Is Your Learning Landing? Here’s How to Tell—and What to Do If It Isn’t

You’ve got your training plan in place. Courses are built. Content is live. Completion rates are high. The reports look good.

But here’s the bigger question: Is your learning actually making a difference?

Because completion isn’t the same as impact.

At Talent Vista, we often meet businesses who are doing all the right things on paper but they’re not seeing the behaviour change, the confidence shift, or the performance improvement they expected.

And that’s usually the moment they come to us and ask: “How do we know if our learning is landing?”

Here’s what we look for:

✅ People are applying what they’ve learned—without being reminded. You hear the language from training appear naturally in conversations. You see faster, more confident decisions being made. Learning is visible in the day-to-day.

✅ Managers can spot the difference. They notice colleagues stepping up, taking ownership, improving customer interactions. There’s a shift in how people show up, not just what they know.

✅ Feedback is better. Customer satisfaction improves. Colleagues feel more capable. The themes that used to show up in complaints start to disappear.

✅ People talk about learning because it feels useful. It becomes part of the culture. They reference it, share it, even ask for more. Learning feels like something they own, not something they’re handed.

✅ Performance moves in the right places. Not just quiz scores, but real-world results: fewer issues, better service, smoother operations.

But what if you’re not seeing that?

Here are a few signs the learning might be missing the mark:

❌ It feels like a tick-box exercise. People complete the course but don’t refer to it again. You hear, “I’ve done it,” not “I used it.”

❌ You’re still dealing with the same problems. Despite covering key topics in training, the same issues keep showing up whether it’s compliance gaps, service complaints, or management challenges.

❌ No one can explain the difference it’s made. You ask for examples of how learning has helped, and you’re met with silence.

That doesn’t mean your content is poor. It means there may be a gap between what’s being taught and what’s actually needed.

Here’s how we help bridge that gap:

🔁 Make training reflect real-life situations. Build learning around what actually happens on the shop floor, in customer calls, or in leadership decisions - not just what looks good in a manual.

👥 Layer in coaching and human support. Follow up eLearning with real conversations. Buddy systems. Line manager check-ins. Help people connect the dots between theory and practice.

📚 Create moments for reflection. Encourage learners to pause, discuss, and apply what they’ve learned. That’s where real understanding starts to grow.

📝 Link learning to PDPs (Personal Development Plans). Make it personal. When people can see how learning connects to their goals, it becomes more relevant and more likely to stick.

📊 Track outcomes, not just completions. Look for behaviour change. Confidence levels. Team performance. That’s what impact really looks like.

Because learning that lands isn’t just about delivery. It’s about what happens afterwards.

It shows up in the way people lead, the way they serve, the way they solve problems. And that kind of learning? That’s what makes a real difference to your business.

📩 Not sure if your L&D is hitting home? We’d be happy to help you take a closer look and make learning land where it matters most.

Email Mandy, our Business Development Director today to see how we can help your business grow.

📧 mandy@talentvista.co.uk