Skill Retention and Reinforcement Tactics

3 ways to 3x what you learn and remember: We forget 90% of what we hear within one week. Passive consumption creates knowledge that fades. Active involvement builds skills that last. Here are 3 proven ways to make learning stick: 1. Teach what you learn immediately: ↳ Explaining to others boosts retention 90% ↳ Strengthens neural pathways through recall ↳ Forces simplification of complex ideas 2. Create deliberate practice opportunities ↳ Feedback-driven practice speeds mastery 300% ↳ Small challenges beat cramming every time ↳ Builds confidence through quick wins 3 Break complex skills into micro-challenges ↳ Step-by-step learning improves retention 80% ↳ Prevents overwhelm and abandonment ↳ Creates clear progress milestones Master these approaches and watch your team develop faster than ever. This week, redesign one team meeting to include active learning. Which of these methods will you try first? ♻️ Share this with others 🔔 Follow Ali Mamujee for more Sources: - National Training Laboratories' Learning Pyramid Study - "Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning" (Brown, McDaniel) - Journal of Educational Psychology, "The Protégé Effect" (2018)

Skill maintenance was a topic of hot debate during my time with army special operations. Specifically, how to determine the rate of skill decay and therefore the duration between refresher training to improve the chances of skills being reproducible in the heat of the moment. It’s a near impossible question to answer and will differ from person to person and skill to skill however, there is some science that underpins the principles of refresher training and informs the intervals between practicing the skills to reduce the chance of losing them. Skill classification starts the process. Specifically, determining whether the skills are: Physical vs Cognitive Natural vs Synthetic Closed Loop vs Open Loop Accuracy vs Speed skills Studies show that cognitive, open loop, and accuracy skills, in natural environments, decay faster and should be prioritised for refresher training. Other critical factors that impact the rate of skill decay are: How the information was initially encoded, and Cues present at retreival Paying attention to the detail and structure of training, and learning to retrieve skills in response to a variety of cues that are likely to be present in real world scenarios, dramatically improves retention. No matter how good the initial training however, skills decay over time, with one study demonstrating a 92% drop in performance of a trained skill after 365 days without refresher training. This newsletter takes a deep dive into the theory to help inform the prioritisation of refresher training for critical skills that, for military members and first responders, might make the difference between life and death. #military #training #realitybasedtraining #police #lawenforcement #ambulance #emt #paramedic #firefighter #correctionsofficer

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 They treat it like a one-time event. A workshop. A box ticked. An expense. The result? Underwhelming impact and wasted budgets. The truth is: training only works when it is designed like a leadership journey, not a classroom session. That’s how executive presence gets built - through repeated practice, reflection, and reinforcement. Here are 3 ways to make training stick and deliver business results: 𝟏. 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 Build structured journeys. Pre-work, dynamic sessions, post-work application. Like a mission, not a meeting. 𝟐. 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  Group Coaching, virtual peer huddles, and daily quick-hit refreshers so new skills don’t fade. 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 Track the business impact. Not just attendance sheets and smiley-face feedback. One of our clients discovered this the hard way. For years, they invested in sending leaders to The Ivy League MBA schools, skills workshops, communication templates, even role-play drills. Each worked in rehearsals. But in real CXO and board conversations, the impact never stuck. That’s when they shifted to our 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 that included an 𝐄𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 and 100-day journey. The difference? Senior leaders didn’t just learn, they practiced, measured progress, and reinforced behaviours until they became second nature. Within 4 months, senior leaders reported: ✅ 𝟔𝟑% 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞  ✅ 𝟓𝟕% 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  ✅ 𝟓𝟓% 𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 CEO noticed the shift immediately in boardroom decision-making and stakeholder engagement. When you do this, training shifts from being an expense to becoming a strategic asset that fuels collaboration, loyalty, and decision-making. That’s how organizations grow leaders with true presence. 👉 What’s one reinforcement practice you’ve seen work well in your company’s L&D programs? #ExecutivePresence #CoachVikram #Impact #Leadership

