I’ve recently seen posts on LinkedIn where learning and development professionals have celebrated the fact that some small tweak to their ‘training’ has resulted in far higher completion rates.
To which, my response is, so what?
If completion were a reliable measure of the effectiveness of learning and development programmes, our jobs would be far easier.
But it’s not.
Because simply completing training is no indication that new skills will be applied or that behaviours will change.
Let’s take an example, most of us can relate to.
If you drive a car, or any other vehicle, chances are you’ve passed a driving test which included both a theory and practical element. You demonstrated both an ability to drive with due care an attention, and an understanding of the rules and regulations applicable to driving.
You completed the training.
So, presumably, you’ve never broken the speed limit when driving, right?
According to the Department of Transport’s figures for 2024, 44% of cars on motorways exceeded the speed limit and 43% of cars in 30mph zones exceeded the speed limit.
And a 2026 survey by Churchill Insurance reported that 31% of drivers who attended a speed awareness course later received another ticket for speeding.
So, unless you’re a saint, or you’ve consistently mistaken your lawn mower for a car, the evidence suggests you might have broken the speeding rules at least once in your life.
Which illustrates why learning and development is much more complex than getting people to ‘complete’ some training.
If we want to understand why so much training fails, we need to go right back to the beginning of the design process. Too often, trainers start with the wrong goal – to provide information. With this as their focus, they try to cram as much information into their programme as possible, resulting in slide decks that could put the Eiffel tower in the shade or bland tick-box e-learning that’s about as inspirational, engaging and surprising as a layby in Woking.
Let’s be clear. Providing information is not the purpose of learning and development.
Neither is it, strangely, learning, because learning is only part of the journey. Learning does not necessarily result in a change in behaviour.
And right there is the real purpose of learning and development – change.
If your learning programmes don’t result in a change in behaviours – then quite honestly, you’re wasting time, money and resources. Your ticking boxes, perhaps for compliance purposes, but you’re not delivering any real benefit to people or organisations.
If we accept that the true purpose of learning is a change of behaviour, then the starting point in our design process should always be that: What specifically needs to change?
And to achieve success, we need to reflect on what really drives behaviour. Knowledge plays only a small part in how people choose to behave. Just as important, or perhaps more important, are emotions, feelings and beliefs. These drive attitude.
Understanding the impact of emotions, feelings and beliefs on what we actually do explains why, if we truly want to influence learners, we need to move the focus away from lots of passive content delivered as efficiently as possible and towards learning experiences that emotionally engage, inspire and excite learners, and most importantly, motivate them to act.
That’s why we make no excuse at Trainers’ Library® for creating unusual, engaging and inspirational training materials that are focused not on giving people knowledge they may or may not use, but first and foremost on helping you deliver real and lasting change for individuals, teams and organisations.
When we recognise the true purpose of learning, it’s easy to see why so much training content doesn’t deliver the results expected. And to recognise the true value and importance of learner-led, inspiring experiences that shift perspectives.
Of doing things right.
Because, ultimately, if we want organisations to invest in learning and development, we need to stop ticking boxes for completion and start delivering real and lasting change.