Our workshop participants won’t learn most of what they need to know from us. Hard to imagine, but it is true. The prevailing wisdom of 70/20/10 — 70% is learned on the job, 20% in interactions with others, and 10% in classrooms– rings true as I check back with people who were fired up to change their practice just one month ago. As one wrote yesterday, “Thank you for keeping us on track… so sorry I seemed to have dropped the ball.”
How do we help them hold on to the ball? How do we grab some of that 20% of learning that comes from peer engagement? One thought is to create learning buddies when we have them. Give them a way to exchange contact information with someone in the room and commit to meeting within 30 days. What will they talk about? How about:
- What is your goal?
- What progress have you made?
- What more do you need to do, get, or find to achieve your goal?
I set up learning buddies at a training on October 29. I asked them tell me who the matches were so that I could give them a 30 day reminder. That’s how I know this person dropped the ball. And that is how I was able to find out what they needed to make Saturday’s board retreat go well, which I promptly sent with instructions. Does that mean I got into the 70% of learning that happens when we are faced with a real situation? I’m not sure, but I was able to help one board get to action, which was my ultimate goal anyway.