Weaving curiosity to optimize typical learning interventions

I just got back from a learning intervention that I facilitated for senior leaders (and trust me, I had my own contemplations about being able to teach them something that they didn’t already know???) of a notable multi-national.

It was exciting – Yes, and it was also so exploratory, for both the participants and me! I chose to tread the curious path, compelling participants to push limits and allowing their spontaneity to keep me on my toes!

I don’t believe in restricting learning. If the learners are keen to explore further, I only steer towards the path they take.

Essentially, my attempt was to make redundant my presence and enable them to build upon their learning, just being there for them, in case they lose direction.

Yes, that’s exactly how I approached this learning intervention. Get the learners so involved and immersed that their learning progresses along a curated path, without being hinged on to me. Along the path, I kept sharing thoughts and resources, and also achieved some sense of fulfillment when I countered their curiosity and saw them asking?“What if….”??Trust me, that takes courage.

Well, I was fortunate that I was not restricted in my approach; I had a fairly free hand. We explored, stumbled, failed, realigned and reattempted. If not anything, this learning journey surely upped their resilience.

?

Benjamin Franklin hit bullseye when he said “Tell me & I’ll forget. Show me & I may remember. Involve me & I’ll learn”.?I simply stepped high on getting the learners involved in the learning journey. Having said that, it’s not that I underplayed my role – I was trainer less, facilitator more.

During my corporate career, I donned several hats. One habit that I had (rather developed from observing seniors) was to teach and train newcomers to my team on how things were done, and how things were expected; I’d say almost a spoon-fed format and way of working. This sort of goof-proof way of doing things, I realized stemmed from being a control freak and ensuring I have my own back???.?Anyways, what this style of mine killed was team creativity, risk-taking & problem-solving potential. My team mates would invariably look up to me every time we got stuck with some challenge or faced an issue or crisis.?

Today, as an entrepreneur, I have given up on some of these scary habits. Over the years, I encourage my people to explore, discover, fail, get up and aim high again. While they know that I am around and I’ve got their backs, I don’t spoon feed anymore. I like explorers, because sometimes they go to places I’ve not explored. I encourage them to tread paths less explored and fail if need be, without keeping the pressure to succeed every single time. And my team is open to try out new things, they fail without shame and stand up again, with deeper knowledge and added capability.

This transition for me was hard, but I realized that until I wasn’t willing to let go, my people would not grow. Replicating this in my learning interventions, I today make the learners ready to explore without fear of failure, and eventually discover on their own. I facilitate their exploration and yes, I assure them that in the learning environment I set, I’ve got their backs.?

How did I make this transition? Here are some truths -?

Know your stuff.

The maximum you will be able to share with your learners is all of what you know. As a trainer if you want to impart learning, then first learn it all. Be an expert. When you begin your training / facilitation, let there be no apprehension or lack of preparedness, about the topic.?

Continue Learning.

In more ways than one, great trainers are even greater learners. Now, why do I say this? Nothing is constant, and so, neither knowledge. What I know holds good for today and perhaps near future, but will it continue to hold true….always? The one thing that is constant is ‘Change’ and hence should your knowledge keep upgrading from time to time. I keep sharing with my audiences that I am a better student than a teacher and on so many occasions I even learn from them.?

?

Do you deliver or do you cause some change?

More often than not, in my conversations with those who manage talent and talent initiatives in their company, keep stressing on the fact that?“We are not wanting just a training, we would like to be able to obtain specific ROI (return on investment) on the training done”;??or better still?“We have done several training workshops but the problem persists. What is it that you will do differently from others”?

There is extreme competitiveness when it comes to training performance and while different trainers may be different, I go with the approach that if my learner has not taken away anything from the workshops we do, we offer a complimentary facilitation on a one-on-one basis, trying to address that specific individual’s or group’s learning concerns. That’s how we cause some change to happen, in small steps and ways.

Having said that, let’s not undermine the role of learners. Learners need to have the right attitude towards learning. One frequent (and sad) observation is that when people have spent enough time in a given setting, they get the know-it-all attitude. While yes, they might not be arrogant but that doesn’t take away the fact that the most experienced people in the system call the shots when it comes to execution or regular decision-making. Such existence itself partially blinds you towards the need for new learning (Old habits do die hard!).?

So, what should anyone who wants to learn afresh be like?

Be Open.

Irrespective of age, learning happens all the while. My first tip to those keen on learning is come with an ‘open’ mind. Leave aside your bias(es) and arrive as if you know nothing. Some of the best learning happens in this state. On the contrary, if you experience that you already knew what was imparted, increase your curiosity levels. Respectfully be curious, don’t challenge with overconfidence.

Thrive for independence.

Irrespective of the skill you are aiming at learning, aim at mastering it. That way you will soon become confident in doing it independently (a big shout out to all of you who had a tough time learning how to make the perfect?‘masala chai’?& now can do it any time you’d like to). Yes, carry that attitude of attaining independence and you will not just learn, but master.??

No matter how crazy, ask your question.

One common scenario I experience in my workshops is that people are highly conscious of asking questions that might portray them in poor light (this is their assumption). They will cautiously approach me separately stating they had a doubt and were hesitant in clarifying openly and hence seeking private audience. I have encouraged such people, and often succeeded, to have them pose their question openly. Yes, do others a favor please….ask openly, no matter how stupid or crazy you perceive your question to be….that’s how you spread courage….courage to be crazily curious, individually and collectively!??

Don’t come with the wrong attitude.

Of the different uncomfortable workshops I have witnessed, I recall this singular workshop where our trainer held roleplays and there were several (it was a Negotiations workshop), until we all witnessed one roleplay, which involved a senior Sales professional of an organization, and a Chief Executive of another organization. As the negotiation progressed, the CEO just wouldn’t let go and took that roleplay a bit too far. Imagine, even when the opposite party had surrendered he wasn’t willing to leave the deal.

Not just the above, I have also witnessed participants push forth their views and completely derail the trainer on his/her track, either aggressively or sarcastically, because they come with the ‘truth’ of their own little world.

These are wrong attitudes. If you observe such behaviours in your audience, I advise face to face coaching and counselling, definitely not in a class full of other perspectives!

While this is not the end of it, I think I have put down my thoughts based on my overall experiences as employee, manager, trainee, trainer, business partner and finally entrepreneur. My views could be limited, and hence I encourage you to share your views, supplement or challenge mine, and bring in fresh perspective.

Learning too evolves, doesn’t it?