Irina Ketkin

Design thinking helps L&D professionals solve the right problems in learner-focused ways. This guide walks you through the five key stages—empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test—plus a real-world case study on applying it to a leadership development program. You’ll get practical tips, example questions, and ideas you can adapt for any industry or organization. No design background needed—just curiosity, empathy, and a willingness to experiment.

Social learning makes training more human. It’s about people learning from each other—through conversation, collaboration, and shared experiences. You don’t need a big budget or fancy tools to make it happen. In this article, we explore five simple, practical ways to bring social learning into your programs. From peer groups and collaborative tasks to user-generated content and mentoring, these ideas will help learners connect, apply, and grow—together.

Learn how to apply Kolb’s experiential learning cycle to create engaging, practical, and effective training experiences.