How do you prevent skill decay after training?

Practice. But that's only 9 characters and this field requires at least 125. So I'm just going to reinforce the same point over and over again. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice ...

Sustainment, sustainment, sustainment. Rather than thinking of the event as a “one and done” initiative, think of it as on-going. Create opportunities to provide follow up opportunities following the event - “nudges” as they are being referred. We know there is a forgetting curve so the optimal experiences take this into account. Follow up one week, one month, and three months after the event with continued sustainment, nudges, and applications in their real-world environment.

It’s all about implementing the learning. More work within learning and development events should focus on this even at the expense of more content. Back up by line managers and peers is vital.

Move the point where training ends. Most training programs end once the content is completed. But that content is quickly forgotten. Only a small fraction is used. Just a smidge is remembered. Moving the endpoint to proficiency changes everything. Participants must use skills over a period of time to reach proficiency. Using skills over time makes those skills stick.

Keep it relevant, keep it engaging, celebrate the results. The "use it or lose it" rule is always in effect, and I always make sure to tell my learners to implement at least one thing they glean from a training experience, and then build on that one thing with another, and another, and another. Never try and build the structure all at once......just one brick first and step back to check on it.

If you dont use it, you loose it! E - learning revision modules. Use an app like @Axonify (learning bursts). Test knowledge with confidence. Share learning data. Keep discussions of the content alive. Workshops and refresher courses. Set up working groups. I personally resend training content snap shots to learners 6 months later, to take them down memory lane.

In order for this to happen effectively, leadership must be part of the support plan. They need to model the new skills themselves, provide feedback to people using them correctly, and gently correct those using them incorrectly. That last one is critical! As soon as a leader lets poor performance happen, and doesn't call it out, they've just said that the new skill isn't that important. And that means death to the new objective.

The first step is to ensure the will increase the team's useable knowledge base. Implementation will be smoother when a plan is already in place to adopt the training into the day-to-day for the team. If the team can implement the new skills and see measurable benefits, the chance for success will increase. Include the team from the beginning; a leader may choose the skills but the team utilizes them. Listen to feedback and make improvements when feedback calls for it. People like to be seen, especially when new skills directly impact their advancement. Create a cycle of positive experiences around adopting new skills to encourage a natural (and possibly accepted/anticipated) adoption and application process for new skills.

To prevent skill decay, organizations can support performance after training by: 1. Setting Clear Goals and Expectations 2. Providing Necessary Resources and Tools 3. Removing Barriers and Obstacles 4. Rewarding and Recognizing Achievements 5. Fostering a Culture of Learning and Improvement 5. Promoting Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration 6. Establishing Constructive Feedback Mechanisms 7. Creating a Supportive Work Environment 8. Providing Ongoing Coaching and Support 9. Encouraging a Growth Mindset and Commitment to Continuous Learning This will allow organizations to create a work environment that supports performance, skill utilization, and continuous learning.

Learning doesn't stop after attending a training program or a skill development program one has to practice the skill that is taught in the classroom or the training. It is difficult to absorb the entire content of the training and practice it hence a refresher session after a month post the training helps to reinforce the learnings. Any development takes place gradually and hence it is important to have refresher sessions in the form of quiz, learning connect, community connect etc. These sessions need to happen on a regular basis. I have seen that organizations that have these connect sessions after the training are able to see a far better retention and implementation of the learnings.

Certainly, it is imperative to regard training not merely as a singular occurrence, but as a continuous endeavor. Each training initiative we have undertaken is accompanied by a subsequent session in the ensuing quarter, dedicated to evaluating the sustained retention of acquired knowledge.

You can train just about anyone to do just about anything. Getting them to remember it, become proficient at it, and permanently retain it is a completely different story. Every training program should institute a continuing education program to accompany it. Period.

In this VUCA world where skills are changing at a rate one cannot fathom, it is important to keep an eye on the gap between the current state and future state. Whats changed? How does it impact the learner? Does this change require a refresher training or a simple comms will suffice? Fast paced change analysis becomes an integral part when it comes to refreshing skills.

Constant follow-up or coaching either by trainers or mangers is vital in ensuring that the learning is not left on the training room floor and is brought back to their jobs .

Measuring impact is one of the most effective ways to highlight then fix skill decay. Observation tools are the most powerful way to unlock these moments. It'll highlight any training gaps and find places where you have a learning-doing gap - where your tests or surveys show staff understand, but performance and customer feedback ultimately say otherwise. Ultimately, all training comes down to behaviour: • Is that employee selling the right things the right way • Do they understand how to use equipment • Did they treat the customer the way you'd hope Observation is the only way to see these behaviours happening effectively. Combining observation with coaching lets you tackle training gaps and skill decay at the frontline.

One team didn't perform well on a project. Why? I discovered much later that it was because I stood up while training them. I should have reclined as they did. Lesson: What works well in one situation might not be effective in another. Getting impact reviews from different situational trainings helps adjust to diverse training audiences.

