Creating a Culture of Learning that Embraces All Styles

Businesses spend $165 billion on employee training annually, yet one critical question remains: “Did anyone really learn?” The disconnect between how we train and how people actually learn is costing us — not just in dollars, but in real human potential. Top Insight: “Ultimately, the goal of corporate learning should not only be to see a return on the investment of training, but to improve the skill sets of PEOPLE!” We’ve known for decades what works. As one source puts it: “Students thrive when instruction is tailored — not just academically, but personally and culturally.” Whether in education or the workplace, human connection and relevance are what drive mastery. What’s Not Working: – “The days of measuring learning based on multiple-choice questions are gone.” – “We reward publication over pedagogy, scale over impact, and tradition over innovation.” – Traditional, one-size-fits-all methods serve institutional efficiency — not individual growth. What Works Better: – Visual Confirmation: "Imagine a training manager having access to videos of employees using knowledge from a workshop in real life." – Social Ownership: “The ability to teach others is one of the highest forms of mastery.” – Skill Assessments: “Snapshots of a learner’s abilities can give a clear picture of performance and skill improvements.” – Personalized, culturally-relevant instruction: “Representation matters, and so does human connection in learning environments.” “Changing that would require rethinking what we value in education: shifting from sorting students to supporting students.” The tools already exist — AI tutors, modular content, peer mentorship, video-based learning — but transformation takes more than technology. “It requires a cultural shift: from measuring how many students we weed out, to measuring how many we help master the material.” The question is no longer what works. We already know the answer. Are we finally ready to build the systems that make it possible? #LearningAndDevelopment #CorporateTraining #EducationReform

Im facilitating a “Building Trust” Workshop for an Executive Team this week. Here’s how I prepare: 📌I am using my proprietary framework, but customizing for the company Leadership development material is either too custom or too generic. This hybrid model provides a foundation that clients can trust with the nuance needed for their specific situation. (And as the company delivering, it allows you to NOT reinvent the wheel + scale) 📌Provide prep work Giving a little bit of work for the team to do prior to the workshop provides more context and gets every participant excited/thinking about the topic at hand. 📌Include activities that keep all learning styles engaged I include exercises that help: - auditory learners - visual learners - kinesthetic learners - strengthen team bonds - make it fun and not like a boring lecture 📌Create lots of space for discussion. The best workshops are those where you can - you guessed it - WORKSHOP through real examples. 📌Have deliverables and practical next steps Too many L&D providers give open ended/one-way content. Instead, we want every team member to come away with one practical thing they can do tomorrow. 📌 Ask, “What was your biggest takeaway” Not only is this good market research for our company, it’s helpful for participants to reflect on WHY XYZ thing was their biggest takeaway. Which one of these is most interesting? —- P. S. In addition to our outplacement, we provide customizable, actionable leadership development training for teams of all sizes. 😉

Two of the biggest problems I hear about in leadership development: 1/ “Learning doesn’t stick.” 2/ “We don’t have a culture of learning.” BOTH of these problems can be solved. The key is to create a “learning ecosystem.” I’m not saying it’s easy...It’s certainly not something you can do overnight. But, these 7 tactics can go a long way: 1/ Hold a monthly community of practice Get your audience together each month (on Zoom). Use the call to: - reinforce key learnings - forge peer connections - give everyone a chance to ask Qs & share challenges - facilitate practice 2/ Create a Resource Vault Store learning resources in one live folder. Keep your docs updated in real time: - Insert new examples - Take & apply real-time feedback from learners - Create new resources based on what learners need The goal here is to make the vault a place your learners return to often. 3/ Send Weekly Behavioral Nudges Weekly behavioral nudges: - are a simple way to double or triple the value of an existing assessment or training program - can take a one-and-done program/assessment and add a year-long tail of exercises and key insights Nudges = STICKY learning 4/ Give Every Learner Access to a REAL Coach Use message-based coaching to: - expand the number of employees you can offer coaching to - meet employees at the exact moment that they need help 5/ Create a Peer Learning Network Peer learning tech enables collaboration in new ways. (And in ways that in-person can’t) Example: One leadership development team at a big tech company used a simple Google doc where learners shared questions, insights, and examples from over a dozen locations. As their doc grew… - themes emerged - ideas intersected - they had a running record of key info 6/ Deliver Microlearning in the Flow of Work Micro-learning: - makes learning available on-demand (open book test) - helps increase repetition to build habits - brings learning into the flow of work 7/ Trigger Organic Conversations You might: - use conversational guides (between peers or between learners & managers). - use prompts in your peer learning network - hold breakouts in your community of practice The idea is that over time, your learners will naturally use the language and ideas from your learning in their daily conversations. ____ Apply these 7 tactics (or even just a few) and you'll be well on your way to creating a learning ecosystem. One that will: 1/ take in new topics and spit out behavior change 2/ generate more feedback than you can collect 3/ solidify a culture of learning What other components do you include in your programs? #leadershipdevelopment