”I know kung fu.”

This is Neo’s pronouncement in the movie, The Matrix, eleven seconds after porting with the ship’s computer via a thick cord fixed to the back of his neck.

“Show me,” says Morpheus who has spent those seconds watching Neo’s face twitch and eyeballs roll around beneath his closed eyelids. Off they go into the Matrix and it is true. Neo knows kung fu.

Oh, if only corporate learning and development programs could work this way. We could learn presentation skills in the time it takes to eat the New Year’s resolution salad we brought to work. We could learn negotiation skills between phone calls. We could finish that leadership development program while waiting for an email to send.

But corporate learning and development programs do not work this way.

We are not part machine and we should be thankful for that. Unlike machines, human beings absorb information using imagination, story, and emotion. Unlike machines, we can act on information with charity, empathy, and compassion. Unlike machines, our actions can resonate deeply with other humans. Therefore, unlike machines, we need more than eleven seconds.

If you are evaluating learning and development workshops for your teams this year, I can tell you what the number one objection is going to be from the people you are hoping will attend. Time.

“Yes, yes, we want to learn this game-changing skill, but our calendars are a bit full. How about we run the workshop for a few hours in the afternoon?”

Trust me. They will not know kung fu when they are done.

As a learning and development specialist or leader of a team, you want to make sure they do and that means persuading them to invest more time.

Let me persuade you and give you a way to persuade them. In the video below I talk about time and the real purpose of a learning and development workshop: the journey. You can watch while you eat your New Year’s resolution salad.