True Tales of Training Mishaps
Read real stories revealing what happens when training goes wrong and how you can learn from them.
What others are saying about Training Horror Stories
Dr. Elwood F. Holton III
Professor Emeritus of Leadership and Human Resource Development, Louisiana State University, USA
“This is the most realistic look at organizational training I have ever read. Combining decades of experience and wisdom, experienced and inexperienced trainers will learn invaluable lessons from these stories. Most importantly, the stories can help you avoid calamities in your own practice. It should be required reading for every training professional!”
Jonathan Hodge
Leadership Coach | CEO | Learning & Development Advisor
“As a coach and CEO in L&D, I found this book both refreshing and extremely useful. The stories are relatable and often painfully familiar, but what really stands out are the “Points to Ponder” at the end of each chapter. They don’t just offer reflection – they invite action. This is a smart, practical resource that every L&D professional should have within reach.”
Will Thalheimer, PhD, MBA
Consultant, Speaker, Researcher – Work-Learning Research
“Amazing! A book that provides years of experience in just one reading! From career-defining incidents faced by dozens of learning-and-development professionals, we learn what not to do, we see what’s already been tried, and we gain perspective to build our own resilience. A must read, this book brings hope and wisdom to our L&D work!”
Judith Hale
PhD., CPT, AIM, and ibstpi Fellow
“Brinkerhoff, Apking, and Boon give us an opportunity to gain insight from a variety of great learning examples that highlight what can and has gone wrong. The stories will not only bring you a smile ‘I’ve been there!’ but they also remind us of the importance of being disciplined and thoughtful in all of our work.”
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Discover Poignant Training Challenges and Lessons
Dive into 44 true stories revealing the unexpected trials faced by Learning and Development pros from around the world, blending humor with practical insights to enhance your training’s impact.
True tales of systemic flaws that derail our best intentions.
Relatable anecdotes that reveal L&D initiatives gone awry.
Practical reflections to improve future results and ROI.
Thought-provoking Points to Ponder in every story.
Read more
When training goes right, it’s exciting and inspiring.
The exact needs are identified. Clear learning objectives are developed. Thoughtful instruction is designed and delivered. Participants show up ready to learn. They leave with new knowledge, confidence, and practical skills. Those skills transfer to the job, enabling individuals and teams to work more effectively and drive better results for the organization. When it works like this, learning and development becomes one of the most powerful levers we have for transforming people and performance.
But as every experienced L&D professional knows, sometimes things go spectacularly wrong.
That’s the subject of this book: 44 true stories from the trenches—moments when training didn’t just miss the mark, it backfired, fizzled, or fell completely flat. These aren’t hypothetical case studies or harmless hiccups. They’re real situations that wasted time, drained resources, damaged credibility, or—at the very least—left a roomful of participants wondering, “Why am I here?”
If you’ve worked in training for any length of time, you’ll likely recognize some of these scenarios. Perhaps you’ve lived through similar ones. Maybe you’ve even contributed to a few. (I know I have.)
About the Authors
Robert O. Brinkerhoff is an internationally recognized expert in evaluation and training effectiveness and has provided consultation to dozens of major companies and organizations around the globe. Author of sixteen books on evaluation and training, he has been a keynote speaker and presenter at hundreds of conferences and institutes worldwide.
Robert O. Brinkerhoff
As a learning and performance improvement consultant since 1983, Anne Apking has worked successfully with a wide array of industries and clients, creating and implementing learning and performance improvement solutions that make a difference.
Anne M. Apking
Edward W. Boon works for Promote International as consultant and lead facilitator of the Brinkerhoff Certification for High Performance Learning Journeys program. Based in Stockholm, Sweden he has nearly 20 years’ experience designing, developing, and delivering soft skills training to international clients.
Edward W. Boon
About the Book
Table of contents
Foreword
Preface
Design Disasters
Training That Didn’t Stick
Wrong Solution
Disgruntled Clients
Awkward Facilitator Moments
Unhappy Participants
Evaluation Mishaps
Our Analytic Reflections
List of Contributors
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
The Promote Story
Bulk Orders
Our bulk order option lets you buy in increments of 20 copies, priced at US $499 per bundle (versus $32.95 per book). That’s nearly 25 % off the individual-copy price.
We ship the books to your preferred address.Simply choose the number of bundles you want (1 bundle = 20 books, 2 = 40, 3 = 60, etc.).The discounted price is applied automatically at checkout.
Why order in bulk?
Bulk orders are perfect when you want to:
- Distribute copies to employees across a team, department, or organization
- Provide workshop or training attendees with a takeaway
- Supply copies to book clubs, classroom cohorts, or professional groups
- Stock books for resale in store, at events, or on campus
- Support community, nonprofit, or internal initiatives by giving the book away
Register your interest in the Training Horror Stories Book Club.
You will get notified when we launch.
Learn From Real Training Failures
Explore answers to frequent queries about training mishaps, helping you gain clarity and avoid mistakes.
What kinds of training disasters are covered in the book?
The book shares 44 true stories of unexpected training mishaps faced by L&D professionals. Not random acts of a fickle universe, but mishaps that were avoidable and whose provenance we can learn from.
How can I apply the lessons from these stories?
Each story ends with Points to Ponder, offering practical reflections to improve your training impact.
Is the content more serious or entertaining?
The stories blend humor and analytic insights to engage readers while delivering valuable learning lessons to avoid similar disasters.
Who should read Training Horror Stories?
This book is ideal for Learning and Development professionals at all levels seeking to refine their L&D expertise.
Further reading
Improving Performance Through Learning: A Practical Guide for Designing High Performance Learning Journeys
In Improving Performance Through Learning, you will find practical guidance for designing robust learning journeys that overcome the perennial barriers to training transfer and deliver consistent, sustained behavioral change and business impact. More than five years in the making, the HPLJ learning design and delivery process is founded on decades of solid learning and performance research and has been implemented in dozens of organizations worldwide.
Promote International
Unlock the Full Potential of Learning
Promote International helps organizations turn training into real business results. Our digital platform bridges the gap between learning and on-the-job performance—ensuring lasting impact and measurable change.
