September 24, 2024
We know Halloween is just around the corner, so allow us to introduce a pretty spooky stat — one that would get most business leaders shivering in their shoes.
Did you know that employees can forget a whopping 50% of the information presented in training within just one hour? Yikes! And it gets worse — employees can lose up to 70% of that information within the day, and a staggering 90% within the week. Talk about a leaky memory faucet!
Those numbers are pretty significant, especially considering that companies in the U.S. have spent over $100B on corporate training in 2023. And yes, if you have an accessible and easy-to-search knowledge base, looking up forgotten information is simple and effective. But training is also about preparing employees to tackle any challenge that comes their way — and ensuring they retain the most important information is pretty crucial for a high-performing and fast-moving team.
But we've got some good news: With the right training techniques, you can boost your employees’ knowledge retention by up to 60%! Meaning, your team is better prepared to perform their roles and your training budget isn’t being washed down the drain.
Let’s explore four simple (but powerful) hacks that'll drastically improve your team’s learning retention:
Once upon a time, in a galaxy not so far away, there was a new hire onboarding program that kept people engaged — and more importantly — was hard to forget. All by harnessing the power of storytelling.
Because let's face it — no one wants to sit through a dry, fact-filled lecture that's about as exciting as watching paint dry. But we all remember a good story, especially if it gets everyone on the edge of their seats, hanging on your every word.
Here's why storytelling is your secret weapon:
So, how can you weave storytelling magic into your training?
Remember, you don't need to be Shakespeare to tell a good story. Just keep it relevant, relatable, and maybe throw in a plot twist or two.
Pop quiz: What did you have for lunch... three weeks ago? Drawing a blank? That's because our brains are like leaky sieves when it comes to retaining information — especially when there’s no repetition. (You’d probably remember if you were having the same roast beef sandwich for lunch every day.)
That’s why spaced repetition is a great learning retention technique. Think of it as interval training for your brain. Instead of cramming all the information into one marathon session (hello, information overload!), you space it out over time. Spaced repetition also:
Ready to space out your training? Try these tactics:
When it comes to retention, slow and steady wins the race. So, space it out and help your employees keep that important information.
Picture this: You’re about to build a ready-to-assemble desk. Instructions are included (good), but then they tell you to put the drawers into slots before showing you how to assemble the drawers themselves (bad).
Throwing your new employees into onboarding without a clear training order is kinda like that. How can they retain information about your buyer personas without knowing what your business actually sells? Or how they should apply for parking reimbursement without knowing where your office is?
That’s why you have to create clear training paths for your employees. It's about guiding them through information in a logical, step-by-step manner — that way, they won’t feel like they’ve been dropped into an IKEA-themed nightmare. Training paths also:
Trainual's training paths functionality gives you the power to create the perfect onboarding flow for your new hires. With this functionality, you can ensure employees complete their training in a certain order, allowing you to design training that fits the needs of your business.
That could mean providing foundational training before moving on to role-specific skills, or helping employees add value faster with structured training sequences. Organize your training in a way that works for you!
And because you can customize training schedules and include strategic breaks (also great for spaced repetition!), employees are less likely to feel overwhelmed — and better able to absorb and apply what they’ve learned. This feature helps employees retain information by guiding them through content in a structured, paced way that supports long-term retention.
👉 Want to incorporate Trainual’s training paths into your employee onboarding? Book a demo.
Let's play a quick game of "Spot the Difference." Picture two training scenarios:
Scenario A: Employees sit in a room, staring at slides for hours, occasionally nodding off.
Scenario B: Employees are solving problems, discussing ideas, and applying concepts in real-time.
Which one do you think leads to better retention? If you guessed Scenario B, give yourself a gold star!
Scenario B perfectly describes active learning, where "sit and absorb" takes a backseat to "do and remember." It's like the difference between watching someone ride a bike and actually hopping on and pedaling yourself. In fact, a study showed that active learners retained 93.5% of information after one month, compared to 79% for passive learners.
Here are some reasons why active learning results in high learning retention:
If you want to implement active learning into your employee training, try these techniques:
Ditch the "sit and listen" approach and get your team involved, engaged, and actively learning. Your retention rates (and your employees) will thank you!
Great training isn't about how much information you can cram into your employees' heads — it's about how much they can remember and apply when it really counts. Every employee you have will need onboarding and continuous training — let’s make sure that all that information sticks from the get-go.
