Leadership Article:
It's Better Than Throwing
Them In The River!

Here are some interesting life statistics and factoids I ran across recently in a fun book full of all sorts of statistics on everything (the book: Vital Statistics by Paul Grobman

• 77.6 years - the average life expectancy in the U.S.
• 8 the number of birthday cards received by the average American.
• 26 - the number of books Americans say they read each year,

Relevant to workplace learning there is an interesting section on memory:

• 56%: the percentage of newly learned material that’s forgotten immediately.
• 66%: the percentage of newly learned material that’s forgotten in a day.
• 80%: the percentage of newly learned material that’s forgotten in one month.

If people remember only 20 percent one month after learning something new, the often quoted workplace learningfactoid that only 10-30 percent of what’s taught in the classroom transfers to on-the-job performance, makessense. (As cited in the book Transfer of Training, by Broad and Newstrom.)

In medieval times communities threw children in the river when they wanted them to remember important events!

They believed that if a child were thrown in the water after observing important proceedings, the event would be impressed on the child and the memory would stay with him/her for a lifetime.

What can workplace learning do to improve these odds? Does a trip down the river fit in your budget?

If not, here’s a robust list of actions you can take to improve participant memory and therefore retention after your training program is over.

Just a note, please don't get overwhelmed by my long list of actions. If you could implemented a couple of these into your development programs, you'll see a dramatic difference in retention and transfer of the information being taught.

Here's my list

BEFORE THE TRAINING

• Share ‘why’ the training class and skills being taught are important to the company, to the department, the team and to each participant.
• Share training class performance expectations with the participants – let them know that their active participation in class and retention and use of the skills is expected and will be measured.

If the “why” and performance expectations can be expressed by an executive via letter and/or communicated in person by the participants manager, you’ll create more receptivity and focus by the participants. (Contact if you’d like to see the sample letter that I use.)

• Measure pre-class skill level through an online skill survey.
• Give pre-class assignments such as research and reading of relevant materials.

DURING TRAINING

• Restate the “why’s” and classroom performance expectations as you start the class.
• Make the class interactive and energetic. Lectures do not work; people need stimulation every 10 minutes.

Brain Rules, by John Medina tells us, “To improve thinking skills – move…get blood to your brain…stimulate the protein that keeps neurons connecting.”

• Include review tests and memory/knowledge competitions with prizes.
• Provide ‘real life’ practice and role plays.
• Show real life models of how-to’s and don’ts (videos or real life demos).
• Have participants complete development worksheets and action plans that they share with their manager.
• Have participants select class accountability partners to meet 30, 60 and 90 days after class to discuss goal progress.
• Provide memory jogger cards of the classroom skill points and models.

AFTER TRAINING

• Hold telephone group and one-one conference calls to review and discuss progress on action plans.
• Measure post class skill level through an online skill survey (compare results to pre-class and report progress or lack of progress)
• Ask the participant to teach skills taught in training to peers at team meetings.
• Develop online learning groups and communities through online forums and discussions.
• Offer follow up development classes: online, classroom and lunch and learns to reinforce content.
• Send an online Post Organizational Support survey to participants- get feedback about how well the organization is helping or hurting participant’s ability to use the skills taught in class.

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