The thing about our brains is that they’re really good at forgetting. In fact, they are extraordinarily good: Research suggests that most of us forget up to 70% of what we learn after 24 hours.
Pretty shocking right?
It’s even more shocking when you consider that learning on the job has never been more important. A recent report from LinkedIn revealed that 50% of today’s most in-demand skills weren’t even on the list 3 years ago and a Gartner report revealed that 36% of managers think that employees will not keep pace with future skill needs.
What drives sticky learning experiences? In a word, repetition.
This isn’t to say that we need to get our learners to attend the same courses again and again or read the same books. At BLT we’re experts at supporting our learners to embed what they are learning in their long-term memory. This is the key to delivering a measurable impact on your company’s bottom line.
Our three top tips:
- Layer your learning: It’s not enough to just offer one learning experience. At BLT, we see our face-to-face workshops as one layer in the learning experience. Every BLT program is carefully designed to have multiple horizontal and vertical layers including regular monthly discussions with managers, peer coaching, self-directed study, coaching, virtual kick-offs and virtual wrap ups.
- Teach what you learn: The gold standard for learning is to learn a new skill well enough to be able to teach it to others. Research reveals that it leads to up to 90% retention. At BLT we’ve designed Train the Trainer programs as well as integrating opportunities for participants to share what they are learning as part of the learning journey.
- Self-reflection: At every stage of the learning journey we give our participants the opportunity to reflect on what they are learning and consider what actions they are planning to take as a result.
