🗣️ Talking Trumps Listening In Learning Sessions
"The best way to learn something is to teach it." (Patricia Wolfe)
“Learning is social. We learn from, by, and with other people.” (Jy Cross, “Informal Learning” book)
Listening is part of cooperation, communication, and learning. But, especially in formal learning environments, listening is often the ONLY thing learners do.
Listening shall be the smallest part of the entire learning process.
To learn best, learners listen and watch, write and talk, demonstrate and practice, then teach what they’ve learned to someone else.
Why learner’s discussions are powerful ways to strengthen learning?
🗣️ Talking increases retention: When learners explain something they have just learned, they process the information 3 times. They increase the probability of understanding and internalizing the information better.
🗣️ Talking builds relationships: Relationships between learners create an environment of psychological safety. In this environment, they are more willing to ask questions, make mistakes, try new skills, and take risks. They learn better in this way.
🗣️ Talking creates meta-learning: Meta-learning means learning about learning. This is what happens when learners have the time to discuss not only the content, but also how they learned it, their understanding of it, and how it links to what they already know. They take charge of their own learning and are empowered.
But what can you do to use more talking in your sessions?
🎲Turn and Talk: Turn to your neighbor (or in online settings, the facilitator creates breakout rooms of 2 people) and talk about 2 facts you just learned that you did not know before and how you could apply them in your daily job. There are many variations of this, depending on the topic and training setting. It is also called pair-share.
🎲Each Teach: Invite the learners in pairs of two to teach other different concepts of what they already learned about. Each time they teach, they will ask their partner to sign their card for that part of the content. You can also ask them to switch pairs and collect more signatures or do this throughout the entire session at different moments.
🎲 Standing Survey: This is a high-energy, low-risk way of combining movement, writing, and talking. As an opening exercise, learners stand and gather information others already know or think they know about the topic. As a closing exercise, they compare it to what they’ve learned during the class.
One-phrase summary:
We talk so that we understand. We talk so that we remember. We talk so that we can learn.
The person doing the most talking about the topic is doing the most learning about the topic.
Resources:
Book: “Using brain science to make training stick” by Sharon Bowman
I am inviting you to register your spot in the new on-demand training and experience more talking during a training than listening to the trainer:
Facilitation - neuroscience behind - a 3h online session where I would explain some neuroscience principles I use in most of my workshops in order to create brain-based workshops that are universally applied independent of culture, industry, etc.