In this blog post, I want to talk about informal learning and its value in the training industry. Informal learning is the unofficial and spontaneous way people learn to do something. While formal training events play a significant role in our learning, we also learn while talking to our colleagues, during meetings, by simply observing what other people do, and most importantly, through trial-and-error. In fact, according to research, formal learning only accounts for 10 to 20 percent of what people learn at work. When people attempt to answer the question how they really learned to do their job, most of us agree that it wasn’t through formal schooling, webinars, or trainings, but rather through reading professional literature, searching the Internet, talking with experts and more experienced colleagues, and through either a coach or a mentor. Learning does not happen overnight. It is a skill that requires practice. As you practice and become more experienced at what you do, the … [Read more...] about Does Informal Learning Really Work?