The 10 Lies of Learning: Lie #1: “Learning styles are very important”
At the summit of our countdown of the biggest lies in Learning & Development, we arrive at #1—the persistent myth that has perhaps done more damage to effective learning design than any other single misconception. “We need to accommodate different learning styles—some people are visual learners, others are auditory, and some are kinesthetic.” “Make sure […]
The 10 Lies of Learning: Lie #2: “We should adhere to the 70-20-10 model”
As we reach the penultimate position in our countdown of the biggest lies in Learning & Development, we encounter #2—a sacred framework with surprisingly shaky foundations. “Our learning strategy should follow the 70-20-10 model: 70% experiential learning, 20% social learning, and 10% formal learning.” If you’ve been in L&D for more than five minutes, you’ve […]
The 10 Lies of Learning: Lie #3: “But it’s not instructionally sound!”
As we near the summit of our countdown of the biggest lies in Learning & Development, we arrive at #3—the dangerous confusion of methodological orthodoxy with actual effectiveness. “We can’t do that—it’s not instructionally sound!” I love instructional designers. They bring rigor, structure, and evidence-based thinking to learning design. But sometimes, the pursuit of instructional […]
The 10 Lies of Learning: Lie #4: “We Need to Write Some Learning Objectives”
As we approach the top of our countdown of the biggest lies in Learning & Development (L&D), we reach #4—the ritualistic obsession with learning objectives that often serves regulators better than learners. “After completing this session, participants will be able to list ten key principles of…” “By the end of this module, learners will be […]
The 10 Lies of Learning: Lie #5: “We Have a Pizza Problem…”
Continuing our countdown of the biggest lies in Learning & Development, we reach #5—the misguided belief that vague training requests and leadership declarations alone are enough to actually define the problem that needs solving. “Our people need to learn to make pizza.” On the surface, this seems straightforward. Your client or stakeholder has identified a […]
The 10 Lies of Learning: Lie #6: “But What About the _____ Generation?!?”
Continuing our countdown of the biggest lies in Learning & Development, we reach #6—the persistent myth that generational differences fundamentally change how people learn and work. “The millennials need bite-sized microlearning!” “Gen Z won’t sit through anything longer than a TikTok video!” “Boomers can’t adapt to digital learning!” “Gen X needs work-life balance in their […]
The 10 Lies of Learning: Lie #7: Our [Insert L&D Capability] is Broken and Awful”
Continuing our countdown of the biggest lies in Learning & Development, we arrive at #7—the persistent complaint that something in L&D is fundamentally broken, when the real issues often lie elsewhere. “Our onboarding is terrible.” “Our leadership development is broken.” “Our performance management system is a disaster.” “Our learning technology is woefully outdated.” Sound familiar? In my years […]
The 10 Lies of Learning: Lie #8: “Thou Shalt Comply”
As we continue our countdown of the biggest lies in Learning & Development, we arrive at #8—the persistent myth that mandating learning completion drives behavioral change. Let me be crystal clear about what I’m addressing here. This is NOT an attack on compliance training itself. Harassment prevention, safety protocols, data security, and other regulatory training […]
The 10 Lies of Learning: Lie #9: Learning is Over Here in the Training Room; Work is over There in the Office
Continuing our countdown of the biggest lies in Learning & Development, we arrive at #9—the artificial separation of learning and work that has been hampering organizational effectiveness for decades. Picture this: A fresh-faced employee emerges from a two-day training workshop armed with an entire new kit of new templates, methods, tools and more along with […]
The 10 Lies of Learning, Lie #10: If We Build It (a Learning Program), They Will Come
Welcome to our countdown of the biggest lies in Learning & Development. We’re starting with #10 – a comforting fiction that has launched a thousand LMS implementations. You’ve seen the movie Field of Dreams. Kevin Costner hears a whisper in his cornfield: “If you build it, he will come.” He constructs a baseball diamond, and […]