How will you 'beat' Ebbinghaus?
Paul Matthews
Learning & Development Expert. Strategist, Author & Speaker. Architect of the People Alchemy Learning Workflow Platform. Helping L&D Professionals Make a Difference.
Hermann Ebbinghaus, credited as the first person to systematically study memory, is best known for his discovery of the forgetting curve and the spacing effect back in 1885.
The trainees on your programme will steadily forget most of the information they were exposed to on the training course unless you add components into your programme designed to counter the effects of the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve.
And by programme, I don't just mean the training event, I mean what is designed to happen after the training event.
Given our propensity to forget things that we don't review and recall soon, and regularly, after we first learn them, it can be hard to retain the learning long enough to transfer it to the point of work.
No matter what you do, a lot of what is learnt in your classroom won't survive the journey.
This means you need to get clear on what learning MUST survive the journey to the point of work.
Other than the MUST survive content, what else is in your training course? Do you really need it?
You may decide to reduce the amount of training and instead introduce the content directly into the workflow on an 'as needed' basis, aka performance support, thus avoiding the perils of the forgetting curve.
The only way to 'beat' Ebbinghaus is to extend your thinking beyond the classroom.
My best wishes, Paul
Helping organisations rapidly improve workforce productivity
2 周Paul Matthews great reminder for everyone claiming AI will solve the knowledge learning gap. You may want to speak with Simon Strong FRSA best proven solution i've seen utilising time sequenced learning method.
Director @ Talent4Performance | Organisation and People Development using Analytics, Brain Science and Change Strategies
2 周Here is a short 150-second video about it. https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/davidcklaasen_learning-memoryretention-leadership-activity-7221378515613425664-zxb0/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
Always a good reminder on a Monday morning! Thanks Paul for Sharing !
Former law firms CFO/Board member, Advisory Boards, mentor, coach, NED. Specialisms include mentoring, financial & strategic advisory and coaching, business management, financial analysis, financing, M&A DD
2 周Well said Paul. Very important key point!
Director @ Talent4Performance | Organisation and People Development using Analytics, Brain Science and Change Strategies
2 周Great reminder about this important, and often missed, piece of development activity. I recently made a 150-second video about Ebbinghaus, happy to share it here is you think it would be useful.