Mission OR Adventure #24: Behind the Slides: What Internal Training Really Looks Like (And how to fix what’s broken before it breaks your team)

From Amanda’s Desk

Let’s be real. Not all training programs are created equal.

Some look stunning on a slide deck but fall apart in action. Others are cobbled together last-minute, with a prayer and a PDF.

And then there are the rare few - the ones that actually work. Because they’re built from behind-the-scenes wisdom, not just corporate polish.

This week, we’re pulling back the curtain. Behind every underwhelming module is a opportunity to do better.

🎭 What’s Really Going On Behind the Slides

A lot of training feels like a tick-the-box exercise.

If your training isn’t landing, it’s probably because:

📌 There’s no clear checklist. People don’t know where to start.

📌 There’s no story. Just slide after slide of "stuff."

📌 There’s no human. The SOP reads like it was written by a robot.

That’s not a training problem. That’s a design problem. And it’s totally fixable!

⚙️ Why It’s So Easy to Miss

Most internal training gets stuck because it’s:

👉 Designed in a rush.

👉 Written for compliance, not capability.

👉 Built by the person who knows the most, but not the one who trains best.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. And you’re definitely not failing, you’re just missing the magic of intention.

🕵️♀️ Behind-the-Scenes Reality Check Every great training system has messy roots:

  • Half-finished drafts.

  • SME notes written in ALL CAPS.

  • That one Google Doc from 2019 you’re scared to open. I know, I have at least 7 of them myself.

It’s normal. Staying stuck there? That’s optional.

📦 This Week’s Unsexy but Game-Changing Moves Let’s shift from chaos to clarity with three simple upgrades:

🧰 1. Start With a Real Checklist

Not just "what to know," but what to do.

Make it frictionless. Think: task list, not textbook.

🎙 2. Turn Your SOP Into a Story

What’s the moment this task actually matters?

Build from there.

Lead with context, then content.

👯 3. Anchor it in Humans

Who owns it? Who do they go to for help?

People stick to what feels real — and reachable.

🚀 How Pulse Brings Training Back to Life Inside the Imagine8 Pulse Community, we help you:

  • Strip the fluff and find the flow.

  • Design for clarity, not confusion.

  • Build learning people actually want to do.

Because your people deserve more than a pretty PDF. They deserve tools that work when the pressure’s on.

🎉 Come see how we do it: https://bit.ly/imagine8pulse