Speaking Out with Speaker's Roundtable
Volume 3, Issue 32 July 13, 2004
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* In This Issue:
* A Note From Speaker's Roundtable
* How People Learn
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* A Note From Speaker's Roundtable
Dear Subscriber and Friend;
Speakers Roundtable is an invitation-only association of 22 of
America's foremost professional speakers. The members of
Speakers Roundtable are a "Who's Who" of experts, business
owners, professional speakers, authors, trainers, and
consultants. Collectively, they have published over 100 books,
produced hundreds of audio and video programs, written over
1,000 published articles, own and run several high-tech and
low-tech business, and serve as consultants and board
members of many well-known corporations. This ezine will
share some of the best of their insights,tools and tips that can
improve your life, love and business.
Feel free to email any questions regarding the content of this
ezine to mailto:profnet@velocity.net.
Welcome to....
* How People Learn
"The longest journey on earth begins with a single step."
(Anonymous)
When people are given too much knowledge in too short a
time period, panic sets in. Faced with new information,
everyone needs to practice new skills to see which areas fall
into place and which don't.
New knowledge is much easier to absorb when a clear picture
of a goal is presented. Dr. John Lee, a leading management
expert, demonstrates this in his workshops by giving groups of
participants a 70-piece puzzle to assemble. One group views a
picture of the completed puzzle; the other groups put theirs
together without knowing what the finished product will look
like. Consistently, the group with the picture finishes first.
Why? They already know their goal. They have the advantage of
possessing a blueprint for success which they tackle one bite-
sized piece at a time.
Can you remember when you first learned how to drive a car?
Before you learned how, you were in the "ignorance" stage.
You did not know how to drive the car and you didn't even
know why you didn't know how to drive it. When you first went
out with an instructor to learn how to drive you arrived at the
second phase: awareness. You still couldn't drive, but because
of your new awareness of the automobile and its parts, you
were consciously aware of why you couldn't. At this point, the
"awareness" stage, you at least realized what you had to do to
acquire the competency to drive. You may have felt
overwhelmed by the tasks before you, too, but when these
tasks were broken down one by one, they weren't so awesome
after all. They became attainable. Step by step, familiarity
replaced fear.
Similarly, in Phase 2, your people need to feel the exhilaration
of small successes interspersed with the inevitable mistakes
that they must make while acquiring new concepts and skills....
one step at a time. How can a manager move an employee from
Phase 1 to Phase 2? Books, cassettes, videotapes, films,
weekly meetings, speeches, seminars, workshops and other
learning aids can ease employees into awareness. Then, of
course, the managers need to ensure that the newly found
awareness (input) sticks.
With some additional practice and guidance, you were able to
become competent in driving the car through recognition of
what you had to do. However, you had to be consciously aware
of what you were doing with all of the mechanical aspects of
the car as well as with your body. You had to be consciously
aware of turning on your blinker signals well before you
executed a turn. You had to remember to monitor the traffic
behind you in your rearview mirror. You kept both hands on
the wheel and noted your car's position relative to the
centerline road divider. You were consciously aware of all of
these things as you competently drove. This third phase is the
hardest stage - the one in which your people may want to give
up. This is the "practice" stage. Your employees will make
mistakes here. People tend to feel uncomfortable when they
goof, but this is an integral part of Phase 3. Human beings
experience stress when they implement new behaviors,
especially when they perform imperfectly. As their manager,
you must realize that they'll want to revert to old, more
comfortable behaviors, even if those behaviors are less
productive.
As their manager, you can play a crucial role by helping your
team over the rough spots. It's all right for them to make
mistakes. In fact, it's NECESSARY so they improve through
practice, practice and more practice. Encourage them over
these hurdles, and you and they will reap the harvest of your
perseverance. Your job as manager is to assist them by again
following up their new knowledge with concrete skill
development. This can take various forms, according to the
needs and wants of the group. Some examples for follow-
through can be role playing; joint sales calls; exposure to
repetitive messages, such as listening to instructional tapes en
route to work; informal workshops to encourage skill
development; or coaching and counseling the employee to
assist in the growth process.
Returning to our car analogy, think of the last time that you
drove. Were you consciously aware of all of the actions that
we just mentioned above? Of course not! Most of us, after
driving awhile, progress to a level of "habitual performance."
This is the level where we can do something well and don't
have to think about the steps. They come "naturally" because
they've been so well practiced that they've shifted to automatic
pilot. This final stage, then, is when practice results in
assimilation and habit.
Our example holds true for your use of professional training
through the first three relatively uncomfortable processes of
ignorance, awareness, and practice in order to get to the
blueprint for success - the highest level of "habitual
performance." Then they can use the training techniques
naturally and effectively. If you can get your people to that
level, you should see an increase in their productivity.
However, you and your staff must pay a price to get to this
level of competence: repetition and more repetition.
When you were learning to drive the car, you acquired your
competency through practice. The same holds true for work
skills. New skills will probably require a change of behavior
from your team's present method of working. If this is the
case, expect to see an initial decrease in productivity. This is a
common occurrence in behavioral change. However, as they
approach the automatic level of working through persistence
and practice, their productivity will increase beyond its
previous level and reach a new and higher plateau.
This four-phase model for success can help you and your
people break out of the rut most of us dig for ourselves. By
experiencing success and encouragement at each level, change
can be exciting instead of intimidating. The bottom line is this:
skills and attitudes will both improve by taking one step at a
time with you, as manager and trainer, implementing support
systems and skill development sessions along the way.
Tony Alessandra
Member: Speakers Roundtable
Web site: http://www.speakersroundtable.com
Email: office@SpeakersRoundtable.com
Speakers Roundtable is a consortium of 22 of America's
foremost professional speakers, sales trainers and seminar
leaders. All members are dedicated to serving their training,
motivation and consulting clients with pertinence, excellence
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available at http://www.speakersroundtable.com
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Copyright 2004