carnegie has continuously evolved its training methodologies to align with the changing dynamics of the workplace while staying true to its core principles of interpersonal effectiveness, confidence-building, and leadership. Today, our approach is more dynamic, data-driven, and learner-centric than ever before.
We recognise that meaningful transformation requires both behavioural and emotional shifts. Our Performance Change Pathway™ is designed to facilitate this transformation through a structured process that includes Input, Awareness, Experience, Sustainment, and Output. We are invested in ensuring that participants not only acquire new skills but also develop the habits and mindset necessary for long-term success.
While in-person training has long been the cornerstone of the Dale Carnegie experience, we have expanded our offerings to include live online programs, making high-impact learning more accessible to professionals who prefer virtual formats. Popularly, our blended learning approach integrates in-person workshops with digital reinforcement tools, allowing for continuous skill development beyond the training room.
Additionally, we leverage AI and data analytics to personalise learning experiences, allowing each participant to receive tailored guidance based on their progress and needs. By incorporating the latest research in behavioural science and technology, we enable organisations to achieve scalable and sustainable performance improvements.
StartupTalky: Among leadership, communication, sales, and customer service training, which area sees the highest demand, and why?
Ms. Jha: In India, the highest demand continues to be for Leadership, Public Speaking, and High-Impact Presentation courses, driven by the growing recognition that strong leadership and communication skills are fundamental to organisational success.
As businesses operate in an increasingly complex and competitive environment, leaders must deal with uncertainty and stress, while driving innovation and inspiring their workforce through clarity and confidence. The demand for these skills is particularly pronounced in India, where rapid economic transformation and global market integration have intensified the need for leaders who can engage diverse stakeholders and drive strategic growth. Public speaking and presentation skills have emerged as critical differentiators, shaping how professionals influence decision-making, build credibility, and command attention in high-stakes settings.
At the heart of this transformation is the Dale Carnegie Course, the company's flagship program that has set the standard for leadership and communication training for over a century. This course remains highly relevant because it does more than impart knowledge—it transforms behaviours. By integrating confidence-building, interpersonal effectiveness, and leadership development into a hands-on, experiential framework, it enables individuals to translate learning into immediate, measurable impact. Its enduring appeal lies in its ability to develop the complete professional, equipping individuals not just to lead, but to inspire, persuade, and build meaningful connections in an ever-evolving business landscape.
StartupTalky: How do Dale Carnegie’s training programmes drive measurable improvements in employee engagement, leadership, and overall organisational performance?
Ms. Jha: Dale Carnegie's training programmes drive measurable improvements through a systematic approach that connects learning directly to business outcomes. We begin by establishing clear baseline metrics before training starts, using tools like engagement surveys, 360-degree assessments, and performance data to identify specific areas for improvement.
Our methodology focuses on behaviour change rather than just knowledge acquisition. We create both emotional and behavioural shifts that translate into workplace applications. The approach ensures that learning extends beyond the classroom into daily practices that impact key performance indicators.
We implement measurement at multiple levels: immediate participant feedback, behaviour change tracking through follow-up assessments, and organisational impact metrics. This multi-tiered approach allows us to demonstrate ROI through improvements in areas like employee retention, customer satisfaction scores, sales performance, and leadership effectiveness ratings.
Organisations typically report significant results after implementing Dale Carnegie training. For example, companies often see double-digit percentage increases in employee engagement scores, substantial improvements in leadership confidence and effectiveness, reduced turnover rates among high-potential employees, and enhanced team performance on collaborative projects.
By creating accountability structures and providing ongoing support, we help organisations transform isolated training events into cultural shifts that drive lasting performance improvements. Our approach is also adaptive – we continuously gather data throughout the training journey, allowing for adjustments that maximise impact for each specific organisation's needs and challenges.
Pratyusha Srivastava
StartupTalky: How do you tailor your training solutions to fit different industries and business challenges while ensuring lasting impact?
Ms. Jha: Our training solutions are tailored to the unique needs of each industry and organisation through a structured, insight-driven approach that ensures relevance and long-term impact. We begin with a comprehensive needs assessment, engaging stakeholders through interviews, performance data analysis, and skill gap identification to align training with business objectives. A diagnostic process allows us to move beyond generic frameworks and develop programs that incorporate industry-specific case studies, real-world scenarios, and sector-relevant challenges.
Customisation extends beyond content to application, where participants actively work on real business challenges, bridging the gap between theory and execution. To drive measurable impact, we ensure that training outcomes are tied to business performance. Post-training reinforcement is critical, and we integrate digital reinforcement tools, follow-up coaching, and structured manager engagement, equipping leaders with the resources to sustain and support skill application within their teams.
StartupTalky: With a presence in over 90 countries, how do you adapt leadership and skills training to meet diverse cultural and regional business needs?
Ms. Jha: Our global approach to training begins with a foundation of universal human principles that transcend cultural boundaries while acknowledging that effective adaptation requires deep cultural intelligence. We strike a balance between consistency and localisation by maintaining our core methodologies while customizing content and delivery to align with cultural nuances, business practices, and communication styles in each market.
The adaptability is driven by our deep cultural intelligence and an extensive network of local trainers who bring a first-hand understanding of regional dynamics, ensuring that every program is both globally consistent and locally relevant.
Effective adaptation requires more than translation—it demands a nuanced approach to leadership and communication. In practice, this means adjusting leadership strategies to align with varying power distance dynamics, modifying communication techniques to respect cultural preferences for directness or indirectness, and tailoring team-building exercises to reflect local collaboration norms.
