Your Agile Training is Like a First Date—Make It Count

Picture this: you’re on a first date. You sit down, excited to see where this might go. And then—your date pulls out a 20-page PowerPoint and starts reading bullet points word for word. Yikes. Agile Training is like a first date. After all, no matter whether it’s a personal or professional introduction, first impressions matter. Whether it’s a date, a job interview, or an Agile training course.

Just think about it … newly forming Agile teams are stepping into unknown territory. They are either eager or skeptical about what’s to come. Regardless of which, they enter in with a preconceived idea about what’s to come.

Your training session? It’s their first real taste of Agile. And if your slides are cluttered, your facilitation is robotic, or your content looks like it was cobbled together from four different people’s Google Drive, you’ve already lost the battle. Engaging Agile training is paramount to success, especially in virtual classes.

Agile Training Should Be Engaging & Consistent

Let’s be real—training shouldn’t feel like a lecture. If your session is just a monologue with slides drowning in text, you’re doing Agile a disservice. Your audience isn’t memorizing Agile principles; they’re experiencing them. Engaging Agile training is paramount to success, especially in virtual classes.

Training should be:
Engaging – Conversations, hands-on exercises, and real-world applications.
Consistent – A clear structure and seamless flow from start to finish.
Memorable – Content that sticks, so teams don’t forget everything by Monday.

Just like a first date, interest doesn’t occur by accident. It occurs as a result of intentional and explicit thoughtfulness. You wouldn’t show up for a date in tired, outdated clothes, speaking in a monotone voice. So why would give less than your best when training people to embrace change and adopt a new way of working?

The Small Details That Matter (Way More Than You Think)

Consistency is Key

Your training should feel cohesive—not like a Frankenstein’s monster of different decks, fonts, and formatting choices. Teams should know exactly what to expect when they see your courseware.

The “Too Many Words” Problem

You’ve seen it before: a slide with so much text that you could turn it into a Kindle eBook.
Slides should guide, not overwhelm. Keep them simple. If you can’t glance at a slide and immediately get the point, it’s too much.

• Keep slides to key ideas.
• Use visuals whenever possible.
• Give space for discussion, not just words.

Headline Consistency

Are your slide titles a random mix of “The Role of a Scrum Master”, “Servant Leadership Principles”, and “What Is Sprint Planning?”?

Pick a style and stick to it. Headlines should:

• Use a consistent structure (e.g., always phrased as questions or statements).
• Follow the same capitalization rules.
• Not feel like they were pulled from three different playbooks.

Fonts, Colors, & Image Quality

If your fonts are jumping between Arial, Comic Sans, and something that looks like it belongs on a Halloween flyer, it’s distracting. Choose:

• One or two fonts max.
• A color palette that’s intentional, not random.
• High-quality images that actually enhance the content.

And for the love of Agile, don’t pull images from a random Google search—make sure they’re licensed for use.

Facilitation is More Than Just Talking

Even the best-designed training falls flat if the facilitation is uninspired. Agile is about collaboration—your training should be too.

• Ask more questions than you answer.
• Let teams struggle a little—it’s part of the learning.
• Use real-life scenarios that actually resonate.

Agile LifeWorks courses integrate instructional design elements that increase engagement and learner retention. One of our favorite techniques is Training from the Back of the Room “4 C’s”; Connections, Concept, Concrete Practice, and Conclusions. This book by Sharon Bowman is a must-read for any facilitator!

Final Thought: Make It Count

Your Agile training isn’t just a PowerPoint deck—it’s the first impression teams get of Agile in action. It sets the tone for how they’ll embrace (or resist) the mindset shift.

So make it count.

Keep it consistent, engaging, and worth remembering—because no one ever walked away from a first date saying, “Wow! We had a great time. I love how my date spoke at me!”

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What’s the best Agile training slide you’ve ever seen? Drop a comment!