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When it comes to workplace learning, personalisation has shifted from a “nice to have” to a non-negotiable. We’re no strangers to this concept at Thrive; we put a strong emphasis on personalisation for our all-in-one LMS, because we understand that learning is most effective when it’s tailored to the individual.
Modern learners have such a wealth of choice in their personal life, it means that they’re comparing workplace training against experiences in the consumer world. Whether that’s Netflix recommendations, Spotify playlists, or targeted social feeds… the competition is stiff.
That means that L&D teams need to make sure their own learning initiatives measure up to these consumer experiences. Content has to be in the right format, delivered at the right time. But here’s the challenge: as technology gets smarter and more automated, there’s a growing and well-documented fear that something will get lost along the way.
That something is the human touch.
Nobody wants to feel like they’re being pushed down a generic path by an algorithm. And let’s be honest, “personalised” learning can quickly start to feel impersonal if it’s all machine-led, with no empathy or nuance behind it.
The good news is it doesn’t have to be either/or.
In this blog, we’ll explore three powerful ways to personalise learning at scale — without losing the human touch. These are practical strategies you can start using today, with a little help from Thrive’s platform features and a shift in mindset.
AI is, without a doubt, the engine behind much of today’s personalisation. It works quickly and silently behind the scenes to surface the most relevant content, tailor tone, even automate feedback loops. And it’s brilliant at it.
But the key to keeping learning truly human is knowing where AI stops and people start.
AI is great at spotting patterns across large data sets (e.g. learning history, skills gaps, or trending topics), recommending content based on learner behaviour or job role, generating content quickly, and simplifying search.
There is no replacement for the uniquely human trait of emotional intelligence. Humans can provide the messy, unquantifiable context of real life that AI does not have access to. They can add humour, storytelling, or cultural significance that AI doesn’t necessarily understand.
That’s why we at Thrive don’t just drop AI into our platform and call it a day. We’ve embedded GPT-4.1 into our AI Content Creator to help teams generate ideas, and create engaging content using a few simple prompts. But we also make it incredibly easy for humans to tweak, tone, and tailor before hitting publish.
So the course you create doesn’t feel like it came from a robot. It feels like it came from you… just faster.
There’s a lot of talk in L&D about pushing the right content to the right person. And that’s so important. But personalisation shouldn’t just be about algorithms pushing things at learners. It should also be about empowering them to pull what they need, when they need it.
That’s where personalisation meets autonomy.
Someone who understands this concept intimately is the L&D team at Princes Foods. In launching Thrive, they knew this sense of autonomy was something they wanted to instil in their learners. From their case study:
“One of the most impactful innovations within the business has been the welcome move towards “pull” learning, instead of just “push.” In other words, Princes’ learners are now able to decide for themselves when and what would be most helpful for them to learn, instead of simply being told what to do.”
This approach has resulted in a 93% active user adoption rate. Is there a better endorsement for combining personalisation with autonomy?
In Thrive, learners can explore trending content, discover resources based on their skills or goals, and take control of their own development. They can connect with Subject Matter Experts, or dive into microlearning modules on their mobile app — at 9am at their desk, or 9pm on the sofa.
And with features like tailored homepages and adaptive search, Thrive feels more like a personalised social media platform than a corporate LMS. It remembers you. It responds to your interests. It gives you options.
Because sometimes, the most human thing you can do in learning is to give people a little freedom.
Here’s where a lot of L&D personalisation efforts fall short: they focus heavily on learning content (what people consume), but not enough on learning journeys (where people are going).
It's a missed opportunity, because meaningful personalisation isn’t just about what someone learns. It’s about how that learning connects to their own future.
That’s why we built Thrive Analyse.
With dashboards tracking learner progress, skill development, CPD performance and talent trends, you’re personalising the development strategy for each and every one of your learners.
You can spot:
This kind of insight helps L&D teams support the whole person, not just the learner profile. And that, ultimately, is what brings back the human touch.
Personalisation isn’t just about relevance. It’s also about resonance.
The most impactful learning often speaks to people’s values, identity or sense of purpose. That could be a DEI module that reflects their lived experience. A leadership course that aligns with how they want to grow. Or even just a learning nudge that lands at the right moment in a tough week.
To keep that emotional layer intact, think about:
Technology can help with all of this. But it starts with empathy — and an L&D team that sees learners as whole humans, not just data points.
It’s easy to conflate personalisation with automation. But they’re not the same thing.
The best L&D strategies use automation to scale personalisation — but they keep the learner experience firmly rooted in empathy.
With Thrive, you don’t have to choose between efficiency and humanity. You can use cutting-edge AI to speed up content creation, intelligent dashboards to tailor growth plans, and flexible platform tools to meet learners where they are – all while keeping the human spark that makes learning actually matter.
All while keeping the human spark that makes learning actually matter.
Ready to personalise learning the human way?
Log in to Thrive and explore how AI, dashboards and design tools can help you build learning journeys that feel made for your people — because they are.
