Training or learning is only beneficial if information retention is high with the learners it is being provided to.
If it is just simply forgotten then the training is essentially void, causing errors for both the employees and the company. These errors can sometimes lead to serious consequences, such as disciplinary action or the closure of the work premises.
With learners losing around 75% of information within 6 days of the initial training, it is even more crucial that you support information retention within your employees in the long term.
The more information known the less likely mistakes are to be made.
With our years of learning and development experience we have found a few different ways to promote information retention in training. We thought we’d share five of our tips to help with this, let’s get started…
Use refresher training or revisable material
Induction training is normally where most learners training experience will begin but, six months down the line it’s very unlikely that much of what they’ve learnt has been remembered, if any.
That’s where refresher training or revisable materials could be the answer.
You should provide training that revisits what was explained in the initial training at appropriate intervals throughout the employee’s time of working. This gives them a reminder of the important information they need to know and allows you to update them with any new material.
Overtime the more this pattern is kept up then information retention will become natural to them. Find out more about the benefits of refresher training via this link!
Microlearning
Some courses can be quite lengthy and in turn due to the amount and/or complexity of the content it demands a high amount of attention to complete. In this situation many learners will just shut down as the content gets heavier, making it much harder for any information to be retained.
Break the content down!
Place the information into bitesize modules or sections, this will increase knowledge retention and success rate.
Move to eLearning
Did you know that, in some cases, sole in-person training often results in around 10% knowledge retention?
That’s a surprising number! It might be time to make the move to eLearning, whether that be partially or fully. Virtual training has a large range of advantages, one being that it improves knowledge retention, when used in the right way.
Content is normally easy to digest in this medium but, also allows flexibility. This means that if the learner feels they start to shut down then they can pause, then pick it back up when they are feeling more focused. In turn making the training more effective.
Remember “Content give” of theory based training is easily transferable into eLearning!
Be innovative
We have all had bad training experiences where it has become boring. Especially when you’re reading sentence after sentence from the screen without any interactions.
Time to get creative! Videos, knowledge tests, animations, voiceover, and interactive games are all ways to add variety to the delivery. Knowledge is often lost on the simple basis of following a monotonous approach. Creating points of pause or interaction drags their attention back into the learning zone.
Different delivery formats often keep their interest, particularly video which means they’re more likely to remember more in the future. Find out more about the benefits of video via this link.
Use repetition throughout the training
Repeat information through any training provided to remind the learner of previous experiences and material mentioned earlier in the course. This could be done in the same format, potentially repeating a certain phrase, design, or icon.
However, it is usually better when repeating information where the format differs throughout the training. For example, if you have already shown the information in text form, present it in voiceover later instead.
Repetition will only reinforce the learner’s memory of what they’ve learnt.
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