In the 1880s, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus devised the ‘forgetting curve’ to show how quickly we forget things over time. The basic idea has been proven across a range of contexts since then to show:
As soon as you learn something, you start to forget it.
The rate you forget is fast. Teaching does not always equal learning. If I teach you five structures of storytelling, the next day you’ll have forgotten half of our conversation. After four days, you’ll probably only recall one of the structures.
But every time you recall what you learned, you slow down this process of forgetting. After a while, you will recognise when and which story structure is being used.
In short: to remember better, you need to revisit what you’ve learned.
This process of going back to old information to keep it fresh in your mind is known as retrieval. It’s a powerful learning technique and can be a game-changer for improving your communication skills.
But the reality for most executive skills training is vastly different:
· “I’ve already been media trained.”
· “I do loads of panels.”
· “I’m never nervous when I speak at our town halls.”
These are all things said to me recently.
Proof that too many treat communication moments – media appearances, panel discussions, and speeches –as one-off events rather than connected steps of an ongoing learning process.
But, without focused practice that builds on previous learning, you are approaching these key moments with only a small slice of the skills you could have had.
Knowing facts about your latest product or business is one thing. Being able to present those facts in a way that connects with your audience is another. This is the difference between being knowledgeable and skilful.
Imagine a CEO handling tough questions during a crisis. If they are both knowledgeable and skilled, they will perform much better than someone who just has the facts. The most impactful leaders I have worked with have shown through their communication a command of the situation and focus on connecting to their audience, rather than just a capacity to stick to a script.
Real learning takes time, but few invest properly to learn effectively. A single training session will help you perform well for a while, but without regular refreshers, those gains will fade.
Great communicators consistently push themselves to develop their knowledge and skills. Going back to our CEO example, they excel because they’ve used retrieval in various settings – from corporate town halls to community events and media appearances – to perform better in any new scenario.
If I were to train our hypothetical CEO to work towards mastery, I’d recommend creating a training schedule, practicing frequently so just enough is forgotten (but not too much), ‘layering’ learning by revisiting both knowledge and skills across varied communication moments, and finally, setting the right level of challenge for consistent progress.
Now think about the communication training you receive. As work becomes more demanding, and many tasks are now automated, improving your communication skills can set you apart. But doing this without continually developing and refreshing your skills? Forget it.