What makes training truly effective? Is it about teaching “click here” steps, or is it about empowering learners to make real-world decisions with confidence? That was one of the core ideas in my interview on the Digital Adoption Show podcast from Whatfix. In this interview, I focused specifically on software training, addressing when scenario-based software training is the right approach and when you should use other training methods. Honestly, a lot of the time scenarios are overkill for software training, but they are helpful in some specific situations.
We covered a lot of ground in 30 minutes.
- Why scenario-based learning is a game-changer for building judgment, context, and decision-making skills.
- How simulations and scenarios work together to create engaging, outcome-driven training.
- The art of crafting branching scenarios—and when a simple decision point is more effective than complexity.
- Key training success metrics, from reduced support calls to emotional and cognitive engagement.
- AI’s role in reshaping learning—can it personalize scenarios in real time?
In this conversation, I talked about using the 5 Moments of Need framework to guide your decisions for software training approaches. I also referenced Will Thalheimer’s book Performance-Focused Learner Surveys as a source for better survey questions (including an example about motivation to apply training).
Watch the interview on YouTube
If the video isn’t embedded below, you can watch it on YouTube.
Listen to the podcast
If you’d prefer to listen to the podcast version, you can find it on Spotify or Apple podcasts.
Looking for more?
If you’re looking for more podcasts about scenario-based learning, check out my collection of previous podcasts (which definitely needs an update to add the most recent recordings).
You can also check out past episodes of the Digital Adoption Show for interviews with other experts.
You may also be interested in reading my past post Software Training with Stories, which includes some additional examples and details beyond what I covered in this conversation.