How adults learn - the 70-20-10 rule

Learning and development is a crucial element in any modern organization that hopes to strive in the long run, with the holy grail being the establishment of a learning organization. However, corporate learning and development is a complex and multifaceted topic.

A key question that arises again and again is how to construct a learning environment that allows the employees to continuously learn and develop. This is where the 70-20-10 rule can provide valuable insights.

What is the 70-20-10 rule?

The 70-20-10 rule is a learning and development theory that encapsulates all of the different ways that people learn. The model introduces the guiding principle that learning is the result of:

• 70%: knowledge from job-related experiences
• 20%: interactions with others, like coworkers and managers
• 10%: formal learning events.

Obviously, this split is not set in stone, as people learn in different ways depending on a range of factors such as previous experience, learning environment etc. However, the model does provide a reminder that the majority of learning comes from people working and interacting with others in the workplace (70+20).

Fig. 1. Examples of learning through the 70-20-10 rule

Implications of the 70-20-10 rule

The key implication of the 70-20-10 rule is that effective learning must be facilitated through a combination of learning formats. That is, effective learning is best achieved through a blended learning journey leveraging learning activities in each of the three categories outlined by the 70-20-10 rule. Thus, companies can not expect their employees to learn and implement new behavior based solely on a single course or lecture alone.

"A clear learning objective states what the learner will be able to do upon completion of a learning activity, in terms of behavioral change. A clear objective identifies the terminal behavior or desired outcome of the educational offering." 

However, constructing a blended learning journey to support the training needs of employees does require deliberate planning and orchestration according to pre-defined learning objectives. This is obviously more demanding and time-consuming than merely inviting an external speaker or lecturer to "educate the employees", but the long-term learning and development outcome is surely worth it.

A blended learning journey might be visualized as shown below.

Fig. 2. Illustration of a blended learning journey

To get you started on the design of a blended learning journey, here is a list of learning activities that might be leveraged to support the 70-20-10 rule:

• Instructor-Led Training (ILT)
• Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT)
• Web-Based Training (WBT)
• E-learning (See how to design e-learning here)
• Video
• Animation
• On-the-job Exercise
• Work Shadowing
• Co-worker Training
• Job rotation
• Internship
• Practice Simulation
• Self-study
• Infographic

Need help?

If you need assistance with issues or questions related to learning and development, please do not hesitate to send me a message.