Tell Us The Answer!

Early 2000’s

That was the question a young tech professional asked.

I was delivering a half day of content as part of an extended 9 month initiative with this small tech organization. The initiative was designed to help their teams work better and we delivered a half day of content and then they worked with that content for about 6 weeks in their regular team meetings to inform thinking and action on real business issues.  Then another piece of content and repeat.

It’s a good, sustainable learning experience. A lot of it is self managed and supported by a steering committee.

The question came in the first content delivery session. The content was about the changing role of management. Content to help you think differently about the stuff you do at work.

The young man asking the question was frustrated. His work was challenging, and he wanted an answer to make his work easier? more effective? better? less crappy? He wanted me and this content to provide the answer.

I haven’t got this question much, but I imagine it’s being thought a lot. Although I hadn’t thought much about answering it!

It’s one of those times when a ton of stuff runs through your head and you’re wondering what stuff you should make come out your mouth as a reasonable response.

The question seems so simple, the stuff running through my head, wasn’t.

So, my response. ‘No, I can’t tell you the answer because what we’re talking about right now will only have a possible answer when you apply what we’re talking about to an actual scenario, in the moment.’

I thought it was brilliant! He pretty much checked out!

So, you do the dance, ask people to hang in there, stick with the process, tell him it was a great question. All that facilitator technique to stop anyone else from checking out.

About 6 months later I got an email from him; one short sentence; ‘I now understand what you meant!’

That email still informs my thinking about learning design.