Still Learning: Revisiting 'How Adults Learn, Now' to Reinvent Event Design

Revisiting the Source

Over a decade ago, PCMA’s Convene published a comprehensive series of articles titled How Adults Learn, Now, authored by Sue Tinnish and Glen Ramsborg (Full Disclosure: I served as a subject matter expert).

It aimed to help event professionals understand how adults actually learn—and how that insight could elevate the design of meetings, conferences, and experiences. It was grounded in research but written for real-world application. The industry was starting to embrace the idea that content wasn't king—that learning, engagement, and relevance mattered more.

Today, in the wake of massive disruption and accelerated change, it feels like the right time to revisit that work. Not just to update it, but to ask:

• What still holds true?
• What have we forgotten?
• What have we failed to implement? and most importantly,
• What does it mean for our future?

This article is both a reflection and a call to reset—a reminder that how adults learn isn't just an academic concern. It's a strategic imperative for anyone in the business of creating events that matter.

Tone-wise, this is part reflection, part invitation, and part call to action. If you're feeling stuck, if your events aren't resonating like they used to, or if you're simply curious about what still works (and what doesn't), this article is for you.

Key Takeaways from How Adults Learn, Now

At the heart of adult learning lies one undeniable truth: relevance rules. Adults are far more likely to engage when they perceive clear, immediate value—when learning feels less like an obligation and more like a tool they can use right now. Relevance fuels motivation, and motivation unlocks meaningful engagement.

Equally important is autonomy. Adults bring with them a lifetime of experiences, perspectives, and preferences. Effective learning honors that by offering choices—letting learners chart their own course, explore topics in their own time, and apply insights in ways that make sense to them. Autonomy isn’t just respectful; it’s empowering.

Peer learning is another often-underestimated force. When professionals come together, they’re not just seeking content—they’re seeking conversation. Insights are amplified when people share stories, solve problems together, and build on one another’s wisdom. Designing learning experiences that foster peer connection and collaboration unlocks a richer, more resonant exchange.

The environment, too, plays a pivotal role. Whether it’s a room filled with natural light or a digital platform that invites interaction, space shapes experience. Physical and virtual design can either stifle or spark engagement. It’s not just about where learning happens, but how that space makes people feel—safe, curious, included, and inspired.

And finally, we must rethink the role of the educator. Today’s best learning experiences don’t come from gurus on a stage but from facilitators who guide, question, and invite exploration. Great facilitators don’t just deliver knowledge—they help people uncover their own.

What We Got Right Then — and Why It Still Matters

The original How Adults Learn, Now explored the conditions that make learning effective for adults: relevance, self-direction, peer-to-peer interaction, reflection, and immediate applicability. These weren’t revolutionary ideas, but they were under leveraged in most event designs.

The authors argued that:

• Content is abundant; context is scarce. So design for the latter.
• People learn best from and with each other
• Adults are goal-oriented, self-directed learners
• Design should empower, not control, the learner experience

In many ways, these ideas were early signals of trends that have since accelerated: the rise of peer-based learning, the decline of traditional lecture formats, and the hunger for experiences that foster genuine human connection. These principles remain foundational.

What's changed is the urgency with which we need to apply them.

Strategic Reset: Two Imperatives for Today’s Event Professionals

• Greater Purpose and Community: Back then, we understood that adults learn best in community. What we didn’t fully appreciate was just how essential community would become to the future of events.

Today, community isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a business strategy, a retention lever, and a differentiator. Events must now serve not only as standalone experiences, but also as catalysts and connectors within broader learning and professional ecosystems.

We must ask ourselves: Are we helping people find their people? Are we designing for connection as intentionally as we design for content?

• Strategic Adaptability and Future-Facing Innovation: The second strategic imperative is adaptability. When we first talked about adult learning principles, we assumed a degree of stability. That assumption is now obsolete. The world, and the workplace, is in constant flux.

Event professionals must be not only experience designers but also change strategists. We need to:

• Stay current on how people consume information and engage
• Adapt to new technologies (AI, personalization tools, etc.)
• Use feedback loops to iterate in real time
• Think beyond the event to lifelong learning journeys

The smartest event teams today aren’t clinging to old models. They’re experimenting, prototyping, and evolving—because the future won't wait.

A Broader Strategic Landscape: Complementary Dimensions

Beyond purpose and adaptability, several other dimensions from How Adults Learn, Now remain deeply relevant:

• Thoughtful Technology Use: Tech should enhance, not distract from, the human learning experience. Prioritize tools that foster connection, interaction, and reflection.
• Purposeful Experience Design: Form should follow function. Design every element (space, format, timing) with the learner's experience in mind.
• Workforce and Talent Development: Your own team matters, too. Empower planners, speakers, and facilitators with training in learner-centric methods.

These are not tactical add-ons. They’re strategic levers that help align event outcomes with business, professional, and personal growth goals.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

In the years since the original article, our industry has faced a global pandemic, rapid digital transformation, and a fundamental shift in audience expectations. People attend fewer events. They expect more value. They crave authenticity, efficiency, and meaning.

And yet, so many events still feel like relics. Endless talking heads. No space for connection. Poor follow-through. We can—and must—do better.

This isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about reimagining what’s possible. The opportunity in front of us is profound: to make events the most powerful form of adult learning and community-building available today.

From Reflection to Strategic Action

If you've made it this far, you're likely a professional who cares about doing this work better. My challenge to you is this: revisit the principles of how adults learn. Rethink how your events show up in people’s lives. And recommit to using your platform to create something transformative, not transactional.

We don’t need more events. We need better ones. More intentional ones. More strategic ones.

Let's build them together.

To help you navigate this shift, ask yourself these questions:

• Are your events helping people find community or just content?
• When was the last time you designed an experience around how people learn, not just what they need to know?
• What assumptions about your audience might be outdated?
• What one thing could you change to make your next event more learner-centric?
• How do your events support continued learning beyond the session or the show floor?

John Nawn is a leading authority on leveraging learning for a competitive advantage. He designs learning experiences that measurably improve individual and organizational performance.

Using a research-backed approach to aligning content, format, and environment to drive cognitive, behavioral, and emotional engagement, John helps organizations realize meaningful, measurable results.