Measuring impact should come from a variety of sources, not just one, and should NOT include "smile sheets". Interviews, tests, performance indicators and peer reviews top the list to identify gaps, strengths and areas of improvement.

Getting periodical feedback (30-60-90 days) from team members and manager could be a great starting point to measure the impact of training. Observations can be recorded and shared with the learners for their consideration.

It depends on what you are training for, but you might want to measure impact in terms of operations and revenue. Did you save the client money where they had previously lost it? Did you increase revenue due to increased sales revenue? The question is really broad and difficult to answer without knowing the specifics, but quite often the bottom line is the most important measure of success.

Along the chain, all levels of supervisory staff should be involved, and that demands excellent clear and regular communication..

Involving the management and sharing the feedback about the Learner is very valuable tool to carry out in implementing the knowledge gained and help them evaluate their employees progress and if any further knowledge gap should be customized.

70:20:10 & Skill decay universal phenomenon As we know training is must for initial inetia but can only have a 10% Next 20% happens as the trainee discusses the same with their line managers or colleagues to internalize the concept 70 % of actual learning happen "on- the-job" through trial and error The missing link that I observed is the middle step of 20%.. That is because of the following  1. Line managers are not trained on the same module thinking they must be knowing  2. They even know, but they are not trained to do the  coaching  3. No allocated time in the system to practise new learning, as everyone is comfortable with earlier  4. Trainer : trainee ratios unmatched  5. Training is considered as a tick-mark activity only. 

I would say involve leaders at the highest level and every level in between so they can support when they see the right behaviours and also so they can integrate the language and the understanding of the learnings as well.

Coaching. Coaching. Coaching. L&D doesn’t follow employees back into the operation after training. Managers work shoulder-to-shoulder with them every day. It’s the managers job to provide feedback. It’s L&D’s job to make sure managers have the skills and insights needed to have meaningful coaching conversations.

As much as the training needs to be customised, it should be understood that one person cannot be the best trainer for all topics within a subject! A high school teacher need not be the best elementary school teacher!!! Same is the case with skilling. When we deploy people irrespective of their innate subject topic authority, we dampen the impact of the training itself. It is hence imperative that we get the relevant subject experts for different topics for maximum impact of training.

Make training as relevant and practical to your learner's daily work so that they can act on the content learned immediately. Provide post-session material so that they can continue to activate the content.

No diggity no doubt customization positively impacts learners and their organizations to prevent skill decay! How? By applying adult learning principles to training. This includes using active learning techniques, providing opportunities for feedback, and creating a supportive learning environment. Also offering different formats of training. This will accommodate different learning styles and preferences. For example, blended learning-some employees may prefer to learn in a classroom setting, while others may prefer to learn online or through self-paced modules.

I'm a firm believer in the customization of learning and development efforts. I apply my STAY Interview Talent Model with everyone on the team which provides me with key insights around each person's goals, needs, motivations, and challenges. Training is often just an event. Nothing more, nothing less. I have found that by providing a 6-week (once per week) touch point around one aspect of the training workshop each Friday, the ability to understand, craft, and implement ideas from the training stick much better. Also, understanding superpowers and areas for improvement allows you to create custom learning modules. This makes learning personal and provides necessary information that each person requires to grow their career.

When I first started in instructional design, I sat in the seats of the people who did the job. This allowed me to customize training to the people in the class, not just teaching from the course book. And when they knew it was the true work they would be doing, it helped the trainees retain the knowledge.

Learning by doing, is the best way to prevent learning decay. Following the 70-20-10 model for effective learning, we should focus the majority of our efforts on 70: “Learning on the job”. Here’s how you create the best learning experience. Not doing anything significantly new might be considered 'routine', which doesn't facilitate development. Learning too many new things at once might lead to an overload and 'stress'. Stacked learning might offer the 'sweet spot' of a healthy 'stretch' for learning. In other words: Talent Development should be focussed on 'learning on the job', by facilitating opportunities that offer a healthy learning stretch.

Further, the trained should train their teams /people below them/ those relevant but not deputed for training. This will help them develop their perspective of the training material, convert same into learneable content and hence also be able to plan implementation better

One of the unique things about a training I attended was when the trainer made us write a letter addressed to our future selves about our learning and expectations from the training. He promised to mail it to us after 3 months of the session and it turned out to be a great refresher. It helps with two important things regarding the training. 1) It makes us synthesize the content, commit to the implementation, and make it personally relevant to us. 2) Receiving the letter served as a check if the learning outcomes are being achieved or need to be fine-tuned further to meet the specific objectives. This could also be simpler to implement using online tools used in training these days.

I haven't seen in the discussion a factor mentioning the "Why" before the training. One of the most important factors of success in any learning is "Purpose". If trainees understand the "why" and engage to the purpose, then this is the founding step of success in further activities

Practice. Feedback. Support. It's not hard. It just takes time, effort and prioritization. We know how to do this. It's just usually not deemed as important as everyday job tasks. Shift the org mindset on the importance of learning and skill development first - then layer learning and support into the workflow.