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

After helping hundreds of L&D teams transform their training programs over the past decade, I can tell you that the most expensive training mistake isn't budget overruns—it's watching 70% of learners click through your carefully crafted content without retaining a single concept. I've seen companies spend months building comprehensive training modules, only to discover that completion rates mean nothing when learners are mentally checked out by slide three.

The numbers back this up. Gallup estimates that low employee engagement costs the global economy an estimated $8.8 trillion annually. But this isn't just about productivity loss—it's about missed opportunities to genuinely help people excel at work.

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. Long PowerPoint presentations, text-heavy documents, and mandatory compliance training have become synonymous with boredom in most organizations.

But there's a way out. Research shows that when training taps into cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement, it drives greater employee competence, satisfaction, and reduces turnover rates. The key is choosing tools, formats, and designs that transform boring sessions into memorable learning experiences.

In this article, I'll show you exactly how to make training more engaging using nine practical strategies I've seen succeed across organizations ranging from 50-person startups to 10,000+ employee enterprises.

What makes employee training engaging?

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

The neuroscience of attention and memory

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. Distractions, cluttered slides, or poorly timed delivery make that link fragile.

This aligns with findings from MIT's active learning research, which showed that failure rates drop by 50% when active methods replace lecture-based training. But in my consulting work, I've found that the cognitive load principle is even more critical than the activity level—learners can be 'active' but still overwhelmed.

Why emotional connection drives retention

A study on authentic employee engagement found that learners respond better when training feels emotionally aligned with their role and purpose. When learners feel safe to show up as they are, without having to fake interest or push through irrelevant material, they engage more deeply and remember more.

The fastest way to lose someone's attention is to load up passive content without giving them a reason to care. So anchor lessons in real examples, use a conversational tone, and keep delivery varied.

The hidden psychology behind training engagement

From my work with global teams, I've discovered that engagement isn't just about attention—it's about cognitive load management. When I analyze training programs that consistently achieve 90%+ completion rates with strong knowledge retention, they all share three psychological principles:

• Cognitive ease: Information flows logically without overwhelming working memory
• Emotional safety: Learners feel comfortable making mistakes and asking questions
• Autonomy support: People have some control over their learning path and pace

This is why traditional "death by PowerPoint" fails so spectacularly. It violates all three principles simultaneously.

The role of learning styles and delivery formats

Learners can thrive in completely different environments. The VARK model breaks this down into four primary styles: Visual (seeing), Auditory (hearing), Reading/writing (text-based), and Kinesthetic (doing).

Here's what this looks like in practice: Your sales team might need to see the demo (visual), hear the objection handling (auditory), reference the pricing sheet (reading/writing), and practice the pitch (kinesthetic)—often within the same 15-minute session. The mistake I see is trying to create separate tracks for each style instead of layering multiple modes into a single, cohesive experience.

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 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 becomes far less time-consuming.

Why most "engaging" training still fails

Here's what I see happening: L&D teams add gamification, create flashy videos, and build interactive quizzes—but learners still disengage. The problem isn't the tactics; it's the foundation.

Based on my analysis of over 500 training programs, the ones that sustain engagement long-term do three things differently:

1. They solve real problems learners face daily (not theoretical scenarios)
2. They respect different learning preferences without overcomplicating delivery
3. They build in reflection time instead of rushing through content

Without this foundation, even the most interactive training becomes sophisticated entertainment that doesn't stick.

9 Practical steps to make your training more engaging

Throughout my work helping organizations transform their training effectiveness, I've developed a framework that consistently delivers results. Whether you're building from scratch or improving existing courses, these strategies create training that learners actually value and remember.

1. Set clear goals and expectations early on → Create learner buy-in from the first minute

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. This upfront clarity creates buy-in and maintains motivation even when material becomes challenging.

I recommend the 'outcome preview' technique: Start each session by showing learners a 30-second preview of exactly what they'll be able to do after completing the training. For example, 'By the end of this module, you'll handle a difficult customer complaint using our three-step de-escalation process, and you'll see me demonstrate it with a real scenario.' This creates what psychologists call 'desirable difficulty'—learners know the challenge ahead and feel motivated to master it.

Visual roadmaps and progress indicators help learners track advancement to maintain momentum during complex content. This clear structure sets expectations from the start.

2. Mix up the format: Use interactive elements → Turn passive viewers into active participants

According to research from Engageli, active learning environments show 13 times higher learner talk time and achieve 93.5% knowledge retention compared to 79% in passive formats. Multiple cognitive processes activate simultaneously when learners engage actively: attention sharpens, reasoning develops, and memory strengthens through this approach.

I recommend these strategies:

• 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

Here's my implementation hierarchy for maximum impact: Start with knowledge checks (easiest to build, immediate engagement boost), then add clickable scenarios (moderate complexity, high retention value), and finally incorporate collaborative elements (highest complexity, strongest peer learning outcomes). I've seen teams try to implement everything at once and burn out their production capacity.

3. Try video-based learning with AI to scale engagement → Create professional content in minutes, not weeks

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. This is where AI video tools like Synthesia become game-changing. Instead of spending weeks coordinating with subject matter experts for recording sessions, I help clients create professional training videos in hours.

The real advantage isn't just speed—it's iteration. When learners provide feedback about a confusing section, you can update and republish the same day rather than waiting months for the next recording session.

What makes this format so engaging is the sense of presence it creates. Learners lean in when content feels tailored, timely, and easy to follow. 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 content creation, and maintain consistency across regions. Because these videos plug easily into LMS platforms or authoring tools, online training delivery becomes seamless.

