Enabling Learning In Your Colleagues

So so often I observe well-meaning coaches and managers 'showing' a colleague how to successfully undertake a task or procedure. Of course, sharing information, knowledge and skills is a vital contributing factor to every organisation.

BUT, the challenge manifests when the educator, manager, coach or well established colleague simply shows the learner what to do, in what order and at what 'reasonable' speed.  Especially frustrating for the learner, even though s/he is very likely to speak up and mention it, is when the educator appears to become frustrated with the slow pace at which the learner 'appears' to be learning.  The subsequent 'Give it here, I'll do it and then you can do it' comment really doesn't help, motivate or engage the learner who, is for all intents and purposes, proceeding slowly because s/he wants to get it right.   Or at the very least, doesn't want to get it wrong!

Impulse Control Gone Crazy

Busy managers and coaches need to develop an awareness of how to effectively set the scene for learning to take place.  As I mentioned to an audience of teachers recently, 'Just because you are teaching, it does not necessarily mean that your audience members (students) are learning.'  The very mention of this fact stimulated fantastic discussion amongst the teachers who, albeit unwittingly, had been on auto-pilot setting when teaching.

A key challenge for those entrusted with teaching colleagues new skills, processes and procedures is the absence of effective impulse control.  Their desire for immediate gratification 'I want this done now', is exactly the same principle that applies to you, me or anybody else who really wants that biscuit, glass of wine or feels the need to shout and ball at the driver who just pulled out in front of us at the junction. It's poor impulse control at it's very worst!

Here is a 5 minute audio that will help you to coach others to learn more effectively, confidently, and very likely, more quickly too.

Enjoy

http://summitpodcasts.s3.amazonaws.com/Enabling Learning.mp3