DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? ?

Checking for understanding and creating conditions for learning?

Picture the scene. You’re running a training session on Teams or Zoom. You’ve just explained a tricky new concept to a group of learners. Their faces stare silently back at you from the screen. You’re not sure whether they’ve understood what you shared. You’re not sure if the silence is good or bad. Before you’ve even had a chance to think, four words slip out of your mouth:?

"Does that make sense?"?

It feels like a natural question to ask. We’ve seen plenty of teachers, coaches, parents ask exactly the same thing throughout our lives. In fact, at face value, it seems like a great thing to do. You’ve actively paused and given thinking time; you’re not just ploughing on without giving people a chance to ask questions. You’re explicitly giving learners an opportunity to tell you if something DOESN’T make sense. Surely, it’s the perfect way to check for learning??

And yet, it almost never works. In fact, I’d argue that asking this question is worse than not asking anything at all. ? ?

What’s the problem??

I have multiple concerns with the “does that make sense” approach. Here are just a few of them:? ??

• People often don’t admit they don’t understand. When’s the last time someone answered “no” to this question? People don’t want to make a fuss or stand out in a sea of otherwise nodding heads (I’m UK-centric, but I think it applies more widely than just here!). They’re not likely to single themselves out and risk looking stupid. So, you might have a whole room of people who are externally confident, but internally completely confused by what you’ve just told them.? ?
• Learners aren’t always good judges of whether they understand. Even if everyone in the room thinks they’ve got it, you’ve done nothing to validate that. They might have completely misunderstood, and you wouldn’t know by asking this question.? ?
• It’s a binary question that doesn’t have a binary answer. Understanding isn’t a simple yes/no situation. Some might have mastered absolutely every element of what they were taught. Others might have picked up the basics but missed some key nuances. Others might be really struggling. With this binary question, you get none of that insight.? ?
• You risk losing the trust of the room. Think back to the last time someone asked if something made sense. Did it fill you with confidence in your teacher? Or did it trigger a sense of dread? Whether innately or consciously, we tend to know the above points, and expect a good teacher to have strategies to engage and support us. Hearing those four words can cause us to turn off – why bother engaging with the session if the teacher doesn’t know how to help us learn? It can come across as inexperienced or lazy, even if it’s said with the best of intention. Once the learners’ trust is eroded, it’s hard to win that back.? ? ?

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So what can I do instead??

The good news is, there are some strategies we can follow to help us gauge understanding, build trust with our learners and avoid asking dangerous questions! Here’s just a few tips from my experience so far:?

Leave lots of time.?

Learning is generally something we can’t rush. If you want good engagement and the chance to reiterate and reinforce a learning opportunity you need to have time. Time for the learners to think. Time to get beyond the fear and social conventions around speaking up. Time to let the group work together to answer what questions do arise. It's amazing how much longer this all takes than anyone thinks. An oft-used rule of thumb is that seven seconds of silence after a question is enough to draw a response or reaction from a group. The science is a bit questionable, but there’s certainly impact in intentional silence. Take the time and reap the rewards.? ?

Ask better?questions.?

The art of the questioning is deceptively simple. You may want to consider starting with open questions using a “how”, “what” or “why” creating space for the learners to give much more than a yes or no response. A few examples that have worked for me in the past, based on powerful questions from the fantastic Co-Active Coaching by Kimsey-House, Sandahl and Whitworth, include “What will you take away from this?”, “How do you feel about what you’ve just learnt?”, “What resonated for you?”. You might then follow this up with more probing questions; the well-used question funnel from the world of customer service is equally applicable here, helping you shift through different styles of question to drill down into understanding.? ? You may also ask learners to convert your concept. Application-based questions help learners put ideas into their own context, and quickly help them validate whether the learning fits into their world. Can they analogise or rework it and explain through their own words or experiences? This can make the learning experience more personal, whilst also provides opportunities to follow up with more probing questions and clarifications.? ?

Plan for learning from the start.?

While we don’t often have the luxury of time, a little planning can go a long way. There are a number of ways to structure sessions for effective learning. The simplest format I’ve found is part of the Training From the Back of the Room! approach. They suggest a 4C’s structure, with each step in the sequence creating space to evaluate understanding and fill gaps in learning:?? ?

• First, establish Connections – find out what the learner already knows about the topic and how it already fits into their world.?This could be as simple as dropping a post-it on a confidence scale, or a quick info-gathering whiteboard session.? ?
• Then introduce new Concepts – what does the learner need to know about the topic? What’s the key information to share??? ?
• Then comes Concrete Practice – can the learner apply the concepts in a practical situation? A great technique here is to ask the learners to teach a concept back to the group – if you can teach it effectively, it generally shows a good understanding. ? ?

• Finally, Conclusions – how does the learner plan to use what they’ve learnt? What are the next steps??I’ve seen the idea of a Conscious Choice be helpful here – a spoken or written commitment to apply the learning within a certain time frame, and ideally come back to reflect on it afterwards.? ?

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These might all seem like simple, lightweight approaches, and in fact you may well be using them in your day-to-day. However, in moments of panic, it’s easy to fall back on old habits. Having a few strategies within easy reach can be a real lifesaver and give you a good chance of helping your learners actually learn something! Next time you feel yourself about to say those dreaded words, try a different approach and see what effect it has ???

So… Did that make sense..?

Or better, how do you feel about what you’ve just learnt? What resonated for you? And what other approaches have you used in your own experience??

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