Workshops

Julie facilitating a workshop.

Learn From Julie

Learn from the author of Design For How People Learn and Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change.

Help your team or organization take their instructional design to the next level, using research-informed instructional design methods.​

Where are Julie’s upcoming in-person workshops?

Rotterdam October 21, 2024 – ANewSpring – One-day Masterclass, Cut Through the Noise: Communicating Value, (Not yet announced, but a description is available here).

Brussels, October 22-23, 2024 – L&D Talks – Two-day Masterclass Learning Design for Behavior Change,

Las Vegas November 4, 2024 – DevLearn – One-day Design for Behavior Change Workshop,

What’s great about Julie’s workshops? They are:

Based on learning and behavioral science

Dynamic and interactive

Full of applicable hands-on tools and activities

Adaptable for your organization

I remember the first time I used one of Julie Dirksen’s techniques with a client – it was like I waved a magic wand over the room, and suddenly – everybody “got it!.” Julie Dirksen has a unique way of making the complex simple and easy to implement.

Dan Black, Chief Learning Strategist – The Learning Innovation Group

Workshops are available in-person in half-day, full-day, and two-day formats, or as virtual workshops.


Talk to the Elephant Book Cover showing a brain with an elephant inside

My new behavior change workshop​

Based on my new book, Talk to the Elephant: Design Learning for Behavior Change​

What do you do when your learners know what to do but still aren’t doing it?​ Add to your design toolbox for difficult behavior change challenges. Learn to use research-based diagnostic tools to analyze and select interventions for difficult behavior change challenges.​

“Last week I used your wonderful material to analyze the situation in one of the sites and the final product was AMAZING! We can now articulate the change we want to see, and we have the strategy to get there.”​

Isabel Montes, People Vice-president for Newmont

Workshop Offerings

Designing for Attention and Engagement

Use the science of attention and engagement to help learners get and stay engaged.

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Analyzing for Instructional Strategies 

Use a diagnostic frame to analyze learner needs and develop more effective instructional strategies and resources.

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Instructional Design Basics

Learn the key instructional design skills to design for how people learn.

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Designing for Skill Development

Prepare your learners for an increasingly complex and volatile world by developing learning experiences to build the complex skills required by modern organizations.

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Learning Design for Behavior Change

Make use of the latest behavioral science research to create more effective learning.  

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Cut Through the Noise: Communicate Value Using Behavioral Science

Communicating WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) to learners is crucial for learner motivation. Learn how behavioral science can help learning designers communicate value in a more compelling way.

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What Instructional Designers can Learn from Game Design

Learn the underlying structures of game design to not only engage learners, but also to improve skill development.

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Learning Experience Design – what Instructional Designers can learn from User Experience Design

Design better learning experiences by learning core user experience competencies for user research, prototyping, and user testing.

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