Making It Sticky

When you exercise, how long to do you exercise for?
30 minutes?
Maybe 60?

Do you ever work out for 8 hours?
What about 8 hours each day for 2 to 3 days?

Yet, that's how much of today's learning and development is designed.

An organization hires a trainer, they come in for a day, or more, impart a lot of ideas, wisdom and activities on you, and then they leave again, off to the next organization.

Most good trainers will check in, or come back, but some don't.

It's like going to the mind gym for 8 hours a day, for several days.

Research shows that 70% of our learning happens OUTSIDE the "classroom" when we are engaged in our daily work, and able to implement the ideas AFTER we have first been exposed to them.

That's part of the reason why I design my book circles to extend over a period of 2 to 4 months.

I incorporate synchronous (virtual sessions and learning partners) with asynchronous work (reading, journaling, group chat), so that the information is dripped out over time, allowing plenty of room for participants to reflect on the ideas, and connect them to their lives and work.

This also keeps their RAS (Reticular Activating System) constantly primed. The more often we see and engage with ideas, the more likely they will become sticky. The more various the modes of engagement are, the more sticky they become as well.

Too often, training or learning gets left in the training room.

I am NOT a trainer, but I do facilitate learning, and as much as possible I want to support that stickiness.

It's not the information that counts.
It's what you do with it that matters.

How do you make your learning sticky?

Originally posted on Linkedin with comments.

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