What’s your staff training plan for 2026?

Why your staff training plan for 2026 matters more than ever

Work has changed. Hybrid teams, tighter budgets, complex compliance requirements and rising expectations around wellbeing and inclusion all sit on leaders’ desks at once. A staff training plan for 2026 is not just a “tick the box” document; it is one of the main ways you shape culture.

A thoughtful plan can help you:

• Meet legal and regulatory requirements without overwhelming people
• Build managers who coach, not just command
• Strengthen inclusion, equity and psychological safety
• Improve customer experience and conflict handling
• Protect wellbeing and support Mental Health before issues escalate

If your staff training plan for 2026 focuses only on ticking off topics, it will probably miss these outcomes. The magic sits in how you choose courses, the way they are delivered, and what you ask people to do differently afterwards.

That is where drama-based learning comes in.

From tick-box training to drama-based learning

At ted Learning, we design every course so learners see and feel the issues, not just read about them. Professional actors, realistic workplace scenarios and skilled facilitation create the conditions for real reflection and behaviour change.

Compare two experiences:

• A slide deck about conflict, with models and bullet points.
• A live scene where two colleagues clash over workload, and the room has to coach the manager through a better approach, using our Resolving Conflict course.

Both cover “conflict resolution”. Only one sticks.

Drama-based learning is the thread that runs through our portfolio, whether you are exploring inclusive hiring with Consciously Inclusive Interview Skills, building emotional awareness with Emotional Intelligence, or helping leaders handle sensitive topics with Brave Conversations.

As you shape your staff training plan for 2026, it is worth asking: where do your people need more than information? Where do they need to rehearse tough moments, not just hear about them?

Step 1: Start with your business priorities, not just a course list

A strong staff training plan for 2026 starts with three simple questions:

1. What business outcomes do we care about this year?
2. What behaviours will support those outcomes?
3. What learning experiences will build those behaviours?

Here are some common priorities and how you might map them to ted Learning courses.

1. Inclusion and fair decision-making

If you want 2026 to be the year your organisation takes inclusion seriously, you may:

• Use Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to deepen understanding of lived experience and bias.
• Offer Introduction to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as a foundation session for all staff.
• Protect recruitment decisions with Consciously Inclusive Interview Skills, so interview panels are confident, structured and fair.

These courses help teams move beyond slogans into everyday inclusive behaviour, brought to life through drama-based scenarios and practical tools.

2. Leadership, coaching and change

Managers sit at the heart of any staff training plan for 2026. They influence performance, engagement and wellbeing more than almost any policy.

You could:

• Build self-awareness and empathy with Emotional Intelligence.
• Equip managers to have meaningful development conversations through Coaching Skills.
• Support leaders navigating uncertainty with Leading Through Change.
• Strengthen performance conversations and fairness with our Managing Performance workshops (via the courses page).

Each programme uses drama-based learning to let leaders practise real conversations, not theoretical ones.

3. Ethics, safety and compliance

Compliance training is often where people expect boredom. Your staff training plan for 2026 can challenge that assumption.

Consider pairing essential online modules with engaging sessions such as:

• Whistleblowing to show what speaking up really looks like and how to protect colleagues who do.
• Modern Slavery and Anti-Bribery & Corruption courses (listed on the courses page) to anchor ethics in real-world scenarios.
• How to Influence so people can advocate for ethical decisions, not just recognise risk.

Compliance then becomes a living conversation about values, rather than a once-a-year test.

4. Communication, conflict and customer impact

If your 2026 goals include better collaboration and customer outcomes, communication skills will sit front and centre.

You might:

• Help colleagues handle difficult interactions with Brave Conversations.
• Give teams tools to de-escalate tension through Resolving Conflict.
• Strengthen persuasion skills with How to Influence.
• Support remote agents with Difficult Customer in My Home.

Drama-based learning makes these moments feel familiar and manageable, so people are more likely to apply the skills back at work.

5. Wellbeing and Mental Health

A sustainable staff training plan for 2026 must factor in Mental Health and wellbeing. It is increasingly a board-level issue, not a “nice to have”.

You could:

• Build shared understanding with Mental Health Awareness.
• Equip managers to support their teams through Mental Health and Your Role as a Leader.
• Add specialist topics such as Menopause Awareness or Managing Stressful Situations, depending on your context.

Again, drama-based learning gives people a safe space to explore sensitive topics and practise supportive conversations.

Step 2: Design a blended staff training plan for 2026

Once you have chosen your priority themes, you can design a blended staff training plan for 2026 that fits different learning styles and operational realities.

