A huge proportion of our learning experiences start with unlearning. Debunking myths, learning new tools, new processes… Pretty much any big systems implementation will require unlearning. It’s great when your learners are already open to new ideas and have a growth-oriented mindset. But how do we help them get there? We recently came across this cool article “Harness the power of unlearning” and it made us think…
In many situations, you need people to overcome the idea that the new stuff may be more complex than what they’re already doing – and help them to accept that while things may get harder at first, they will become easier in the long run, making life easier overall. Busy people often fear novelty because they assume it will make their lives harder rather than easier. How do we help learners create a new mental model or plan of action that helps them achieve their unlearning goals?
It’s about respecting people’s mana – their status and their right to control their own situation. If you come to things from a position of respecting everybody’s mana, it’s easier to put yourself in their shoes. Learners always have reasons for how they got to where they are. So you need to meet them where they are and help them figure out for themselves what the advantages of what you’re offering are. Only from this perspective can you see what’s motivating them and help them create a new paradigm for themselves.
Are any changes coming to your organisation?