If you work in Learning and Development, you have probably experienced this scenario: a leader arrives with an urgent request and a pre-selected solution. “We need training on this. Can you build a workshop?” Before you have clarified outcomes, context, or constraints, the modality has already been chosen.
This is one of the quiet failure points in L&D. Modality decisions—arguably one of the most impactful choices we make—are still too often driven by habit, preference, or politics rather than evidence. Teams default to eLearning because it is familiar, or choose in-person sessions because leaders “like the energy.” In a remote or hybrid world, these assumptions increasingly miss the mark.
The real cost of guessing
When the modality does not match the need, several predictable problems follow:
- Poor learning transfer. Behavioural and skill-based outcomes suffer when formats do not support practice, feedback, or real-world application.
- Learner friction. Asking time-starved, distributed employees to attend long workshops—or conversely, expecting deep behaviour change through a passive module—creates frustration and low engagement.
- Wasted resources. Over-designed solutions burn budget and time; under-designed ones fail to deliver impact and must be reworked later.
- Inconsistent design. Without a shared framework, each designer or business unit applies its own informal logic, leading to uneven quality across the organisation.
The underlying problem is simple: most organisations lack a standardised, practical way to choose the right modality.
A simple, no-cost answer
To help address this, I developed the Learning Modality Decision Tool—a free, browser-based resource for L&D professionals who want to make more defensible, context-aware modality choices.
Access it here:
https://ravindertulsiani.com/modality-selection-tool/
The tool walks you through a series of targeted questions about your scenario—learning objectives, content type, audience distribution, learner autonomy, timelines, technology, and constraints. Based on your selections, it generates an evidence-informed recommendation for an optimal blend (for example, microlearning, virtual instructor-led training, coaching, job aids, or performance support).
It is not designed to replace professional judgement. Instead, it acts as a thinking partner and a standardised conversation starter—helping ensure that similar problems are approached with similar rigour.
Why a modality tool matters now
As L&D evolves, expectations have shifted. Stakeholders want speed, scale, and measurable impact. Learners want flexibility and relevance. Organisations want solutions that fit the realities of hybrid work.
A modality tool helps L&D teams:
- Lead stronger consulting conversations. Instead of accepting a pre-selected format, you can guide stakeholders through the decision logic collaboratively.
- Strengthen design consistency. When every practitioner uses the same lens, decisions become more predictable, repeatable, and defensible.
- Increase efficiency. Better modality choices mean fewer redesigns, less friction, and clearer pathways to impact.
- Upskill emerging designers and HR partners. The tool provides a simple, structured way for newer practitioners to internalise key design considerations.
Moving from preference to evidence
Good design begins with good decisions. Choosing the right modality may seem tactical, but it shapes everything that follows: cost, learner experience, transfer, and organisational outcomes.
By offering a practical, zero-cost tool to help L&D professionals standardise this decision, my goal is to reduce guesswork and elevate the quality of learning across organisations—regardless of budget or platform.
If you want a fast, structured way to make more confident, learner-centred modality choices, I invite you to try the tool and share it with your team. Our learners—and our stakeholders—deserve better than “we have always done it this way.”
