In this monologue Andy Campbell highlights a common but under‑discussed phase that follows formal training: the moment learners return to their work and need to apply a single, specific piece of knowledge they just learned. He explains that while learners can recall the overall concept, they often can’t locate the exact step or setting they need in the moment, leading them to either waste time searching lengthy courses or ask a colleague. Campbell argues for practical, lightweight support mechanisms to fill this gap: short, searchable micro‑guides that address frequent “what‑do‑I‑do‑now?” problems; readily available peer or on‑site assistance; brief follow‑up conversations a few days after training to surface hidden issues; and a process for keeping reference materials current so users continue to trust them. He stresses that these interventions don’t require a new program, just intentional design of post‑training touchpoints that acknowledge the reality of on‑the‑job learning.
Chapters
There's a moment after training that I think we don't spend enough time talking about. Somebody's back at work, they're finally doing the thing we taught them, and they can't remember one part of it. Not the whole thing, just the bit they need right now. So they're sitting there thinking, I know they showed us this, where is it? And somewhere in the LMS, there's a nice little checkmark saying they have completed it. I've been thinking about this for a while, getting my video set up. You can explain lighting to me and show me the camera settings, tell me how everything works, and that's great, but then I have to put it all together in an actual room and get to work. Suddenly there's a shadow I didn't expect, or Something's not quite right, and I'm trying to remember which setting I changed. That's the point where I need help. I've already had the explanation. Now I'm trying to use it. I think we do the same thing to people at work. We give them a walkthrough and a new system and then let them practice a little and send them back to their day. Then Their first real situation is slightly different from the example, and they're on their own. So we showed them how to enter a standard request. That went fine. But now there's a request with something missing, or the customer wants an exception, or the screen looks different from the screenshot. What are they supposed to do with that? I want them to have somewhere useful to go. Maybe it's a short guide with the common problems. Maybe there's somebody they can ask. Maybe they need another chance to practice with someone nearby who can help. It doesn't have to be a whole new program. Sometimes it's just making sure the thing we already created is easy to find. If they have to open a 40-minute course and click, click through every part of it looking for one screen, I can understand why they just ask the person next to them. And if we make a guide, somebody has to keep it current. Otherwise, 6 months later, people are following the instructions for buttons that no longer exist. That's a pretty quick way to teach people to stop trusting the guide. I'd also like to hear from them after they've actually used the new process. Just a normal conversation. How'd it go? Anything catch you off guard? We might find out the training missed something. We might find out the process itself is a total mess. Either way, I'd rather know. I don't expect somebody to remember every detail because we showed it to them once. I don't work that way. I'm not sure why I'd expect everyone else to work in the same way. If the first time they need help is 3 days after they finish the course, I'd like us to have thought about what happens on day 3.
