Introduction
I have always considered myself a teacher, even though I have used the more familiar term in the business world called “trainer.” I recognize that teaching can be more theoretical and abstract while training is more hands-on and practical. The reality is that exceptional education involves both the abstract and the practical. And they both involve working with people, who we define as students or learners.
After forty plus years of being involved in educating people, there is one small and important thing I have noticed about trainers who struggle and those who do not. The former think that teaching is the goal. The later grasp that learning and applying the lessons learned is the goal.
While this may seem like a highly simplistic observation, it is still a critical one. The difference is profound, because exceptional trainers do not consider the transfer of information from the teacher to the student to be equivalent to the student’s capacity to understand, internalize, and actually utilize the information or concepts they are being taught. The best trainers know that awareness is not understanding, and that understanding is the precursor to integration and application over time.
Furthermore, the best teachers and trainers understand that the word education comes from the Latin verb, educo, which means to “lead, draw out, or to develop within.” Education is not the process of simply imprinting new information into the student’s mind like it is a blank clay tablet. Instead, the best educators understand that teaching involves leading the student through the educational process, drawing forth what is already inside them, plus developing within them the capacity to rise to the challenges before them.
With this in mind, I want to share with you four key concepts that have helped me in my long journey in the land of teaching and learning. While these concepts may be simple, they are not easy. Instead, they require us as teachers and trainers to approach our work in a focused and diligent manner with the understanding that being kind, considerate and thoughtful is critical to the enlightening experience of learning something new.
Create Safe Learning Spaces
When beginning to design and then teach a workshop or seminar, most people focus on goals and objectives, or concepts they want to share. Some even start by creating all their power point slides. While these are all important, I like to start from a completely different place. I focus on how to create a safe learning experience for each particular group, especially when teaching people about leadership, strategic planning, and organizational change.
First, as the late, Dr. Richard Farson, a behavioral psychologist, noted: “… much of the job of executive development is an unlearning process - getting rid of barriers to perception and wisdom and judgement.” This is a challenging part of the learning journey. It is not easy to unlearn something after years of doing it. People struggle with this and they will not learn a new way of doing something if the space is not safe for this level of internal reflection, evaluation, and consideration. As psychologist Elizabeth Krumrei Mancuso wrote, “Learning requires the humility to realize one has something to learn.” From my experience, this only takes place if the learning environment is built on trust, respect, and a willingness to listen, not just a focus on our speaking and teaching.
Second, Kevin Wilde, former Chief Learning Officer for General Mills, reminds us of a key concept when it comes to leadership development. As he explained, “Ultimately, leadership development has to integrate the depth of inner self-awareness with the breath and complexity of external marketplace and cultural dynamics. Enduring leadership development brings together both of these inner and outer realities.” The best teachers and trainers grasp that there is a deep internal process of re-evaluation taking place during a learning experience and a broadening of perspective when teaching leaders to become better leaders.
When both levels are taking place at the same time, it is easy for someone to become overwhelmed. Thus, it is the responsibility of the educator to thoughtfully pace the learning journey and to recognize that the student has to take in the information being taught and then have time to process it. This combination of receiving and processing new ideas and perspectives demands the learning environment be safe and respectful.
A safe learning environment begins with respect for each person’s learning journey, recognizing that all of us learn differently. Next, a wise teacher creates a supportive learning environment. They understand the old French saying, “Change is a door that only opens from the inside.” They focus on developing a learning environment where people feel comfortable to share, explore and ask questions. And one critical element of this learning environment is for educators to listen thoughtfully and respectfully, understanding that new ideas and ways of working are challenging in the beginning and often reflect self-evaluation, redefinition and ultimately integration.
Finally, a safe learning environment is an interactive environment. It requires all involved to understand that asking a question is not a sign of weakness or ineptitude as much as a signal for greater understanding. Some days learning involves gaining new knowledge and other days it involves connecting new knowledge with old ideas or experiences. In short, successful education is both an internal personal experience as well as an external group experience.
As the late futurist Alvin Toffler, reminds us: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” And we, as teachers and trainers, are in the business of helping people, learn, unlearn, and relearn.
Teach People, Not Just Concepts
Once the learning environment is safe for all involved, namely teachers and students, then we need to focus on “who” is going through the learning process, not just “what” is being taught. “The education of a leader is a complex thing,” writes Robert J. Thomas, Executive Director of Accenture’s Institute for High Performance Business and Galvin Professor of Leadership at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. “Certainly, talent matters. But even the most naturally gifted still have a lot to learn, and one of the most important things a leader needs to learn is what he or she stands for; what he is made of, what she believes in, what lines he will not cross. Crucible events and relationships have the potential to reveal what a leader stands for. Sometimes the revelation is immediate and obvious, but it can just as easily take years to figure out. The key is being able to notice, to be open to learning.”
