February 13, 2025

Advancing Corporate Yields

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Unlocking potential: Rehearsal’s benefits in employee development

Unlocking potential: Rehearsal’s benefits in employee development

Continuous learning and development are crucial for employee growth and organizational success, whether adopting AI, developing skills for current or future roles, mandatory training or succession planning.

One critical factor often not considered in training and development design is a post-training plan for mastering knowledge and skills that require practice and time. Malcolm Gladwell, the author of Outliers: The Story of Success, popularized the idea that it takes approximately 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery of a skill.

Employers must decide how much time they will provide employees daily, weekly and monthly to practice unlocking the potential benefits of training. The forgetting curve, a theory developed by Hermann Ebbinghaus, describes how information is lost over time if there is no attempt to retain it. One study suggested that organizations lose an estimated $13.5 million per 1,000 employees annually due to ineffective or absent training.

When designing a post-training practice that encourages rehearsal time, allocations may vary based on employee functions. For example, blue-collar workers in manufacturing or service industries may require more planning and consideration for time because of rigid schedules, while white-collar workers often have more flexibility.

One standard I try to encourage employers to consider was influenced by Horst Schulze’s book Excellence Wins, which touts the benefits of setting a standard of a minimum 10 minutes per day for rehearsal. Despite this limited timeframe, it is essential to emphasize the value of even small increments of daily rehearsal to help learners master new knowledge and skills. Employers are encouraged to have employees complete a daily learning log where they pick one concept to review and practice.

Importance of rehearsal in learning

Rehearsal is critical in reinforcing learning and ensuring skill retention, regardless of available time. Here’s why it is essential:

  • Combatting the forgetting curve: As shown by Ebbinghaus, information is forgotten over time without reinforcement. Regular rehearsal helps counteract this decline by facilitating timely reviews of learned material, helping to embed knowledge in long-term memory.
  • Master skill-leveraging short rehearsals: Employees can engage in focused practice or quick drills that reinforce knowledge and skills even during brief self-study sessions. Such consistent practice helps develop proficiency.
  • Active engagement: Regularly practicing learned material increases engagement and facilitates deeper understanding. Short, intentional rehearsals can be more effective than longer, less focused study periods.
  • Habit formation: Short bursts of rehearsal help create habits by encouraging employees to practice new behaviours consistently, making them an automatic part of daily routines.

Coaching tips to leverage 10 minutes of rehearsal per day

The following tactics can be leveraged to engage employees in short, productive rehearsals that promote the benefits of mastery:

  • Micro-learning modules: Utilize short, focused learning sessions or videos that cover specific concepts or skills. Providers of educational resources often structure content into bite-sized pieces that can be easily consumed in 10 minutes.
  • Daily skill challenges: Create a daily challenge that encourages employees to practice a specific skill or apply a new concept relevant to their roles. For example, a mechanic might review a safety procedure, while a call centre employee might practice an effective communication technique.
  • Reflection journals: Encourage employees to spend a few minutes reflecting on their experiences and what they’ve learned. This can be in brief journaling or jotting down key takeaways from past training or on-the-job experiences.
  • On-the-job learning: Incorporate self-study into daily tasks. Employees can use small breaks to review their notes or practice techniques relevant to their work context, like referring to training materials while on break.
  • Peer learning sessions: Foster opportunities for quick group discussions or knowledge-sharing sessions among colleagues, allowing employees to learn from each other and reinforce their understanding of key concepts.

Benefits of tracking rehearsal sessions daily:

Recording and tracking learning can help drive accountability and learning. By leveraging digital platforms, employers can obtain data to understand if the training materials and post-learning rehearsals are helpful. Daily tracking also helps individuals stay focused and in tune with development and learning:

  • Progress measurement: Keeping a record of learning activities allows employees to measure their progress and understand how they are applying their learning over time.
  • Identifying gaps: Tracking learning helps pinpoint areas where employees might struggle, enabling employers to provide additional support or resources as needed.
  • Motivation and accountability: Logging rehearsal sessions can foster accountability, encouraging employees to commit to their development journey and stay motivated by recognizing their achievements.
  • Performance alignment: Documenting how newly acquired skills are being applied helps connect learning to performance goals, making it easier to demonstrate rehearsals’ direct impact on job performance.

Rehearsal and post-training will not happen if employers do not clarify the time allotted to daily practice and institute accountability and measures to evaluate success. If employers allow at least 10 minutes daily for rehearsal and practice, this time can be highly valuable with targeted strategies. Occupational health and safety practices are good examples of the value of daily focus and reminders for reinforcing habits.

If an employee works 48 weeks per year, allowing them 10 minutes of rehearsal per day is equivalent to dedicating five days annually to mastery. However, for this to be of real value, employees need an annual development plan outlining what they are expected to learn and the message that learning is a continuous process to retain and improve skills.

Those tasked with learning and development are encouraged to consider the importance and benefits of post-training rehearsal to ensure the time spent training is not wasted and knowledge is not forgotten.


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