Learning should be a natural and effective experience, yet many learning and development professionals feel frustrated when training fails to translate into real learning. Too often, well designed sessions overlook how the brain actually learns, leading to disengagement and poor retention.

In this video, Dr Joe Pulichino from Navex Engage introduces the AGES model of learning: Attention, Generation, Emotion, and Spacing. Together, these elements explain how learning is encoded, strengthened, and retained over time, rather than forgotten soon after the session ends.

Attention is limited. Most learners can only focus for short periods before mental fatigue sets in. Well designed training respects this reality by building in breaks and variation. These pauses reduce overload, prevent boredom, and allow the brain to continue processing without exhaustion.

Generation helps learning stick by encouraging learners to actively connect new ideas to what they already know. When people make meaning for themselves, retention improves and understanding deepens.

Emotion also plays a critical role. When training connects to what matters to learners, motivation increases and learning becomes more memorable.

Spacing, combined with repetition and retrieval, protects learning from rapid decay. Revisiting ideas over time creates productive struggle, strengthens neural connections, and builds mastery. The video also highlights the importance of reinforcing purpose. When learners understand why the training matters and how they will use it, engagement rises and learning becomes more durable.

This video offers practical insights for designing training that works with the brain and delivers lasting impact.

For more information, on how to incorporate the AGES model into learning design and delivery see our article: Making Learning Stick with the AGES Model