Julie Dirksen's Design for How People Learn was a game-changer for me. It fundamentally shaped my understanding of effective learning design.

So, when she released her second book, Talk to the Elephant, I couldn't have been more excited.

This article is a summary of the eleven key lessons I took from the book, focusing on what makes behavior change stick—both the logical and emotional sides of learning.

But first, I want to start with one of the biggest lessons I learned from Talk to the Elephant: understanding the obstacles standing in the way of behavior change. It’s so monumental it deserves its own section.

What’s blocking behavior change? And what to do about it.

Early in my L&D career, I designed and delivered a lot of training.

But most of the time, it didn't lead to behavior change.

It was frustrating.

And it took me years to understand that behavior change is a tad more complex than I actually realized.

Many factors influence behavior change, and there are several common obstacles that can slow or stop progress. Without understanding these barriers, it’s impossible to design effective learning experiences. 

Learning is a crucial tool for behavior change, but learning often isn’t the only thing needed to help people with behavior change. Julie Dirksen

Here are some of the roadblocks Julie explores in the book:

Unclear (or untimely) feedback 

A lot can go wrong when giving feedback, but the two biggest offenders are when it’s vague or delayed. Without clear and immediate feedback, people can lose their motivation.

How to remove the blockade: Setting up feedback systems is critical for reinforcing the right actions both during the learning experience itself and once participants go back to their daily work. During the learning process, you can create spaces where learners can provide each other feedback. Once into the wild, you can take managers on board and have them share feedback for a specific behavior, or create any sort of automated notifications if the behavior should happen in the digital world.

Murky goalsetting

Vague or poorly defined goals leave learners feeling unsure. They don’t understand what’s expected of them, so they’re unlikely to change their behaviors. 

How to remove the blockade: Clear, specific goals help learners see what success looks like and how to get there. “Becoming a more proactive leader” is not a very clear goal. “Asking my team at the beginning of each project how can I help” is a more visible and trackable behavior. To make goals specific, add quantitative measures or very well-defined descriptions of the context and the action one should take in this action, as in the example above.

Being unaware of the consequences

“Consequences” sounds like a scary word to throw around, but what we’re really talking about here is learners understanding the broader impact of their actions or lack thereof. If they don’t, they may not feel motivated to change. 

How to remove the blockade: Making the consequences visible and relatable can help. To make consequences visible, you can: use before-and-after comparisons, use simulations & role-plays to have people experience the impact of their actions, or share real-life stories where actions (or inaction) had significant consequences. To make consequences relatable, make stories personal, create spaces for group reflection where participants can hear different perspectives, or use tools like cost calculators that let learners see the financial impact of their choices (For example, in a financial literacy course, allow learners to input hypothetical savings habits and show the difference in retirement funds after 30 years)

Not enough environment or process support

The environment plays a big role in behavior change. And if the processes or tools aren’t supportive, it’s harder for people to succeed. 

How to remove the blockade: Simple tweaks to processes or adding cues can make a difference. This also means that our roles suddenly expand beyond “designing” training to “supporting behavior change”, although that might go beyond the usual tools we use, such as workshops, e-learning, and training. Visual prompts, automated reminders, checklists, and feedback loops, are just some of the ways to make sure that processes support the behavioral change.

Anxiety, fear, or discomfort

Let’s face it: change is scary. Whether that’s a behavior change at work or a big life change, it can leave people feeling anxious and paralyzed with fear. That’s when the emotional barriers go up, stopping people from trying new things. 

How to remove the blockade: Creating a safe space for practice and offering scaffolding helps ease anxiety. Although not mentioned in the book, this took me back to the idea of proximal development. The Zone of Proximal Development is defined as the space between what a learner can do without assistance and what a learner can do with adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers. To reduce anxiety and discomfort, make sure you adapt the learning experience for each stage incrementally.

Low confidence

If people don’t believe they can do something, they won’t be motivated to try. And that creates a huge barricade to behavior change. The opposite is also true. Your people are much more likely to take on new challenges when they have confidence in themselves. 

How to remove the blockade: On one hand, your learning experience should include small, achievable steps to build confidence over time. On the other hand, a trick we recently used at Offbeat was to bring in our learners’ friends on board to share what’s something that makes them great, to remind them that although the journey of applying what they learned will not be easy, they have everything they need to succeed.

