We cannot underestimate the value of feedback. Feedback is an important aspect of building a constructive relationship - personal and professional. It is an invitation to interact. It can help improve our performance and change our behaviour. It can help us become self-aware and also allow us to help others discover themselves.
Most of us know and understand the importance of feedback. But when it is time to give or receive it; we are not at our comfortable best. I can assure you, it is not easy and it does not come naturally. Giving and receiving feedback is a skill that needs to be developed consciously and our minds need to be trained for it.
Several articles and books explain the right method and process to give feedback. I will restrict myself to sharing tips about giving and receiving feedback that have worked well for me. Also, people generally don’t have much difficulty in giving and receiving positive feedback so some of the tips are better suited for constructive/developmental/negative feedback.
Giving Feedback
- Any time is a good time for giving feedback - Don’t wait for the end of the assignment/project/year to give an important piece of feedback that would have made the difference along the way. Remember, feedback is not an annual process! If you are ready and the individual is ready, the time is right!
- Plan the feedback session – It is not a good idea to give feedback on an ad-hoc basis, in between other meetings, in the hallway, when surrounded by other people etc. Make it planned. Make it personal. One thing that helps me is to note down my observations (good and bad) when working with my team. Keeping a note of what could possibly be used for a feedback session later always helps. I don’t trust my memory as much as I trust my notes!
- Be prepared – Don’t start or end in an abrupt manner. Before the meeting, make a note of all the things that you want to discuss and ensure that you use list to conduct the meeting. Keep your body language calm and open. Keep your intentions clear.
- Focus on performance not the person – This is by far the most important aspect of giving feedback. Remember ‘making it personal’ is different from ‘making it person-specific’! Remember to use references to specific actions or behaviours that were good or unacceptable in a certain situation. Do not judge a person when giving feedback.
- Describe, don’t prescribe - Ensure that you give descriptive examples of how/when/where you observed the good/unacceptable behaviour. Describe the situation objectively and use objective words rather than judgemental words. Do not generalize the behaviour. Keep it situation-specific and avoid using the terms always, never etc. Describe the impact of the behaviour on the individual, on the job, on the team, on you etc.
- Pause, observe, and reflect –Generally, when people set out to give feedback, it almost always seems rushed, one-way, and like a task that has to be completed. It is not. It is a process. Take it slow and give enough pauses in between the conversation that allow you to observe and reflect. Ensure that the feedback is clear to the individual. The pauses also give the individual a chance to absorb what is being discussed. Check with her how she is feeling about the dialogue and give her a chance to speak and discuss.
- Summarize and close – At the end of the session, it is important to summarize the key points of a discussion and then follow it up with a written document/email that reinforces the key aspects of the dialogue. If the individual requests for advice, offer ideas and suggestions. Keep away from giving instructions. Help individuals make the right choice, don’t make it for them. And finally, don’t expect dramatic changes in a short while.
Remember, giving feedback is a two-way process. Until the feedback has been received and acknowledged by the individual, there is no ‘giving’ that has happened.
Receiving Feedback
- Seek feedback – Feedback is an opportunity to develop and grow. If your supervisors have missed giving you feedback in a while, ask for it. Encourage people to give you feedback. If you are open about it, you will receive it frequently!
- Listen actively– It is not very easy to do this especially when it is time for some constructive/ developmental/negative feedback. But be patient and listen carefully without interrupting. One is tempted to defend herself or rationalise the behaviour that was observed. Resist that feeling.
- Clarify and share - After hearing the feedback, check to ensure that you understood it correctly. Take notes. Ask questions. Ask your supervisor to share specific examples of what they observed and when. Share your feelings about the feedback without justification or rationalization. Ask for suggestions and ideas to make things better.
- Reflect and consider – After the feedback session, reflect on what was discussed. Take time to think. Refer to your notes about the specific behaviours and actions that were discussed. Check with your peers and friends. Perhaps they had observed the same but were shy to share it. Decide what you want to do about the feedback. Try one of the suggestions or ideas mentioned during the meeting. Try to do things differently and do your best to resolve the issues.
