[Updated January 2026]
Psychological safety in training is key to delivering effective workplace training programmes. It directly impacts whether people speak up, ask questions, admit uncertainties and try out new skills. Without it, people often struggle to transfer learning into practice, meaning individuals miss out on development opportunities and organisations see little, if any, Return on Investment (ROI).
Psychological safety in training environments encourages people to fully engage, ask questions, share ideas and put learning into practice without worrying that other people will judge them if they make a mistake.
In this blog, we’ll explore:
- What is Psychological Safety?
- Psychological Safety in Training and the Amygdala Hijack
- How Do We Create Psychological Safety in Training Environments?
What is Psychological Safety?
Amy Edmondson coined the term ‘psychological safety’ in her research into team effectiveness. It is a shared belief in “being able to show and employ one’s self without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status or career” (Kahn) – making it an important element for learning and growth
It’s what makes people feel comfortable to share a challenge, ask a question or make a mistake without worrying that they will be embarrassed or judged for it. Psychological safety is an essential element of successful workplace training, boosting training effectiveness and delivering ROI.
Psychological Safety in Training and the Amygdala Hijack
For most people, being in a training environment isn’t their typical working day. It’s different, and different can trigger a fear response (even if there isn’t really anything to be afraid of!). This can cause an ‘amygdala hijack’, which makes it difficult to fully engage with the learning process.
What Is an Amygdala Hijack?
You’ve heard of fight or flight? This is your amygdala (or your chimp brain according to Dr Steve Peters), which comes to your aid when you feel unsafe in an environment. The priority of this part of the brain is to protect its host. In a threatening situation (for example, coming face to face with a large predator, or in more modern times, nearly being hit by a car), we get what is known as an amygdala hijack.
This is when the primal instincts of our brains take over to protect us. It can happen in a heartbeat and the effect is instant. We experience a burst of adrenaline, giving us the energy and strength to deal with the threat; to outrun the predator, or jump back onto the pavement to avoid the car.
Notably, during an amygdala hijack, our pre-frontal cortex (the thinking part of our brain), shuts down. It makes sense. If you’re faced with a big predator, the last thing you need to do is stop and analyse the situation! You don’t have time to do this, so the primal part of your brain comes to the rescue, to remove you from the situation before you are eaten (or get hit by the car).
With us so far?
What Does This Have to Do With Learning?
This matters for workplace learning because within a training environment, you can still feel threatened by the situation, even if the danger is not a tangible one. Situations can feel threatening because they are unknown. For example, walking into a training workshop full of people you don’t know can be intimidating. And to the primal part of your brain, a threat is a threat. This results in a partial hijack. You still feel the adrenaline, the increased heartrate and the need to run away but in response to a threat that isn’t really a threat.
We know that when there is a lack of psychological safety in training, learners are unlikely to benefit. Their brains are in defence mode; self-preservation and self-protection is paramount, which is detrimental to successful learning transfer. This makes psychological safety in training an essential element of successful workplace learning.
How Do We Create Psychological Safety in Training Environments?
1. It starts before it starts
How much information do you give learners before a training programme? Do you let them know who the other participants are? What format the learning will take? How about timings? Or what content you will cover? By disclosing as much information as you can before the workshop, you keep learners from feeling like they are going into an unknown situation, reducing the risk of an amygdala hijack and keeping their attention firmly on learning.
2. The warm welcome
When facilitating a workshop, welcome your learners as they arrive. Being warm and friendly, and taking the time to introduce people to each other, helps to establish psychological safety from the start. Make sure to do this when delivering virtual training too! You can greet learners as they log on by smiling, looking into your camera, instantly engaging in chatter and being welcoming and accommodating.
To learn more about creating psychological safety in virtual training, check out this video on our VTT principle ‘safe hands’.
3. Setting the tone
Setting the tone of the workshop upfront can help learners understand that this is a safe environment to learn in. If there is no roleplay, for example, tell them so. Sometimes you will hear an audible sigh of relief!
It can help to introduce the idea of a ‘Vegas’ rule: what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Learners often like this concept as it means that what happens in the room, what we talk about and experiences we share, won’t go any further. Learners feel more comfortable sharing their challenges and feel empowered to put learning into practice. It’s important that everyone gets on board with the concept for it to work. When it does, it can cultivate a much more relaxed atmosphere for learning.
4. Singling out
No one likes to be singled out, and this is true in a training workshop too. Almost everyone can remember a time when they have been called on when they didn’t want to be or weren’t ready. These kinds of experiences can create fear in learners that prevents true engagement in a learning environment.
Some cultures encourage learners throughout their education to contribute verbally to lessons; often their grades are affected by how much they do so. Other cultures are very different, and learners are instead encouraged not to speak out in lessons, cultivating a ‘listen and learn’ environment. To create psychological safety in training environments, it’s important that you’re aware of these cultural differences and avoid putting people on the spot.
If you do require a specific learner to answer a question, give as much warning as possible by using their name at the start of the sentence. For example, “John, I’m going to ask for your opinion on this” rather than “What’s your opinion, John?”. It’s a small but powerful shift. Also, be careful to avoid questions with a direct right or wrong answer. This way, your learners feel like they are part of a conversation, instead of under a spotlight.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that learners have a right to feel safe and secure in their learning environment. When facilitators get this right, it can not only create a positive atmosphere but increase learning transfer, boosting individual development and organisational outcomes and ROI.
Need some help ensuring your sessions are psychologically safe? Check out our Train the Trainer Programmes and our workshop on Building Psychological Safety.
Or if you just want to talk more about psychological safety, get in touch!
