Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2016 - 57

SCIENCE OF LEARNING

DEPLOYING AN
AFTER-TRAINING
PROGRAM
- ART KOHN, P H.D.

Imagine you provide employees with a
great seminar on essential leadership
techniques. Even if everyone loved it, the
sad fact is that no matter what you say,
no matter how well you say it, research
proves that 90 percent of the content will
be forgotten within one week.
The good news is that if you deploy a
strategic after-training program then
you can dramatically improve employee
retention, transfer, and ultimately enjoy a
great return on your training investment.
The ideal after-training program should be
broken into three phases including cognitive
reinforcement, social reinforcement, and
behavioral reinforcement.

90 PERCENT OF
CONTENT WILL
BE FORGOTTEN
WITHIN ONE WEEK.
COGNITIVE REINFORCEMENT
A cognitive reinforcement is a brief
interaction that causes a learner to
"effortfully recall" information in the
hours and days after training. The simple
process of recalling information causes
the brain to "meta-tag" the information
as important and in turn, prevents it from
being forgotten.
For example, a manager might ask
"Hey Bill, how do you plan to use
these leadership skills on the job?"
This question causes the learner to
"effortfully recall" the information and in
turn, the learner's brain is dramatically
more likely to retain it.

While it's best if the boosts are delivered
in a live conversation, technology can
also be used to deliver boosts via email
or text messages. The net effect will be a
dramatic increase in retention.
SOCIAL REINFORCEMENT
Social reinforcement needs to be
deployed in the weeks after cognitive
reinforcement. Use social reinforcement
to keep your learners discussing your
core messages. In addition to reinforcing
memory, social reinforcement can solicit
new ideas and identify best practices.
Using social reinforcement, your task is
to create a "community of learners" who
both generate and vet new ideas. By
asking employees for their opinions, and
by allowing them to critique one another,
you give your learners the dignity of their
job. What's more, you inevitably learn
from your students.
It is best if social reinforcements are
delivered live. But in larger organizations,
informal conversations are hard to
manage and monitor, so technology or
a social network can be used to manage
the conversations.
BEHAVIORAL REINFORCEMENT
Behavioral reinforcement is where you
turn learning into action by reinforcing
desired behaviors. The key maxim is to
reward the specific behaviors that you
want to increase. Unfortunately, many
organizations reward employees for
"completing training" or for scoring
high on a follow-up quiz. This misses the
point. It is not enough for managers to
"understand effective leadership," your

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MA GAZ INE - FALL20 1 6 I WWW.TRAININGI NDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

real goal is to have them "lead effectively."
And to increase effective leadership, you
need to both monitor it and reward it
when it occurs.
This can be done easily and technology
can help. For example, survey your
learners and ask them how often they
have utilized the training. These answers
can not only help you identify and reward
desired behaviors, they can also serve as
testimonial, Level 4 evidence that proves
the value of your training. In turn, you can
take this data to your CFO next time you
want to request a larger budget.
THE 2+2+2 METHODOLOGY
Deploying a scheduled program of
after-training can help employees recall
and transfer their learning. The easiest
way to remember the schedule is to
think about the 2+2+2 methodology.
Cognitive reinforcement should begin
about two days after training and can
consist of about four brief boosts. Social
reinforcement should begin about two
weeks after training and can consist
of two discussion topics. Behavioral
reinforcement should begin about two
months after training and can consist of
one to two interactions.
After-training may seem to be a lot of
new work, but it is low hanging fruit
that will dramatically increase retention
and transfer. What you do after training
is more important than what you do
during training.
Dr. Art Kohn is an internationally honored,
cognitive psychologist who studies the
processes of teaching and learning. Email Art.

| 57

http://www.trainingindustry.com/ezine.aspx

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Fall 2016