Over the last three years, the world of learning and development has been turned upside down. Our “normal” ways of helping others learn crucial skills have been halted, changed, or disappeared altogether. Within our Crucial Learning community, we have certified trainers who anxiously moved into virtual delivery after years of in-person facilitation, and we have …

On my desk reside several personal objects of great significance. My screaming goat (a gift from a friend); a photo of my children when they were small, all smiling in adorable matching outfits; a clay platypus made for me by my youngest son when he was 6; and one of my most treasured possessions: my …

Imagine you have been presented with the opportunity to choose between two gifts. Both are in a box of the same shape and size. The first gift is perfectly wrapped with your favorite color of wrapping paper. The ends are joined precisely, creating square and clean edges. And it is finished with a threaded gold …

Over the last two years we’ve pivoted in a thousand different ways with how we work, live, and train. As we’ve navigated these changes, we might long to get our worlds back to the way they once were in our personal or professional lives, our day-to-day exchanges, or even our classrooms. I’ve heard many trainers …

Skill transference is the age-old challenge for learning and development professionals. We love leading events, seeing people experience flashes of insight, and helping them learn new skills. We’ve almost become addicted to the smiles and the high ratings on those feedback surveys. We can’t wait to book another class so we can experience the euphoria …

Many years ago, my husband and I set out on a spontaneous weekend trip: no hotel reservations, no agenda, no destination. Our plan was simply to see where the road would take us.

Among the new additions to our revamped Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue course is a skill for receiving feedback we’ve dubbed “retaking your pen.” This skill—which has become THE key takeaway from the course for some learners—handles how to avoid letting negative or poorly delivered feedback upend your sense of self-worth. The importance of feedback …

When we set out a year ago to rebuild Crucial Conversations, our most important objective was to make it relevant. We needed people to see themselves—and their conversations—in this course. More than ever before, we are being challenged to hold Crucial Conversations in a highly polarized, divisive environment. We’re challenging tough topics in the workplace, …

As you may have heard, VitalSmarts became Crucial Learning last week. It’s exciting to stand on the solid foundation of the past and look forward to the unlimited horizons of the future. While preparing to participate in the ATD conference on the morning of the announcement, I thought about what this change means for our company, for our clients, for our trainers, and for me personally—and my thoughts turned to Roger Bannister.