Successful training is reliant on several factors. Most of us think that holding training classes in the morning is standard procedure, but is “bright and early” really all that bright?
People process information differently and individuals have unique reactions to high cognition activities depending on the time of each training session. Most people believe that theory and mathematical concepts are easier to understand during morning hours than during afternoon and evening hours.
However, the phenomenon is different for each person.
The article looks into the effect of time on cognitive ability and how timing affects a person’s ability to comprehend and retain information learned during training.
Does Training Time of Day Affect Everyone the Same Way?
A person’s body clock significantly affects how well they receive and interpret information. You might find that some people are more receptive to new information during the morning, mid-morning, or afternoon hours based on various biological, physiological, preference, and health factors.
Choosing the right time to conduct training is crucial. A change in time of day and sleep deprivation can significantly affect how effectively trainees are likely to comprehend and implement the received training over time.
Age is also likely to affect the ideal time for training, especially when dealing with young adults and individuals on the lower spectrum of the “middle” age bracket.
Younger individuals are more likely to be alert during the mid-morning and early afternoon hours. In contrast, cognitive studies suggest that older people are more likely to be wiser to new information during the morning hours when most body systems are fresh after rest.
The Effect of Age, Genetics, & Background on Training Timing
Timing is a crucial concept that is often overlooked by trainers, especially when working within a corporate office setup. Poorly-timed exercises can be ineffective, have little impact on trainees’ skill improvement, and fail to reach additional predetermined objectives.
Factors such as age, genetics, and an individual’s background can affect how effective a training session becomes. Let’s look at each of these factors in turn.
Age: Older People Learn Best in the Morning
Age affects a person’s ability to learn. Generally speaking, an individual’s cognitive ability decreases as a person grows older. Although the average rate of brain activity declines with age, it is dependent on other outlying factors.
With age, a cognitive activity that reduces contributes to neural degeneration, toxins, stress, ADD, and other mental conditions synonymous with growing old.
It is essential to consider the best training time when training people above the mean age for a firm, company, etc.
Studies show that older persons are more responsive to training during the morning instead of the afternoon and evening.
Long brain recovery times and increased activity in two brain regions that control attention — the rostral prefrontal cortex and superior parietal cortex contribute to the proper timing of training sessions depending on the group’s average age bracket.
Genetics: Know Your Audience
Genetics affects an individual’s physiological processes. Some people are genetically adapted to be more receptive to new information during the early hours of the day, while others are better suited to receive a similar statement during the more advanced stages of the day.
You might have heard a person say, “I’m not a morning person”, or phrases such as they are not yet fully awake, they need some time to refocus, etc.
Such messaging might indicate a person’s physiological markers and suggest the time ranges when their brain activity is most active. Genes shape a person’s cognitive ability, function, memory, and learning, which substantially affect performance during training and other activities within the workplace.
Learn to time your training sessions by considering your trainee’s genetic correlations. Such data can be difficult to obtain depending on how well you know each individual within your group.
However, you can try several tests at specific times to better understand the physiological functions of each individual.
Background: Optimize For Trainees’ Unique Needs
A person’s experience can affect how they receive and interpret information during a specific time. Human beings are creatures of habit, and repeated cognitive activity forms a neural pattern dependent on each exercise’s timing.
For instance, a person who gets accustomed to waking up at 5 AM during weekdays might find themselves waking up simultaneously during weekends, holidays, leave days, etc.
The brain adopts a similar pattern when learning. A person with a tendency to stimulate the frontal lobe at a particular time of day is more likely to have an increased cognitive ability during that time instead of other times of the day.
The term “background” also refers to education, health, language, gender, etc. You need to consider a person’s background when creating a timing schedule for your training.
How Corporate Learning Differs From Academic Learning
Learning is a complex venture for most people. Professionals have to undergo regular classes and training sessions to remain competitive and improve their skills as per their short and long-term needs.
Corporate learning involves an organization’s capacity to train and share knowledge to apply the same expertise to improve effectiveness and enhance competitiveness within a specific market niche.
Corporate learning occurs regularly and mainly occurs within an organization.
In contrast, academic learning is a broad genre that includes acquiring new skills from core subjects as per the curriculum.
Academic learning aims to equip the learner with all the necessary information that they may need before specializing in a particular choice. Academic learning seeks to enhance employability, reduce dependency, and ensure that employers have a stable and qualified labor force.
Is There One Best Time of Day for Adults To Retain Instruction?
Retaining information is crucial to effective learning. Adults process information at different rates, and their ability to maintain data depends on several factors, such as the time of day that the information gets relayed to them.
Morning and early afternoon have the best time for adults to retain information. Morning hours are ideal because the brain is still fresh from waking up and is more alert.
Morning hours are also excellent when learning new concepts as they complement the brain’s activity to grasp further information.
Afternoon hours are the best time for reinforcing what you have already learned during the morning. Repeating subjects stored in the short-term memory helps to retain their information for longer.
Summary
Whether you are doing it for academic needs or as a part of corporate training, it’s crucial to appreciate that learning can be a daunting task that involves plenty of neurological activity.
You need to understand your biological and physiological attributes to choose the best time to learn new concepts. Effective learning and training need one to be mentally prepared, rested, and willing to engage with the tutor/mentor during the learning sessions.
Group consultations can help you understand complex topics, ask questions and make your training a success.
