4 Simple Ways to Make Learning Stick

Recent research found that less than 40% of what employees learn through training makes its way back into the workplace. This means that knowledge is lost and time and money is wasted on learning interventions that aren’t changing performance. 

There are some simple things, however, that we can do to increase the amount of learning that gets absorbed and applied. 

Here are 4 of our favourites:

📋 Provide bite-sized follow ups.

Send attendees small reminders of the key theories 4, 8 and 12 weeks after they have completed the training. Make these updates extra impactful by including activities or exercises that they can complete. 

💬 Add a 1:1 element to your training. 

A 1:1 coaching session is a great complement to training to help attendees take what they learnt with the group and apply it to their specific role and circumstances. It personalises the learning and gives employees a confidential space to explore. 

🧑🏻‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Reunite participants. 

Create a forum where attendees can come back together, review their progress and support each other as they continue to develop their skills. This can also be an opportunity to recap what was originally learnt and reignite people’s desire to grow. 

✏️ Use drawing to aid retention.

It’s normal practice to ask participants to say or write down their biggest take away at the end of a training session to encourage retention of learning. However, it’s been scientifically proven that drawing a picture is much more effective at aiding retention than speaking or writing notes. Consider using this next time you’re wrapping up a training session - it’ll help the learning stick and provide a different ending that people will no doubt enjoy and remember.

Are your Learning & Development initiatives as impactful as they could be? For more tips on creating sustainable behavioural change in the workplace please get in touch.