What are the most effective ways to promote peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing?

One of the ground rules I set is - it is ok we don’t know what we do not know. So to enable a fruitful discussion is to encourage participants to stay curious

One thing I have found to be helpful in creating a safe and supportive environment is to be in a safe and supportive environment, people understand catchwords. You must prove your honesty and gain their trust by exemplifying the example every-day to all, including senior leadership. You can't maintain this environment if everybody is not on board, this includes the leader's leadership.

This is so important - trust. Create a space where you can share ideas, ask tricky or simple questions and not be judged. A space where you can have an open discussions and debate. A place where everyone can have their day, feel listened to and valued.

The most important factor is to make sure team members know that their contributions are acknowledged and recognised -- and then ensure these happen. Cheers.

Meaningful interactions can mean different things to different people. Be careful not to bring your own bias in. Let people have the time and space to have a discussion and check out if whether they feel they have had enough time to explore there ideas and ask their questions. People have different preferences in the way they interact, so use a variety of ways - team meetings, emails, one to one meetings, etc Use clear language and whatever format should be accessible for everyone.

Facilitating meaning interactions also require that the facilitator understands the different learning style of the participants/team. - Visual - Auditory - Kinaesthetic A good facilitator needs to be perceptive and brings out the best in everyone to ensure meaningful interactions.

An example I enjoyed using to create a productive brainstorming session is to provide an outside perspective. I made it into a game - invite someone who is familiar with the department/business but not fully embedded with this team. their job is to question everything that the team is proposing - I have found this creates camaraderie with team members, provides a goal for all to direct their energy towards and allows them to utilize the resources and tools they see fit. If you, as the leader, know and understand what the topics will be, you should prep the visitor with questions they should ask to test the team appropriately.

Reflection and action is so important to get people to internalise the learning. As a coach and team facilitator, I would pose these questions: (1) What new insight did you take away? (2) What will you do differently? (3) When will you apply the new learning? (SMART goals)

A very important skill lies in the facilitator. Being aware of the different learning style of the group and able to ask the right questions to bring out the best from each individuals. And also acknowledging each contribution and open it to the rest for ideas to spark diverse perspectives.