Why “Engagement” Isn’t Enough in L&D (and What to Aim for Instead)
You’re constantly being pulled in two directions:
On one hand, you're expected to innovate and deliver learning that cuts through the noise and drives performance.
On the other, you’re watching every line on the budget, fielding questions like “Do we really need this?” or “What’s the ROI?”
You know “good enough” learning isn’t good enough anymore.
You’ve seen what happens when content is dumped into the LMS with a shrug - low uptake, low impact, and even lower trust in L&D.
So it makes sense that many teams focus on making learning more engaging.
But here’s the problem:
Engagement alone doesn’t mean it worked.
The Illusion of Success
You can have great visuals, slick interactions, even gamified elements - but if learners walk away and nothing changes in their behaviour, it’s just surface polish.
Engagement is easy to fake.
Impact isn’t.
The most dangerous place for L&D to be is in a “looks good, feels good” trap where stakeholders think the job’s done, but the business keeps bleeding performance.
So What Should L&D Aim for?
To be truly effective, learning experiences need to go beyond keeping people interested. They need to drive meaningful action.
Here’s what we’ve found matters more than just engagement:
✅ Relevance
People engage when content feels like it was made for them. That means real-world scenarios, job-specific challenges, and language that resonates—not abstract theory or generic slides.
✅ Practice
If your goal is behaviour change, you can’t rely on passive content. People need a safe space to rehearse difficult conversations, apply judgment, and see the consequences of their choices.
That’s where simulations and scenario-based learning shine.
✅ Measurable Outcomes
Stakeholders don’t want a fun experience. They want fewer mistakes, faster ramp-ups, better service scores. And the only way L&D earns a seat at the table is by connecting learning to those outcomes.
What We Do Differently at Totem
We start with what learners need to do differently—not just what they need to know.
We design for:
Confidence in high-stakes moments
Mastery of complex, people-based challenges
Metrics that matter: reduction in errors, uplift in referrals, faster onboarding
Yes, our work is engaging. But that’s just the entry point.
The real win is when your learners walk away better prepared—and your stakeholders walk away impressed.
Still relying on “engagement” as your success metric?
Let’s rethink what great learning should look like and what your business could achieve with the right design approach. Send us an email (info@totemlearning.com) or fill out our contact form and we’ll be in touch within 24 hours.