The day my son joined Boy Scouts a flood of memories came rushing back. I’m an Eagle Scout and fondly remember white-water rafting, rappelling down cliffs, snow camping, and making fire with flint and steel.
One thing that didn’t stick with me was knots.
Strange, since many people think of scouting, they think of tying knots. Now, watching my son “learn the ropes,” I can see why I forgot. Learning how to tie any of the seven main BSA knots can be achieved in a few minutes. Recalling them when needed is a different matter. The reason for this is the same reason so many adults are unable to put their training into action . . . lack of practice and practical application.
To make the learning stick, they need continued exposure, a desire to utilize what they have learned, and the opportunity to do it.
Exposure
After scouts are taught a knot, they will run to another scout, show what they have learned, and then forget it as soon as the requirement has been marked off. To make the knowledge stick, adult leaders must refresh their memories every chance they get. It helps to put the knots in the context of what is needed.
“What knot should I tie if I am joining two ropes of the same diameter?”
“Come look at this knot. Can you tell me what it is?”
If they know, then maybe we push them a little further and ask them to demonstrate tying the knot. If they don’t, they have an opportunity to relearn.
But how can this be mimicked in adult training? Here are a few options:
- Practice over time: Build reinforcement opportunities into your learning program. Extend the training over the next few days or weeks by sending practice activities, quizzes, or review materials.
- Stimulate different senses: Relaying the information in different ways will help all learners regardless of their preferred learning style. Consider sending an article one week, a video the next, and then partner them with another learner the following week to complete a case study.
- Have them tell a story: When participants share their own successes or learning opportunities, they internalize that moment. For example, if you are trying to teach them how to handle upset customers, ask them to share their real experiences with the larger group in the weeks following the training. What tactics worked? What didn’t? Why?
Desire
Scouts need to have a reason to learn their knots. What I have found useful is to make it a game. If learning the proper ways to tie a knot can give them an advantage in beating a rival patrol, they are much more eager to learn it.
Here are some options for an adult learner:
- Gamification: Competition is a great way to drive interest and a willingness to “play along.” You can have people compete against each other individually, team vs. team, or even try to beat their own personal best. The more fun you make, the more people will want to engage and learn.
- WIIFM: Trainees need to know their WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). Of course, this might be different for everyone, so let them examine this for themselves and then reinforce their WIIFM early and often.
- Share success stories: Seeing others succeed can be motivational. Someone struggling with time management might envy those who manage their time well. Find successful people and ask them to share their stories.
- Build over time: People find it daunting to learn large amounts of information all at once. Instead, allow the learning to build over the course of hours, days, or weeks. This allows them to perfect one skill before applying it to the next idea.
Opportunity
Of course, people can understand the techniques and memorize the steps, but it’s not real until they try it. When the opportunity occurs, I will call out for a scout who is struggling with knots and ask them to tie a knot in a real-life setting. They gain an opportunity to tie the knot and see how and why it works in an actual situation.
To increase opportunities in adult training, try these options:
- Explain it to someone else: Ask your participants to share what they learned with their manager or fellow employees. Simply deconstructing their thoughts and putting the ideas and actions into their own words will give them the opportunity to rethink what they have learned and experience it in a fresh way.
- Recertification: Many types of safety and workplace security training require annual recertification. Why not use those same concepts for other types of training? A follow-up document or quiz could give them the “booster shot” they need.
- Role-play: A well-designed role-play can enhance a learner’s ability to put skills into action. To increase the impact, make the experience as close to the real thing as possible. The military runs combat drills, firefighters practice on staged housefires, retail stores hire secret shoppers. Can you create a “secret shopper” activity to test email etiquette?
- Throw them a curveball: Life is messy! Part of training might be to let them figure out what to do when things go south. Maybe a machine starts to malfunction or negotiations are failing because they misjudged a source of resistance. What should your trainee do? Work some curveballs into the training. Let them see or imagine what could go wrong and then work through how to fix it.
Conclusion
Learning any new skill takes time and effort. You can increase the chances that your trainee will internalize more of what they have learned if you give them the exposure, desire, and opportunity to practice. These activities should be built into your learning plan. Take time to think about the skills you really want to reinforce and determine ways you can continue to promote learning after the training.
