Learning that sticks: Why most training fails - and what actually works

By Eileen Donnelly

In boardrooms across the country, training budgets are being slashed. Not because organisations don't value learning, but because most training simply doesn't work. The uncomfortable truth? People retain just 5% of what they learn from lectures. That's like spending £10,000 on training and getting £500 worth of results.

But here's what's fascinating: when people learn by actually doing something, that retention jumps to 75%. This isn't a small improvement - it's the difference between training that changes nothing and training that transforms your workplace.

The Kolb Revolution: Why experience beats information

David Kolb figured this out decades ago when he discovered that real learning happens in a four-stage cycle. Traditional training gives you information and expects magic to happen. Kolb's approach gives you experience, and your brain treats these two things completely differently.

The cycle works like this: First, you have a concrete experience - you actually do something. Then comes reflection - you think about what happened, what worked, what didn't. Next is abstract thinking - you figure out the principles behind what happened. Finally, active experimentation - you try it again, but differently.

Most training stops at step one. They give you the information and expect magic to happen. Spoiler alert: magic doesn't happen. Learning does.

The neuroscience of sticking

When you practice something, your brain creates what scientists call 'muscle memory.' When you just hear about it, your brain files it under 'interesting but irrelevant.' This isn't just theory - it's measurable brain science.

Research by Muzyk and colleagues, published in the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education in 2017, tested two groups of pharmacy students learning mental health first aid. Group one got traditional lectures and handouts. Group two got the same information, then practiced with actors in realistic crisis scenarios.

The difference was remarkable. Students who practiced weren't just more confident - they were actually better at helping people. Their brains had created pathways for action, not just knowledge.

Breaking through the "Pandora's Box" fear

This research becomes particularly powerful when we consider workplace mental health conversations. Rebecca Eaton from Cadent Gas revealed a crucial insight: managers in high-risk industries often have "really high will but really low skill." They genuinely want to help their teams, but they're terrified of opening "Pandora's box" - starting conversations they don't feel equipped to handle.

This fear is rational. In industries with strong "superhero cultures" where vulnerability isn't traditionally valued, asking beyond work-related questions feels frightening. But here's what Rebecca discovered: when managers practice these conversations with professional actors in safe training environments, something magical happens. The cringe factor disappears.

Evidence from unexpected places

The power of experiential learning extends far beyond workplace mental health. Research by Kogan and colleagues, published in the Journal of Veterinary Medical Education in 2018, showed that veterinary students who practiced difficult conversations with actors weren't just more confident - they were kinder.

Think about it: telling someone their beloved pet needs to be put down, or explaining a £5,000 treatment bill to someone already emotional. These students learned that how you say something matters as much as what you say. They discovered nonverbal cues they never knew they were giving off, learned where to sit, how to pause. You can't learn that from a textbook.

The ‘forgetting curve’ challenge

But here's where it gets interesting. Even the best experiential learning doesn't always stick the first time. Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered the forgetting curve back in 1885, and modern neuroscience research by Wixted and Carpenter confirms that even deeply learned information decays without reinforcement.

Our brains are designed to forget what we don't use regularly - it's actually an efficiency feature, not a bug. This is why the most successful programs, like Rebecca's at Cadent Gas, build in multiple touchpoints: three-month follow-up sessions, peer learning groups, ongoing coaching support.

The confidence-skill connection

What makes experiential learning particularly powerful for workplace wellbeing is that it builds confidence as much as skill. When managers practice difficult conversations in training, they're not just learning what to say - they're learning they can handle challenging situations.

This confidence transfer is crucial. Those managers at Cadent Gas aren't just more confident about mental health conversations - they're more confident, period. They've learned they can support their teams, handle difficult situations, make a real difference.

Practical applications for modern workplaces

The research reveals several key principles for implementing effective learning that sticks:

Create safe practice spaces: The beauty of role-play is that you can make mistakes without consequences. The goal isn't to get it right the first time - it's to get it wrong in training so you can get it right when it matters.

Build in reflection: After any learning experience, ask: What happened? How did it feel? What would I do differently?

Plan for reinforcement: Don't treat training as a one-and-done event. Build in follow-up, create opportunities to practice again. Learning is a process, not an event.

Focus on feelings, not just facts: Experiential learning doesn't just teach your brain what to think - it teaches your brain what to feel. And feelings drive action.

The business case for change

We've known for decades that most training doesn't work. We've known that people learn by doing, not by listening. So why do we keep doing training the way we've always done it?

Perhaps it's time to stop talking about change and start practicing it. Because when training actually works, when it actually sticks, it doesn't just change what people know - it changes who they are.

The research is clear: experiential learning doesn't just teach skills. It teaches people that they're capable of more than they thought. And in a world where we're all trying to create better workplaces, more supportive cultures, more human ways of working, that might be the most important lesson of all.

You can listen to the full episode on the Work and Wellbeing Podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.