Think different

It’s about that time again when I look back on my blogging year and choose a theme that connects the breadth of topics that I managed to cover.

This time I’ve borrowed “Think different” from Apple’s advertising campaign at the turn of the millennium. While the adverbial in this phrase omits the “‑ly” suffix in the American fashion, I chose it because it encapsulates the spirit of blogging – which is to add something fresh, independent, and above all, personal.

Sometimes my views are contrarian, sometimes they’re counter-contrarian. Sometimes they raise eyebrows, they’re misinterpreted, or they upset people who disagree with me.

Regardless, my objective is to share my ideas, my experiences, and my insights. That’s why I don’t use AI to write my posts. I’m not against anyone using it as a tool for writing; it’s just that my posts, on this blog, come from the heart.

Steve Jobs said it best: “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

While I consider myself neither crazy nor genius, I do hope that somewhere, somehow, I can change the world, one bite at a time…

• In Everything, everywhere, all at once I recognise the difference between the prioritisation of capabilities and their importance.
   
• In Not a cat I define what skills-based learning is by defining what it’s not.
   
• In Ice cold I ask a question that gets our attendees talking and their heads in the game.
   
• In Rubber bands and chewing gum I celebrate the hackers.
   
• In The point of preference I temper the discourse about learning styles.
   
• In A slight misnomer I propose an adjustment to the job title “Learning Experience Designer”.
   
• In The definition of insanity I revise my solution to fixing our senseless compliance training.
   
• In Reality bites I urge caution when using research to inform decisions.
   
• In See no evil I entreat users of artificial intelligence to maintain a critical mindset.

❤

I hope you get a chance to rest and recharge, and I look forward to reconnecting with you in the new year!

Ice cold

Ice breaker questions – some of us love them, the rest of us loathe them.

They typically bear no relevance to the topic at hand, and if it’s even mildly personal, I’m too busy scrambling for something interesting to say instead of listening to what my colleagues are saying.

But I can see why trainers use them: they metaphorically break the ice.

We’ve all learned the hard way that regardless of whether our session is onsite or virtual, the attendees who don’t say anything in the beginning won’t have said anything at the end. By getting everyone talking from the get-go, we break down the fear barrier and promote their active participation.

So I propose an alternative. Instead of dispensing with the ice breaker altogether, change the nature of the ask…

What do you want to get out of this session?

This question achieves the best of both worlds: it gets the attendees talking and it gets their heads in the game.

More specifically…

1. It forces the attendees to think.

I’m forever surprised when seasoned professionals struggle to join the dots between generic subject matter and their own roles.

Generic content isn’t inherently useless; it just needs to connect to the real world. Answering the question makes that connection.

2. It facilitates social learning.

The folks who struggle to join the dots might never do so on their own.

Hearing the answers voiced by their peers, particularly those in similar roles, helps the penny drop.

3. It empowers the attendees to set expectations.

Training is an investment in time and effort on the part of the attendees, so naturally they seek a worthwhile return.

By identifying what they expect from the session, the trainer can tweak the coverage accordingly.

4. It empowers the trainer to set expectations.

Until technology advances to the point at which we can offer Neo-style uploads directly to the brain, the learning process will remain a journey.

By identifying any expectations among the attendees that are beyond the scope of the session, the trainer can reinforce the message that it’s one step closer to mastery.