As the saying goes, ‘knowledge is power’.
However, while this is true in all aspects of life - particularly business - it is only really useful if you can remember key pieces of information as and when you need it.
If you can’t, then you’ve missed an opportunity.
So, as a management function that invests significant resources into your staff’s training, there is one obvious question you should ask yourself.
That is, how can you make sure your employees retain the knowledge you want them to from these initiatives?
The answer lies in exposing them to knowledge retention tools.
Read on to find out how they can help.
Quite simply, the more skills and expertise your employees have, the greater the competitive advantage your business will enjoy.
That is why many organizations have a strong commitment to overseeing the professional development of their staff through various training programs.
With the knowledge gained through these initiatives, they will be able to perform their roles in a much quicker and more productive way, which could lead to significant benefits such as greater levels of employee satisfaction and less staff turnover
This is only possible when they retain knowledge because when they do, they become more confident in their roles, make fewer errors, and contribute to the company's overall success.
However, if they aren’t able to recall what they have learnt in your training programs, then it can have the opposite effect, which would make it a waste of time and money.
That is why the adoption of knowledge retention tools among many companies has increased significantly in recent times. It is a big contributing factor towards business success.
While there are several different knowledge retention tools on the market, at the very core of them all is the goal of reinforcing information, enhancing recall, and creating long-term memory connections.
Many of these tools use spaced repetition, microlearning, gamification, and active recall - the principles of cognitive science - to ensure that employee’s learning is reinforced over time.
There are plenty of different knowledge retention tools on the market that businesses can use to improve the effectiveness of their training programs.
While they all offer wide-ranging features and benefits, here are three of the leading options you can choose from.
Wranx is an innovative learning platform that utilizes spaced repetition and microlearning to reinforce the key concepts you want your employees to remember.
Through this system, staff members receive daily ‘drill’ questions that are designed to strengthen their ability to recall specific information.
The content on this platform is highly customizable, which allows companies to tailor training materials to meet specific business goals.
In addition, it also uses gamified elements and confidence-based assessments to keep employees motivated and boost their retention levels.
Kahoot! is a game-based online quiz software that uses colorful visuals and gamification elements to boost engagement among learners.
It offers quizzes with multiple-choice questions, as well as ‘type answer’ questions, which involve participants typing in their answers to show a deeper understanding of a certain topic.
Quizzes can be answered by a group of ‘players’ all at the same time or can also be set as a self-paced challenge, which can be completed asynchronously.
These quizzes can be accessed through a web browser or via their app and are designed to reinforce key concepts and engage your learners as groups or as individuals.
Formerly known as SC Training, EdApp is a platform that features a variety of tools to improve knowledge retention.
One of the main ones is microlearning, which is aimed at preventing staff members from suffering from cognitive overload.
To make learning more engaging and fun and to improve its effectiveness, the platform also has a gamification element that enables you to create friendly rivalries through competitions and leaderboards.
It also has a strong focus on fostering in-lesson discussions to encourage collaboration and even rewards your employees who perform the best with achievement banners and badges to counteract any boredom, disinterest or lack of motivation which they might otherwise feel during your training programs.
There is no point in utilizing knowledge retention tools if you are not going to draw upon their full functionality and capability.
So, for this reason, it is important to make sure you define the skills and knowledge areas that are most important for the growth and success of your business and your employees.
Once you have done this, devise customized content around them because this will ensure your staff members learn and retain the most relevant pieces of information to their specific roles and responsibilities.
You should also encourage the regular use of these tools by making learning a daily habit rather than a one-time event. A good way to do this is through short training sessions that you can weave into employees’ daily routines.
Additionally, you should use the analytics provided by these tools to track your employee’s level of engagement and progress and address any areas that need improving.
At the same time, you should welcome feedback on their experiences. Doing this will help you to understand how effective the training was and make any necessary adjustments as needed.
As a business, your staff are one of your most important assets. So, if you want to get the most out of them, it is within your interests to help them become the best versions of themselves they can be.
Running training programs that are relevant to their specific roles and responsibilities is a good starting point. However, to really help them develop their expertise, it is important to complement them with knowledge retention tools that can help them remember more of what they have been taught.
In this post, we’ve identified some of the best platforms to help you boost long-term learning in your business. Hopefully you will have found it a useful resource to help you improve your productivity and overall bottom line.
Here are some answers to common questions that are frequently asked by people about how knowledge retention tools can boost long term learning in business.
What is an example of knowledge retention?
Knowledge retention relates to a person’s ability to absorb and retain information. This is done by transferring specific facts or details from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.
In the context of work, this can involve remembering how to use specific software programs or run queries on databases.
Which training method is best for knowledge retention?
There is no ‘best’ training method for knowledge retention. However, the key to improving rates of it is to make your training programs as engaging, varied and interactive as possible.
Interactive content can incorporate anything from games and virtual simulations to quizzes and hands-on activities.