How to Make Workplace Training Stick: The StoryBehind UNLRN

Before we started UNLRN in February 2020, we’d sat through many dry, tick-box inclusion trainings. A couple of hours of slides, then everyone goes back to work and carries on as before.

So we asked ourselves: what turns learning into real behaviour change? Six years and thousands of participants later, we’ve learnt that great training is much harder to create and deliver than it looks. It needs to:

1. Hold attention and keep everyone genuinely engaged.

2. Make complexity feel simple without dumbing it down.

3. Build trust quickly, so people actually participate.

4. Respond to the room in real time - knowing when to challenge, adapt or change course.

5. Make practice feel real, so people can use what they’ve learned beyond the

training room.

We didn’t start with that formula. We found our way to it by experimenting with both what we taught and how we taught it.

Where UNLRN started

Our backgrounds are an odd mix: psychotherapy, acting, advertising and illustration. So when we started UNLRN, we treated training as something to experiment with. We tried storytelling, role-play, reflection, live exercises, polls and realistic workplace scenarios, paying attention to what actually helped people understand, engage and remember.

We learnt that how something is delivered matters enormously. People engage when complex ideas are made clear, relevant and memorable, and when the facilitator can create energy, tell a good story and make people want to take part. Trust matters too, particularly when the subject is difficult or personal.

But understanding something in a training room is only part of it. We also noticed how much people learnt when they had to put an idea into practice, especially when things didn’t quite go to plan. Knowing what to do and being able to do it under pressure are different things.

That combination of strong content, skilled facilitation and realistic practice has shaped how we design training ever since.

Our roots in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

UNLRN grew out of a belief that workplaces can and should be fairer. We started by working on bias, microaggressions, cultural intelligence, psychological safety and inclusive leadership, and have since delivered training for organisations including Google, Nike, Roche, Omnicom and Ocado.

That work taught us that people can care deeply about doing the right thing and still struggle to act when they’re uncomfortable or afraid of getting it wrong. We also saw that shame could shut down important conversations, while avoiding discomfort didn’t help anyone learn.

Four principles came to guide our work:

1. Progress over perfection. 

2. Compassion over shame.

3. Courage over comfort.

4. Accountability over blame

We soon realised these principles mattered just as much in leadership. Leaders regularly have to navigate uncomfortable conversations, make difficult decisions, take responsibility and respond well when things go wrong. Compassion, courage, progress and accountability all matter in those moments.

Managers also have enormous influence over whether people experience work as fair and inclusive. Leadership development became a natural extension of our work.

What we learnt about developing leaders

A lot of people know what good leadership looks like on paper. The harder part is doing it when people, pressure and competing priorities enter the picture. You can learn a framework for giving feedback, handling conflict or building trust. Then someone reacts in a way you didn’t expect. The script runs out, and judgement takes over.

That’s why we build some messiness into leadership training. People need to practise what happens when conversations take an unexpected turn — to respond, get feedback, adjust and try again before the stakes are higher in real life.

Where that’s taken us

Today, our work spans development programmes for first-time managers and experienced leaders, focused management workshops, team development and DEI training. The subjects vary, but our approach is consistent: make complex ideas clear and engaging, then create opportunities for people to put them into practice. 

Much of the work comes back to the same human skills: communicating clearly, building trust, handling disagreement, listening well and having conversations that aren’t always comfortable. Those skills are becoming more important as more parts of work become automated. Technology can help someone prepare for a difficult conversation. Humans still have to have it.

So, does training actually make an impact?

We think it can. The real test is whether people leave training more able and willing to do something differently when they’re back at work. 

In our 2025 client survey, 90% of our clients reported positive ROI, 83% reported an improvement in inclusive workplace culture and morale and 75% saw a strong impact on organisational performance. 100% said they would recommend UNLRN. (Based on a 2025 survey of UNLRN clients)

The numbers tell part of the story. What people take away from the experience matters too.

“What a powerful time spent during this session! I'm empowered to stand up for myself even more as a person of color and an ally to marginalized groups in the workplace and personal life.” - Amoya Buggs, Account Director, RAPP US

“The UNLRN team was incredibly responsive, reliable, and flexible throughout the process of building this training and executing it. The training was universally well received, and employee knowledge and confidence in how to prevent, identify and address any potential (workplace) microaggressions, increased significantly. We highly recommend this partner organization.” - Leigh Ober, Head of People, Omnicom Precision Marketing Group

We’re still experimenting, learning and changing things as we go. We probably always will be. Which, for a company called UNLRN, feels about right.

What would you like to change?

You don’t need to know exactly which programme or workshop you need. Tell us what’s happening in your organisation and what you’d like people to be doing differently. We’ll help you work out what could be most useful.

FAQs

When was UNLRN founded?

UNLRN was founded in February 2020, initially focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion. Today, our work spans DEI, leadership development and team culture.

What training does UNLRN offer?

We run development programmes for first-time managers and experienced leaders, alongside focused leadership workshops, team and DEI training.

How is UNLRN training delivered?

We deliver training in person and online. Our leadership programmes usually run over six weeks, while standalone training can be delivered as one-off focused sessions depending on what an organisation needs.

Who has UNLRN worked with?

Through our DEI and inclusion work, we’ve delivered training for organisations including Google, Nike, Roche, Omnicom, Ocado, Age UK and the London School of Economics. We also work with organisations on leadership development, management and communication.

What makes UNLRN’s approach different?

Our training combines strong content, dynamic expert-led facilitation and realistic practice. We make complex subjects clear, engaging and memorable, then give people the chance to put what they’re learning into practice in situations that feel real.