                    |
"What I hear, I forget; what I see, I remember; but what I
do I understand." -- Confucius, 451 B.C.E.
A few months ago, I was in a team meeting with a small group of adults where all
but one of us sat and listened for nearly four hours with almost no opportunity
to participate or interact. After the first 30 minutes of hearing the same
person talk in this meeting, I noticed that my energy level for the topic
plummeted. After 90 minutes of this "listening exercise," I started to get a
headache and began to watch the clock hoping the meeting time would soon come to
an end. Sound familiar?
Unfortunately, this is not a good way to get people to learn. To sit in a room
and simply listen for an extended period of time whether in a classroom setting
or in a meeting can be physically and mentally difficult and also may minimize
productivity and creativity. Regardless of whether you're in a meeting or a
training room, adults learn best by doing and actively participating. People,
teams, students, co-workers, etc. are more engaged and more productive when
given considerable time and opportunity to participate and interact verbally and
physically.
Facilitated self-directed learning moves in the opposite direction. Knowledge,
skills, and behaviors that are learned through discovery in a hands-on,
interactive way allow us to retain and demonstrate our learning.
This approach can be used in meetings or to teach by giving the team members or
learners an instructionally created packet of information that they will
interact with as a way to discover and practice concepts and skills. An
effective packet may well consist of the following:
- Directions for a group or team to appoint a team
facilitator, recorder, and time keeper who will each be involved in both
moving the team through the packet and participating in the process.
- A meeting agenda or learning objectives.
- The content to be discussed or learned.
- Discussion questions.
- Detailed action steps for the team members or group of
learners to take together as a way to deepen learning, interact with
information, make decisions, stimulate productivity, inspire ideas, etc.
- Opportunities to share ideas and opinions. Opportunities
to practice what is being learned / discussed and receive feedback in a safe
environment.
- Summarize next steps.
- End with a Plus/Delta exercise where the team members
assess what worked well in the process and what could be improved.
Coaching Inquiries: How can a facilitated self-directed
learning approach serve you or your team? How often do you participate in
meetings or training classes? What holds you back from contributing? How often
do you invite participation from others in your meetings?
 To reply to this
Pathway, use our Feedback Form. To learn more about partnering with a coach to enhance your own personal resilience, please Email Christina or use our Contact Form to arrange for a
complimentary coaching session.
May you be filled with goodness, peace, and joy.
Christina Lombardo Ray, PCC, CPCC (Christina@LifeTrekCoaching.com)
LifeTrek Coaching International
Columbus, OH
U.S.A.
Telephone: 614-332-9747
Fax: 415-634-2301
Subscribe/Unsubscribe: (Click)
Correspondence: (Click)
Web: (Click)
Mobile:
(Click)
» Top
» Go to Provision Archive
» Go to Wellness Pathway Archive
» Go to Creativity Pathway Archive
» Go to Career Pathway Archive
» Go to Leadership Pathway Archive
» Go to Resilience Pathway Archive
» Go to OD Pathway Archive
» Go to Parenting Pathway Archive
» Go to Webcast Intro
» Go to Webcam (Watch the Birds!)
» Reply to this Article
» Go to Coaching Chat Room |
