10/06/2026
MAKE LEARNING STICK: LESS INFORMATION, MORE APPLICATION
By Results Group LLC | ResultsGroupLLC.com
Have you ever explained something thoroughly, only to discover a week later that very little of it stuck?
The problem may not be the employee. It may be the way the information was delivered.
People have limited working memory. When leaders overload employees with too much new information at once, important ideas compete for attention. A better approach is to break information into manageable pieces and connect each piece to a clear purpose.
Context matters. Before explaining how to do something, help employees understand why it matters, where it fits, and what successful performance looks like.
Examples also make learning more useful. Instead of explaining a concept only in abstract terms, show what it looks like in a real customer conversation, jobsite situation, sales call, team meeting, or workplace problem.
Then ask the employee to use it. Practice, discussion, retrieval, feedback, and repetition help strengthen learning far more than simply hearing information once.
Leaders should also be careful about relying on the old idea that every employee has one fixed 'learning style.' People may have preferences, but effective learning usually involves multiple approaches: explaining, showing, discussing, practicing, and receiving feedback.
AI can make it easier to create training materials, examples, summaries, and practice scenarios. But technology cannot determine whether an employee truly understands the work. Leaders still need to observe, ask questions, coach, and verify application.
Don't ask only, 'Do you understand?' Ask, 'Show me how you would use this.'
LEADERSHIP REFLECTION: Where are you giving employees information when what they really need is an opportunity to practice?
Results Group LLC
Helping organizations strengthen leadership, accountability, communication, talent, and performance.
ResultsGroupLLC.com | 515-330-2866