Maximize Learner Retention after a Meeting of the Minds

I invite our Emergenetics^® Associates to think back to the last few moments of your most recent Meeting of the Minds (MOTM) workshop. After the scented markers have been capped or the laughter has subsided following the Krazy Kommercials activity, we typically hear dazzling reflections as participants share their realizations and takeaways.

It’s important to celebrate these moments while also recognizing that the work to apply the insights is not done. Even the most seasoned Learning and Development (L&D) professional may find it jarring to hear that the average person forgets 90% of what they’ve learned in one week if they don’t make an effort to retain it.

When it comes to the MOTM, Associates have a great opportunity to repackage content and borrow resources from the Emergenetics+ library to ensure that participants can significantly reduce the forgetting curve. Below are a few ideas you can begin implementing today!

Equip Team Leads with Actionable Content

Associates cannot be everywhere at once, so it’s vital to partner with managers of the groups who participated in the MOTM. By utilizing tools and information to continue having conversations around the Attributes, these thought partners can enhance learning retention and help staff use the knowledge they gained in the session.

One simple suggestion is to share check-in questions that leaders may use in their meetings to bring focus to their employees’ Thinking and Behavioral preferences. Some prompts include:

• What Attribute do you expect to lean into during this conversation?
• Which Attribute would you like one of your colleagues to coach you on?
• How have you seen the Attributes come to life in our work this week?
• What have you noticed about a colleague related to their Emergenetics Profile?

It’s also useful to make time for reflections at the end of the meeting by raising questions like:

• What made you feel energized and how does that relate to your preferences?
• What made you feel scratchy and how does that relate to your preferences?

A second opportunity is to empower supervisors to lead discussions around the reports they learn about in the MOTM. Using the Dot Graph, the group can engage in a conversation about their collective make-up and tendencies, what these inclinations mean for their work and how it may support or challenge them in their projects.

In another application of the Dot Graph, managers and leaders can ask team members to circle their personal dots so they can easily see how they compare to their colleagues. Then, staff may discuss areas where their preferences are similar to or different from the norm, making connections to their work, communication and collaboration styles.

For a self-facilitated exercise, encourage each employee to bring their Profile to a meeting so they can assess if they are a WEteam. If not (or if any preferences are under-represented), the group can identify tactics to proactively consider the Attributes that may not be a collective preference.

Support Individuals with Personal Applications

Offer avenues for each participant to continue building on their learnings. My first suggestion to anyone who takes part in a MOTM is to download the Emergenetics+ app and connect with colleagues. Challenge individuals to commit to checking the app any time they are about to meet with a colleague. The tips will deliver actionable ways to apply their knowledge about the Attributes to improve teamwork and communication.

I highly recommend providing Ignite Your Preferences, one of our digital courses from The egLearning Library, to attendees as well. This program is intended to follow our essential workshops and minimize learning loss by allowing people to dig deeper into their preferences and discover more strategies to utilize what they were taught in sessions like the MOTM.

It’s also important to promote personal reflection. Ask people to use their Profile as they recognize successes and challenges in the workplace. Checking in with themselves and considering how their preferences may influence their energy and perspectives will reinforce the insights they gained about their tendencies.

Promote Retention with Associate-Led Activities

In addition to exercises led by the attendees themselves, it’s valuable for Associates to reconnect with participants to bolster core Emergenetics concepts. Use the Behavioral lineups a few weeks following the MOTM. Work with the team leader to talk about an upcoming project, goal or challenge the group is facing. Next, facilitate a dialog, using the lineups, to illuminate how different Attributes may approach the situation and identify tactics to collaborate effectively using their personal and collective strengths.

Similarly, semantic noise activities bring greater clarity to the perspectives of the Thinking Attributes. Partner with the manager or supervisor to identify a norm or core value for the group and ask employees to define it through the lens of their most preferred Attribute. It’s amazing to see how these real-life examples allow people to gain a better understanding of each preference and what they value most.

Leading structured activities allows Associates to not only reinforce the lessons from the MOTM; it also helps them to build on this knowledge. One way to do so is to focus on the concept of flexing. Using Brainwork Made Easy, available in the My Library section of Emergenetics+, Associates can invite staff members to pick an Attribute that is out of preference. Then, using the “Remember to” column, encourage them to identify one action they will apply to practice the art of flexing.

Participants also benefit from using the two Learning to Flex courses in The egLearning Library to practice communicating and collaborating in a way that will resonate with colleagues who think and behave differently from them. Associates can follow up after the self-directed lessons with an activity to emphasize the new knowledge using The egLearning Library Course Companions.

These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg that Associates can implement to minimize the forgetting curve and maximize the application of the lessons from the MOTM. With the resources available in your Training Guide and Emergenetics+, there are so many ways for you to help others activate Emergenetics to improve team dynamics and performance. I invite you to spend some time exploring all the resources in the My Library section of Emergenetics+ to build a follow-up plan that works best for those you are engaging in your sessions.

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