How To Make Training More Engaging: 9 Proven Steps for L&D Teams

Picture this scenario: you've just launched an expensive employee training program, only to watch completion rates tracking reveal that 70% of learners click through without retaining anything. Frustrating? Absolutely. But it’s much more than that—it’s expensive!

Gallup estimates that low employee engagement costs the global economy an estimated $8.8 trillion annually. That number speaks to much more than just productivity loss. It’s a powerful reminder of what’s at risk when people disconnect—from their work, their colleagues, or the training designed to support them. I’ve seen this firsthand. Courses that took weeks to build underperform simply because learners checked out halfway through. That’s why the biggest complaint I hear from L&D teams isn't budget constraints or time pressures; it’s watching learner engagement drop off midway through a module, even when the content is solid.

But there’s a way out of the trap. Research shows that when training taps into cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement, it drives greater employee competence, satisfaction, and reduces turnover rates. So, you need to make sure the tools, formats, and designs you choose can actually turn boring sessions into memorable learning experiences.

In this article, I’ll show you how to make training more engaging in nine practical steps I’ve seen succeed time and again.

What makes employee training engaging?

From what I’ve observed, training works best when it sticks, and sticking power comes from a mix of attention and emotional investment.

Neuroscience research confirms that working memory and attention are tightly linked. When too much information is introduced at once, the brain struggles to process and store it, especially if that information isn’t immediately relevant or well-structured.  Distractions, cluttered slides, or poorly timed delivery make that link fragile.

Beyond the cognitive, emotional connection plays a major role. A study on authentic employee engagement found that learners respond better when training feels emotionally aligned with their role and purpose. For instance, when learners feel safe to show up as they are, without having to fake interest or push through irrelevant material, they tend to engage more deeply and remember more. In other words, the fastest way to lose someone’s attention is to load up passive content without giving them a reason to care. 

So, you should always try to anchor lessons in real examples, use a conversational tone, and keep delivery varied.

That last point is particularly important when you consider how differently people take in information and why your delivery format can either support engagement or get in the way.

Let’s unpack this.

The role of learning styles and delivery formats

Learners can thrive in completely different environments. Some learn best by watching demonstrations. Others need narration. And plenty learn by doing. But often, it’s not one or the other—many learners also need a mix to stay focused and fully absorb the material.

The VARK model breaks this down into four primary styles, with most learners drawing on more than one depending on the context.

• Visual (seeing), 
• Auditory (hearing), 
• Reading/writing (text-based), 
• and Kinesthetic (doing). 

That’s why you need to consider different learning styles when you’re structuring a session. In addition, a balance of synchronous and asynchronous content, such as live workshops mixed with recorded modules, lets people engage exactly how they prefer. This blended learning approach also makes it easier for them to pause and review when needed.

I’ve found video to be exceptionally adaptable here. It supports a visual online course design, works across hybrid teams, and can be updated and reused at scale. With AI video, translating for different languages or tweaking role-specific content also becomes far less time-consuming.

Incorporating these formats early helps streamline online learning implementation while meeting learners where they are.

9 Practical steps to make your training more engaging

Throughout my work with clients, I've developed a framework that transforms training effectiveness. Building from scratch offers a clean slate, but improving existing courses brings unique advantages—you already have learner data showing what works and what doesn't. What matters is creating training that learners actually value and remember.

So, let’s take a look at the best practical steps to make training as engaging as possible:

1. Set clear goals and expectations early on

I've found that goal-oriented learners maintain engagement throughout training sessions. Opening your program with an explicit definition of learning objectives gives participants a roadmap for success.

Show them the "why" behind each module. Preview concrete outcomes they'll achieve, specific skills they'll develop, or problems they'll solve after completing the training. It’s this upfront clarity that creates buy-in and maintains motivation even when material becomes challenging.

Another way to reinforce those objectives throughout the sessions is to use visual roadmaps. Such progress indicators help learners track advancement to maintain momentum during complex content. In my experience, training session planning benefits from this clear structure, setting expectations from the start.

2. Mix up the format: Use interactive elements

When you sense a drop in energy, turning to interaction usually helps, but it’s more than just a quick fix. Research shows that interactive learning environments significantly improve critical thinking, with a large effect size of 0.88. But what’s driving that effect? Multiple cognitive processes activate simultaneously when learners engage actively: attention sharpens, reasoning develops, and memory strengthens through this approach, making learning both durable and meaningful. Rather than passively receiving information, learners analyze what they encounter. Each response builds understanding while reflection deepens retention.

I would recommend the following strategies to implement this approach:

• Knowledge checks with immediate feedback: Quiz questions that show explanations right after answers
• Clickable scenarios: Decision trees where learners choose paths and see consequences
• Breakout room discussions: Small group conversations that encourage peer learning
• Drag-and-drop activities: Organizing concepts, processes, or categories
• Collaborative whiteboards: Shared spaces for brainstorming and problem-solving
• Gamified challenges: Points, badges, or leaderboards for completed activities.

These interactive elements transform learners from passive recipients into active participants.

3. Try video-based learning with AI to scale engagement

When it comes to building training programs, many people think video is the biggest bottleneck—slow to produce, problematic to update, and nearly impossible to localize. That’s no longer the case. AI video tools like Synthesia have changed the pace and flexibility of video generation. You can create a professional-looking module in minutes, not weeks.

