How to Design Training That Actually Works (Using Neuroscience)

Most training programs fail to deliver maximum value. Here’s how to fix yours to ensure you are getting maximum value and ROI.

Companies spend millions on corporate training every year - but rarely stop to ask: is any of it actually working?

Research shows that most employees forget 70% of what they learn within 24 hours, and up to 90% within a week. That’s staggering. And yet it’s the norm in most organisations.

Why is this happening? It’s not because people don’t want to learn. It’s because we’re still using outdated training methods that don’t align with how the brain works. Slide presentations. Lectures. Passive information dumps. These approaches might feel efficient, but they’re ineffective. They overload the brain, fail to engage key learning regions, and leave employees with little they can retain or apply.

Our brains are not designed to learn this way. But there is a better way.

A growing body of neuroscience research shows us exactly how the brain takes in, processes, and stores information. And when we align our training with those principles, everything changes.

Here are three high-impact, science-backed strategies that can help your organisation make that shift:

1. Make learning active, not passive.
Traditional corporate training relies heavily on passive delivery - think lectures, slideshows, and talking-head videos. But neuroscience shows these methods do little to activate the parts of the brain responsible for memory, problem-solving, and skill development.

Active learning flips that. It involves participants in the process - through real-world scenarios, problem-solving tasks, role-play, group discussions, and hands-on workshops. These strategies light up the prefrontal cortex and motor cortex, creating stronger neural connections and deeper understanding.

In fact, studies have shown that learners using active strategies retain 1.5 times more than those using passive methods. If you want people to remember and apply what they’ve learned, get them involved in doing, not just listening.

2. Engage emotion - it’s not just fluff.
Many people think emotions are irrelevant in a corporate learning setting. But neuroscience says otherwise.

When learners feel safe, supported, and emotionally engaged, their brains release dopamine, a chemical that enhances memory formation. This happens in the amygdala, the brain’s emotional processing centre. In contrast, when learners feel anxious, pressured, or bored, cortisol levels rise. This disrupts memory formation and actively works against learning.

Want training to stick? Build an environment of psychological safety. Use positive reinforcement. Make the content relevant to people’s actual work and lives. Emotional engagement isn’t a bonus, it’s a requirement for effective learning.

3. Use spaced repetition and retrieval practice.
Most training is delivered in a single event, a day-long session, a one-off workshop, or an intensive induction. Then... nothing.

That’s a recipe for forgetting.

The brain doesn’t hold on to information just because it heard it once. It needs to revisit, recall, and reapply that information over time. This is where spaced repetition and retrieval practice come in.

Instead of front-loading everything, spread learning out over time. Revisit key ideas at increasing intervals. And most importantly, ask learners to recall information, not just re-read or review it. Brain imaging studies show that retrieval strengthens the neural pathways that store that knowledge, making it easier to access later.

Companies that build spaced repetition into their training, like Google with their 30-, 60-, and 90-day review model, see massive gains in retention and performance.

The takeaway?
Training that aligns with how the brain learns delivers better results. It boosts retention. Improves engagement. Increases productivity. And ultimately, it drives better business outcomes.

Let’s stop treating training like a checkbox and start treating it like a strategic advantage.

Because when training works, your people grow and so does your business.

Here’s what neuroscience-aligned training can deliver:

• Improved productivity: More confident staff, fewer mistakes, better results.

• Higher engagement and retention: Employees stay longer when they’re supported and growing.

• Better decision-making: Active learning sharpens analysis and adaptability.

• Financial return: For every $1 invested in high-quality training, businesses can see up to $4.70 in revenue return.

This is what’s possible when training moves beyond tradition and into transformation. It’s time to stop asking if training was “delivered” - and start asking if it will be remembered.

Because remembering is what makes it stick. And sticking is what makes it work.

Daniel Smart
Dendrite Learning