At the start of a programme, most managers are positive. They say the right things. They want their people to learn, come back better, and apply it. Then Tuesday happens. Then Thursday. Then the inbox fills up, a customer shouts, a deadline slips, and the good intention quietly slides down the list.
That is why learning transfer cannot rely on a manager’s memory.
If you want managers to help learning stick, you need to plan the follow-up as carefully as you plan the workshop. Not as a one-off reminder, but as a series of small nudges over time. A prompt. A question. A quick check-in. A reminder of what they agreed to do.
Because supporting transfer is rarely one conversation. It is usually a slow drip over weeks and months.
So, what does that look like in your organisation?
Do managers know exactly what is expected of them after the programme?
Have you agreed the nudges in advance, so they do not feel like nagging?
Are the reminders short enough to act on in the middle of a busy day?
And are you reminding them of a commitment, not giving them a fresh task?
This week, try three things:
• Agree manager actions before the programme starts.
• Schedule the nudges up front, rather than sending them when panic kicks in.
• Keep each nudge small and useful: one question, one action, one minute.
Managers do not typically ignore learning because they do not care. They ignore it because work is noisy.
A good nudge cuts through the noise.
By the way, this is exactly the sort of thing our platform can help with, delivering those pre-planned manager nudges over time so learning transfer does not get lost in the noise.
