Teaching the Tough Stuff
Helping Injury Reps Navigate Complexity and Reduce Litigation Risk
By Jill Brown
Senior Learning Experience Designer, FōKUS Group
When I was asked to lead a learning program for representatives who handle complex personal injury claims, I knew it wouldn’t be simple.
Leadership was concerned that too many claims were going to litigation—something that’s expensive and often avoidable with the right skills and information.
The stakes are high, the conversations are nuanced, and the reps themselves are some of the most experienced people in the organization. This is the top-tier group—people who’ve been in customer-facing roles for years before stepping into this position.
The Challenge: Closing Performance Gaps in Senior Professionals
The work these reps do sits at the intersection of legal nuance, medical understanding, policy interpretation, and human empathy.
They need to know how to read medical coding and crash reports, how to interpret policy language across different states, and—most importantly—how to have calm, empathetic conversations that avoid escalation.
When you're working with a team that has so much experience, designing training isn’t just about content. It’s also about credibility. You need buy-in from people who’ve seen it all (and who will let you know if what you’re building doesn’t meet the mark)!
The Approach: A Blended Learning Experience
We started from the ground up with a full gap and task analysis. Every task was rated by importance and difficulty, and that helped us prioritize where to focus.
We knew negotiation skills were a key issue, and that soft skills training couldn’t be generic—it had to be specific to this role and these conversations.
We built a blended learning experience, organized into:
Core eLearning modules
Short, focused microlearning
Crash scene visuals and high-production animations
Conversations with coaches and peer mentors
Empathy and negotiation scenario training
Touchpoints for long-term sustainment
We included high-quality design, visuals, and video clips that elevated the entire experience.
The Outcome: Buy-In and Engagment
We were working with a group that doesn’t sugarcoat. Their response was overwhelmingly positive.
They told us it was relevant, respectful of their experience, and easy to navigate. There was buy-in from the SMEs because they were involved from day one, and they became internal champions for the learning.
Even other departments noticed. (Some teams were legitimately jealous of the polish and thoughtfulness of the content.)
Lessons Learned: When Training is Done Right, Even the Toughest Audiences Become Your Biggest Supporters
Takeaways from this project:
Credibility matters. Experienced learners need to see that the training reflects the complexity of their work.
Design matters. When content looks and feels high-quality, people take it seriously.
You can’t fake empathy. Teaching negotiation and empathy isn’t about lectures—it’s about building space for practice and reflection.
Sustainment starts early. We didn’t tack it on. We built follow-ups, peer coaching, and microlearning into the plan from the beginning.
When training is done right, even the toughest audiences become your biggest supporters.
Ready to Train Your Team on the Hard Stuff?
Whether you need to upskill seasoned professionals or tackle complex service interactions, we’ll help you design a training experience that earns buy-in and drives results.