Learned helplessness

Past failures can lead people to think they’re powerless to change. This results in people feeling helpless and passive rather than attacking change head-on.

How to remove the blockade: Create opportunities for small, positive successes to show people they have power.

Misaligned incentives

If incentives don’t match the desired behavior, motivation will suffer. 

How to remove the blockade: Ask “what rewards enable this behavior?”. This means, again, looking at a broader system, rather than just learning design. Incentives can come in all shapes and forms, from financial, to the behaviors people are praising within your company.

Lack of identity or value alignment

When a behavior doesn’t connect with someone’s values or identity, they’re less likely to be motivated. On the contrary, when people see how a behavior fits with their values, they’re much more likely to jump on board.

How to remove the blockade: Framing behaviors in a way that aligns with personal values can help. You don’t need to do this alone but also have learners explore this with you.

Mistrust

If people don’t trust the organization or the intent behind an initiative, they’ll be less engaged. In turn, behavior change will be slower and less ingrained in the organization. 

How to remove the blockade: Involving learners in the process and creating trust through transparency is key.

Lack of social proof

People look to others for cues on what to do. If their peers are behaving in a certain way, they’re much more motivated to follow suit.

How to remove the blockade: Showcasing positive examples of peers engaging in the desired behavior can be highly motivating.

Not enough autonomy

High-control environments can kill motivation. When people don’t have a sense of autonomy, that can translate into stagnation (making change much more difficult to implement).

How to remove the blockade: Offering choices and involving learners in decision-making helps them feel ownership and motivation.

Tackling these barriers head-on can significantly increase our chances of success. Now, let’s move on to my 11 big takeaways for L&Ds.

11 takeaways for L&D professionals from Talk to the Elephant

Don’t ignore the elephant when creating learning experiences

We host dozens of trainings. We design dozens of e-learning courses. Yet, people still don’t do what they’re supposed to.

Does that sound familiar?

As L&D professionals, we often design learning experiences that focus on logic and information—what Julie Dirksen calls “speaking to the rider.” But behavior change doesn’t happen just with information. We need to reach the emotional side of our learners, the “elephant,” to make change stick.

The elephant cares much more about visceral or personal experience and rates that much more highly than intellectual knowledge. Julie Dirksen

The rider might know what to do, but if the elephant isn’t motivated, learners won’t follow through. To drive meaningful behavior change, we need to design experiences that appeal to emotions, habits, and personal connections—not just rational understanding.

Next time you design a learning experience, ask yourself: 

• Do I understand the emotional perspective of my learners? 
• Does the experience create an emotional response? 
• Are we using stories or examples that are relatable?

Take a systems view when designing for change

We’re often asked to solve problems with training, but behavior change isn’t just about what happens in a course. We need to understand the bigger system around people—what Julie calls “looking beyond the individual rider or elephant to the entire environment.” This refers back to what we covered in the first part of this article.

You can create the most engaging learning experience, but if the environment doesn’t support change, it will be an uphill battle. To make behavior change stick, think about how policies, the physical environment, and group dynamics influence actions—not just what people learn. Here are some tips to help ensure the environment supports change:

• Physical Environment: Make changes to the physical space that make it easier to practice the behavior.
• Social Dynamics: Build social support through peer groups or champions who can model the behavior and use them during or once the learning experience is over.
• Reduce Barriers: Identify and reduce any barriers in the environment that could make the behavior difficult to adopt.
• Provide Tools and Resources: Make sure learners have the necessary tools and resources to succeed, like job aids, FAQs, or open hours.
• Reinforce Behaviors: Use reminders, prompts, or incentives to reinforce the behavior in the environment.

By focusing on these aspects, you can create an environment that truly supports behavior change and maximizes the impact of your learning initiatives.

Create a change ladder to support behavior shifts

Change doesn’t happen in one big step. People are often at different points in their journey toward adopting a new behavior, which means we need to help them through each stage of the process. The "Change Ladder" helps us identify where learners might get stuck and how to guide them forward.

Rushing learners who aren’t ready yet is likely to produce frustration or resistance. Julie Dirksen

The Change Ladder breaks down the journey into stages like awareness, prioritization, readiness, and confidence. For each stage of the career ladder, here are some tips to support learners:

Stage 1 - Awareness

At this point, people may be unaware that a behavior change is necessary. So, how can you boost that awareness? Start with campaigns or messages that clearly explain what the behavior is and why it matters. Be sure to use relatable stories or data to highlight the importance.