A balanced plan might include:

• Live drama workshops for topics where conversation and emotional impact matter, such as inclusion, Mental Health, conflict and leadership.
• Virtual classrooms using the ted Learning Hub for dispersed or hybrid teams, keeping sessions short and interactive.
• Digital self-paced modules (for example Whistleblowing) to cover core knowledge efficiently.
• Express bite-size courses for refreshers or micro-learning, ideal between bigger training moments.

The goal is not to cram as many sessions as possible into the diary. It is to create a rhythm of learning: short, regular experiences that reinforce each other and link back to your strategy.

Step 3: Bring your staff training plan for 2026 to life with drama-based learning

So what difference does drama-based learning actually make to your staff training plan for 2026?

From what we see in the room, there are a few key shifts:

1. Higher engagement
   People tend to lean in when they watch realistic scenes unfold. They recognise themselves, colleagues and customers in the story. That curiosity opens the door for honest reflection.
2. Psychological safety
   It is often easier to talk about “that manager in the scene” than to admit “I do that”. Once people have explored the scenario, they are more willing to examine their own habits.
3. Practice, not just theory
   Learners can stop the action, suggest different approaches, and even step into the scene. They move from “I know this model” to “I have tried this conversation in a safe space”.
4. Shared language
   Drama-based learning gives teams shared reference points. “This feels a bit like that Resolving Conflict scene” is a much more useful cue than “remember that slide on conflict styles”.

In other words, drama supports the behavioural shift your staff training plan for 2026 is aiming for.

Step 4: Build a simple 12-month roadmap

To make this concrete, here is an example of how a staff training plan for 2026 could look over a year. You can adapt the themes and courses for your organisation.

Q1: Set the tone – culture and communication

• Kick-off event on culture, values and inclusion
  → Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
• Core communication skills for all staff
  → Brave Conversations
• Manager workshop on self-awareness
  → Emotional Intelligence

Q2: Strengthen leadership and coaching

• Manager cohort training
  → Coaching Skills
• Supporting Mental Health in teams
  → Mental Health and Your Role as a Leader
• Digital follow-up modules and Express courses on influencing and feedback

Q3: Embed fairness and performance

• Fair and inclusive hiring
  → Consciously Inclusive Interview Skills
• Performance and difficult conversations
  → Managing Performance (via the courses page)
• Conflict resolution and team dynamics
  → Resolving Conflict

Q4: Future skills and resilience

• Influencing without authority
  → How to Influence
• Customer resilience and service challenges
  → Difficult Customer in My Home
• End-of-year reflection session to capture learning and shape the 2027 plan

This kind of roadmap means your staff training plan for 2026 is not just a list of one-off events. It becomes a story you tell your people: “Here is how we are investing in you, and why.”

So… what choice will you make?

By now, you probably have a sense of where your staff training plan for 2026 is strong and where there are gaps.

You could run another year of mandatory slides that people forget by the following week. Or you could invest in drama-based learning that feels human, honest and useful.

At ted Learning, we design courses that:

• Reflect real challenges in your organisation
• Combine drama-based learning with clear frameworks and tools
• Support leaders, managers and teams to do their jobs with more confidence and care

If you would like help shaping your staff training plan for 2026, we would be delighted to explore ideas with you and suggest a mix of courses tailored to your goals.

👉 Explore all our programmes here: ted Learning courses

Frequently asked questions about your staff training plan for 2026

How do I start building a staff training plan for 2026?

Start by clarifying your 2026 business priorities, then map them to the behaviours and skills your people need. From there, select learning experiences that support those behaviours, such as inclusion, leadership, conflict resolution, compliance and wellbeing. A simple 12-month roadmap that links each quarter to a clear theme is usually more effective than a long, complex list of ad hoc courses.

How many topics should be in a staff training plan for 2026?

Most organisations see better results when they focus on a small number of themes in their staff training plan for 2026, such as inclusion, leadership, communication, customer experience and wellbeing. Under each theme, choose one or two core courses and then support them with shorter refreshers or digital modules rather than trying to cover every possible topic.

Why include drama-based learning in our staff training plan?

Drama-based learning uses realistic scenarios, professional actors and facilitated reflection so people can see, feel and practise real workplace situations. This approach tends to increase engagement, psychological safety and recall, which means training is more likely to lead to sustained behaviour change across the organisation.

Can we mix digital and face-to-face courses?

Yes. A blended staff training plan for 2026 can combine in-room workshops, virtual classrooms and self-paced digital modules. This mix helps you reach hybrid or geographically dispersed teams while still providing interactive, human-centred learning where it matters most.

How do we measure whether our staff training plan for 2026 is working?

To understand whether your staff training plan for 2026 is effective, look beyond attendance and quiz scores. Track changes in manager and employee behaviour, such as how conflict is handled, the quality of performance conversations, inclusion and wellbeing scores from staff surveys, and any shifts in customer feedback or compliance incidents.