Safety standards and complianceCourse design
If people walk out believing they’re trained, you’re responsible for that belief. A few years ago, I met with someone who managed an organization that delivers occupational health and safety courses. We had a good conversation — smart person, good intentions. But something they said has stuck with me ever since.
After I walked them through what effective training design looks like — clear objectives, aligned content, meaningful activities, real assessment — they said: “That sounds great, but we’re not delivering training. We’re just providing information.” That hit me hard.
Because to the people sitting in those rooms — those four- to eight-hour PowerPoint marathons — that is training. They walk out with a certificate that says they’re trained. Their employers believe they’re trained. And the organization’s name is on the certificate. So whether they call it “training” or not doesn’t matter.
It functions as training in the world. And that means there’s a moral obligation to treat it like training — to do it right. It reminds me of a saying I heard years ago: “The meaning in communication lies in the way it’s received — not in the way it’s intended.” The same principle applies here. You don’t get to decide how your work is perceived.
If the people who receive it see it as training, then it’s training — and you’re accountable for what that means. Intent doesn’t protect outcomes. Responsibility does. If people are learning from you, you owe them more than information. You owe them training.
(And for anyone itching to launch into a 42-comment debate about “training versus education,” kindly take a deep breath and move on. We’re good here.)