Studies indicate we lose up to 90% of new information within 3 days. That said, if we review this information within 24 hours, it’s been shown that we retain up to 80% of what we just learned. If we review again within 48 hours, that retention goes up to 85%, and if we review AGAIN within 72 hours, odds are we retain most if not all the material. This is spaced repetition and if you have new hire training or ongoing work trainings coming up, it could be a good idea to use this method. Here’s what it looks like in the real world: Yesterday was day 1 of our company’s 3-Day advanced training program to help us master a certain area we cover. - I limited distractions and took notes during the call. - After dinner, I reviewed what I learned for simply 5 minutes. - This AM before heading out, I took out a sheet of paper and wrote down every detail I could remember off the top of my head from the training yesterday to see what I retained and what gaps to fill. - At work today, my goal is to purposely get into convos with customers to practice what I learned and ask questions about their experience on the topic. - 15 minutes prior to today’s training, I’ll do another quick review of my notes from yesterday. - I’ll focus and take notes during today’s training, and later tonight will review what I learned yesterday AND today. - Tomorrow AM I’ll do another session where I’ll write out everything I can remember from the past 2 days off the top of my head, and will see what gaps are left. - I’ll sprinkle in a call with my 2 FSTs 🫱🏼🫲🏽 - Then I’ll repeat for day 3. At the end of this 3-day training, the goal is to get closer to mastery and be a more trusted advisor to my customers, help serve more patients, and as a result, help the company brand and sales. With this meaningful goal, the stakes are higher and makes my focus and excitement to learn increase. If you have a lot of new material to learn, I suggest getting serious about WHY it’s so important that you learn it and what life will look like if you master it. I also suggest looking into Jim Kwik ASAP. Good luck out here everybody. If you have a favorite method of learning, let me know! Include an example of when and how you used it too if you’re willing 🫱🏼🫲🏽

Manager development requires a two-part strategy of traditional workshops AND reinforcement. Here's why. TL;DR, managers are often "too busy" to attend multiple classroom-style workshops and practice what they learn. 🕓 TIME. Managers are some of the busiest members of your org, and barely have time for strategic planning, let alone a 6-week lecture series. Learning needs to be bite-sized, flexible, and high-impact as a result. 🌎 DIVERSE POPULATIONS. Timezones making it logistically hard to get everyone to attend a workshop. Add on the various levels of skill across your org, and one-size-fits all becomes hard to pull off. 🤨 SPEED OF FORGETTING. Delivering feedback, engaging in difficult conversations, and setting expectations drive outcomes, but they're uncomfortable to get right. Managers "forget" these behaviors and prefer old habits, unless constant reinforcement helps them practice otherwise. --- That's not to say you should throw out your workshops entirely. The best L&D leaders know that traditional classroom-style workshops are a foundation, not the end of a learning strategy. Workshops establish core concepts, create a common language, and set expectations for learners. Then, the real work begins. Retention and behavior change happens through reinforcement––and that's where microlearning shines! Today, microlearning is an umbrella term for a bunch of offerings: - 🍎 small refresher workshops or activities - 📹 async videos or lessons with practical tips - 👋 ad hoc coaching or quick mentor syncs - 🤝 30 min learning community discussions - 📚 resource libraries, templates, and power cards - 💡AI-powered LMS and in-workflow nudges You need both strategies (and a diverse set of offerings!) to break through the noise in busy distributed companies. What does your perfect recipe for learning offerings look like? How do you visualize the two-part learning strategy? Let us know in the comments! #learninganddevelopment #talentdevelopment #peopleops #hr #learning --- Did you like this? Share it with your LinkedIn audience! We're always looking to spread great knowledge and information. ♻️ And follow me (Yen Tan) for more manager dev and L&D tips!

A blend is usually best. My approach to designing class sessions centers on designing for the learning, not the learner. Though this may be an unpopular instructional philosophy, I find it yields strong, lasting gains. Of course, learners must have adequate prior knowledge, which you can ensure through thoughtful placement and pre-training. This approach combines direct instruction with emotional, cognitive, and reinforcement strategies to maximize learning and retention. Each phase—from preparation to reinforcement—uses proven methods that reduce anxiety, build confidence, and sustain motivation while grounding knowledge in ways that lead to deeper understanding and real-world application. Direct instruction methods (such as Rosenshine and Gagné) offer a structured framework to capture attention, clarify objectives, and reduce initial anxiety. Emotional engagement—connecting material on a personal level—makes learning memorable and supports long-term retention. Reinforcement strategies like spaced repetition, interleaving, and retrieval practice transform new information into long-term memory. These methods help learners revisit and reinforce what they know, making retention easier and confidence stronger, with automaticity as the ultimate goal. Grounding learning in multiple contexts enhances recall and transfer. Teaching concepts across varied situations allows learners to apply knowledge beyond the classroom. Using multimedia principles also reduces cognitive load, supporting efficient encoding and schema-building for faster recall. Active engagement remains critical to meaningful learning. Learners need to “do” something significant with the information provided. Starting with concrete tasks and moving to abstract concepts strengthens understanding. Progressing from simple questions to complex, experience-rooted problems allows learners to apply their knowledge creatively. Reflection provides crucial insights. Requiring reflection in multiple forms—whether writing, discussion, or visual work—deepens understanding and broadens perspectives. Feedback, feedforward, and feedback cycles offer constructive guidance, equipping learners for future challenges and connecting immediate understanding with long-term growth. As learners build skills, gradually reduce guidance to foster independence. When ready, they practice in more unpredictable or “chaotic” scenarios, which strengthens their ability to apply knowledge under pressure. Controlled chaos builds resilience and adaptability—then we can apply more discovery-based methods. Apply: ✅Direct instruction ✅Emotional engagement ✅Reinforcement strategies ✅Multiple contexts ✅Multimedia learning principles ✅Active, meaningful tasks ✅Reflection in varied forms ✅Concrete-to-abstract ✅Questions-to-Problems ✅Feedback cycles ✅Decreasing guidance ✅Practice in chaos ✅Discovery-based methods (advanced learners) Hope this is helpful :) #instructionaldesign #teachingandlearning