Remember, when receiving feedback, you don’t have to agree with everything that you hear. But it is important for you to hear it and decide what you want to do about it.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Online Success - a recipe for learners and facilitators
The benefits of online learning have been long established in the learning industry. To add to the changing learning landscape, technology has helped support and develop online learning environments in ways that were not possible in the past. While changes are happening rapidly, the skills needed to leverage online learning - as learners and instructional designers - are not developing at the same speed.
In this context, it is important to begin developing online learning skills by appreciating digital pedagogy and how the principles, practices, and profession of teaching apply to the digital world. Whether on paper or on-screen, the adult learning theories and principles that guide training design and development continue to remain the same. However, online learning allows us to design training interventions in a self-paced yet collaborative environment and this requires specific design considerations and rethinking about how the theory of learning can be applied in this new space.
I have been both - an online learner and an online facilitator. Having had the chance to be on both sides of the table, I can recognize and appreciate the skills required for making online learning a success. I am not saying that online learning/teaching skills are completely different from learning/teaching in a classroom. However, there are significant nuances of online learning that expect learners and facilitators to focus on some skills more than others. In that context, it is important to prepare yourself for online learning and facilitating.
Learners in an Online Environment
All learners, irrespective of whether they attend online or onsite training have to be motivated and committed to the learning process. However, as online learners, we need more than that! Based on my experience, here are some points to consider:
- Understand and read more about how online learning is different from classroom learning. Get comfortable with the idea of a ‘faceless’ instructor and the absence of printed handouts! And understand that these are just minor differences; there are several more.
- Gather the required technology-related skills for online learning. If you can’t figure your way through a course outline or a website menu, you can’t learn much and will end up frustrated. It won’t be easy for folks who are used to handouts and books, but it can be learnt.
- Learn to read and follow instructions. Do not be afraid to ask when you don’t understand. There is no other way that a facilitator can know if you are uncomfortable about an idea or a concept.
- Plan and manage your time. Since all learning is self-paced and online, it is easy to be distracted. Plan and schedule your time through the course. Keep time aside for reading, participating in discussion forum and chats, and completing exercise and assignments.
- Participate and engage with the facilitator and other learners. Be a part of the community and help support the learning culture. Post your feedback and views about the discussion topic. Be honest to yourself and others. Start a dialogue with fellow learners so that you can continue it beyond the online classroom.
- Learn to learn by yourself. It is challenging to not be able to ‘see’ other learners around you but remember that they are around you! Develop your skills towards independent study and the skills to collaborate in the digital world without meeting face-to-face.
- Keep yourself motivated. Always keep your learning goal in your mind and recall it every time you start to ‘drop-out’. While the facilitator will provide you necessary opportunities to engage and stay motivated, this is something you really have to do for yourself. Find what works for you – the time and money you invested, the hat and degree in the hand, a better job, a higher salary.
- Be self-disciplined and committed. Submit exercises and assignments on time. Participate and collaborate with other learners. Give and take regular feedback. Remember that you are responsible for your success in any learning program!
- Stay engaged. Stay connected.
Facilitators in an Online Environment
Assuming that there is a solid training course utilizing sound instructional design principles, online facilitators need far more than technology-related skills (LMS/LCMS/Webinars etc) to become successful. Based on my experience, here are some points to consider:
- Take an online course to understand how it is different from a traditional classroom. Your own experience as a learner is far more powerful than any other training related to facilitating online.
- Read, discuss, and ponder about specific techniques and methods to make online learning a success. Even if you are an ace instructional designer or facilitator, this will not come to you intuitively. Connect with other facilitators who have done it before to get their perspective.
- Develop your writing skills. Giving the right instructions using the written word is a ‘make or break’ skill for online facilitating. Be prepared to communicate entirely using writing.
- Understand and integrate the specific methods and strategies used for online training. Be comfortable with the use of technology (chats/tweets/discussions/lms) and incorporate them in the right way within the learning process.
- Address the fears and apprehensions your learners may face about online learning. Encourage them to discover and explore. Use examples from your own experience. Don’t be afraid to learn along the way.
- Be disciplined and expect the same from your learners. Commit the required time and schedule all interventions appropriately.
