Most workplace learning doesn’t happen in a classroom, a webinar, or a formal module. It happens informally; in conversations with colleagues, quick questions over Slack, shared how-to videos, and lessons picked up on the job. This invisible learning makes up the bulk of real knowledge transfer inside organisations.

According to the 70:20:10 model, just 10% of learning comes from formal training, while 20% comes from social interaction and a full 70% from experiential, on-the-job learning. Yet traditional L&D programmes tend to focus heavily on that 10%, leaving the other 90% uncaptured, unsupported, and unmeasured.

This creates a dilemma. L&D teams are expected to develop skills, drive behavioural change, and prove impact, but the most effective learning is happening outside their systems.

Meanwhile, the workforce expects more collaborative, socially-driven learning. People want to learn from peers, share their own insights, and feel connected to a broader learning community. But without structure or visibility, this informal learning often goes undocumented, undervalued, and underutilised.

The compliance risk of getting it wrong

When informal learning isn’t monitored or supported, misinformation can spread. A well-meaning colleague might share outdated processes. A team might adopt a risky workaround that’s never challenged because “that’s how we’ve always done it.”

In compliance contexts, this is dangerous. If people are learning how to report harassment or handle data breaches from peers rather than policy, any gap in accuracy can lead to violations, regulatory penalties, or harm to individuals.

Untracked learning also creates blind spots. If L&D and compliance teams don’t know what’s being shared or where the gaps are they can’t intervene, support, or improve. And they can’t prove to regulators or auditors that staff are learning what they need to stay compliant.

Why traditional training doesn’t help

Most training platforms aren’t designed to engage with informal learning. They operate on completion rates and quiz scores, not real conversations or day-to-day questions. They don’t capture the knowledge being exchanged between departments or during mentoring sessions.

As a result, L&D is often siloed from the very learning activity that’s driving most of the organisation’s knowledge growth. Worse, these platforms rarely give employees a space to ask questions, test understanding, or explore scenarios informally, especially in sensitive or complex areas like ethics, discrimination, or compliance decision-making.

The result is a fragmented learning culture: one formal, measured and generic; the other informal, relevant but invisible.

Strategies to improve

Leading L&D teams are tackling this in several ways:

• Building Communities of Practice (CoPs) around shared roles or interests—safe spaces where peers share challenges, solutions, and lessons learned.

   

• Encouraging knowledge-sharing via platforms like Slack, Teams, or internal LXPs with user-generated content.

   

• Partnering with subject matter experts to turn tacit knowledge into reusable learning resources.

   

• Creating mechanisms to capture and validate informal learning—whether through mentoring logs, peer reviews, or short-form reflections.

These efforts help surface the learning that’s already happening and ensure it aligns with organisational goals. But even here, one major limitation remains: few tools allow for real-time, adaptive, two-way learning that simulates the benefits of peer exchange and supports compliance accuracy.

The impact of Conversational Learning

Conversational Learning bridges the divide between formal and informal learning. It replicates the feel of peer discussion, something curious, responsive, open-ended, but within a structured, measurable environment.

Learners engage in dialogue that mirrors the natural back-and-forth of workplace conversations. They can ask follow-up questions, challenge assumptions, and see how different decisions play out in real-world scenarios. It’s informal in feel, but formal in structure—every interaction is tracked, assessed, and analysed to surface insights on learner understanding, risk areas, and knowledge gaps.

This makes Conversational Learning the ideal tool for reinforcing learning across Communities of Practice. It can be customised with real-world examples from the community, adapted to reflect organisational values, and deployed as a discussion starter or coaching tool. When paired with subject matter expertise which every course comes embedded with it creates a powerful feedback loop: informal learning becomes structured, measurable, and continuously improved.

And because learners interact naturally, typing or speaking, the experience feels personal and low-pressure, encouraging reflection and experimentation in a way traditional training can’t.

The result? A learning culture that’s inclusive, dynamic and aligned. Where informal learning isn’t hidden or risky, but captured, guided, and used to strengthen the organisation.

Conversational Learning in focus: Sexual harassment

In this course, you are at the heart of the issues that underpin sexual harassment in the workplace, turning passive training into active engagement. You will explore powerful workplace scenarios that test the boundaries of acceptable behaviour in the workplace (and outside) and will be asked to reflect on them. You will be challenged to consider the behaviours and situations depicted, examine your own responses, and navigate complex interpersonal situations in a psychologically safe space.

Note that the scenarios depict scenes of sexual harassment that some learners might find upsetting.