Stage 2 - Prioritization

Once people are aware of the desired behavior, they need to know why it matters. That’s why it’s crucial you emphasize the impact of the behavior through examples, testimonials, or stats that show its relevance. Your goal is to help learners understand why this behavior should be a focus.

Stage 3 - Readiness

Learners need to feel ready to take action. You can compel them to act by providing resources, clear instructions, or checklists that make the behavior easier to begin. Try offering coaching or buddy systems for extra support.

Stage 4 - Confidence

Even if people feel ready to act, they may not be confident enough to take the leap. You can overcome this by breaking down the behavior into smaller, manageable steps. Don’t forget to celebrate early wins and provide positive feedback to build confidence over time.

Focus on immediate rewards when communicating value

Staying motivated is hard when rewards feel far off. Immediate rewards are much more compelling than delayed ones—this is called hyperbolic discounting.

If the benefit of a behavior isn’t quick or obvious, it’s easy to lose motivation. In learning design, we need instant wins—quick feedback, immediate progress, or small, tangible rewards. These keep learners engaged, while long-term goals can feel too distant to care about.

Surround your learners with social proof

Seeing others succeed makes us believe we can do it, too. Social proof is powerful. When learners see peers engaging successfully in a behavior, they’re more motivated to follow. Case studies, testimonials, and real-life examples work well—they show that the effort is worth it.

Integrate positive first experiences of applying the behavior

Personal success matters just as much as seeing others succeed. That’s why it’s vital that your learners’ first experiences of applying the behavior are positive—this creates momentum for future growth. Our goal should be to help learners build those positive experiences early on to keep motivation up.

Be aware of the difference between the motivation to learn and the motivation to do

Motivation isn’t one-size-fits-all. For instance, there’s a big difference between motivation to learn and motivation to do.

Motivation to learn gets people interested in new content, while motivation to do is about actually applying what they’ve learned. This is an important lesson for learning design. Strategies that spark curiosity and interest might not be enough to drive action. To create lasting change, we need to nurture both types of motivation.

Offer learners autonomy, competence, and relatedness to move them from ‘amotivation’ to ‘intrinsic motivation’

Motivation exists on a spectrum. We have amotivation on one end and intrinsic motivation on the other. To help learners move from being uninterested to genuinely valuing a behavior, we need to offer autonomy, competence, and relatedness, or what's known as self-determination theory.

Let’s dig into those terms a bit more, based on my learnings from Talk to the Elephant:

Autonomy: Give learners choice and control over their experience. Let them pick their learning path or decide how to apply new skills.

Competence: Help learners feel effective. Design learning that lets them progress at their own pace and experience small wins.

Relatedness: Create a sense of social connection. Group activities or discussions can foster a feeling of belonging.

Use the APEASE criteria to prioritize behaviors

When designing interventions, it’s easy to end up with too many behaviors to address. The APEASE criteria can help prioritize which behaviors are worth focusing on. It’s broken down into six criteria:

• Acceptability: Is the behavior acceptable to those involved?
• Practicability: Can it realistically be implemented in practice?
• Effectiveness: How effective is the behavior in achieving the desired outcomes?
• Affordability: Is it affordable, considering resources and constraints?
• Spill-over effects: Are there any unintended positive or negative side effects?
• Equity: Does it address fairness, ensuring all groups have equal opportunity to succeed?

Consider whether learners have the capability and opportunity to practice

To effectively support behavior change, we need to understand if people have the capability and opportunity to practice. 

When we talk about capability, it boils down to this question: Do they have the skills or knowledge needed? 

In terms of opportunity, we need to understand if there are external conditions that support their success. For instance, having the right tools or a supportive team environment.

Addressing both lays the foundation for lasting change.

Embed reflection activities

Reflective motivation—rooted in personal goals, identity, and values—can make a huge difference in whether people stick with a behavior. As a result, embedding reflection activities that connect behavior to learners’ personal goals can increase their commitment and motivation.

Outro

The whole book was a reminder that there’s a big difference between just designing training versus actually changing behaviors. Designing training is easier, something we already know how to do, but also it’s been proven inefficient times and times again. Supporting behavior change is a harder, longer-term journey, but definitely more impactful and fulfilling.

So next time you start designing a workshop, a training, or an entire learning program, ask yourself, what is my goal? Is it designing training or changing a behavior? I will for sure do that myself.