#100: How to Remember Nearly Everything You Learn

Introduction

In today's "People Skills" newsletter, we're doing something slightly different from our normal presentations.

We're combining a LinkedIn presentation with a set of materials from Manage Train Learn.

The LinkedIn presentation has been put together by Chris Donnelly and addresses the problem that, when people are learning something new, up to 70% of the new information is forgotten.

The problem isn't that we are forgetful. It's that we are not using the most reliable techniques that will help us retain our learning.

All of these techniques are scientifically proven to increase your retention of what you're learning. All you have to do is apply them.

So, here, we'll show you how...

01. Learning is a Skill

Most people learn something by simply using their mental ability to understand and remember. Not many ask themselves, "Am I going about this in the best way?"

02. Spaced Repetition is Key

Spaced repetition is the first of Chris Donnelly's 7 techniques. It's a powerful technique that will help you memorize information in much less time than it would take otherwise. The idea is to space out your repetitions – or review sessions – so that you are not trying to cram all the knowledge into your brain at once.

03. Video 01: "Spaced Repetition" from Canity

When was the last time you tried to teach your team a new skill only for them to forget it the very next day? If you've been spending your hard-earned money sending people on day-long courses and trying to cram knowledge into their brains, you might want to re-think your approach.

04. Use the 80/20 Rule

The second of Chris Donnelly's 7 retention techniques is to use the 80/20 rule. According to this rule, whenever you're engaged in learning something, 80% of what you need to know comes from just 20% of the information you study. This means that you will be a better initial learner if you take time before you start learning by identifying the most important 20% of what you need to know, and focus on that rather than the 80% that is not important.

05. Video 02: "Improve Your Productivity with the 80/20 Rule" from Samson

The Pareto principle states that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. In other words, a small percentage of causes have a disproportionately large effect. This concept is important to understand because it can help you identify which information to prioritize so you can learn quicker and better.

06. Use the Feynman Technique

The third of Chris Donnelly's 7 retention techniques is to use the Feynman Technique. This technique was developed by physicist, Richard Feynman, from his own observations of what worked best for him in his studies and investigations. (Feynman helped solve the Challenger disaster enquiry in 1986). There are 4 steps:

1. Identify a topic

2. Try to explain it to a 5-year-old

3. Study to fill gaps in your knowledge

4. Organize what you know and review.

07. Video 03: "The Feynman Technique" from Sprouts

Richard Feynman was a physicist who received a Nobel prize for his work in quantum electrodynamics. He was notorious for asking others to explain concepts in simple language to test their understanding.

08. Study Twice at 2x Speed

The fourth of Chris Donnelly's 7 retention techniques is to repeat what you know at fast speed. A study at UCLA university showed that students who watched a lecture at 2x speed, and then again at 2x speed a week later, scored higher than students who watched the lecture once at normal speed.

09. Video 04: "Learn to Speed-Read" from MathCrazyTutoring

Kris Madden explains how to read at speed while comprehending the text.

10. Learn from Multiple Sources

The fifth of Chris Donnelly's 7 retention techniques is to learn from a range of different styles and sources. Your brain is a complex machine. If you can get more parts of it firing, you will be more likely to remember what you're learning. These different sources include reading, listening to a lecture, audiovisual, demonstration, discussion, practice doing, and teaching others...

11. Video 05: "The 9 Types of Intelligence" from Sprouts

In 1983 an American developmental psychologist Howard Gardener described 9 types of intelligence. To understand this theory, let's consider the council of New Town who want to build a new bridge over the dangerous railroad tracks...

12. Handwriting or Typing

The sixth of Chris Donnelly's 7 retention techniques is to write things down on paper. Research shows that learning retention rates improve when we make notes with pen and paper rather than on a digital device.

13. Video 06: "Notetaking is Like Texting" from James Gill

An ESL student in my middle school class asked me "How do I write ideas in note form?". I used her cell phone to explain the idea...

14. Test Yourself

The seventh of Chris Donnelly's 7 retention techniques is to test yourself on what you know. When you test your knowledge early and often, you'll quickly find out what you don't know while putting what you do know into your brain and reinforcing it.

What Next?

Considering that all human beings only grow and develop by what they learn throughout their lives, it's astonishing that very few of us have been taught to learn.

Most of us just hope it happens naturally by itself.

On our Manage Train Learn courses, before we introduce new information and knowledge onto the course, we always discuss how the information and knowledge is to be applied on the job.

That's because, without a planned programme of applying the information, a large percentage of people will not apply it at all.

That's also why Chris Donnelly's 7 techniques of learning retention are so important to what and how you learn.

Thank you and good luck!