Keep Learning “Sticky” With Nudge Theory

You conducted a thorough needs analysis and identified a true learning need for the team you manage. You identified an amazing trainer to develop content in a manner that engages and delights participants. One point for you, the star manager. The training takes place, and the initial feedback is positive all around! And then the rubber hits the road, and you watch as your team seemingly forgets these new skills in place of old habits and stale techniques. What the heck happened and how can you use Nudge Theory to support future learning?

It is important to first understand what happens after a training. Memory retention was investigated in 1885 by Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist. Through experimentation, he uncovered that time was a key factor in retention of new information. The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve shows that people lose the most information in the first few days.

Unfortunately, learners forget almost 60% of new information in less than an hour and around 90% of information within 7 days!

This is a huge problem for all involved: learning and development practitioners, managers, and employees alike.

Time, resources, and money were lost in this endeavor and the return on investment is questionable. Additionally, stakeholders may question the use of training as a valid learning tool. Is formal workplace education a lost cause?

Instead of throwing up your hands in despair, leverage another scientific discovery, the Nudge Theory, to enforce retention of new information. Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein co-wrote a book titled “Nudge: Improving the Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness” that brought the work of Israeli American psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky into popular literature in 2008. Nudge Theory considers how choices can be designed to influence human behavior.

In layman’s terms, a nudge is encouragement to take action in a positive direction.

Nudges are used throughout society (advertising is a great example). The dental email reminder that your six-month checkup is due is a nudge. It is a reminder of a beneficial choice and provides simple information on how you can take the next step (“schedule using this link”).

Nudges can be applied to corporate learning, a domain where knowledge retention is a major risk. Why not build in ongoing reminders of content to attendees that stretch into the future? Utilize alternative communication vehicles such as texts, instant messages and learning platforms to reach your audience on the fly. Nudges can be used to keep new skills “sticky” post-training and extend the lifecycle of a learning event. These nudges can also address the “not enough time” problem pervasive in corporate culture. A nudge can invite learners to apply recent skills or introduce new concepts without the need to block off a whole afternoon. Offering multiple ways to engage with fresh material also encourages learners to take accountability.

The introduction of choices (“click here to learn more,” or prompts to use a new model) invites participants to personalize application, increasing the likelihood of completion.

While some may question if training is a valid solution to corporate learning challenges, others acknowledge that the field is always changing. It is evident that corporate training has evolved with the advent of more accessible technology, remote work, and shorter audience attention spans.

Utilizing Nudge Theory to counter the natural loss of new information following a training will help support employee development and cement new learning.

_{SOURCE: United Benefit Advisors (UBA)}