TIPS- one good technique for teaching skills
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How to do we teach people? There’s a lot (and I mean a lot) of models, evidence and ideas around about how we teach people. Getting our ideas and capabilities into the brains and hands of others something that happens, needs to happen, and can be done well, badly, or ‘okay enough I guess’.
Read here for more on HR’s role as builders.
Teaching knowledge, and teaching skills.
You're probably very used to lectures, classrooms, and all manner of sitting and listening to people while they talk. This is what we think of when we think about learning. But this is good for knowledge, but not so good for skills. Is this how you learnt to drive? I hope not.
I’m significantly over-simplifying here, but telling people how to do complex actions isn’t the best way. No sportsperson of any quality learnt it in the classroom.
The key difference is this- knowledge is a binary possession of information- we know, or we don’t. Skills are complex series of actions, all of which can be performed with a degree of quality, resulting in an overall capability of ‘being good at something’.
Read here and here for more on why we build instead of buy skill.
What are the skills we learn at work
This is a very long list that I’ve shortened for you, so please bear in mind this is a simplication:
Physical (e.g. changing tires, welding, changing the ink, clearing a blockage…)
People (e.g. interviewing, giving feedback, investigating a problem….)
Thinking (e.g. analysing, testing, problem-solving, writing a review….)
Digital (e.g. using a programme, coding, data integrating…)
The point is not here to map all of the skills you might need to do. The point I’m making is this: there are a lot of things that everyone does, sometimes physical, sometimes operating in a system, sometimes interactions with people, but the point is that they are skills, that we can good at or not, which we learn to do over an extended period of time.
Read here for more on how to be a good mentor.
Listen here for the limitations of mentors.
TIPS- one good method.
So let me teach you a method, one method. It is a very useful method for 1-on-1 coaching, when 1 person knows how to do something, and they are passing on that capability to another. For the below, imagine you needing to explain any of the above skills 1-on-1 to someone else. Can it be done more than 1-on-1? a 2/3/4+-on-1? yYes, but hopefully you’ll be able to see the more recipients, the less effective.
Read here for more one of the fundamental ideas of L&D.
T — Tell
Start by explaining what you’re going to teach. What is the action, why is it done this way, what the purpose is, as well as the context, the risk, or the outcome, and what does “good” look like. Talking someone through the process, and helping them map it out in their head. The more people understand the reason and the purpose for why they are wiring this switchboard the better.
I — Illustrate
Next, demonstrate the action-give them a demo. Show them exactly how it is done, in real time. Walk through the steps slowly, explaining each part out loud. Let them see the technique, the sequence, and the small details that matter. Focus on the little tricky bits that will be the hardest to pick up first time.
As you demonstrate, the learner can: watch your physical movements, ask questions, spot potential difficulties, visualise themselves doing it. They can see what they need to do, but all anticipate what they need to focus on.
P — Practise
This is the most important stage- hand control over to the learner. Let them try the action themselves. They need to feel the movement, experience the physical coordination, and run through the steps with their own hands, body, or tools. Skills are only learnt in application, and after multiple repetitions. Sometimes it’s only takes 1 or 2 goes, but sometimes it takes a long time. Some skills are easy to pick up, but hard to master.
S — Support
As they practise, you provide live feedback- good, bad, corrective, adaptive, stopping if it’s dangerous. You’re guiding, correcting, reinforcing, and encouraging- helping them calibrate their performance against the standard. Generally you’re giving them feedback on what they did well (so they know to do what they did then next time) and corrective (so they know not do what they did then next time).
Read here for some of the limitations of holding too much talent.
Repeat until they get the hang of it.
Unless it’s a simple task, and they and you are awesome, they aren’t going to pick it up completely right first time. It’s going to take a few goes around. Most of the time, you only need to repeat practice and support, but sometimes you need to go back to illustrate, or tell. Some things are hard to learn, some pick it later than others, but when it comes to skills, no one is an expert first try.
Try it yourself.
Think this is for others? sure, others will use it more than you, and mostly this article is for HR to help others learn how to be better trainers. But you can use it yourself- next time you need to show someone something- try this technique. Next time you need to show some the HR system, how to give feedback, etc- run them through this process.
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