Without practice, no transfer of learning into practice takes place! In our modern working world, information becomes outdated faster than ever before. For this reason, employees are exposed to constant pressure to stay up to date. The good news: information can be refreshed relatively quickly.
Employees can link new information with their existing knowledge. Behavior does not change as quickly. Learning and mastering new actions and behaviors does not only require a learning process. The new behavior must be practiced and transferred into practice. The transfer of learning into practice of a training measure is crucially dependent on practice. This is because changes in the workplace only occur when thinking and consequently acting are done in a new way. The newly learned information must be applied and tested. In this way, new skills are developed.
To illustrate this connection with an example: A sales representative can know all selling points and product features by heart. He learned the content in a training session. However, pure knowledge has only a small impact on his ability to convince new customers of the product. To master this skill, he must correctly understand the customer's needs, select the appropriate arguments, and communicate the offer. During training, the employee learned a lot about formulating offers. If he does not practice this content and these methods in a real sales conversation, no transfer of learning into practice takes place.
Information and knowledge are the foundation for skills and qualifications. Skills can only be sharpened through practice. Therefore, practice implementation should be integrated into every training session to ensure the transfer of learning into practice after the training. Have you thought about the situations in which your training participants test your training content? Competence development goes one step further. One can speak of competences when skills can be generalized to new, complex, and dynamic situations.
Learning the difference between information transfer and skills
How do you find out if you are teaching a participant information or a skill? Quite simple: Ask the question: "Can the person become successful or competent without practice?". If the answer is "Yes", then you are transferring information. If the answer is "No", then it is a skill.
This distinction is crucial for the design of training. While information can often be conveyed through reading, videos, or short learning impulses, skills require repetitive application in everyday life. Only through repeated practice does real confidence in taking action arise.
How can you support your participants in practicing new skills?
If you are teaching skills in your training courses, then your participants need two things from you: practice and feedback.
Create opportunities for practice
Ensure that your training participants discover and use opportunities for practice. The better you know your participants' everyday work, the more precisely you can align your tasks with it. As an external trainer, your hands are sometimes tied here. Here it helps to speak with your participants about possible practice scenarios in the workplace if you are not with your participants at the workplace.
The right challenge matters for the transfer of learning into practice
Exercises should be tailored to the current level of skills. The better the fit between the level of skill and the challenge, the more effective the exercise. Simple exercises are abandoned, overwhelming tasks discourage the practitioner. To master a skill, deliberate practice (engl. "deliberate practice") is necessary. The Harvard Business Review presents very nicely in this article why practice is so important to become good at something. If participants are curious, you can give them the link (https://hbr.org/2007/07/the-making-of-an-expert).
Please, no binge learning…
It is important to distribute exercises over a longer period of time. Online support for your training can help you with this. Many training participants simply forget to practice during daily business. Automated reminders from the online support can help ensure that practice implementation does not slip off the radar. If you send these practice prompts to your participants by video, for example, they will be even more motivated to carry out the exercises.
Offer feedback and promote reflection
The training transfer usually starts after the completion of the training. For successful transfer into practice, your participants rely on feedback. Feedback is important to ensure that the correct behavior is learned. If the practitioner is accompanied by an experienced manager, the manager can give very behavior-related feedback and the practitioner can refine and correct their practice application.
If you are not on-site as a trainer, you can support your participants online. You can answer questions or support the action process with the help of reflection questions. Typical reflection questions are: "Can you think of a situation in which you acted differently than before the training?" or "Have you successfully applied a method from the training this week? In what situation was that? How did you notice that it was successful?".
How do you currently support the transfer of learning into practice? Ever thought about online support? We would be happy to show you how online support can help transfer the learning of your training into practice in the long term.
Conclusion
Transfer into practice does not occur through knowledge alone, but through repeated practice, feedback, and the conscious application of new skills in everyday work.
Training initially conveys information and methods. Real competence, however, only arises when participants regularly try out what they have learned and reflect on their experiences. Without these practice phases, further training often remains at the level of theory and good intentions.
Therefore, training should always be designed in such a way that participants receive concrete opportunities to practice. Tasks from daily work, regular reminders, and accompanying feedback help to solidify new behaviors step by step.
Anyone who consistently combines learning and practicing creates the foundation for sustainable competence development and a genuine transfer of learning into practice after the training.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is knowledge alone not enough for transfer of learning into practice?
Knowledge forms the foundation but does not yet change behavior. Only through repeated practice and application in everyday work do new skills and confidence in taking action arise.
How do I recognize whether training conveys knowledge or skills?
Ask yourself if a participant can become successful without practice. If that is possible, it is primarily about information. If practice is necessary, a skill is being taught.
How can companies create opportunities for practice in everyday work?
Practical tasks, concrete application situations, regular reminders, and exercises that match the participants' current level of knowledge are suitable.
Why is feedback so important when practicing?
Feedback helps participants recognize if they are applying new behaviors correctly. This allows them to systematically correct and develop their approach.
How does digital learning support the transfer of learning into practice?
Digital learning offers can accompany exercises over a longer period of time, send reminders, ask reflection questions, and facilitate exchange with trainers or managers.
