Captivate and motivate learners like a pro: Expert engagement strategies

Making training impossible to ignore is the dream. Yet, one of the biggest challenges in instructional design is keeping learners engaged. People might sign up for a course or start an e-learning module — but how do you keep them interested enough to continue?

Many are struggling to crack the code. But, the award-winning instructional designer, international keynote speaker, author, and CEO behind Duets Learning knows better and goes beyond the basics. In a recent We Are webinar, expert Hadiya Nuriddin, shared 3 strategies to captivate and motivate learners:

1. Episodic training
2. Rhetorical appeals
3. Using scenarios

Catch up on the full session here. And here’s a summary of how these 3 learning engagement strategies can turn training from a passive experience into something learners want to be part of.

Episodic learning keeps learners wanting more

Think about what keeps you hooked on a great TV series. It’s not just the information. It’s the suspense, the structure, and the feeling that you need to know what happens next.

“Can we steal from what serial television does and apply it to learning? Absolutely.”​

Hadiya Nuriddin, CEO of Duets Learning

That’s the idea behind episodic learning: instead of presenting everything at once, break training into smaller, connected lessons that unfold over time.

To apply episodic learning in instructional design, consider these best practices as described by Hadiya:

• Structure content like a journey.

Each module should naturally lead into the next.

• Use cliffhangers.

End sections with a challenge, an open question, or a problem to solve next time.

• Keep it digestible and thereby easier to retain.

When training content is designed like an unfolding story, learners want to return because they’re invested in what happens next.

Rhetoric makes training leave a lasting impression

“A rhetorical appeal is a persuasive strategy used in communication to inform the public by targeting their emotions, their logic, and their ethics,” describes Hadiya.​

How information is framed can make the difference between a forgettable lesson and a powerful one. Hadiya explains that rhetorical appeals enhance engagement because they help learners see the relevance of their learning​.

3 rhetorical appeals for instructional design

• Logic (Logos)
• Emotion (Pathos)
• Credibility (Ethos)

By using rhetorical techniques, instructional designers can create more engaging corporate training that sticks with learners long after the course ends.

Using scenarios encourages learning application

Scenario-based learning transforms training from passive consumption into active decision-making.

“I want learners to feel like, ‘I lived that experience already. It’s easier for me to take it back on the job.’”​

Hadiya Nuriddin, CEO of Duets Learning

For example, see this We Are Story that puts learners in a high-pressure leadership situation where they have to give timely feedback:

Instead of just reading about a topic, learners make choices, solve problems, and see the impact of their decisions.

Want to create your own scenario-based learning content? Start for free with We Are and build your first interactive Story today.

As described by Hadiya, “the best thing you can do for a scenario… is to create a situation where people recognize themselves and the people they're seeing on the screen. That's not Samantha going through that. That's me going through that.”

This approach keeps learners engaged while building confidence in real-world problem-solving.

Watch the full We Are webinar featuring Hadiya diving into learning engagement strategies.