4. Choose expressive AI avatars to create emotional connection → Build rapport through authentic digital presence

There's something powerful about being "spoken to" by someone who looks engaged. 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.

I've worked with global teams who struggled with training consistency across regions. Using Synthesia's EXPRESS-1 model, we created avatars that maintain the same emotional tone and engagement level whether delivering content in English, Spanish, or Mandarin. One client reported that their Asia-Pacific team finally felt 'spoken to' rather than 'translated for' in their training materials.

In virtual training, body language and tone are often missing. But these avatars help reintroduce nuance and build rapport that learners pick up on instinctively. Synchronized speech with appropriate non-verbal cues simulates genuine human interactions, effectively overcoming the sterile feel of digital training programs.

5. Use microlearning for better knowledge retention → Break complex topics into digestible chunks

For topics with many moving parts, microlearning makes everything more manageable. One-to-three-minute chunks prevent learner overwhelm while supporting better focus.

According to recent research, microlearning supports encoding and retrieval by minimizing extraneous load, especially when visuals and text are used together. Another study found that learners retain up to 30% more when lessons are spaced out and delivered in shorter bursts.

But here's what the research doesn't tell you: the sweet spot for microlearning isn't just 1-3 minutes—it's creating content that can be consumed in the time between meetings. I call this 'transition learning,' and it's incredibly effective for busy professionals.

Five tips to achieve these 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 to learner availability

6. Design training that reflects real-world tasks → Bridge the gap between learning and doing

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

I once worked with a client who spent $200K on a gamified training platform that achieved 15% completion rates because they used generic scenarios instead of situations their employees actually encountered. When we rebuilt the training with real customer complaints and actual product issues, completion rates jumped to 85%.

Problem-solving exercises that mirror actual job tasks prepare learners for immediate application and allow them to build confidence in a safe learning environment.

7. Design for inclusion from the start → Make training accessible to everyone

One area where I see training programs fail is accessibility. It's not just about compliance—inclusive design improves engagement for everyone. When I help teams implement AI video training, we always:

• Enable captions by default (not just for accessibility, but because many learners prefer them)
• Use clear, conversational language that works across different English proficiency levels
• Ensure visual elements support rather than distract from the core message
• Test with diverse learner groups before full rollout

Tools like Synthesia make this easier by automatically generating captions in multiple languages and allowing you to adjust pacing without re-recording content. Remember that 60% of learners access training on mobile devices, so optimize for small screens from the start.

8. Personalize the learning experience where possible → Make every learner feel the content was built for them

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

Branching paths allow learners to navigate based on their role, experience, or learning goals. Choose-your-own-adventure formats create similar flexibility through different pathways. Adaptive technologies fine-tune this personalization further—they adjust difficulty automatically while recommending additional resources based on performance.

According to recent research, adaptive learning systems improve retention and application. Mastered material gets skipped, keeping learners engaged with challenging content.

Even subtle choices—like role-specific examples or customized reflection prompts—make a noticeable difference. When learners see themselves in the content, they stay with it longer.

9. Incorporate learner feedback loops and analyze performance data → Let learners shape their own training experience

One of the best ways to improve training sessions is by asking learners what helped and what didn't. Use quick surveys, open comment boxes, or embed discussion forums 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.

Performance data reveals what's working, what's unclear, and where learners may be falling behind. Track these metrics:

• 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

Synthesia's video analytics show you exactly where learners drop off, replay sections, or skip ahead. I use this data to identify the 'friction points' in training—usually where concepts aren't explained clearly or examples don't resonate. This granular feedback is impossible to get with traditional training formats.

When you review, adapt, and retest based on learner behavior, your training becomes easier to use and easier to remember.

The 5 engagement killers I see repeatedly

Even with the best intentions, certain mistakes will torpedo your training engagement. Here are the patterns I consistently see:

1. Overloading with interactivity: Adding polls every 30 seconds doesn't increase engagement—it creates fatigue
2. Generic scenarios: Using hypothetical examples instead of situations learners actually encounter
3. Ignoring mobile experience: 60% of learners access training on mobile devices, but most content isn't optimized for small screens
4. Skipping the feedback loop: Building training without testing it with real learners first
5. Treating all learners the same: New hires and experienced employees need different approaches, even for the same topic

The fix? Start simple, test early, and iterate based on actual learner behavior, not assumptions.

Your 30-day engagement transformation roadmap

Based on what works consistently, here's how to implement these strategies without overwhelming your team:

Week 1: Audit your current training using the engagement killers checklist above
Week 2: Implement one interactive element in your highest-volume training module
Week 3: Create your first microlearning module using the pattern I outlined
Week 4: Gather learner feedback and iterate based on actual usage data

Start with your most critical training first—usually onboarding or compliance—because that's where engagement improvements create immediate business impact.

The bottom line: Start where learners are, not where you think they should be

After working with hundreds of training programs, here's what I know for certain: engagement isn't about entertaining learners—it's about respecting their time, intelligence, and real-world challenges.

The strategies I've shared work because they're grounded in how people actually learn and what they need to succeed in their roles. But here's the most important insight: start small, measure everything, and iterate quickly.

Your first AI-powered training video doesn't need to be perfect. Your initial interactive scenario doesn't need every possible branch. What matters is creating something more engaging than what you have today, learning from how learners respond, and building from there.

The cost of disengaged training isn't just wasted time—it's missed opportunities to genuinely help people excel at work. And that's worth getting right.