Today I’m starting with a simple question: Have you ever considered why we repeated our times tables at school over and OVER again? (Do they still do that or am I merely showing my age?)
We did it because our brains actually do not absorb information as well as most of us like to believe. In fact we only actually retain:
5% of what we‘re told
10% of what we read
20% of what we see and hear
30% of what we see through demonstrations
50% of what we learn when engaged in group discussion
75% of what we learn through practice
85% of what we learnt if we start implementing immediately
90% when we teach someone else
What’s even scarier is that not only do we struggle to retain information but we don’t retain it for long… we forget it ridiculously quickly (we are unfounded giving goldfish such a hard time -a topic for another week 😉): Research shows that within 1 hour, learners forget an average of 50% of new information; within 24 hours, they forget an average of 70% of that information; and within a week, they forget up to 90% of what they learned!
So whether in sales, in training and throughout of business; how do we ensure that our message is absorbed and retained:
- Tell stories – It’s been proven that after a presentation, 63% of attendees remember stories. Only 5% remember statistics *Chip Heath, Stanford Prof
- Teach with laughter – Studies show that learning ability improves by 38.5% with laughter and delayed recall improves by 43.6% *Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test
- Teach through Play – Research shows that when mammals play, their brains are activated in a way that can change the connections in the prefrontal cortex that impact emotional regulation and problem-solving. Play also triggers the release of chemicals in the brain (such as oxytocin and dopamine) that help to; support social skills; impact mood, memory, motivation, and attention
- Use as many tools as possible – audio, visual, props, hands on, games, stories, etc
- Encourage immediate action – start using immediately/train a team member etc
- Repetition is key – be ready to repeat yourself. It’s not dull to them as they’ve likely forgotten 90% of it!
How can you use this information to build your success?
Unmuted: By Heidi Weir 