Don't make 'em Feel Dumb

"This machine hates me. Why do I have to use this new system anyway? It's so much easier with the old product." I've heard versions of these phrases hundreds of times in my career from associates of ALL levels; new hire to C-suite. As complex as rolling out new software is; machine specs, access, security, network, etc, the human component is arguable the MOST complex part of the project. How do you approach it and set yourself, your team and your project up for success?

I won't bury the lead, it's right there in the title. It's simple and difficult. Hopefully you have a skilled team of learning designers and trainers helping you, but when it comes to one-on-one or small audiences where you're the voice and face; just don't make them feel dumb.

The Straw-Person associate comes into work, has a daily routine and often knows what's expected of them: Process X number of cases, be on the phones for Y amount of time, prepare for Z event/presentation/etc. They know the job and how to do it and like most people, don't want to be messed with. Here you come with something new that changes their routine in some way. You have (hopefully, but not always) a class for them to attend, new procedures, job aids and a support system ready to go. You know this change inside and out, you've done it several times in many iterations and are well past the learning curve. Straw-Person proceeds to make every mistake, throw every error, find every flaw you missed. How do you handle it?

Tread carefully. They know how to do their job and likely have production targets to maintain. You are making them question how well they can do their job. You might make them feel like they can't, or don't know how to do that job. You create concern for reaching targets which, be honest, always makes the logical jump right to getting fired. You have to avoid ALL OF THE ABOVE.

• Remember that you were there not long ago. You had to learn this too.
• See it from their perspective. We all just want to do our job and get on with life.
• Encourage them. I have a go-to line: "Do you shop on Amazon? Do you bank online? Do you check your 401k online? Who taught you how to do all that?" The answer is always either 'nobody' or 'so and so showed me but that's different...." Nope, it's the same. You're smart and better at this than you give yourself credit for.
• Be patient. If you're part of the project team, you're likely adept with new tech. They may not be and you have to give them more time than you thought.
• Be compassionate. Remind them that they know their job and the learning curve is no reflection on their performance.

Obvious stuff right? Sure. Easy? No.

They have their job pressures and you have yours. This product feels like a reflection of you and when they're negative about it, it almost feels like an attack. You've planned this class, demo, whatever and this person is throwing it off the rails in seconds. What's their major malfunction????

Deep breath. Here are some ways to deal with your response.

• Give them a chance to vent. Sometimes, all they need to do is get it out of their system and then they're ready to adapt.
• If it turns into complaining; redirect them towards suggestion solutions. This makes them feel like part of the process AND you're going to gain valuable insight. I can't count the number of UX changes for the better than these discussions have led to.
• Bring in backup; I can't tell you how many times pairing a user and a developer led to incredible improvements. I saw an associate who was crashing the app several times a day and NOBODY could figure it out. Had a dev sit with her and within an hour figured out that the way she closed some windows and not others was causing memory leaks.
• Be ready to pull the plug. As difficult as it is to admit, sometimes the tech just isn't ready. Be clear and candid with your audience, talk to all interested parties and admit defeat. It may be awful in the short term, but you don't EVER want to run the risk of delivering something bad and making people use it. I've never seen a product's reputation recover from that.

I've taught hundreds of classes, given just as many demos, built training and helped my mom use online banking. I've also crashed and burned several times. This is the distilled wisdom of 20+ years of promoting, enabling and delivering technology. From your very first interaction to the last piece of pizza and the wrap up party, don't make anyone feel dumb in regards to the new tech, and you're on the right track.

PS: Be kind. I never posted an article before and was learning while doing. The LinkedIn tools did not make me feel dumb. Your mileage may vary and that's ok.