Learning That Lasts: Reflection Activities for Trainers and Designers

by Katrina Kennedy

Make Learning Stick Through Reflection Activities


Employees today crave development, growth, and skill building. They also want more meaning and connection at work. When they learn to reflect on training experiences intentionally, they get all that and more. Pausing to reflect makes it easier to retain and transfer the knowledge and skills we need on the job.


L&D expert Katrina Kennedy shares more than 45 reflective learning activities that instructional designers, facilitators, and trainers can use in face-to-face and online classrooms to create more meaningful learning experiences for a variety of contexts and participants. Each activity is designed to help participants develop critical thinking skills and improve future performance by analyzing what they’ve learned and how far they’ve come.


Built around eight essential outcomes, this book will show you how to strengthen motivation, social connection, memory, and critical thinking skills through targeted reflection activities—all of which are adaptable for in-person or remote training situations. Activities include mental inventories for boosting motivation, shared learning maps for building social connection, and after-action reviews for improving performance.


Start achieving your organization’s business goals and building people’s capacities with this comprehensive reflection toolkit.

392 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2025

About the author

Katrina Kennedy is passionate about helping people design and deliver learning that transfers to the job to drive real results. She has worked with thousands of trainers and subject matter experts for more than 25 years to produce engaging learning experiences across dozens of industries. Known as "the trainer's trainer," Kennedy is devoted to inspiring engagement, community, and connection with an evidence-based, interactive approach. She has a master’s degree in human resource management and development from Chapman University and writes about learning and reflection on LinkedIn and at KatrinaKennedy.com

Reviews

[Jaime A · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Learning That Lasts, Katrina Kennedy shines a spotlight on something many learning programs overlook: reflection—not as a “nice-to-have,” but as a powerful catalyst for real behavior change.

After reading this book and weaving several of Katrina’s reflection activities into the courses and programs I’ve designed, I’ve seen the impact firsthand. When we intentionally build in space for learners to pause, we give them permission to step out of the rollercoaster of back-to-back meetings and re-enter the present moment. Reflection helps participants become consciously aware of what they’ve just encountered, make meaning from it, and connect it to their own context.

And the benefit goes beyond comprehension and retention. Well-designed reflection creates a groundedness—a centered stance that helps learners slow down, breathe, and focus. It’s a reset button that turns learning from information intake into integration.

Katrina has uncovered a gift here. If you’re designing learning experiences and want them to truly stick, this book is an essential read—and a practical one you can apply immediately.

[Laura Welsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! Katrina has a conversational tone, which made me want to continue on. This book was a solid reminder of the need to have reflection as part of each learning experience. Reflection allows learners to internalize what they've been taught and start the process of finding ways to incorporate new skills into their current roles.

The book is divided by each purpose of reflection. There are ideas for activities as well as detailed instructions on how to execute them depending on the mode of training you're using.

I'm sure I'll be using this book as a resource for years to come.