Change Signal

Training's Biggest Blind Spot Revealed: Julie Dirksen

27 snips
Sep 3, 2025
Julie Dirksen, an expert in instructional design, dives into why most corporate training misses the mark. She highlights the often ignored immediate relevance in learning and how organizational changes can impact professional identities. Through her intriguing printer repair experiment, she reveals that engagement hinges on timely application rather than flashy content. Dirksen introduces the elephant-rider metaphor to explain the disconnect between rational understanding and emotional responses, urging a deeper approach to fostering real behavior change in organizations.
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INSIGHT

Engagement Is Contextual Not Intrinsic

  • Attention depends on immediate applicability, not flashy content.
  • People allocate focus when they can use information right away.
ANECDOTE

Printer Repair Experiment

  • Julie's printer repair scenarios reveal attention hinges on urgency and purpose.
  • The same video jumps from zero interest to full focus when application is immediate.
ADVICE

Start By Solving A Real Pain

  • Do diagnose learners' real pain points before designing the opening.
  • Tie the session to immediate value or honestly state organizational reasons.
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