Or if you've got FOMO, book a demo to join the hundreds of customers using Thrive to personalise their learners' development.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
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When it comes to workplace learning, personalisation has shifted from a “nice to have” to a non-negotiable. We’re no strangers to this concept at Thrive; we put a strong emphasis on personalisation for our all-in-one LMS, because we understand that learning is most effective when it’s tailored to the individual.
Modern learners have such a wealth of choice in their personal life, it means that they’re comparing workplace training against experiences in the consumer world. Whether that’s Netflix recommendations, Spotify playlists, or targeted social feeds… the competition is stiff.
That means that L&D teams need to make sure their own learning initiatives measure up to these consumer experiences. Content has to be in the right format, delivered at the right time. But here’s the challenge: as technology gets smarter and more automated, there’s a growing and well-documented fear that something will get lost along the way.
That something is the human touch.
Nobody wants to feel like they’re being pushed down a generic path by an algorithm. And let’s be honest, “personalised” learning can quickly start to feel impersonal if it’s all machine-led, with no empathy or nuance behind it.
The good news is it doesn’t have to be either/or.
In this blog, we’ll explore three powerful ways to personalise learning at scale — without losing the human touch. These are practical strategies you can start using today, with a little help from Thrive’s platform features and a shift in mindset.
AI is, without a doubt, the engine behind much of today’s personalisation. It works quickly and silently behind the scenes to surface the most relevant content, tailor tone, even automate feedback loops. And it’s brilliant at it.
But the key to keeping learning truly human is knowing where AI stops and people start.
AI is great at spotting patterns across large data sets (e.g. learning history, skills gaps, or trending topics), recommending content based on learner behaviour or job role, generating content quickly, and simplifying search.
There is no replacement for the uniquely human trait of emotional intelligence. Humans can provide the messy, unquantifiable context of real life that AI does not have access to. They can add humour, storytelling, or cultural significance that AI doesn’t necessarily understand.
That’s why we at Thrive don’t just drop AI into our platform and call it a day. We’ve embedded GPT-4.1 into our AI Content Creator to help teams generate ideas, and create engaging content using a few simple prompts. But we also make it incredibly easy for humans to tweak, tone, and tailor before hitting publish.
So the course you create doesn’t feel like it came from a robot. It feels like it came from you… just faster.
There’s a lot of talk in L&D about pushing the right content to the right person. And that’s so important. But personalisation shouldn’t just be about algorithms pushing things at learners. It should also be about empowering them to pull what they need, when they need it.
That’s where personalisation meets autonomy.
Someone who understands this concept intimately is the L&D team at Princes Foods. In launching Thrive, they knew this sense of autonomy was something they wanted to instil in their learners. From their case study:
“One of the most impactful innovations within the business has been the welcome move towards “pull” learning, instead of just “push.” In other words, Princes’ learners are now able to decide for themselves when and what would be most helpful for them to learn, instead of simply being told what to do.”
This approach has resulted in a 93% active user adoption rate. Is there a better endorsement for combining personalisation with autonomy?
In Thrive, learners can explore trending content, discover resources based on their skills or goals, and take control of their own development. They can connect with Subject Matter Experts, or dive into microlearning modules on their mobile app — at 9am at their desk, or 9pm on the sofa.
And with features like tailored homepages and adaptive search, Thrive feels more like a personalised social media platform than a corporate LMS. It remembers you. It responds to your interests. It gives you options.
Because sometimes, the most human thing you can do in learning is to give people a little freedom.
Here’s where a lot of L&D personalisation efforts fall short: they focus heavily on learning content (what people consume), but not enough on learning journeys (where people are going).
It's a missed opportunity, because meaningful personalisation isn’t just about what someone learns. It’s about how that learning connects to their own future.
That’s why we built Thrive Analyse.
With dashboards tracking learner progress, skill development, CPD performance and talent trends, you’re personalising the development strategy for each and every one of your learners.
You can spot:
This kind of insight helps L&D teams support the whole person, not just the learner profile. And that, ultimately, is what brings back the human touch.
Personalisation isn’t just about relevance. It’s also about resonance.
The most impactful learning often speaks to people’s values, identity or sense of purpose. That could be a DEI module that reflects their lived experience. A leadership course that aligns with how they want to grow. Or even just a learning nudge that lands at the right moment in a tough week.
To keep that emotional layer intact, think about:
Technology can help with all of this. But it starts with empathy — and an L&D team that sees learners as whole humans, not just data points.
It’s easy to conflate personalisation with automation. But they’re not the same thing.
The best L&D strategies use automation to scale personalisation — but they keep the learner experience firmly rooted in empathy.
With Thrive, you don’t have to choose between efficiency and humanity. You can use cutting-edge AI to speed up content creation, intelligent dashboards to tailor growth plans, and flexible platform tools to meet learners where they are – all while keeping the human spark that makes learning actually matter.
All while keeping the human spark that makes learning actually matter.
Ready to personalise learning the human way?
Log in to Thrive and explore how AI, dashboards and design tools can help you build learning journeys that feel made for your people — because they are.
Or if you've got FOMO, book a demo to join the hundreds of customers using Thrive to personalise their learners' development.
Explore what impact Thrive could make for your team and your learners today.
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