Consider: how many times have you completed a training and thought, “Well, that was… something?” You can’t quite identify the purpose behind what you learned; furthermore, how it’s going to impact your Wednesday afternoon.
Why is this? Many training programs miss the understated, yet necessary symbiotic relationship between learning objectives and performance objectives. Achieving a firm grasp of this is key to revolutionizing how organizations think about learning and measuring success.
The Great Divide That Shouldn’t Be
Learning objectives are about what happens in someone’s head. They’re the internal transformations, the light bulb or “A-ha” moments, those of us in learning and development so highly regard.
Performance objectives, on the other hand, are about application. These are the observable, measurable actions someone will do after training. At this point, we’ve moved beyond understanding; it’s about demonstrating that understanding in the real world.
Striking the Right Balance
Here’s where organizations usually mess up: they pick one and run with it. Either they create idealistic learning objectives that sound great but don’t connect to actual job performance, or they jump straight to performance objectives without building the foundational understanding that makes those performances sustainable.
When focus is placed solely on learning objectives, the result is employees who can ace a quiz but freeze in a real-world situation. They understand conflict resolution in theory, but when a colleague or direct report starts raising their voice in a meeting, all that theory evaporates into thin air.
The counterpoint is that when focus is only on performance objectives, the training becomes a script. “Say this, then do that.” People can follow the steps, but they don’t understand why they’re doing them. And the moment something goes slightly off-script? They’re lost.
Creating Learning Experiences That Stick
When we design training that honors both the internal transformation and the external application, that’s when the magic happens. For example, let’s say you’re designing a program on giving effective feedback. Here’s how you might layer learning and performance objectives together:
A learning objective may appear something like this:
“Participants will be able to identify and distinguish the behavioral benefits of timely and specific feedback.”
From this, we can extract some relevant performance objectives. These may look like the following:
- Participants will deliver feedback within 24 hours of observing a behavior
- Participants will cite specific examples when giving feedback
- Participants will describe the impact of the behavior on team goals
Notice how the learning objective provides the “why” and the performance objectives create the “what”? When employees understand why timely feedback is important, they’re more likely to do it. And when they know exactly what timely, specific feedback looks like in practice, they can execute confidently.
Building a Blueprint for Success
So, how do you leverage both types of objectives effectively?
Start with the end in mind. What do you want people to be able to do differently after this training? Write those performance objectives first. Use the SMART framework to make sure they’re specific and measurable. If they can’t be observed or measured, it’s not a performance objective.
Work backwards to understanding. For each performance objective, ask yourself: “What do they need to understand to do this well?” That’s your learning objective. This is where you build conceptual understanding, explain best practices and tools, and create those “A-ha” moments.
Design experiences that bridge both. Training activities should help people move from understanding to application. Role-plays, simulations, case studies, practice scenarios; these are the bridges that connect learning to performance.
Measure at both levels. Use assessments or discussions to gauge learning. Use observations, work samples, or performance metrics to gauge application.
The Ripple Effect of Getting This Right
When there is a clear, balanced relationship between learning and performance objectives, training stops being something people have to sit through and becomes an essential experience for making employees more successful and more fulfilled in their jobs.
Employees feel more confident because they understand not just what to do, but why they’re doing it. They can adapt when situations change because they’ve built real understanding, not just memorized steps. They become problem-solvers, not script-followers.
And the best part: when a training is created that truly develops people, it shows them that the organization values growth, competence, and continuous improvement. This helps build a learning culture where development isn’t a chore: it’s an opportunity.
Summary
The next time you’re designing training (or evaluating a program someone else designed), ask yourself: “Do we have both learning and performance objectives? Are we building understanding and application?”
If the answer is no, you’ve got an opportunity to elevate it into something truly impactful. Remember, every person in your organization wants to be good at their job. They want to grow, contribute, and feel competent. When we design learning experiences that honor both the internal journey of understanding and the external journey of performance, we’re not just improving business metrics; we’re helping people become their best professional selves.