The lion's share of corporate learning doesn’t take place in training sessions but at the workplace: This is the central message of the often-cited 70-20-10 principle. Find out in the article what actions we can derive from this principle and how you can shape learning as a process with blink.it.
Directly to the lion's share of learning success?
Learning on the job with blink.it
70% of learning success happens "on the job". With the learning platform blink.it, you can achieve just that: Support participants after training for several weeks online. Request your free demo now and let our blink.it expert show you how Learning on the job works with the blink.it platform.
10% learning in training sessions
According to the 70-20-10 principle, training contributes very little to a worker's learning progress. The reason is obvious: Training usually lasts one to two days, typically all at once. In this short and content-intensive time, no significant behavioral change can occur.
This does not mean that training is inherently ineffective or a poor measure! However, you should be aware that according to the 70-20-10 principle, they only account for a small part of corporate learning.
10% learning in training sessions: Further training measures that do not take place in everyday work deliver only the smallest part of learning success.
20% learning through interaction
Social learning comes second, according to the 70-20-10 principle. This means initially: Learning alone is less efficient than learning in exchange with others. It’s not about classic group work but about everyday interaction: Conversations between colleagues who give each other tips and thus encourage each other – completely without official training.
20% is attributed to social learning, meaning: learning through interaction is about twice as efficient as learning in training. If you combine both, the learning effect is probably even over 30%! Because those who talk to colleagues about the content after a training session retain it longer in their memory. The colleague may have an additional tip – and thus the original training content is actively passed on, consolidated, and further developed.
20% social learning: In daily interaction, colleagues benefit from each other’s experiences.
70% learning in everyday work
The majority of learning doesn’t take place in a training session or training but more or less unconsciously: during work itself. “Practice makes perfect” or “Learning by doing” captures the essence of learning in general very well. Or as learning expert Charles Jennings puts it:
Training is an event or a series of events. Learning is a continuous process.
A good example of the value of years of learning are self-employed individuals who charge several hundred euros per hour – for a task they have perfected over the years or decades. This means quite plainly: You are not only paying for the 60 minutes of work but also for the many years of practice. The real value lies in the years of learning.
Important: Unlike training, workplace-related learning is more likely to occur unconsciously: The learner is not aware that they are in the middle of a learning process. Therefore, it is important for HR developers to initially create an awareness of this everyday learning.
100% learning by combining the three elements
If you want to increase learning progress in companies, you combine the three elements mentioned. 10+20+70 = 100. Sounds logical, doesn’t it?
Of course, this calculation is only a guideline, but it carries a clear message:
Training is a good impulse for new perspectives.
Interacting with others is a good catalyst for organizing those perspectives.
Finally, the fundamental learning practice takes place in everyday work.
The blended learning method is aimed precisely at this switch between theory and practice: Here, you combine classic knowledge transfer in the training room with several weeks of e-learning, which is integrated into small learning units in everyday work. Combine face-to-face learning with online learning to avoid getting stuck at 10% learning progress!
Download: Models for Blended Learning
Blended Learning combines short, personal training sessions with several weeks of online learning. You can combine both in various models. Download our overview of the most popular models for Blended Learning now: With illustrative graphics and a classification of what is suitable for what!
Support for the 70% learning practice: E-learning with blink.it
The high proportion of daily learning “on the job” is not only extremely important, but is also often neglected. After all, the 10% from training and the 20% from social interaction are significantly easier to influence. Promoting learning in the workplace itself seems more challenging.
The solution: Support employees online with their daily learning! The learning platform blink.it is designed to keep the learner in focus. They can choose when and where to take their next developmental step. This freedom is important so that learning truly takes place in the foreground and “on the side” – but with support. Thus, new knowledge is sustainably integrated into everyday work in small steps through blink.it.
How blink.it works: Gradually, very short learning contents (“Blinks”) are unlocked for the learner. They decide when to engage with them: on the train, between two meetings, or specifically at regular intervals during working hours. A Blink works similarly to a mini-training: as a pure impulse for practicing or applying what has been learned. Throughout the rest of the day or week, the learner integrates the content into their daily life, keeps thinking about it, and does small exercises.
Blink.it founder Michael Witzke explains in a video from LEARNTEC how blended learning works with blink.it in small bites:
Conclusion: 5 steps for learning according to the 70-20-10 principle
We at blink.it see the success behind the 70-20-10 rule every day: Learning requires a continuous process, which means on the one hand time, and on the other targeted support.
To make workplace learning sustainable, we therefore recommend the following five steps:
Create awareness of the importance of everyday learning, for example, through articles on the intranet or social media.
Provide impulses for new perspectives in training.
Enable workplace-related learning through an online learning platform.
Create space for social interaction. Continuously ensure connections between the learning methods.
Arrange a first appointment with one of our employees now and get a demonstration of the blink.it platform in about 15 minutes! Afterwards, you can calmly test all the features as a course creator: Create content, experiment with the publication settings, and get a sense of how easy workplace-related learning can be.
