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Don’t Just Sit There

March 15, 2010 | by Diane Copeland

All learning is about behavior change. For medical device companies to be successful, they must get doctors and nurses (and sometimes patients) to change their thinking and behavior about a new technology or treatment. So it’s no surprise that education is a powerful component of a medical marketing plan. The ability to apply the information and modify behavior as a result of that new information, ultimately, translates into more sales and greater success for the customer.

How do we know when education works?

Often-cited retention rates for different learning methods provide some of the answers. But in spite of this, companies still focus on the least successful method: passive learning. Check out these rates.

• Listen to a lecture - 5%
• Reading - 10%
• Watch a demonstration - 30%

With all the money spent on research and development, do you really want clinicians to watch a demonstration of your new product and have only 30% retention?

Adult learners need to do.

They need to act in order to retain. Note the change in retention when active learning methods are used.

• Discussion group - 50%
• Practice the task - 75%
• Teach others - 90%

It’s about Return on Involvement.

More doing, less reading and listening. Although the traditional ROI of return on investment is still important, StoneArch Creative believes that programs that involve active learning for a high ROI come first; a high return on investment will follow.

Your most effective learning strategy: active learning, which leads to retention, resulting in behavior change. That’s the power education brings to marketing plans. But this is just one part of the equation. Motivating the learner is next. Look for more on motivation in my April blog.