The Elephant in the Room: Why Learners Know What to Do But Still Don't Do It

Every L&D professional has faced this frustration: You've designed the training. Delivered it beautifully. Learners nodded along, passed the quiz, gave positive feedback.

And then... nothing changed.

They went back to doing exactly what they did before.

In the latest episode of Multiply Transfer Radio, I sat down with Julie Dirksen, author of Design for How People Learn and Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change to tackle this problem head-on.

What emerged was a masterclass in why logical arguments alone don't change behavior, and what to do about it.

The Question That Changes Everything

Julie shared a deceptively simple question she now asks every subject matter expert:

"How long did it take you to get good at this?"

The answer is never "a two-day workshop."

It's six months. A year. Years of practice, mentoring, and real-world application.

Then comes the follow-up: "What experiences really helped it come together for you?"

Suddenly, the conversation shifts from "let's create a training course" to "what's our six-month plan for developing these people?"

This is the curse of expertise in action. Once you've mastered something, you forget the struggle. It seems obvious. Surely you can just tell people?

You can't.

The Rider, the Elephant, and the Path

Julie introduced a model from psychologist Jonathan Haidt that transforms how we think about behavior change.

• The Rider is your logical, verbal brain. It knows you should get up when the alarm goes off, wash your hands before cooking, follow the new sales process.

• The Elephant is your unconscious, emotional self. It feels warm and comfortable in bed. It notices your hands don't look dirty. It prefers the old way because the old way feels right.

• The Path is the environment. The systems, incentives, and obstacles that make a behavior easy or hard.

The Problem With Most Training

We spend all our time talking to the Rider.

Logical arguments. Data. Compliance requirements. "Here's why this is important."

But the Elephant drives behavior.

If you want people to actually do something different, you need to make it feel real, feel relevant, and feel urgent. Abstract becomes concrete. Someday becomes today.

"You Can Put Anything You Want in This Training. But You Have a Different Issue."

Julie shared a story that should be required reading for every L&D team.

She was building data entry training for a financial institution. The stakeholders wanted her to include content about "the importance of accuracy."

She asked: "How are they compensated?"

Answer: Number of applications processed per hour.

"Do they get feedback on accuracy?"

Answer: No.

Her response: "You can put anything you want in this training. But you have a different issue."

This is why L&D professionals need to stop being order-takers. Before building anything, we need to diagnose whether we're actually solving a knowledge problem, or papering over an environment problem.

Is it really that people don't know what to do? Or is the system incentivizing the wrong behavior?

The First Try Problem

Here's something we don't talk about enough:

The first time someone tries a new skill, it feels horrible.

Uncomfortable. Awkward. Wrong.

That's completely normal. It's the natural feeling of undoing an established behavior and practicing something new.

But here's what typically happens:

They try once. It feels bad. They abandon it. Back to the old way.

Julie's point: We leave people right at the moment they need the most support.

Her advice for managers: Create a "pilot opportunity" — a safe context to try the new thing. When it doesn't work perfectly (it won't), workshop it together. Then get them back for attempt #2 and #3.

By the third try, it starts to feel natural.

But most people never get to attempt #3.

Multiple Exposures, Not One-and-Done

"One pass is not enough."

Julie says this is the most consistent issue she sees in corporate learning.

We design for a single exposure: one workshop, one module, one training session.

But that's not how brains work.

Her alternative approach for complex skills:

1. First pass: Light overview. Simple example. Build the framework.

2. Second pass: Deeper dive. Add detail to the structure.

3. Third pass: Applied activity. Real problem-solving.

The neuroscience is clear: If you go deep on Step 1, then deep on Step 2, by the time you reach Step 9, Steps 1-3 are fuzzy.

But if you cycle through everything multiple times at increasing depth, you build durable, applicable knowledge.

The Environment Always Wins

Even with a motivated learner (Rider engaged) who's emotionally invested (Elephant on board), if the environment makes the behavior hard?

Nothing happens.

The manager doesn't reinforce it. The systems don't support it. The incentives contradict it.

Julie's recommendation: Treat managers as a secondary audience.

• What discussion items can you give them for one-on-ones?

• What reinforcement schedule would help?

• Can you create a short briefing so they understand what their team learned?

If learners go back to an unsupportive environment, that training was just a nice day off the job.

The Bottom Line

Behavior change isn't about better explanations.

It's about:

• Understanding the real barrier (knowledge, motivation, or environment)

• Talking to the Elephant, not just the Rider

• Designing for multiple exposures over time

• Supporting first attempts and the struggles that follow

• Engaging managers as partners in transfer

We've been designing training as if logic alone changes behavior. It doesn't.

Three Things You Can Do Tomorrow

1. Ask the expertise question. Next time you're with an SME, ask: "How long did it take you to get good at this?" Watch the conversation shift.

2. Stop talking only to the Rider. Make your next training feel real, relevant, and urgent. Abstract → concrete. Someday → today.

3. Don't abandon learners after attempt #1. Support them through attempts two and three. That's where the behavior sticks.

Related Content

Read Next:

• Why Managers Hold the Key to Learning Transfer Success

• Enhancing Transfer with Peer Support

Listen:

About Julie Dirksen

Julie Dirksen is the author of the books Design For How People Learn and Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change. She is a learning strategy consultant with a focus on incorporating behavioral science into learning interventions. Her MS degree is in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. She’s been an adjunct faculty member at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and is a Learning Guild Guildmaster. She is happiest when she gets to learning something new, and you can find her at usablelearning.com

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