If you work in learning and development, training requests like the following will likely sound all too familiar:
“We need some training on communication.”
“Can you find a session on dealing with difficult people?”
“The team could really use a bit of resilience training right now.”
Such requests are usually well-intentioned. They reflect a genuine desire to take action, support the team and improve performance and how things work.
But now and again, beneath the surface, a training request is pointing to something else entirely. What if it’s not really about a skills gap but about something deeper that hasn’t yet been named? Sometimes, training can be a comfortable action taken to avoid an uncomfortable issue.
In this article, we’ll explore why some training requests are more of a signal than the solution, and how to respond to these moments with curiosity and confidence.
The Trojan Horse
Sometimes, training is requested not because there’s a clear learning need, but because it feels like a safe and visible response to something more complex. It looks proactive. It ticks a box. It shows that something is being done. But underneath, there might be discomfort, avoidance, or uncertainty about what else to do.
This is where the idea of training requests as a ‘Trojan Horse’ comes in. On the surface, the request is about improving certain skills. But inside, it may be carrying things like team tension, burnout, performance issues, or a need for clearer expectations.
It’s not that people are being deceptive. More often, it’s that training feels like a more palatable way to respond to something messy or relational. And it can feel easier (or safer) to send someone on a course rather than to have a difficult conversation or acknowledge that the problem might be cultural or structural.
Recognising this doesn’t mean dismissing training altogether. It just invites us to pause and ask: What’s really going on here?
What are we really trying to solve?
It’s easy to assume a training request is exactly what it sounds like but it’s worth pausing to ask: what’s behind this ask? Is it really about skills or knowledge, or might it reflect something else?
This is where curiosity comes in. A few simple, open questions can help surface what’s really going on. For example:
- What’s made this a priority right now?
- What would ‘good’ look like afterwards?
- Is this about a gap in skills or something else, like expectations or behaviours?
- Has anything been tried already?
- Are there conversations that need to happen before we do this?
You don’t have to have all the answers. But asking these kinds of questions can help everyone involved reflect more deeply on what’s needed.
Sometimes the person requesting the training doesn’t have the full picture, and neither do we. So, it can also help to invite the perspectives of colleagues in our wider teams, like HR business partners or internal coaches. They might be closer to the dynamics or history behind a situation.
A quiet check-in like “Have you picked up on anything related to this?” might start to surface what’s really going on and help ensure any training is part of a joined-up, intentional response rather than a sticking plaster.
When training is the right move
This isn’t to say training isn’t the answer, it just needs to be the right tool for the right job. When there’s a real skills gap, or when people need a shared language or new perspective, well-designed training can be hugely impactful.
It’s particularly powerful when:
- It’s connected to a wider development plan or change effort
- Participants are clear on what’s expected before and after
- Line managers are involved in the learning journey, not just observers
- There’s time and space for practice, feedback, and reflection
Rather than viewing training as a fix, we can position it as part of a wider support system, one that also includes conversation, feedback, clarity, and accountability.
If we want the training to make a real difference, it helps to ask – what other conditions will support people to apply what they’ve learned?
What if we got braver?
Training requests can sometimes feel like a script we’re all following – someone asks, we deliver. But what if we got braver about pausing the script and asking: Is this really what’s needed?
As L&D professionals, we’re well placed to hold these moments of pause and to create space for reflection, not just response. That doesn’t mean saying no or pushing back hard. It’s more about staying open, asking considered questions, and working with the requester to figure out what will genuinely make a difference.
Some helpful phrases might include:
- Before we look at solutions, can we take a moment to talk about what the root of the issue might be?
- Sometimes team dynamics are part of what’s showing up. Is there anything happening in the team or how they are working that could be shaping this request?
- What would a good outcome look like for you and how would we know it’s working?
- What sort of support do you think might help most at this stage?
- Are there any habits, systems, or expectations that might need to shift to support this training?
These aren’t always easy conversations, especially when they are a change to how we normally respond or when people are under pressure to act quickly. But they can be powerful. Not because they lead to wholesale change overnight, but because they create space for small, skilful disruptions – a next step to better rather than a dramatic overhaul.
Never underestimate the impact of a well-timed question. Sometimes, just pausing to ask one thoughtful thing can be enough to shift someone’s thinking or open up a more meaningful conversation about what’s really needed.
From fixing to facilitating
At its best, learning and development isn’t just about accepting training requests and providing solutions, it’s about helping the organisation ask better questions.
Sometimes that means noticing when a training request might be a signal, not the solution and being willing to explore that, gently, with our stakeholders.
The next time you’re asked to organise training, it might be worth pausing and wondering:
- What might this be a Trojan horse for?
- What’s this really about and what else could be possible here?
- What’s one question I can ask that could help us look beneath the surface of the request?
