How Video Helps You Beat the Forgetting Curve

Did you know that learners forget almost all of the information they learn in the first month? Or that students have to reinforce knowledge to improve memory recall? Those are the conclusions of the Ebbinghaus Curve of Forgetting (or the Forgetting Curve), an influential memory model developed by the German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus. He believed learners could recall more knowledge and achieve their educational goals by revisiting information over time.

You can apply this memory model to internal learning and development videos in your organization. Instead of presenting educational content once, you can create refresher or follow-up content in the form of videos for memory retention and improving memory recall.

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Ebbinghaus Curve of Forgetting, Explained

The Ebbinghaus Curve of Forgetting is a memory model that demonstrates how learners forget information over time. The Forgetting Curve shows that people forget, on average, 90% of information learned in the first month when they don't actively attempt to retain it. Because information slips from their memories quickly, learners have to revisit that information if they want to remember it in the long term. 

"The steepest drop in memory happens quickly after learning, so it's important to revisit the information you've learned sooner rather than later," says MindTools. "After that, regular reviews will help to reinforce it. But you can leave longer and longer gaps between these review sessions."

Leaving longer gaps between reviews is an example of spaced learning, where shorter learning sessions spread over time improve information recall. 

Related Reading: How to Create Effective and Efficient Training Videos

What Did Ebbinghaus Say About Information Recall?

Ebbinghaus came to the following conclusions about information recall:

• When learning something new, people remember less information as time goes on—unless they try to relearn that information.
• Memory recall decreases soon after learning new information. People forget most of the information they learn within the first month. 
• Learners struggle to recall information they don't understand or complicated educational concepts that don't interest them.
• How tutors present information affects memory recall. 
• Physiological factors such as stress and sleep can also impact recall. 

The Forgetting Curve and Videos

By applying Ebbinghaus' conclusions to your video content management strategy, you could improve memory recall and overall learning outcomes for employees. Many marketing managers believe videos have the power to enhance educational success in your organization, but this is just part of the story. While videos are effective for conveying complicated information, employees need to revisit or relearn that information over time to comprehend it. 

Viostream is an enterprise-level video platform that helps you share learning and development videos for memory retention and improve information recall. Its enhanced security features make it a trustworthy platform for safeguarding sensitive internal content. Start your free trial now.

Related Reading: 4 Examples of Hybrid Learning Success in the Workplace

How to Apply the Forgetting Curve to Your Video Strategy

As memory recall declines within a month of learning new information, you should consider a long-term video content strategy for employees that reinforces concepts previously taught in videos. One way to achieve this objective is to create refresher or follow-up videos that revisit old topics and reiterate critical learning points. 

Say you create and share a video with employees about the importance of health and safety in your organization. You can send employees a second video a couple of weeks later that goes over the most important issues in the first video. That can help memory recall and comprehension. You can even share a third video a couple of weeks later that further reinforces crucial health and safety concepts. 

Viostream can help you share learning and development videos and follow-up content. Branded video galleries let you compile all your video content in one place, making it easier for employees to access the learning resources they need. You can also use security protocols like access controls and single sign-on (SSO) to safeguard sensitive information and ensure only authorized employees view your videos. These security features make Viostream the video platform you can trust. 

Ebbinghaus also concluded that the way tutors present information influences memory recall. By adding interactive and engaging elements to your videos, you can improve recall and create more successful learning and development content. These elements might include:

• Adding CTAs to videos to encourage viewers to take action. 
• Adding captions to videos for improved accessibility. 
• Adding tags to videos for better searchability and video management. 
• Syncing videos with your learning management system (LMS).

Another way to improve information presentation is conveying learning and development content in a live stream. Research shows that live streams improve real-time engagement and help you reach highly-targeted niches. Viostream's live streaming capabilities make it easy to broadcast educational content to employees, and you can improve information recall with follow-up streams or pre-recorded refresher videos. For extra engagement, you can sync Viostream with third-party tools like Slido and Pigeonhole Live and add quizzes, polls, and live chat to streams. 

Related Reading: What Is Asynchronous Learning?

Tracking Learning and Development Content

By tracking learning and development content, you can discover how employees interact and engage with your videos. For example, you can find out whether employees watch follow-up videos and improve information recall. 

Viostream's suite of analytical tools supports your learning and development strategy. The platform's graphic engagement meter, for example, lets you replace low-engagement content with high-engagement videos. You can even sync Viostream with third-party business intelligence (BI) tools for even deeper insights into your video strategies. 

Forgetting Curve and Videos: Final Word

The Forgetting Curve proves the importance of ongoing learning and development in your organization. As employees are likely to forget learned information over time, you can reinforce that information with additional educational content. Investing in a video platform like Viostream can help you achieve this goal because you can share follow-up content that reiterates crucial learning points. 

Viostream's live streams, branded video galleries, and interactive elements optimize learning and development outcomes in your organization. Now you can share follow-up and refresher videos that improve information retention and recall. Start your free trial now.