Designing Learning & Development Offerings

Designing a truly transformative training session for staff comes with unique challenges that go beyond logistics and content delivery. Unlike standard skills-based training, transformative learning requires creating conditions where participants feel both safe and stretched—safe enough to open up, reflect honestly, and engage vulnerably, yet stretched enough to question assumptions and embrace new perspectives. 

Facilitators must balance diverse learning styles, levels of readiness, and organizational dynamics, while also ensuring the session aligns with broader cultural and strategic goals. Ultimately, the challenge lies in crafting an experience that is not only engaging and practical, but also deep enough to spark shifts in mindset and behavior that last beyond the training room.

Here are 3 prompts we recommend to help shift your learning and development offerings from good to transformative. 

1 | How does this learning experience connect to the learners’ real-world challenges and goals?

Reflect on whether the content and activities directly address the day-to-day issues your participants face and help them achieve meaningful outcomes. If you’re not sure,don’t just ask your participants, ask the people not attending. 

2 | What opportunities are there to increase learner engagement and participation?

Consider how to incorporate varied methods—like storytelling, interactive exercises, or peer collaboration—to make the learning more dynamic and memorable. Pilot one or two approaches on a small scale in your next training. 

3 | How are you measuring the impact of this learning on individual behavior and organizational culture?

Think about ways to track not just knowledge acquisition but also behavior change and alignment with your organization’s values and goals. Many people rely on subjective surveys at the end of a training session. Consider including measurable impact - quizzes that test the knowledge and scenarios. Pre-and post-assessments from the team and their supervisor are also helpful. 

We routinely use these prompts in our Onboarding to Succession Planning package. Using these prompts before launching your training will give you the information you need to make a training session transformative. 

Download additional resources to help you on your journey.

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