September 24, 2024
We know Halloween is just around the corner, so allow us to introduce a pretty spooky stat — one that would get most business leaders shivering in their shoes.
Did you know that employees can forget a whopping 50% of the information presented in training within just one hour? Yikes! And it gets worse — employees can lose up to 70% of that information within the day, and a staggering 90% within the week. Talk about a leaky memory faucet!
Those numbers are pretty significant, especially considering that companies in the U.S. have spent over $100B on corporate training in 2023. And yes, if you have an accessible and easy-to-search knowledge base, looking up forgotten information is simple and effective. But training is also about preparing employees to tackle any challenge that comes their way — and ensuring they retain the most important information is pretty crucial for a high-performing and fast-moving team.
But we've got some good news: With the right training techniques, you can boost your employees’ knowledge retention by up to 60%! Meaning, your team is better prepared to perform their roles and your training budget isn’t being washed down the drain.
Let’s explore four simple (but powerful) hacks that'll drastically improve your team’s learning retention:
Once upon a time, in a galaxy not so far away, there was a new hire onboarding program that kept people engaged — and more importantly — was hard to forget. All by harnessing the power of storytelling.
Because let's face it — no one wants to sit through a dry, fact-filled lecture that's about as exciting as watching paint dry. But we all remember a good story, especially if it gets everyone on the edge of their seats, hanging on your every word.
Here's why storytelling is your secret weapon:
So, how can you weave storytelling magic into your training?
Remember, you don't need to be Shakespeare to tell a good story. Just keep it relevant, relatable, and maybe throw in a plot twist or two.
Pop quiz: What did you have for lunch... three weeks ago? Drawing a blank? That's because our brains are like leaky sieves when it comes to retaining information — especially when there’s no repetition. (You’d probably remember if you were having the same roast beef sandwich for lunch every day.)
That’s why spaced repetition is a great learning retention technique. Think of it as interval training for your brain. Instead of cramming all the information into one marathon session (hello, information overload!), you space it out over time. Spaced repetition also:
Ready to space out your training? Try these tactics:
When it comes to retention, slow and steady wins the race. So, space it out and help your employees keep that important information.
Picture this: You’re about to build a ready-to-assemble desk. Instructions are included (good), but then they tell you to put the drawers into slots before showing you how to assemble the drawers themselves (bad).
Throwing your new employees into onboarding without a clear training order is kinda like that. How can they retain information about your buyer personas without knowing what your business actually sells? Or how they should apply for parking reimbursement without knowing where your office is?
That’s why you have to create clear training paths for your employees. It's about guiding them through information in a logical, step-by-step manner — that way, they won’t feel like they’ve been dropped into an IKEA-themed nightmare. Training paths also:
Trainual's training paths functionality gives you the power to create the perfect onboarding flow for your new hires. With this functionality, you can ensure employees complete their training in a certain order, allowing you to design training that fits the needs of your business.
That could mean providing foundational training before moving on to role-specific skills, or helping employees add value faster with structured training sequences. Organize your training in a way that works for you!
And because you can customize training schedules and include strategic breaks (also great for spaced repetition!), employees are less likely to feel overwhelmed — and better able to absorb and apply what they’ve learned. This feature helps employees retain information by guiding them through content in a structured, paced way that supports long-term retention.
👉 Want to incorporate Trainual’s training paths into your employee onboarding? Book a demo.
Let's play a quick game of "Spot the Difference." Picture two training scenarios:
Scenario A: Employees sit in a room, staring at slides for hours, occasionally nodding off.
Scenario B: Employees are solving problems, discussing ideas, and applying concepts in real-time.
Which one do you think leads to better retention? If you guessed Scenario B, give yourself a gold star!
Scenario B perfectly describes active learning, where "sit and absorb" takes a backseat to "do and remember." It's like the difference between watching someone ride a bike and actually hopping on and pedaling yourself. In fact, a study showed that active learners retained 93.5% of information after one month, compared to 79% for passive learners.
Here are some reasons why active learning results in high learning retention:
If you want to implement active learning into your employee training, try these techniques:
Ditch the "sit and listen" approach and get your team involved, engaged, and actively learning. Your retention rates (and your employees) will thank you!
Great training isn't about how much information you can cram into your employees' heads — it's about how much they can remember and apply when it really counts. Every employee you have will need onboarding and continuous training — let’s make sure that all that information sticks from the get-go.
September 24, 2024
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