- Create enough opportunities for learners to participate, collaborate, and learn from each other. Ensure knowledge exchange between the learners and lead the process from the front. Develop the community and understand that you are a part of it.
- Interact and engage with learners in a consistent, continuous manner. Contribute more than they expect. Give feedback on time. Be flexible with learner needs yet maintain a momentum for the course.
- Take feedback from learners during and after the learning process. Don’t be afraid to rethink and redesign the training program based on the feedback and your own experience. Evaluate yourself as an online facilitator.
- Face the reality. You may have been a successful classroom trainer but that does not guarantee the same success online. Don’t be hard on yourself. Rejoice that practice can make you perfect!
I don't believe there is a perfect recipe for online success. But the points above were some of the ingredients from my own experiences. It wasn't perfect but it was all worth it!
In this context, it is important to begin developing online learning skills by appreciating digital pedagogy and how the principles, practices, and profession of teaching apply to the digital world. Whether on paper or on-screen, the adult learning theories and principles that guide training design and development continue to remain the same. However, online learning allows us to design training interventions in a self-paced yet collaborative environment and this requires specific design considerations and rethinking about how the theory of learning can be applied in this new space.
I have been both - an online learner and an online facilitator. Having had the chance to be on both sides of the table, I can recognize and appreciate the skills required for making online learning a success. I am not saying that online learning/teaching skills are completely different from learning/teaching in a classroom. However, there are significant nuances of online learning that expect learners and facilitators to focus on some skills more than others. In that context, it is important to prepare yourself for online learning and facilitating.
Learners in an Online Environment
All learners, irrespective of whether they attend online or onsite training have to be motivated and committed to the learning process. However, as online learners, we need more than that! Based on my experience, here are some points to consider:
- Understand and read more about how online learning is different from classroom learning. Get comfortable with the idea of a ‘faceless’ instructor and the absence of printed handouts! And understand that these are just minor differences; there are several more.
- Gather the required technology-related skills for online learning. If you can’t figure your way through a course outline or a website menu, you can’t learn much and will end up frustrated. It won’t be easy for folks who are used to handouts and books, but it can be learnt.
- Learn to read and follow instructions. Do not be afraid to ask when you don’t understand. There is no other way that a facilitator can know if you are uncomfortable about an idea or a concept.
- Plan and manage your time. Since all learning is self-paced and online, it is easy to be distracted. Plan and schedule your time through the course. Keep time aside for reading, participating in discussion forum and chats, and completing exercise and assignments.
- Participate and engage with the facilitator and other learners. Be a part of the community and help support the learning culture. Post your feedback and views about the discussion topic. Be honest to yourself and others. Start a dialogue with fellow learners so that you can continue it beyond the online classroom.
- Learn to learn by yourself. It is challenging to not be able to ‘see’ other learners around you but remember that they are around you! Develop your skills towards independent study and the skills to collaborate in the digital world without meeting face-to-face.
- Keep yourself motivated. Always keep your learning goal in your mind and recall it every time you start to ‘drop-out’. While the facilitator will provide you necessary opportunities to engage and stay motivated, this is something you really have to do for yourself. Find what works for you – the time and money you invested, the hat and degree in the hand, a better job, a higher salary.
- Be self-disciplined and committed. Submit exercises and assignments on time. Participate and collaborate with other learners. Give and take regular feedback. Remember that you are responsible for your success in any learning program!
- Stay engaged. Stay connected.
Facilitators in an Online Environment
Assuming that there is a solid training course utilizing sound instructional design principles, online facilitators need far more than technology-related skills (LMS/LCMS/Webinars etc) to become successful. Based on my experience, here are some points to consider:
- Take an online course to understand how it is different from a traditional classroom. Your own experience as a learner is far more powerful than any other training related to facilitating online.
- Read, discuss, and ponder about specific techniques and methods to make online learning a success. Even if you are an ace instructional designer or facilitator, this will not come to you intuitively. Connect with other facilitators who have done it before to get their perspective.
- Develop your writing skills. Giving the right instructions using the written word is a ‘make or break’ skill for online facilitating. Be prepared to communicate entirely using writing.