Time and time again, I have had former students share with me that they felt the entire workshop, seminar or in-depth training was created just for them. They felt like I knew them and understood what their challenges were in the work place and in life, in general, as a leader. “How did you do that?” Is a common question I am asked.
And my response is always the same. “I spent time getting to know you, your company and the issues that all involved are dealing. I was not just teaching leadership, strategic planning and organizational change. I was teaching you these subjects. The learning starts with you. The concepts are secondary in the beginning.”
This always stuns former students and their follow-up question is important. “How do you do this?”
If it is a company I have been working with for a number of years, then more likely I already have a grasp of their strategy and the current operational challenges. If not, I seek out this information in a proactive manner.
Next, if I am already familiar with the company, then I check about whether I know the student’s supervisor or manager. If I know them from a previous consultation or training, I will be in touch with this individual so I can get a more complete understanding of specific division or department challenges. Often, in the process, their supervisor will inform me about what they are coaching this current employee on and why they want this individual to participant in a learning experience with me. If not, I seek out this information.
The goal here is build a learning experience that meets their needs in the short and the long term. It is to create a time and place where students are willing to engage with me as the trainer and be open to the learning. This means I have to be open to learning from them as much they are willing to learn from me. I have to welcome them into the learning environment and be willing to hear their insights, concerns and problems in a respectful manner. When I do this, they will be more open to listening and interacting with what I am sharing.
People first and concepts second recognizes that being open to learning is a two way street. Learning is complex. Teaching leadership can be complicated. But when the students know you are speaking to them and their experience, they are more willing to be open to learning. And that is the goal all along.
Realize That Everyone Learns In Their Own Unique Way
Marcus Buckingham in his book, The One Thing You Need to Know ... About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success (Free Press, 2005), explains that people learn in a variety of ways and that no one has a better learning style than anyone else. The three types of learning are analyzing learners, doing learners, and watching learners.
In simple terms, Buckingham explains that analyzers understands a task by taking it apart, examining its elements, and reconstructing it piece by piece. They crave information and need to know all there is to know before they are comfortable with it. The best way to teach an analyzer is with ample classroom time, role playing when appropriate, and post-mortem through analysis. They hate making mistakes and do not “wing it.”
A doer, on the other hand, learns during action. Define the goal or desired outcome and then get out of the way. For them, mistakes are the raw material for learning. They will wing it every time.
Finally, understanding that an analyzer learns before action and a doer learns during action, a watch learns best through imitation. They do not want to take something apart and then learn each part. Instead, they want to see the most experienced or best person do something, and then they will engage in the learning.
Our challenge as teachers and trainers is to recognize that on any given day, there is a wide variety of learning styles in our classrooms. And remembering that no one style is the right style, we need to design learning experiences that respect these differences and engages with these various learning styles.
While an analyzer will appreciate charts and graphs, a doer wants to be given a problem and try to figure it out on their own. A watcher will enjoy a good story so they can picture the optimal performance before engaging. By shifting our teaching methods to meet a variety of different learning styles, we can achieve our learning goals and assure a great degree of retention and application over time.
When we, as educators, realize that everyone learns in their own unique way and then teach accordingly, we create a student-centered learning environment that results in higher degree of success, be it in new knowledge or new skills.
Life Long Learning Is The Desired Outcome
“Transformational learning is like a powerful lightening bolt - learning that can unleash extraordinary power for changing our lives,” writes Verna Allee, international business consultant. “Transformational learning is a process of discovery and deep reflection that leads to profound shifts of direction, behaviors, values, beliefs, and operating assumptions.”
For some students, transformational learning is an anomaly or rare event. It is the epiphany that wakes them up to a greater perspective and deeper understanding. I treasure these light bulb moments in the classroom when someone all of a sudden gets what I am teaching.
However, the goal of teaching is not to create one lightbulb moment. It is to create the desire to keep learning. Many former students of mine report to me that after in-depth training, they just want to read and learn more about the variety of subjects we explored in class. And I am 100% in support of this choice. I encourage them to learn from a variety of teachers, not just me, and to read and study from a variety of authors. I believe that teaching is the beginning; life long learning is desired outcome and journey.
Years ago, the late Stephen Covey wrote, “Wisdom is learning all we can, but humility to realize that we don’t know it all.” As I enter this time period in my life, I have returned to the beginning. The goal now is to focus on being a good student. There is so much more to learn and countless opportunities to do it. I know that self-education and continual transformation are interconnected. And I am excited about the journey ahead.
© Geery Howe 2022
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