Why Most Training Fades and the Two Things That Make It Stick
By Mitchell Schuckman, PCC | Founder, The Schuckman Group
I’ve been in every seat you can take when it comes to training. Early in my career, I was the participant scribbling notes, hoping something would stick. Later, I was the leader approving budgets, expecting a return that rarely came. Then I was the trainer at the front of the room, trying to make the material come alive. Today, as a creator and facilitator of training programs and executive coach, I meet people weeks or months after they’ve been through a program. By then the question isn’t just whether they’ve been able to use it. Sometimes it’s whether they even remember it. And rarely is the question whether the training created measurable change in behavior or helped them improve results for clients and colleagues.
That’s the hard truth. Most training fades. People leave energized, but a few weeks later the material has slipped away and old habits take over. But some training lasts. It changes how people lead, how they communicate, how they relate with clients, and how they show up under pressure. The difference, in my experience, almost always comes down to two things: the quality of the content and the coaching that follows. Context is the ingredient that helps both land more effectively, but without strong content and coaching, even well-contextualized training falls flat.
When Trainers Miss the Business, T
One of my first big programs stands out. I was “hand-selected” to participate in a program for rising leaders. The program was polished, professional, and delivered by expert trainers. But those trainers hadn’t taken the time to really understand my business. That lack of connection diminished their credibility almost immediately.
In the hallway during a break, a few of us compared notes over coffee and granola bars. We agreed on the same thing. The presenters were skilled, but the examples felt like they belonged in another industry. We were accountants and tax professionals dealing with demanding finance executives, regulatory deadlines, and technical client problems. The scenarios we were given were about marketing campaigns for consumer products.
It felt like being dropped into someone else’s story.
I left with a thick binder of slides, but nothing I could apply the next morning. That experience taught me something I’ve seen confirmed dozens of times since: adults learn best when the training has great content that matters and when it connects directly to the problems they are facing. Without that connection, even the most polished delivery fades away.
The ROI Trap That Frustrates Sponsors
Years later, I was the one signing off on budgets. I saw the investment in time and money, and I heard the expectation that training would move the needle. Too often, it didn’t.
The issue wasn’t usually the trainers or the material. The issue was how organizations approached training. Too many leaders, including those in learning and development, buy pre-packaged programs as a way of checking the box. They can say the training was delivered, but the results are almost always thin. Participants leave with a pleasant experience, but struggle to connect what was taught to what happens in real life. Sponsors look for ROI and don’t see it. Participants feel like the firm went through the motions without really investing in them.
I have found that this cycle erodes trust. People begin to see training as theater, not development. And once that happens, even the good programs have an uphill battle.
Why Content and Context Matter Together
When I began designing my own programs, I thought hard about what had fallen short before. One answer was clear: the content must be worth learning. If the material is not meaningful, practical, and tied to real capability, the rest is wasted effort.
The second answer was context. Context doesn’t replace content. It strengthens it. Before I lead a session, I study the business. I want to know the industry, the client pressures, and even the terminology. The moment you use the same language participants use with clients or inside their teams, the room changes. People lean in. They realize you are not teaching generic concepts. You are speaking their language, and you understand their challenges.
That combination of strong content delivered in a way that connects is what makes training credible in the room. But it still doesn’t guarantee behavior change. For that, you need something more.
Coaching is the Multiplier That Makes Learning Last
Even the best content delivered in the right context can fade if it is left on its own. A workshop may spark energy, but awareness in the room doesn’t automatically turn into action at the desk. That’s where coaching comes in.
I’ve seen it again and again. Participants leave a session excited, but when they try to apply the new skills in a live situation like a high-stakes presentation, a tense client negotiation, or a leadership moment they didn’t expect, their old habits come back. Without reinforcement, the training fades.
When coaching follows training, the story is different. Coaching gives people a safe place to connect the dots between what they learned and what they face in real life. It gives them accountability, perspective, and support while they practice. That is where the real return on investment shows up.
This isn’t just theory. As an ICF Professional Certified Coach, I’ve seen firsthand how people move from “I liked the training” to “I changed because of the training” when coaching is added. Coaching becomes the multiplier. It turns strong content into usable behavior. It turns behavior into results.
How Coaching Transformed an Introverted Presenter
One participant I’ll never forget was part of a program I gave on executive communication and the use of storytelling in presentations. The training itself was strong. The content was meaningful and relevant, the exercises were practical, and the participants left energized.
Among them was a technically brilliant woman who dreaded presenting. In meetings, she stayed quiet. When asked to give an update, she rushed through it with her eyes down. In the training session, she practiced structuring a message and delivering it with clarity. She performed fairly well in the training room, but when she tried to carry it into her day-to-day work, the old fears took over.
That’s where coaching changed everything. In one-on-one sessions, she admitted what was really happening. She doubted her right to be heard. She believed others had more authority and better ideas. Presenting wasn’t a matter of skill. It was a matter of confidence.
We worked step by step. First, one clear point in a small meeting. Then a short update delivered with eye contact. Then leading part of a client presentation. Each success built her confidence. Over time, she grew more comfortable, and people noticed. Colleagues began turning to her for answers. Senior leaders began inviting her to present in front of clients.
The training gave her the tools. Coaching helped her confront her personal, underlying insecurities and gave her space to practice until the new behavior stuck. Months later, she wasn’t just getting through presentations. She was thriving in them.
The Bottom Line
What matters most is whether training creates lasting change. In my experience, that only happens when two essentials are present: strong content that is relevant and worth learning, and coaching that helps people carry it into real life.
I have been in every chair: participant, sponsor, trainer, and coach. The pattern is clear. Most training fades. The training that lasts combines meaningful content with coaching that turns awareness into behavior and behavior into results. That is the kind of development that moves people, teams, and businesses forward.
Training that sticks does more than create a good day in the classroom. It changes how people show up long after the program is over.