Every year, thousands of learning professionals attend conferences looking for new ideas, new technologies, and new ways to solve familiar challenges.
At ATD26, one challenge stood out above all others:
How do you engage people in a meaningful way when they’re surrounded by hundreds of competing messages, vendors, presentations, and distractions?
As learning professionals, we spend a lot of time thinking about engagement. We talk about learner engagement, stakeholder engagement, employee engagement, and audience engagement. We design programs, experiences, and communications intended to capture attention and inspire action.
Yet one of the most effective engagement tools we used at ATD26 wasn’t a complex technology, a flashy demo, or a lengthy presentation. It was a puppy quiz. 🐾
As part of our sponsorship of the Bark Breaks, Evolve created the “Unleash Your Leadership Potential” quiz. Attendees could take a quick assessment while waiting to spend time with the rescue pups or while visiting our booth. Based on their results, they received a button representing their puppy-inspired leadership style, and a one-page handout giving them insights into their natural instincts as leaders.
The quiz became a conversation starter. They compared results with colleagues. They debated whether they agreed with their outcome. They pointed at teammates and said, “Oh, that’s definitely you.”
What we witnessed had less to do with puppies and buttons than with creating an engaging path to participation. It lowered barriers. It provided a shared point of reference. Most importantly, it gave people something personal to connect with.
🐾 Curious what puppy YOU and your team are? Take the quiz.
As learning and development professionals, we sometimes fall into the trap of believing engagement requires something elaborate. We focus on bigger platforms, more features, more content, and more sophistication.
The puppy quiz worked because it invited attendees into a conversation. The activity was approachable, personal, and just plain fun.
That experience reinforced an important lesson for us.
Whether you’re designing a leadership program, launching a change initiative, introducing a new technology, or facilitating a workshop, engagement is rarely created through information alone.
Engagement grows when people recognize themselves in the experience and feel comfortable participating. It deepens when curiosity opens the door to discussion, reflection, and connection.
The response at ATD26 was encouraging not because of the number of quiz participants or buttons distributed, but because of what followed: meaningful conversations about leadership styles, communication preferences, and team dynamics.
In fact, the enthusiasm we saw validated a broader initiative already underway. We’ve been expanding the concept into a more comprehensive team-based leadership experience, and the conversations at ATD26 increased our excitement about bringing it to life.
If a simple puppy quiz can spark meaningful conversations about leadership styles, communication preferences, and team dynamics, imagine what can happen when those conversations continue inside organizations.
And sometimes, that starts with a puppy.
🐾 Curious about your own puppy-inspired leadership style?
Take the Unleash Your Leadership Potential quiz and join the conversation.