Why Add Short, Regular Practice to Your Annual Crisis Drills?
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Collecting signals from multiple sources, both internal and external.
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Logging everything systematically, even if it seems contradictory or incomplete.
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Continuously updating the situation picture as new information comes in.
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Communicating clearly what is confirmed, what is unconfirmed, and what remains unknown.
Large-scale crisis simulations are essential—they create realistic pressure and strengthen teamwork. But science shows that knowledge and skills fade quickly without reinforcement. Research demonstrates that people forget up to 50% of new information within minutes, and retention continues to decline over time.
The solution? Short, spaced practice sessions. Bite-sized e-learning modules of just 10–30 minutes, spread throughout the year, dramatically improve long-term retention, decision-making, and problem-solving. They don’t replace full-team simulations but complement them: simulations build collaboration, while micro-drills keep individual knowledge fresh and accessible under stress.
Backed by hundreds of studies across psychology, education, medicine, and management, the evidence is clear: spaced practice is one of the most effective ways to ensure your crisis teams stay sharp, confident, and ready—every day, not just when a large-scale exercise comes around.
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People forget fast – knowledge from annual drills fades quickly without reinforcement.
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Short, regular refreshers work – spaced practice dramatically outperforms cramming when it comes to long-term retention.
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E-learning is powerful – well-designed online modules are as effective as, and sometimes more effective than, classroom training.
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Micro-drills keep knowledge sharp – 10–30 minute sessions strengthen memory and make critical information easier to recall under pressure.
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Backed by science – hundreds of studies confirm spaced and distributed practice as one of the most effective learning strategies.
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More than memorization – spaced practice also boosts problem-solving skills and the ability to apply knowledge in new contexts.
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Extending the impact of your crisis simulations – large team exercises build collaboration; micro-drills ensure individuals stay sharp in between.
Want to dive deeper into the science ?
Frequently asked questions
What problem does this solve that our full-scale exercise doesn't?
It keeps
knowledge accessible between major events. Without reinforcement, what people
learn in full-scale exercises that take place once a year decays quickly, following Ebbinghaus' forgetting curve.
Will individual micro-drills really help in team crisis situations?
Yes.
When team members can quickly recall key information and procedures, they
perform better during team exercises and real emergencies. The testing effect
ensures that retrieved information is more accessible under pressure.
How often should we run micro-drills?
It depends on the desired retention. It should follow the temporal ridgeline
principle where optimal review gaps scale with desired retention intervals. If you want to know what best fits your organisation, let us know by sending an e-mail to ruben@crisiskeen.com
How long should each micro-drill be?
10-30 minutes is sufficient.
Effectiveness comes from spacing and active recall, not duration. Research shows
that brief, frequent practice sessions are more effective than longer, less frequent
ones.
Does this work for procedures, or just facts?
Both. Spaced practice
improves problem-solving and procedural skills, though the effect varies by task
type.
Can online learning really match face-to-face training?
Research shows
well-designed online learning is at least as effective as face-to-face training for
knowledge, or is often better. Bernard's (2014) meta-analysis of 125 studies
confirmed the effectiveness of synchronous online learning.
What about teamwork skills?
You still need team simulations for that. Salas
et al.'s (2008) meta-analysis demonstrated that team training is effective for
improving team processes and performance. Micro-drills keep individual
knowledge sharp so people perform better during team training.
Isn't cramming before an audit enough?
Cramming works for immediate
tests but fades rapidly due to the forgetting curve. Spaced practice creates
durable knowledge that survives stress through strengthened memory
consolidation.
What content works best in micro-drills?
Decision rules, checklists, role
clarifications, short scenarios, and "what-if" questions with immediate feedback.
These formats leverage the testing effect and promote active retrieval practice.
How do we measure success?
Test knowledge retention weeks or months
after training and compare with groups that didn't use spaced practice. Expect
better retention and faster correct responses, consistent with spacing effect
research.
Won't frequent touchpoints overload people?
Short, spaced activities
actually reduce cognitive overload by distributing the learning effort over time and
leveraging natural consolidation processes during sleep and rest periods.
How does this work with other training like tabletop exercises?
Spaced micro-drills prepare individuals through enhanced retrieval practice;
periodic team sessions maintain coordination and shared mental models through
team training principles.
Does intensive practice in one session help more?
Intensive practice
gives short-term gains that fade over time. Spreading the same amount of practice
over time is more efficient for long-term retention, as demonstrated by numerous
studies on massed versus distributed practice.
Can we show return on investment?
Expect fewer knowledge gaps, faster
decision-making, and more consistent initial responses—all linked to better
retention from spaced practice and improved team performance from enhanced
individual readiness.
Does this work for compliance training too?
Yes. Factual content like
regulations, procedures, and notification chains responds especially well to
spaced practice and the testing effect.
Will this distract from regular work?
Micro-drills are brief by design and
reduce the need for lengthy refresher courses later—a net time savings with better
readiness, consistent with efficiency gains documented in spaced learning
research.