'Tis the season to connect! Join ATD Arizona for a festive holiday mixer as we celebrate another year of learning, growth, and community. This is the perfect opportunity to step away from the day-to-day, meet fellow talent development professionals, expand your network, and enjoy some holiday cheer with our amazing L&D community.

When: December 8th, 2026 at 5:30pm

Where: The Main Ingredient Ale House & Cafe | 2337 N 7th St, Phoenix, AZ 85006 

Whether you're a longtime ATD Arizona member or joining us for the first time, come ready to make new connections, share a few laughs, and celebrate the people who make our profession so special.

✨ What to expect:

• Festive networking with fellow L&D and talent development professionals

• Opportunities to make new connections and strengthen existing ones

• Holiday cheer, conversation, and community

• A chance to celebrate the year and look ahead to what's next!

Bring (or wear) your holiday spirit and get ready to mix, mingle, and make merry with ATD Arizona. We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Let's close out the year with great connections and even better company!

Science in Learning: Applying Learning Science

The purpose of the Design and Delivery Community of Practice (CoP) is to explore new possibilities, share best practices, and build relationships in order to develop your instructional design and training delivery ability.

This month we want to discuss the social structures that are in place to reinforce learning. What in the learner's context is detracting them from learning?

Date and Time

Thursday, December 10, 2026

5:00 - 6:00 pm AZT

Attendees will receive 1 CEU toward APTD and CPTD certification/recertification.

What is the group?

In our Design and Delivery Community of Practice, we will focus on the Instructional Design and the Training Delivery and Facilitation capabilities of ATD's Talent Development Capability Model™. Throughout 2026 we will be focusing on the science of learning. In the first meeting we are looking to determine the most appropriate tools for the discussions throughout the rest of the year. Then each meeting for the rest of the year will focus on one specific tool that is used.

Who can attend?

All learning, development, and talent professionals are welcome to join--whether you've just been told you're to train the new hire or you're a skillful facilitator who can handle the toughest of participants.

We will be looking for experts (or semi experts) to show tips and tricks of each tool and how to utilize them in our everyday lives.

How does ATD define "Delivery and Facilitation?"

Training delivery and facilitation are means by which talent development professionals help individuals improve performance at work by learning new skills and knowledge. The practitioner serves as a catalyst for learning by understanding the learner’s needs, creating the right environment for learning, building rapport with participants, and using the appropriate delivery options and media to make learning engaging, effective, relevant, and applicable.

How does ATD define "Instructional Design?"

Instructional design is an essential element of an effective learning effort. The creation of learning experiences and materials is what results in the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills. Talent development professionals follow a system of assessing needs, designing a process, developing materials, and evaluating effectiveness. Instructional design requires the analysis and selection of the most appropriate strategies, methodologies, and technologies to maximize the learning experience and knowledge transfer.