Short answer
When training is not translating into daily work, ask four questions. Is there practice after the session? Do participants receive support and feedback? Does the learning address a real need? And is progress reviewed? These questions help identify what may be missing, regardless of the delivery format.
The longer answer
The spacing effect, first described by Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885, is one of the most consistent findings in the study of learning: people keep more when practice is spread out than when it’s crammed into one session. A workshop can be a useful starting point when it is followed by spaced practice.
Self-paced learning can introduce ideas. Managers also need opportunities to practice conversations, receive feedback and apply the learning with their teams.
Every program we run is built against those four failure points, and measured on the same instrument before and after.
Sources
Hermann Ebbinghaus, Über das Gedächtnis (published in English as Memory: A Contribution to Experimental Psychology), 1885