What did you learn today?
I believe that, whether we try to or not, we are always learning—every moment we’re awake, every day. It’s part of being human. And learning doesn’t stop when you clock into work. Maybe you have a new piece of software your team is adopting. Or you identified a skill gap with your employees you want to address. You need an effective instructional strategy, because your business isn’t waiting. So let’s get to work and learn something.
I stand by a few learning principles:
Strong learning is goal-driven.
Strong learning is data-driven.
Strong learning is people-driven.
If that sounds good to you, then I’d love to get in touch.
The rest of this page elaborates on these three principles. Across the top of the website are more options. You can learn more about me by going to “About Me,” checkout some examples of my work under “Projects,” or take a peek inside my head by visiting ‘Blog.” Finally, share your project idea with me by going to “Contact Me.”
- Nick
strong learning is goal-driven.
Needs. Goals. Vision.
The critical starting point for any training or learning activity is to have a clear vision for why you’re doing it. Too often you see training that presents information as just that—information. It’s a collection of facts or steps in a process. Strong learning is built from the ground up with this question in mind: what will learners do afterwards that they were not doing or could not do before?
Clear focus on the results you want and what’s necessary to reach those results ensures that every second you spend on training moves your team to the next level.
STRONG LEARNING IS DATA-DRIVEN.
Observe. Adapt. Iterate.
What would you do if your team made a decision solely based on the fact that “this is how we’ve always done it?” Strong learning adapts and reacts. It requires the bravery to stop doing what doesn’t work and start doing what does work, even when it feels counterintuitive. Facts are just as on your side with instruction as with any business decision you make. Evidence-based instruction works because it builds its principles from direct observation and experimentation. Doing this unlocks the potential for long-lasting change by using what we know about the way the brain functions and the way people behave.
Data-driven learning is about respecting people’s time and effort.
Strong learning is people-Driven.
Connect. Improve. Inspire.
People are the point of it all, right? We aren’t talking about uploading data into a machine so it can spit answers out later; we care about the data because it keeps us honest about whether we’re making a tangible impact on people’s lives. You put the effort into building a team of people with diverse backgrounds, skills, and perspectives, and this is your chance to cultivate them. Strong learning forges connections between people and between ideas. It influences people to reach for the best version of themselves.
I believe effective learning moves people towards owning their excellence. I have learned that people will always strive to meet your expectations of them, so let your expectations of them be good.