Reflective Practice: A skill to Rule them All

Reflection as a crucial hard & soft skill

Reflective practice, fundamentally, is the process of thinking about or reflecting on what one does. It's a conscious effort to consider our actions and experiences, analyse them, and learn from them to make informed changes in the future. This practice is closely linked to experiential learning but requires intentional reflection to develop insights. It's a skill that bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, allowing us to explore and apply theories to our experiences in a structured way. Reflective practice can be both an individual and a shared activity, and it involves critical, constructive, and creative thinking.

In and On

Donald Sch?n, an influential figure in this field, described two types of reflective practice: Reflection-ON-action & Reflection-IN-action.

• Reflection-on-action involves looking back on actions or experiences after they have occurred to understand what could have been done differently, as well as recognizing the positives.
• Reflection-in-action, on the other hand, is about reflecting on your actions as they are happening and considering issues like best practice throughout the process.

Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

A well-known model in reflective practice is Gibbs' reflective cycle, which provides a structured approach to reflection. This model includes six stages:

• Description: In this initial stage, you describe the event or experience in detail, focusing on what happened without making judgments or drawing conclusions. The key is to provide a factual and comprehensive account of the event. Example: A project manager might describe a recent team meeting where a conflict arose between team members regarding project priorities.
• Feelings: This stage involves exploring the thoughts and feelings you had during the experience. It's important to be honest and include both positive and negative emotions. Example: The project manager might acknowledge feeling frustrated and anxious during the conflict, worried about the project's timeline, but also hopeful about finding a resolution.
• Evaluation: Here, you assess the experience, considering what went well and what didn't. This evaluation should consider your learning and the impact of the event. Example: The project manager might evaluate that the meeting was unproductive due to the conflict but also recognize that it brought underlying team issues to light.
• Analysis: In the analysis phase, you make sense of the situation. This often involves referring to literature, theories, or external knowledge to understand what happened and why. Example: The project manager could analyse the conflict using communication theories, realizing that a lack of clear communication about project goals contributed to the misunderstanding.
• Conclusions: This stage is about drawing together the insights gained from the reflection. You understand what you learned and what you could improve. Example: The project manager concludes that better communication and early conflict resolution strategies are needed to prevent similar issues in the future.
• Action Plan: The final stage involves creating a plan for future situations based on the reflection. It outlines what you will do differently next time. Example: The project manager decides to implement regular team check-ins and a clear communication protocol to ensure everyone is aligned with project objectives and can express concerns early.

Each stage guides the individual through a process of describing the experience, exploring feelings, evaluating what was good or bad, analyzing the situation, drawing conclusions, and creating an action plan for future situations.

Reflective practice has now been adopted in various fields and is considered essential for continuous professional and personal development.

Applications of Reflection in Professional Career and Life

Enhancing Professional Growth

Reflection is integral to professional development. By regularly evaluating one's performance, goals, and challenges, professionals can identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. This ongoing process of self-assessment is crucial for setting realistic career goals and devising strategies to achieve them.

Improving Decision-Making

Professionals often face complex decisions that require careful consideration. Reflection enables a deeper analysis of these situations, allowing for better judgment and more thoughtful decision-making. By reflecting on past decisions and their outcomes, professionals can identify patterns in their thinking and decision-making processes, leading to more strategic and effective choices in the future.

Cultivating Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage one's own emotions as well as empathize with others, is a key component of successful professional interactions. Reflection helps in recognizing and analysing one's emotional responses, enhancing self-regulation, and empathy towards colleagues and clients.

Enhancing Communication Skills

Effective communication is a cornerstone of professional success. Through reflection, individuals can assess their communication style, understand how it affects others, and make necessary adjustments to improve interactions with team members and stakeholders.

Learning from Mistakes

In the professional journey, mistakes are inevitable. Reflection turns these mistakes into valuable learning opportunities. By examining what went wrong and why it enables professionals to avoid repeating the same errors and fosters a culture of continuous improvement.

Exercising Reflection in Professional Life

1. Dedicate Time for Regular Reflection: Setting aside time daily or weekly to reflect on professional experiences and decisions is crucial. This practice can be as simple as spending a few minutes at the end of each day reviewing the day’s events and learning from them.
2. Keep a Reflection Journal: Writing thoughts, experiences, and feelings in a journal can provide clarity and a deeper understanding of professional experiences.
3. Seek Feedback: Constructive feedback from peers, supervisors, and mentors can offer new perspectives and areas for self-improvement.
4. Use Reflective Models: Models such as the Gibbs Reflective Cycle or SWOT analysis can provide a structured approach to reflection, guiding professionals through a step-by-step process of analysis and improvement.
5. Reflect in Groups: Group reflection sessions can be invaluable, especially in team environments. Sharing experiences and learning from each other’s reflections can foster team cohesion and collective growth.

Implementing Reflection Practice

As we navigate our professional careers, the power of reflection stands out as a transformative tool.

To begin incorporating this practice into your routine, start small.

Dedicate a few minutes each day to think about your daily professional interactions and outcomes. Keep a journal to track your thoughts and progress.

Most importantly, approach reflection with an open mind and a willingness to learn and grow.

Remember, the goal of reflection is not to dwell on the past but to learn from it and apply those lessons to future actions. By making reflection a regular part of your professional life, you open doors to heightened self-awareness, improved decision-making, enhanced communication skills, and overall professional growth. Embrace reflection not just as a skill, but as a pathway to a more insightful, adaptive, and fulfilling professional journey.

Paper - Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

Book - Reflective Practice

Book - Creating the Reflective Habit

Video - Personal Empowerment through Reflection and Learning

Video - Reflective Mindset

Video - The Habit

Video - The Value of Self-Reflection

Video - Gibbs' Reflective Cycle Explained