LEARNABITILTY 23 December

Welcome to my final newsletter of the year.

How was 2024 for you?

Good?

Bad?

What were the highlights?

This month, I'm looking back and sharing my top 5 LEARNABILITY tips and why they are important for me.

I hope you find something useful.

5: Reflection (from January)

This is such an important part of learning that I followed it up in November with The Gibbs Reflective Model. Making this a regular part of my day has been a tremendous help, especially when dealing with difficulties.

I was recently asked what was the most important factor that made the difference between success and failure regarding personal development.

It’s a tricky question because it depends on so much.

But one factor that regularly appears at the top of my list is reflection.

Most people are good at setting their goals.

They are good at having a go at achieving them.

Then they finish, by either achieving it or by giving up.

And then… they move on to their next goal.

But, hang on! Where’s the reflection?

Many people skip taking time to deliberately reflect on their own experiences and learn from them.

My suggestion for doing this is instead of keeping a diary or a gratitude journal, experiment with keeping a reflection journal.

For each of your projects, answer these 3 questions:

1. What went well?
2. What could have gone better?
3. What could you do differently next time to increase the likelihood of success?

By taking time to stop and think, you increase the amount you learn from your experiences (the bad ones as well as the good ones) and so improve your chances of success the next time.

Isn't that what personal development is all about?

4: Veritasium (from June)

This started as a simple tip about an app I was recommended. However, since then, I use it so much that I've added the icon to the home screen of my phone. Definitely a useful tip.

When I stumbled across a video called The SAT Question Everyone Got Wrong, I fell in love.

It's just one of many fascinating videos on the Veritasium YouTube channel.

Veritasium is created by the amazing polymath Derek Muller. It covers thought-provoking ideas in physics, biology, engineering, and space through experiments, interviews, and fascinating discussions.

If you are a student, an educator, a Science Enthusiasts or 'just' a humble lifelong learner, you need to subscribe to this channel.

Derek is one of those wonderful people who can make complex concepts understandable and entertaining at the same time. His production standards are brilliant and he covers a wide range of topics that keeps the content fresh and appealing to a wide audience.

So the next time you have 30 minutes while travelling or waiting for a meeting to start, why not have a look at the simple SAT Question Everyone Got Wrong and see if you can do any better?

See the video here

3: Proactive Feedback (from September)

This LEARNABILITY idea from September has also left a lasting impression on me: that you don't have to wait for feedback but instead actively ask for it. This is why feedback-collecting tools such as Talkadot (LEARNABILITY 23 Feb ) are so useful. I still have room for improvement, but I'm getting there!

I always like to see anyone getting out of their comfort zone to learn, adapt and prosper.

This month, a friend of mine, let's call her Jenny, did something that impressed me so much, I have to share it here. It's a great example of how to make serious progress in your career.

She first sent a tentative message to her most trusted contacts asking if they would be prepared to give her candid feedback. Once confirmed, she then sent a set of 8 feedback questions - in this case via Google Forms - along with an explanation of her concerns and objectives.

For example, one of the questions was "Is there any specific feedback you’ve been hesitant to share with me that might hurt my feelings but you believe could help me professionally?"

I think this is amazing.

Firstly, it takes tremendous courage to actively seek opinions that focus on your weaknesses or failings. It's much easier to ignore them, deny them or convince yourself they're not a problem.

Secondly, if you want to grow and become the best version of yourself, dealing with your biggest issues is clearly time and effort well spent, especially if you hadn't realised it was a problem in the first place.

Thirdly, I sent the feedback and her reply was 'Thank you. That was refreshing to read." No arguing, no defensiveness, no justifications. The best way to recieve feedback is to listen, say thank you and deal with it.

The lesson here isn't about Google Forms. It's about approaching someone and asking them for candid feedback and using it to make real improvements.

Could you benefit from doing this?

2: Perplexity (from March)

This started as a simple tip about an app I was recommended. However, since then, I use it so much that I've added the icon to the home screen of my phone. Definitely a useful tip.

Imagine you have to select one person to fill a job vacancy from 100 applications.

You have 2 assistants.

One brings you the pile 100 applications, each in a separate file with a cover letter, application form, CV, and other relevant documents.

Your other assistant has already analised the 100 applications and has selected the top 5, explaining why they have been singled out, plus a recommendation for the best candidate overall.

Which assistant would you most value?

I ask, because this is the difference (at the moment) between Google and the AI app Perplexity.

Google gives you a long list - including sponsored sites - for you to wade through.

Perplexity gives you a summarised answer synthesised from the content of various pages, all referenced.

It makes finding the relevant information you are looking for much easier.

It's lovely, and I fell in love with it the first time I tried it.

Thank you, Brooks Cole, for recommending it.

www.perplexity.ai

1: The Little Elephant (from September)

This is my favourite tip of the year. I don't know why, but since I posted this, I think of it almost every day. It's a message that resonates in me so deeply, and I love the picture!

Once upon a time, there lived a little baby elephant that had been born in the circus.

When he was just a few days old, the elephant keeper tied a rope around him and attached it to a stake in the ground. The little elephant pulled on it with his little leg, he pulled on it with his little trunk, but the stake was too firm and the rope was too thick. Every day he tried to break free but he just wasn't strong enough.

Days went by, weeks went by, months went by. Failure after failure after failure.

Then one day, many years later, a little girl was visiting the circus and came face to face with what was now a very big elephant looking somewhat lonely and forlorn, tied to the woodworm-ridden stake with the old rope.

“Why doesn’t the elephant break free?” asked the little girl to the elephant keeper.

The elephant keeper winked, crouched down and whispered in her ear, “Because he has learnt that he can’t.”

Much like the elephant, many of the limitations we face today are not because we are incapable, but because we've learned to believe we are.

Throughout our lives, we absorb lessons based on our experiences, particularly when those experiences result in failure or frustration. At the time, these lessons may have been necessary for survival or self-preservation. However, as we grow, adapt, and acquire new skills or perspectives, those old lessons can become outdated, holding us back rather than protecting us.

So, it’s important to recognise that what once was true may no longer be true. Our circumstances, knowledge, and abilities change over time, but our beliefs and mindset may not always keep pace. By holding on to outdated assumptions, we risk remaining tethered to invisible barriers - barriers we now have the strength, resources, and understanding to overcome.

The key to breaking free lies in questioning those old beliefs, challenging their validity in the present, and recognizing our current potential to succeed where we once failed.

So what imaginary stakes are holding you back?

What I'm Doing This Christmas

Circumstances this year have meant this Christmas is hopefully going to be a quiet one. No travelling. No waiting at the airport for a delayed flight. No sitting in traffic jams looking at the clock. Just enjoying being in my warm and comfy home, with a real log-burning fire, in the middle of the Collserola forest. This, of course, gives me more time to...

• Review and improve all of the chapters for my next book: LEARNABILITY
• Write the first complete draft of the script for our new show for our 2025-26 season Lara's Labyrinth
• Develop a new talk 'The 10 Commandments of Learning'. Which is a fun, audience-participative talk involving quizzes, games and juggling to help the audience assess and improve their own learning skills
• Hammer out a 20-year plan for my company IPA Productions which includes corporate training using role-play, team-building and Leadership-development activities
• Trying to avoid gaining weight

If you're interested in strengthening your the learning culture of your organisation, if you want to increase the competencies of your team leaders, or if you would like me to talk about the importance of Learnability at your next event, please get in touch now. I'd love to learn more about the challenges you're facing and how I can help.

In the meantime, I wish you a thoroughly enjoyable Yuletide, and make 2025 a great year for learning.

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