Do you want to learn Spanish? How do you go about it? Do you sign up for language classes in which you are taught the basics of grammar, spelling, and vocabulary? Do you interact with participants taking the same classes as you? Do you review your written notes from class a little every evening? Do you extend the experience by traveling to Spain or Latin America? Do you watch series in original Spanish? If you do all of these things, you are following, without realizing it, the 70 20 10 method. It indicates that learning a discipline involves 10% theory, 20% interaction, and 70% practice.

In the 1980s, McCall, Eichinger, and Lombardo identified three main ways of learning by presenting the 70 20 10 model. Interested in the link between formal and informal learning, these three employees of the Center for Creative Leadership conducted a study with 180 managers. They published their results in 1996 in their book The Career Architect Development Planner. They concluded that 10% of learning happens through sharing concepts (following the model of traditional classes or training), 20% through exchanges with others, and 70% through practical application.

Because at SEVEN, we make every participant an active player in their training and emphasize self-discovery, we are proud to focus on a learning method that restores practice to its rightful place! We invite you to discover how formal and informal learning fit together and how to make the most of practice.

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The distribution of learning with the 70 20 10 method

10% theory

According to the 70 20 10 model, sharing theory represents 10% of overall learning: a ratio that indirectly highlights the limits of traditional learning, with on one side an expert and on the other a learner. While acquiring concepts, dates, key figures, historical facts, and examples is necessary to better master a subject, this does not mean learners gain complete knowledge by attending several class sessions or traditional training modules.

If you ask people about a subject one year after they studied it, there is a high probability that they will have largely (or even completely) forgotten it. Why? Because they are missing two essential elements for lasting memorization: discussions on these topics with people in their personal or professional circle AND regular practice.

20% exchanges

In-person discussions, emails, phone conversations, messages on social media... make up a second learning factor, more impactful than sharing theory (twice as much according to the 70 20 10 method). This is not one-way knowledge transmission but moments of sharing in which knowledge comes from all participants. When a manager talks with someone they manage, they learn through those conversations and through the feedback provided. Over time, they strengthen their adaptability, leadership, and empathy.

If exchanges leave a stronger impression on us, it is because our concentration is often higher during discussions in small groups. Indeed, we naturally ask more questions when we are with one person or just a few people. This can be explained by the feeling of being less judged, trust being built more quickly, and the sense of owing something to the other person (they are giving me their time, so I owe them my attention). Moreover, since exchanges are the result of a voluntary approach (or at least partly so), motivation on the topic is likely to be visible and the desire to listen more sincere.

To illustrate the strength of exchanges, let us put ourselves in the shoes of a student aiming for a career as a dental surgeon. After 6 years of university studies, they want to discover the profession firsthand. They decide to interview several practicing dentists and visit some of their offices to observe their typical workdays. Having initiated these steps themselves, their enthusiasm and listening ability may be stronger than during their years of classes.

70% practice

The real secret to learning and remembering a subject over the long term is to practice, keep practicing, and practice again! Do you know the 10,000-hour rule? Developed by psychologist Anders Ericsson, this theory explains that reaching an excellent level in a discipline requires time: at least 10,000 hours of work, which is nearly 10 years if you devote 20 hours per week to it. But to reach that duration, you need to show resilience, overcome potentially discouraging obstacles, and work again and again.

This perseverance and desire to practice no matter what will happen if you are truly motivated to improve in the discipline in question. Indeed, if you enroll an accountant in a photography course and they have no particular inclination for this art, once the classes are over, they may continue practicing photography once or twice. But they may quickly stop due to lack of connection with their job and lack of personal interest.

Experienced professionals in photo-editing software did not become experts simply by watching tutorials or by attending “afterworks” dedicated to graphic designers. Of course, these actions helped them and contributed to strengthening their knowledge. But their expertise was truly gained through research, experimentation, failures, and successes. They explored the software’s different features, faced problems, made mistakes, asked the right questions, and sought solutions on their own. Their attention to detail and passion for beautiful images encouraged them to continue learning these tools. Learning a discipline is successful when there is significant practical application, guided by personal passion.

Mastering theory: the starting point of successful learning

Building solid foundations through sharing theory

Theories are the foundation of learning. Although they are the minority in the 70 20 10 method, they are still essential. When they spark participants’ curiosity, participants are more likely to connect with others to discuss a specific topic and seek answers on their own.

Aware that sharing a theory alone is not enough to guarantee 100% acquisition of content, at SEVEN we place participant experience at the heart of our training programs, all of which we ensure are dynamic. Thus, learners come above all to understand content, make it their own, and implement it in their daily lives.

