52 / MANAGING A TEAMTeaching skills
Learning by experience
People learn faster and retain more
information if they have to exert some
kind of active effort. The famous quote,
attributed to Confucius: “I hear and I
forget. I see and I remember. I do and
I understand” is frequently used to
support the value of learning through
experience. A major implication of this
notion is that new skills can be learned
only through experimenting with new
behaviors, observing the results, and
learning from the experience.Watching, thinking, and doing
The learning of new skills is maximized
when learners get the opportunity to
combine watching, thinking, and doing. The
experiential learning model encompasses
four elements: learning new conceptsAs a manager, an important part of your role is to help those you are
managing to develop their skills. If you can encourage the development
of skills such as self-awareness, communication, and time management,
you will be rewarded with a high-performing team.PAINT A PICTURE
Convey the importance
of your messages using
multiple channels:
words, voice tones, facial
expressions, gestures,
pictures, postures, and
audiovisual presentations.Tip
(conceptualizing), planning how to test
the ideas (plan to test), actively applying
the skill in a new experience (gaining
concrete experience), and examining
the consequences of the experience
(reflective observation). After reflecting
on the experience, learners use the
lessons they have learned from what
happened to create a refined conceptual
map of the skill, and the cycle continues.
To use the experiential learning model
to teach skills, you need to: ensure
that learners understand the skill both
conceptually and behaviorally; give them
opportunities to practice it; give feedback
on how well they are performing the skill;
and encourage them to use the skill often
enough so that it becomes integrated
into their behavioral repertoire.US_052-053_Teaching_Skills.indd 52 30/05/16 3:01 pm