Five Ways to Decrease Learning Decay in the Workplace
Learning decay is the Achilles' heel for virtually all training initiatives. A training may have been delivered brilliantly to a highly engaged audience who leave the class or training event enthusiastically committed to applying the new learnings, but this alone will not stop learning decay. The training may have been delivered online, through a webinar, in a classroom or self-taught. Whatever the delivery mechanism, if the understanding and application are not retained for the long term, the training has little true value. It's important to understand that participants do not intentionally forget the content or consciously decide not to apply their new learnings. Rather, the reality of day-to-day pressures, incoming emails, key priorities and comfort with the old ways of doing things all contribute to learning decay. As humans, we just tend to forget over time unless new ways are kept top of mind until they become habitual. Once we ingrain new habits, they will become a