Our curriculum is shaped by extensive market research, allowing us to design training that directly addresses the unique business challenges, regulatory landscapes, and industry priorities of each region.
Beyond regional customisation, our global network facilitates the exchange of best practices, ensuring that successful innovations in one market can inform and inspire approaches in another. The continuous learning cycle strengthens our ability to provide impactful, culturally attuned training while maintaining the integrity of our proven methodologies.
Through this approach, Dale Carnegie remains a global leader in leadership and skills development, empowering professionals across 90+ countries to thrive in their respective business environments.
StartupTalky: What key metrics or indicators do you use to assess the effectiveness of your training programmes for both individuals and organisations?
Ms. Jha: We use a comprehensive framework of metrics to assess training effectiveness at both individual and organisational levels.
For individuals, we assess multiple dimensions of growth by establishing clear benchmarks before training begins. We conduct baseline evaluations of key competencies and behaviours through self-assessments and manager feedback, creating a data-driven foundation for measuring progress. Throughout the program, we track changes in confidence, the frequency of skill application, and observable behavioural shifts through participant self-reporting and structured observations.
Our methodology incorporates NPS and Voice of Customer insights to gauge engagement and perceived effectiveness. Post-program assessments focus on knowledge retention, skill demonstration, and the consistency of application in real-world settings, ensuring that learning translates into sustained professional development.
At the organisational level, our metrics align with business objectives. We track employee engagement scores, measuring factors like team collaboration, innovation contributions, and participation in company initiatives. Leadership effectiveness is assessed through 360-degree feedback, tracking improvements in areas like communication clarity, team development, and decision-making quality. For customer-facing roles, we measure changes in customer satisfaction ratings, retention rates, and relationship growth.
ROI calculations incorporate both hard metrics (sales increases, productivity improvements, error reduction, employee retention) and soft metrics (improved company culture, enhanced communication, strengthened leadership pipeline). We also track department-specific KPIs that clients identify as priorities.
Our measurement approach is collaborative, working with organisations to identify their most meaningful indicators based on their strategic objectives. This ensures that training effectiveness is evaluated not just in terms of participant satisfaction, but in terms of tangible business impact that matters to stakeholders throughout the organisation.
StartupTalky: How does Dale Carnegie support women professionals in leadership roles, and what impact has the #NOW Movement created so far?
Ms. Jha: Dale Carnegie supports women professionals in leadership roles through targeted programs that address specific challenges women face in advancing their careers. We offer specialised workshops that focus on skills like assertive communication, strategic visibility, negotiation, and executive presence – all tailored to help women overcome present gender-based barriers.
Our approach combines classic Dale Carnegie principles with research-based insights into women's leadership development. Programs create safe spaces for women to practice crucial conversations and build confidence in high-stakes situations The #NOW Movement was created as a catalyst for women's leadership development, emphasizing that the time for gender equality in leadership is "now" – not someday in the future. It has created a community of practice where women leaders connect, share experiences, and support each other's growth.
The impact of the #NOW Movement has been significant, with thousands of women participating in events and programs. Participants report increased confidence in their leadership abilities, expanded professional networks, and concrete advancement in their careers. Many organisations have partnered with us to bring these programs in-house as part of their diversity and inclusion initiatives, creating more supportive workplace cultures for women leaders.
The movement continues to evolve, addressing emerging challenges like navigating hybrid work environments and leveraging digital presence for leadership effectiveness.
StartupTalky: What key trends do you see shaping the future of professional development, and how is Dale Carnegie preparing for them?
Ms. Jha: The future of professional development is being shaped by several significant trends that are transforming how organisations approach learning and development.
AI-enhanced personalisation is perhaps the most impactful trend, allowing for truly customised learning journeys that adapt to individual needs and preferences. Dale Carnegie is integrating AI capabilities that can analyse performance patterns and recommend specific skill development paths while maintaining the human connection that remains central to effective learning.
The increased emphasis on social-emotional intelligence reflects organisations' recognition that technical skills alone are insufficient in today's complex workplace. As automation handles more technical tasks, uniquely human capabilities like empathy, adaptability, and influence become more valuable. Dale Carnegie's historical focus on these "power skills" positions us well for this shift, and we're enhancing our programs to further develop emotional intelligence in hybrid work environments.
Learning in the flow of work is becoming essential as professionals face time constraints. We're responding by creating more microlearning options and digital tools that deliver bite-sized learning experiences directly integrated into daily workflows, supported by coaching moments that reinforce key behaviours.
The evolution of leadership for distributed teams represents another critical trend. Leaders now need skills for managing across physical and cultural distances while maintaining engagement. Our leadership programs have been redesigned to address these challenges, focusing on virtual collaboration, digital communication, and building trust remotely.
Finally, we're seeing a growing demand for measurable development outcomes tied to business results. Organisations increasingly expect learning initiatives to demonstrate clear ROI. Dale Carnegie has enhanced its measurement methodologies to capture both immediate impacts and long-term behaviour changes that affect organisational performance metrics.
These trends are reshaping our approach while reinforcing the enduring value of our core principles about human connection and behaviour change.
Ria Sahni
Must have tools for startups - Recommended by StartupTalky
- Convert Visitors into Leads- SeizeLead
- Website Builder SquareSpace
- Manage your business Smoothly Google Business Suite
