Making Learning Stick

The research is clear: Nothing fuels an organization’s success like a well-trained workforce. But how do people learn best? Equally important, what is the best way to encourage people to apply what they learn? In this column I’ll explore three keys to effective learning and making new skills stick.

Key #1: Use Spaced Repetition through Contextualized Learning Journeys

A common mistake organizations make is to send their people to a brief training class and expect them to absorb the material and change their behavior accordingly. This rarely happens, for a couple of reasons. First, the new information does not have a chance to sink in. Second, learners often can’t make the connection between the information being learned and the work they’re doing on a day-to-day basis.

We know from research that people learn best through spaced repetition, a technique that exposes people to information periodically over time. Exposing people to too much content in too short of a time period results in information overload. The brain simply cannot absorb, let alone act on, the learning.

Learning journeys are a brilliant way to combat information overload. By breaking the learning into a series of sessions, participants are able to digest and apply the information. For example, instead of a two-day class, a learning journey breaks the training into smaller segments delivered over weeks or even months. By doing a little bit of work every week, participants absorb the information and build new skills.

A contextualized learning journey literally puts the learning into context: The material reflects the culture and business goals of the learner’s organization. This makes the learning experience more engaging, because participants are able to relate to what they are learning. People can see how the skills they are learning apply in their daily lives, and why they matter.

Key #2: Provide Positive Context to Combat Negative Filtering

One of the strongest barriers to learning is a negative mindset. Unfortunately, many people have the mental habit of filtering new information through an indecisive, closed-minded, judgmental, or critical filter. They tend to discount new information, which undermines their learning and holds them back.

A contextualized learning journey creates a positive environment for training. Because the experience is social, engaging, interactive, and fun, it helps people drop their negative filtering and ignites their creativity, ingenuity, and resourcefulness.

A contextualized learning journey places the information in a context that people can relate to, so they become interested in and excited about what they’re learning. They want to participate, which reinforces their learning. Instead of being turned off and thinking, “Oh great, another pointless training course,” they become engaged and think, “Wow, this is going to help me do my job.”

Key #3: Provide Follow-Up to Turn Knowledge into Results

The third key to making learning stick is all about follow-up.

Reading articles and books, listening to podcasts, and attending seminars is the first step of learning. But it’s the easy part. Most of us have had the experience of learning an exciting new idea, promising ourselves we’ll implement that idea in our lives, and then promptly dropping the ball. In fact, we haven’t really learned at all, because true learning involves a change in our behavior.

The truth is that increased knowledge alone does not lead to change. This is a common reason why training programs often fail. The gap between what people know—the information they have picked up from books, audios, videos, and seminars—and what they do—how little they apply and use that knowledge—is so famous that there’s a special term for it: the learning-doing gap.

The third key to making learning stick is designed to close that learning-doing gap. The greatest learning in the world does no good if people don’t have an environment conducive to ongoing learning and support after the training. When learning includes a follow-up plan, the training sticks, the workforce gets stronger, and the organization’s investment isn’t wasted.

Without a follow-up plan, people have a tendency to revert to old ways. To change behavior, people need structure, support and accountability.

Structure, support, and accountability can take many forms. For example, we give our clients access to our online learning platform, Blanchard Exchange, for a year, so they can keep tapping into the learning resources. For the best results, we also recommend regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings with managers and coaching sessions when appropriate.

True learning is a journey from knowing to doing. Those who complete this journey are empowered to make big things happen—not only for their organizations but also for the world around them. So, use these three keys to ignite your learning today!

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Editor's Note: Would you like to learn more about effective learning design? Join us for a free webinar on September 25.  Blanchard solutions architect April O'Malley will be presenting on Designing Effective Learning Journeys: Three Strategies for Real Change.