Things that Stuck

I work in corporate learning where there is much current focus on content curation and micro-learning. I think short-form content is great for my short-form attention span but like many in the learning space struggle with squaring the science of how people learn with the latest cool way to present and share content.

Do people learn best when free to pick and choose content that can be consumed when and where they want or when content is presented within a structure or framework? The answer, of course, is, it depends, and is likely somewhere between the two. The key to success is staying aware of new learning science findings that can be applied to problems and contexts, and to remembering the tried and true practices that guide great design.

There have been occasions in my career when I have heard something that resonated with me and now serves as a compass when things get fuzzy. Here are three quotes from wise people I have met along the way that help sort things out.

“Information is not instruction.”

David Merrill is famous in the instructional design world for this quote in which he anticipated that online learning / E-Learning can quickly begin to resemble content repositories. Merrill’s premise is that information is necessary but not sufficient for deep learning to occur. More directly, it cannot be assumed that consumption of content will result in an increase in knowledge or skills, a change in attitude, or improved performance. When we watch videos, read BLOGs, and listen to podcasts about a particular subject, supporting activities or an application related to that effort will help make it stick. The takeaway: Provide scaffolding or a supportive framework, and better yet, a problem to solve with all that fabulous content you provide.

“All force and no vector.”

A supervisor of mine and a former Air Force colonel often said this when he felt a particular project team was not making progress despite the effort they were exerting. His sense was that a great deal of energy was being expended in team meetings and in discussions about how to move forward but without a clearly defined target or vector. Teams had the thrust and energy to work on a project and generate ideas and fell in love with exploration. This is great if you have unlimited time and resources and your project has no deadline. The takeaway: Explore and create with boundaries. But know that you won’t get to Pluto unless you have both force AND vector.

“You get what you give.”

Ultimately, the results we achieve come from persistent and focused effort. That is why defining the expected result is so important. The value and impact of an accomplishment is measured both internally and externally and I credit Roger Kaufman for helping me see this. The more external the result is to a process or individual the broader the reach and greater the impact. Watching 10 videos on emotional intelligence furthers individual understanding. Using the videos in a workshop for executives to promote decision-making increases the impact. Building a work environment that inspires creativity and innovation through excellent decision-making has potentially game-changing impact. The takeaway: Ask what result you will achieve for your spend. Who benefits? Keep asking that question until your answer is one that is external to your organization. This will be a strategic result and we all know that it is wise to “start with the end in mind.” I can’t remember where I heard that…