What makes this format so engaging is the sense of presence it creates. Learners tend to lean in when content feels tailored, timely, and easy to follow. And with AI avatars delivering key messages in over 140 languages, the experience becomes both scalable and personal.

For global teams, this has been a significant improvement. I’ve helped clients streamline their training material preparation, accelerate training content creation, and maintain consistency across regions. And because these videos plug easily into LMS platforms or authoring tools, online training delivery becomes seamless. The outcome is faster rollouts and higher engagement, all while maintaining quality.

4. Choose expressive AI avatars to create emotional connection

There’s something powerful about being “spoken to” by someone who looks engaged, and you might think only humans can do that, but that’s no longer true. 

Synthesia's EXPRESS-1 model enables AI avatars to exhibit nuanced facial expressions, gestures, and vocal tones that align with emotional context, fostering authentic connections with learners. In a virtual training setup, body language and tone are often missing. But these avatars help reintroduce nuance and build rapport that learners pick up on instinctively. In addition, synchronized speech with appropriate non-verbal cues simulates genuine human interactions. That way, you can address, if not effectively overcome, the often sterile feel of digital training programs.

It’s a subtle shift, but I’ve noticed it makes learners more responsive and willing to complete training initiatives.

5. Use microlearning for better knowledge retention

For topics with a lot of moving parts, microlearning makes everything more manageable. One-to-three-minute chunks prevent learner overwhelm while supporting better focus. That way, your training reduces cognitive load naturally.

This approach also reflects how the brain manages attention and memory in learning. According to a recent study, microlearning supports encoding and retrieval by minimizing extraneous load, especially when visuals and text are used together. Another report found that learners retain up to 30% more when lessons are spaced out and delivered in shorter bursts.

Here are five tips to achieve such results:

• Stick to one clear idea per module.
• Use repetition over time to reinforce learning techniques.
• Schedule regular breaks between segments.
• Let learners revisit content when needed.
• Match session length optimization to learner availability.

Another massive benefit of this approach is that it makes your training program structure easier to scale and maintain.

6. Design training that reflects real-world tasks

When learners ask, “How does this apply to me?” the training itself should provide the answer. 

That’s why it’s a good idea to embed authentic scenarios into as many sessions as possible. Walkthroughs show learners exactly what to expect, while decision-tree challenges create safe spaces for exploring consequences. But consider who you're designing for—support teams might work through mock service tickets, product managers could practice customer demos, and emerging leaders need realistic conversations to develop their skills.

Problem-solving exercises that mirror actual job tasks prepare learners for immediate application and allow them to build confidence in a safe learning environment. The closer the content feels to their day-to-day reality, the more likely it will stick.

7. Personalize the learning experience where possible

When training feels generic or impersonal, learners are more likely to check out. Personalization keeps them engaged by making the experience feel relevant from the start.

There are many ways to do this. Branching paths allow learners to navigate based on their role, experience, or learning goals, and choose-your-own-adventure formats create similar flexibility through different pathways. 

Adaptive technologies fine-tune this personalization further. These systems adjust difficulty automatically while recommending additional resources based on performance. In this case, mastered material gets skipped, which keeps learners engaged with challenging content. And according to this overview, they also improve retention and application.

In my experience, even subtle choices—like role-specific examples or customized reflection prompts—can make a noticeable difference. It’s simple, really: when learners see themselves in the content, they stay with it longer.

8. Incorporate learner feedback loops

One of the best ways to improve training sessions is by asking learners what helped and what didn’t. The more specific the feedback, the more useful it becomes. 

Here, you could use quick surveys, open comment boxes, or embed a discussion forum setup where people can reflect and share casually. These responses help you identify what to clarify, what to drop, and what to reinforce. If a quiz consistently trips people up, or if a scenario doesn’t feel realistic, learner input will tell you. 

That feedback shows you where and how to reinforce learning techniques in future iterations. Over time, the loop between learner input and refinement helps shape training that’s both smarter and more responsive.

9. Analyze performance data to refine your approach

And finally, performance data helps reveal what’s working, what’s unclear, and where learners may be falling behind. Tracking the right metrics gives you a more accurate picture of how training performs in practice and where to improve it.

Here are a few things worth monitoring:

• Engagement drop-off shows when and where learners disengage.
• Completion rates flag whether modules are being finished.
• Quiz scores indicate knowledge gaps and topic clarity.
• Revisited content helps identify confusing sections.
• Time spent per module reveals pacing issues or content overload.

Many LMS platforms and video generators like Synthesia surface these patterns automatically. That kind of visibility makes it easier to spot minor issues before they become bigger problems. When you review, adapt, and retest based on learner behavior, your training becomes so much easier to use and easier to remember.

Key Takeaways: Make every minute of training count

In every session you build,  try to focus on one question: what’s going to help the learner right now?

From training session planning and clear objective setting to regular breaks scheduling, every choice adds or subtracts value. But with the right training engagement strategies and tools that support fast iteration, you can deliver content that gets used, not ignored.

If your goal is to make training more engaging, keep your focus on what matters: relevance, practice, and feedback. That’s what turns content into meaningful action.