🚨 What’s the value of memorable training? It’s 218% higher income per employee. Because forgettable learning doesn’t pay. Memes prove it every day: one clear idea → one punchline → instant recall. Training should work the same way. Sometimes it’s a deep dive. Sometimes it’s a quick touchpoint. What matters is that it’s memorable. I don’t just let AI run wild. I build inside the playbook, with traditional L&D frameworks calling the shots. Sometimes it starts with ChatGPT, sketching the first draft of the play. Then I pass it to MidJourney, where the visuals come alive. From there it’s into Veo, turning motion into meaning, and finally Articulate Rise, where the whole story becomes a course. Along the way, I’ve used Canva’s AI to polish, and Luma to spark engagement. Because training isn’t just about learning, it’s about making it exciting, memorable, and worth the replay. Here’s your AI + Microlearning Readiness Checklist 👇 ☐ 1. Keep it Bite-Sized ↳ Focus on one concept at a time. ↳ Use AI to transform long content into microlearning modules. ☐ 2. Make it Relatable ↳ Tie lessons to real work scenarios. ↳ Let AI generate role-specific examples learners recognize. ☐ 3. Add Emotion ↳ Humor, stories, and visuals drive retention. ↳ AI can suggest analogies, stories, or visuals that resonate. ☐ 4. Repeat to Reinforce ↳ Revisit key ideas in spaced intervals. ↳ AI can automate nudges and reinforcement over time. ☐ 5. Design for Mobile ↳ Training should fit in a pocket, not a binder. ↳ AI can reformat lessons into mobile-friendly formats. ☐ 6. Build Interaction ↳ Short quizzes, polls, or choices keep attention. ↳ AI can generate interactive questions on demand. ☐ 7. End with Action ↳ Every module should lead to a real-world behavior. ↳ AI can recommend next steps tailored to learner performance. The lesson? Training doesn’t need to be long to be lasting. It needs to be designed like the best memes. Clear, engaging, and unforgettable. And now, AI helps make that possible at scale. ----- 218% higher income per employee: Forbes (via ATD)

🛑 Stop building forgettable training! 💀 If your learners aren't retaining, your efforts are WASTED. What's ONE aggressive tactic you've used AFTER training to ensure knowledge doesn't vanish? Spill the tea! ☕ We often put so much effort into the initial training, but how much thought do we give to reinforcing learning and ensuring long-term retention? Is our focus misplaced? A student in my instructional design program recently shared a common frustration: "We had great CRM software training last month, but now it feels like I've forgotten everything and reverted to old habits." This scenario underscores a critical challenge in our field: the gap between training delivery and sustained knowledge application. The initial learning event, no matter how well-designed, is only the first step. True impact hinges on effective post-training reinforcement. My advice to the student focused on practical integration: short, weekly practice exercises; a collaborative online space for peer support; and the creation of personal "how-to" guides for immediate reference. The key is weaving learning into the daily workflow, making it a continuous process rather than a one-time event. Have you encountered this "knowledge fade" with your learners or colleagues? What concrete strategies have you found most successful in bridging the gap between training and real-world application? Share your actionable insights. #LearningRetention #SpacedRepetition #PerformanceSupport #InstructionalDesign

Use it or lose it. With lack of use of learning new behaviors, half of initial skill acquisition performance gains are lost after approximately 6.5 months for accuracy and 13 months for speed with intermittent or nonuse following training. Nudges, refresher training, coaching and ongoing deliberate (varied) practice all can help minimize skill performance decay over time. This research is a valuable benchmark for organizations to anticipate when performance on tasks requiring complex skills (e.g., cardiopulmonary resuscitation, delegation, using a specific feedback technique) may decline and what is needed to ensure ROI: https://lnkd.in/gCrvnXgj Note: For those interested in some collaborative research using our habit change/learning transfer platform called Talent Accelerator please reach out to me directly https://lnkd.in/gMCcS7Nc