When tasking Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) with designing or delivering training, it’s tempting to overwhelm them with adult learning theory just to prove that telling isn’t teaching.That hard truth is that most SMEs just want to train effectively and get back to their day job. Discover how to give your SMEs exactly what they need to succeed, without overloading them.

When you’ve managed to make your training activity attention-grabbing, interactive, and engaging, is your job done? Not quite. As training designers and facilitators, we’re also responsible for making sure our learners can connect their ah-ha moments to the real world, and that’s where the art of the debrief comes in. Even if you’re running short on time, making sure that your learners have a chance to think a little more deeply about what they learned and experienced will go a long way to making sure they can and will apply their key lessons learned.

Ever notice how a familiar theme song, toy, or game can instantly transport a room full of adults back to childhood? That’s not just a fun icebreaker moment; it’s your brain’s memory and emotion systems doing exactly what makes learning stick. Emotional connection in your training session will boost retention, but we must be honest about the pitfalls of assuming everyone shares the same nostalgic touchstones.