Create Training Experiences to Maximize Knowledge Retention and Skill Development
As a research administrator, you may have certain outreach responsibilities to train university colleagues on sponsored programs processes and compliance. In training endeavors, you must engage an audience of seasoned professionals, while also imparting vital knowledge that will remain with the audience long after they have left the event.
Adult Learners
When presenting to an adult audience, consider characteristics that make adult learners unique and capable of retaining knowledge and skills. Adult learners are not blank slates—they bring a wealth of experiences with them. Adults’ readiness to learn remains orientated to the roles and responsibilities they have, and they are often motivated by how new knowledge will help them solve problems or perform specific tasks. If adults know the why, they may be more receptive to learning experiences and subsequent follow-through (Yin & Lim, 2020). By implementing research-validated content development and design strategies, you can help adults understand the why and promote the integration of new knowledge into their professional practice.
Content Development
Consider the following approaches to creating content that resonates with adult learners.
- Use analogies and other figurative language devices, such as similes and metaphors.
An analogy is a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification. When you compare a concept or skill to something else, even things unrelated to the concept, you tap into a person’s prior knowledge and foster cognitive connections that increase retention. Moreover, when an analogy is paired with a visual, the creation of a multimedia message improves learners’ memories and understanding (Cavanagh, 2023).
The analogies you provide do not have to be elaborate or overly complicated. In a presentation on proposal preparation, you could compare the intricacies of proposal preparation to the complexity of carving an ice sculpture. Learners’ engagement and retention are sparked through the comparisons, such as how timing and attention to detail are vital for success in both undertakings.
An analogy is also an effective way to engage the audience in a discussion. In your presentation, you could ask: How is creating a budget like planting and maintaining a vegetable garden?
The discussion might spark innovative ideas, create a positive atmosphere for learning, and provide the learners an opportunity to share what they already know. Audience participation in the discussion can help you quickly adjust the content to meet the specific needs and interests of your learners.
Less in-depth comparisons may come in the form of metaphors and similes. You can compare a new concept or skill to a seemingly unlike thing using a metaphor or simile. The use of a concise figurative language device can spark retention and understanding for even complex ideas.
A metaphor connecting audits to the ride of Paul Revere relays a sense of urgency.
The process of creating a budget when compared to playing with building blocks emphasizes its modularity.
Analogies, metaphors, and similes not only help learners retain new information, but the investment of time spent creating the content helps presenters see familiar content in a new light and from learners’ perspectives.
2. Use scenarios to review content and apply knowledge.
Scenarios are engaging activities that require learners to practice doing something or to make decisions (Moore, 2017). Scenarios may come in the form of assessment-type questions and case studies embedded into slides, small-group discussions, hands-on activities, or games.
The slide below is an example of a polling question embedded into a slide deck. Participants can respond to questions using an internet-ready device, or in-person audience members might choose to respond orally.
There are many free digital engagement tools available that can be easily embedded into slide decks and training platforms, such as Zoom polls, Poll Everywhere, Slido, Padlet, and Kahoot. Be sure to check with your institution’s IT department before installing and using software on your work device.
Design Strategies
With a small investment of time and design considerations, you can engage your audience and increase knowledge retention. Consider the following design strategies.
1. Use text and visuals.
Combining verbal information (text/narration) and nonverbal (pictures/images) encourages learners to make connections and store new knowledge into their long-term memories (Phelan, 2024). However, humans have limited capacity in processing verbal and nonverbal information simultaneously. Cognitive overload may occur when learners must process too much at one time, such as simultaneously viewing a slide with a large amount of text, hearing audio/narration, and analyzing images (Cavanagh, 2023).
To reduce cognitive overload and encourage retention:
• Use your voice/narration + a visual (not voice + visual + heavy text). Use more visuals and less text as you share content orally. More detailed information can be shared with the audience electronically or as a handout.
• Avoid text-heavy slides that are read aloud. Learners can more effectively process a voice and image simultaneously than read text and view an image simultaneously (Cavanagh, 2023).
• Chunk related information and text and use headers/sub-headers. Creating an outline of your content before you design your slide decks will help chunk related information and determine headings.
• Cue and signal with repeated design elements: use only 2-3 fonts and a color palette with only 2-3 colors (Cavanagh, 2024; Noetel et al., 2022). Consider using your institution’s branding guidelines as a basis for what colors and fonts to use, and some universities even have slide deck templates.
2. Accessibility.
Ensure that all learners can engage with the material and gain knowledge and skills (Guiv, 2024). To make your presentations more accessible:
• Use presentation and training software platforms that have built-in accessibility checkers. Did you know that you can check accessibility in PowerPoint from the Review ribbon?
Conclusion
Remember, less is more. Preventing cognitive overload and increasing learners’ engagement and retention can be accomplished by incorporating specific brain-targeted design elements. Small changes to your presentations now will reap large benefits in the future.
References
Cavanagh, T. (2023). Cognitive and graphic design principles for creating well-organized, visually appealing slide decks. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 86(1), 33–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906221131988
Guiv, T. (2024, May 29). Data-driven insights on training accessibility. Association for Talent Development. https://www.td.org/content/atd-blog/data-driven-insights-on-training-accessibility
Moore, C. (2017). Map it: The hands-on guide to strategic training design. Montesa Press.
Noetel, M., Griffith, S., Delaney, O., Harris, N. R., Sanders, T., Parker, P., del Pozo Cruz, B., & Lonsdale, C. (2022). Multimedia design for learning: An overview of reviews with meta-meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 92(3), 413–454. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211052329
Phelan, J. (2024, Aug. 05). The dual coding advantage: Retain and process information more effectively and efficiently. Association for Talent Development. https://www.td.org/content/atd-blog
Yin, H.Y., & Lim, W. Y.R. (2020). Educating adult learners: Bridging learners’ characteristics and the learning sciences. In C. Sanger & N. Gleason (Eds.), Diversity and inclusion in global higher education (pp. 97–115). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1628-3_4
Jill O’Quin, Research Administration Training and Development Specialist
Virginia Tech
Cathy Short, Training Manager
Virginia Commonwealth University
#Catalyst
#October2024