First, we should cover why the traditional way of training business topics like management isn’t effective or worth the money it costs. The standard mode of operation within traditional training companies is to have long sessions that may take half a day, a whole day or even some kind of weekend retreat.

The problem with this setup is that this benefits the training business the most. It allows them to diffuse their information to as many people as they can in a short period of time. Now, this doesn’t mean the information isn’t good - quite the contrary. The information they are dispersing can be incredibly useful. However, it is not the quality of the content that is the problem but the duration and the frequency in which they distribute this information.

Think of any topic that you have learned or been taught in your life. More likely than not, it wasn’t over in just one session but in multiple sessions with questions, feedback and a bit of back and forth. Topics that are digested with interaction and higher frequency have a much higher chance of creating a habit within a person’s routine. Imagine if you are back in school and you only get 1 class to learn and implement a subject. When you put it in this context, you realise how hard it is to retain and implement anything truly effective from the traditional training method.

• Let’s take the example of a feedback training. For the benefit of the doubt, let’s assume that this training is filled with all of the best knowledge around feedback and it is delivered in a half-day session. Well, the first problem is that studies have shown that the average adult human can pay attention and retain information in a period of between 20-40 minutes. That by itself limits the amount of information you can retain, even if it is the best.

• The second problem is frequency. Studies have shown that the best way to learn a new topic is through repetition of the material and implementation of the topic over a sustained period. If you have ever taken a training before, challenge yourself to remember 2 things about that training and then ask yourself honestly how much of that you have implemented and continued to do so. Chances are the answers will be quite low.

• The third problem is the interaction and customization. Obviously with a one-off session there is a heavy limit to the amount of interaction you can have individually and specifically around one topic. Everyone is different and every situation is different. Being able to ask bespoke questions over a period of time is paramount to learning a new topic

At Rebel in the Pot, our courses take place over a 3-month period with weekly sessions each month. Each course is designed to ultimately deliver all points around the topic and allow for a heavy dose of interaction in terms of questions, coaching, and role plays to ensure that you fully understand and grasp the material. Then on top of that, there is a suite of resources in terms of frameworks, case studies, articles, worksheets and then a recap session to make sure everything is absorbed. This is purely done to make sure all the content is understood and if not identify the areas missing so that it can be corrected.