When was the last time you stopped to ponder why you do what you do? Why you chose your career field? What keeps you there? What gets you excited?
For some in the learning community, I would venture that the adrenaline rush of live facilitation keeps us engaged and excited. The challenge, anxiety and joy of seeing a course from cradle to grave is a rush and a responsibility. Witnessing content connect with employees and meet them exactly where they are with just what they need is incredibly rewarding.
Teaching vs. Facilitating
The choice of the word, facilitation, in the above paragraph is quite deliberate. I facilitate; I rarely teach. I may introduce a concept, guide a discussion, design content to reach specific knowledge objectives, but more often than not, my goal is not to transfer textbook knowledge. Instead, I would describe what I do as creating the environment and curating experiences that spark and inspire discovery that lead to lasting understanding.
Consider….A dimly lit room, a fine print book, a light bulb, a timer and a few like minds. Put together, what do you get?
The room – a place, a set of circumstances
The book – a business need/objective
The light bulb – a solution/skill in need of activation
The timer – the competitive pressures of time and demand
A few like minds – two are always better than one, a reflection of teamwork over silos
Together, these elements result in wisdom gained in a stronger, more actionable way, leading to greater rates of retention than a classroom-led death by PowerPoint session on “How to Install a Light Bulb 101.”
The goal of many Learning & Development (L&D) professionals is to spark the desire to learn and grow rather than force-feed content. The purpose of our presence is to guide, not to teach. While this is more challenging to accomplish than a traditional “class,” the outcomes are stronger. Employees learn and retain. Organizations realize greater return on investment. L&D professionals see the light bulb go off in the minds of others and that makes our hearts swell.
Adrenaline Junkie at Play (at Work): An Example
After thorough observation of the business climate and the situations that led to tension and struggle, I designed a 100% role-play course composed of similar situations with various levels of complexity. What curveballs could the recesses of my mind cook up to complicate their simulated problem-solving? Wahaha! The intent was to build up the skill set and mental stamina needed to problem solve the challenges faced in the course of business in a learning environment where it was okay and nearly risk-free to stumble, get up and try again.
During a break, some of the employees came up to me to share how “eerie” the course was. (Funny how much delight I took from this admission.) They shared with me that these scenarios were ones they had faced a month ago, a week ago and even yesterday. Initially, I was concerned if the content would feel fresh and relevant, and lo’ and behold...The employees, in the same breath, were kind enough to thank me because they recognized the time and attention, the heart and soul, that went into building a course that was so timely and tangible for them. (The true height for an L&D junkie.)
Craft an Experience, Establish a Trademark
Employees who have been in sessions with me before have come to expect something a bit off the wall and know that if they choose to “go with the flow,” setting aside any preconceived notions, they will walk away better for it. I distinctly remember the day where I had built in an activity to kickoff a course that was designed to use shared vulnerabilities to foster inclusion. At the start of the activity, a returning “student” jumped up and said, “Let’s get vulnerable,” an effective ‘let’s do this together.’ His willingness led others to follow suit and set the tone for the course.
To the Point
What if we came to expect an adrenaline-filled adventure instead of a nap when we went to training? How much enthusiasm and power could be released in our businesses if we did that?
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