Among the training programs we deliver most often are those on leadership. During these, we rely on existing tools such as Cialdini’s laws of influence, Management 3.0, and the socio-dynamic matrix (to name only a few). The theories we cover in our content then serve as starting points to launch debates and encourage participants to test the newly taught concept themselves based on their past, ongoing, or future projects.

Delivering a unique and memorable experience

At SEVEN, our mission is to deliver content that will impact our participants’ daily lives. In fact, we support them in planting the little seed and then let them nurture it, so they can turn it into a beautiful, large plant!

To motivate them in developing their skills and to foster retention of learned content, we make sure our participants experience exceptional moments. To leave a lasting impression, we focus on using all forms of intelligence: logical-mathematical, verbal-linguistic, visual-spatial, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, rhythmic. In this way, we reach each person, since everyone has their own sensitivity to these intelligences.

Through the pace we bring, the gamification of our content, and our ability to involve participants at every moment, the risk of forgetting information is greatly reduced. Certainly, learners will not retain 100% of what is said during our SEVEN training sessions, but if their experience is memorable, they will remember more content than expected and will be more inclined to continue learning the discipline by taking action on their own.

How can informal learning be influenced?

Introducing conditions that support learning

The company plays a role in employee learning. Through concrete actions, it can support the development of its employees’ skills and help them grow. Below are some conditions that support informal learning:

• Define the skills to strengthen

  The choice of the discipline in which to upskill an employee can come from either the beneficiary or their supervisor. One thing is necessary: exchanges between both parties about the employee’s missing skills and the ones they would like to develop. To begin these discussions, they can rely on DESC, a method based on sharing feedback from each person. Exchanges make it possible to decide together which discipline(s) to develop. Another tool that helps define the skills to develop is Moving Motivators. With this card game, the user ranks their 10 main intrinsic motivations and observes how these are stimulated in an identified situation. The results then allow them to justify to their manager their choice of skills to develop.

• Provide access to a content library

  By creating a physical or digital space in which books, videos, articles, images, internal applications, and games across a variety of disciplines are made available, the learner can select (if they wish) the tools they like to improve in what interests them. They thus retain their freedom. As for the company, by providing material to feed their knowledge, it reduces the risk of the employee giving up a discipline.

• Create a workspace that facilitates exchanges

  To foster learning through exchange, the work environment must support it. Weekly meetings, regular check-ins on employees’ skill development, informal moments between colleagues (team breakfasts, “afterworks,” etc.), external professional meetings, internal social networks... all lead to constructive exchanges. A company that adopts a philosophy focused on developing its employees will more naturally implement these various actions.

• Define a specific action plan

  While it is important to encourage employee autonomy, managers or HR can guide them in learning their discipline by defining intermediate steps with them. Defining these follow-up steps together can take time, but proves worthwhile in the long term. For example, a Marketing Officer who wants to improve in lead nurturing could include among their intermediate steps “become familiar with a marketing automation tool” and “score contacts to better qualify them.” These two steps would act as guides and increase their chances of mastering lead nurturing. However, for learning to take place under good conditions, it is essential to remind the employee that they are free to do this or not. If they feel forced to carry out these actions, their motivation will not be strong and their ability to retain information will be lower than if they are enthusiastic. So a balance must be found.

  
  

Develop learner autonomy

Even if managers or HR can influence employees in developing their learning and guide them in follow-up, it is truly self-discipline, rigor, and personal motivation that will impact their learning and allow them to build skills.

If they want to develop their skills in Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator, it is up to them to put the necessary actions in place to achieve this. Indeed, if they start taking online classes on the Adobe suite but do not maintain the knowledge learned in this software, the probability that they forget what they have just learned is high. The development of this photo-editing skill belongs to them! Their supervisors can boost them, but they cannot learn in their place. It is therefore important to remember that learning is both an opportunity and a freedom.

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The 70 20 10 method reminds us of the resulting place of practice in learning a discipline. By doing research oneself, confronting the subject, and experiencing failures or successes, lived experiences become more deeply anchored in the learner’s memory. If they are motivated and hard-working, they will increase their chances of remembering the acquired skill. However, continuing to nourish their mind daily will be necessary to maintain their expert level. The 70% practice in an individual’s learning is an indicative percentage that could be questioned.

What matters is not knowing exactly how theories, exchanges, and experimentation are distributed in an individual’s learning method, but understanding that simply sharing knowledge is not enough to consider a discipline acquired. It is up to each person to develop a curious mindset by meeting people and experimenting with situations.