The “Cone of Learning”

Heard a talk this week where the speaker was talking about the “Cone of Learning.”

Here’s how it works. They say people learn 50% of what they hear. So, if you hated listening to a teacher lecture when you were in school, it was probably because you weren’t learning that much.

Learning increases when you re-say it. Up to 70%. So, when you repeat what you hear, your learning increases. If you have ever had to teach or train someone else, you know that you incorporate learning a lot more when you have to tell it to someone else.

The best effect is what you say and do. It gets up to 90%. As I was listening, it reminded me of the old training maxim. If you want to make training take hold, do the following:

1. Hear one.
2. See one.
3. Do one.

If you are a trainer, don’t let a verbal discussion about what needs to be done count as training. Improve your training by building a demonstration in. Improve the training by building in a time where the trainee shows you what has been learned.

That’s the “Cone of Learning” put to practice.