How Much Are You Forgetting?

I had the opportunity to speak to new leaders participating in our Foundational Leadership classes. In both cases, I referred them to this LinkedIn page to discuss their experiences, continue learning about leadership techniques, and stay connected with other trainees, other leaders, and our facilitators. 

One of the reasons for this LinkedIn page is to help overcome the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve. As Nikhil Sonnad writes in Quartz, "The forgetting curve is a mathematical formula that describes the rate at which something is forgotten after it is initially learned." 

Proposed by Hermann Ebbinghaus over 100 years ago, it suggests that memory does not fade in a straight line or leveling off, but rather as a curve shown in the image on this page. Memories begin to fade immediately, and they do so quickly. 

At HASC, we work to design and develop training to help overcome this forgetting curve. We identify learning objectives to help learners remember the most important material and reinforce those objectives through knowledge checks, quizzes, and tests. 

At HASC, we use a "scaffolding" technique to develop training. We build on the knowledge already learned and implanted in our trainee's memories. Lastly, we work to interact with learners once they have left our classrooms and labs through chatbots and micro-learning. All of these are designed to delay forgetting that occurs and reinforce the memory for the learner.

In creating these reinforcement mechanisms, or "retrieval practice" events, we work to move the learning from the learner's short-term and working memory into their long-term memory. 

By making those memories of the learning objectives more resilient and strengthening those neural pathways, we make our learner's memories of those learning objectives stronger. In our industry, critical information must be remembered when it is needed and without hesitation. Finding ways to make memories of training objectives stronger goes hand-in-hand with our mission of "building safe workplaces."

Undermining the forgetting curve by creating retrieval practice mechanisms, extends the memory and makes it stronger; this is what this LinkedIn page is designed to do.

By visiting our HASC Leadership LinkedIn page, discussing aspects of leadership with other leaders here, and asking questions and engaging, you will be undermining the forgetting curve and making better use of your training time and money.