Myth: People Remember 10% of What They Read and 90% of What They Do

What's actually true: There are no reliable percentages for how much people remember by method; it depends on the content and the task.

MythLalley & Miller, 2007 · Education, The Learning Pyramid: Does It Point Teachers in the Right Direction?; Dale, 1946 · Cone of Experience (no percentages)

Reviews found no study behind the percentages, which were added to Edgar Dale's cone later.

What the research found

The neat 10-20-30-90 figures have no traceable source. Dale's original cone had no numbers. Memory depends on attention, repetition and meaning, not on a fixed ratio.

What to do instead

  1. Combine methods: say it, show it, let them try.
  2. Repeat key points and ask people to say them back.
  3. Use real examples from their work.
  4. Drop the pyramid from training slides.

What to say

There's no study behind those percentages. Let's just make it practical.

Can you tell me back the three steps in your own words?

Avoid

Quoting the pyramid to justify your training design.

Example

An HR training deck at a food company in Pune opened with the learning pyramid. Divya replaced it with a short practice exercise. Feedback improved.

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