- Understand and integrate the specific methods and strategies used for online training. Be comfortable with the use of technology (chats/tweets/discussions/lms) and incorporate them in the right way within the learning process.
- Address the fears and apprehensions your learners may face about online learning. Encourage them to discover and explore. Use examples from your own experience. Don’t be afraid to learn along the way.
- Be disciplined and expect the same from your learners. Commit the required time and schedule all interventions appropriately.
- Create enough opportunities for learners to participate, collaborate, and learn from each other. Ensure knowledge exchange between the learners and lead the process from the front. Develop the community and understand that you are a part of it.
- Interact and engage with learners in a consistent, continuous manner. Contribute more than they expect. Give feedback on time. Be flexible with learner needs yet maintain a momentum for the course.
- Take feedback from learners during and after the learning process. Don’t be afraid to rethink and redesign the training program based on the feedback and your own experience. Evaluate yourself as an online facilitator.
- Face the reality. You may have been a successful classroom trainer but that does not guarantee the same success online. Don’t be hard on yourself. Rejoice that practice can make you perfect!
I don't believe there is a perfect recipe for online success. But the points above were some of the ingredients from my own experiences. It wasn't perfect but it was all worth it!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
I am an Instructional Designer - This is My Story
Inspired by Cammy Bean’s post.
Caution: Long post. Is wordy and may be boring at places. But this is the story of my professional life. Life is boring at times. But it is always interesting when you write about life after 10 years.
~~~~~~~~~~
What did I want to be when I grew up? Honestly…. so many things!
I wanted to be a rock star, a musician, a dancer, a painter, a writer, an editor, and a teacher…all at different ages of my life and sometimes all of these rolled into one! But never did I imagine that I would be an ‘Instructional Designer’.
One of the big reasons for my lack of imagination is that I did not know that a career like this existed! And to add to my limited view of career choices, in my country, we did not have any courses then (and do not even have now) that allow you to graduate in instructional design. Our lack of vision continues…but more on that at another time.
My first encounter with content writing and editing was at school where I edited the school magazine for 2 years. I submitted many of my own poems for the magazine to compensate for the lack of participation from others. This meant that I had to write poems at a regular frequency and soon developed an appreciation for the ‘written word’ and writing in general. My home was always full of books owing to my father’s interest in reading. My interest in books and all things that help us ‘learn’ started early. Books became my friends.
After school, the difficult period began. Since I did not want to be a doctor, engineer, or a lawyer (what my parents thought I should be) or be a botany, zoology, or microbiology graduate (typical ‘girly’ subjects then), I decided to do something vocational. I joined Bachelor of Home Sciences (another girly course – for the obvious reasons –though my reasons were different). I am still surprised I joined the course – what with my utter lack of homeliness and no interest to be ‘homely’ either! I was a bright student and one with the toppers but I think I studied yet completely ignored the first two years (all about science and home). My carrot in this course was a chance to specialise in Community Resource Management in my final year. I waited for 2 years to ‘breathe again’ in my third and final year. The third year was all about consumerism, mass media, and management of resources – mind, time, and money. That is how close I ever went to formally learning about how to communicate with the public at large. I loved it!
My brush with management and the growing curiosity about the resource of ‘mind’ led me to enrol in a 2-year Post Graduate Management course. I went on to specialise in Marketing and Human Resource Management. With all my management studies and an increased confidence and practical view of life, fortunately (I can say that now), I landed my first job that of a content writer and within the first 6 months moved on to become a manager of content writers! Why I applied for the post is another mystery. The ad said they wanted writers without informing much about the kind of writing etc. I knew I could write so I applied. Rest is history – literally!
I learnt about instructional design on the job. I had the right environment - some wonderful mentors and being fortunate to be working in the largest training company. Along with working on client projects, very early in my career, I was asked to conduct instructional design-related training for budding writers joining our team, our division, and then our company. I started as a substitute trainer for some of the trainers who were not available at the time of the training. Slowly, the trainers did not need to be available anymore. I found my calling and took to training like a fish takes to water.
I think I learnt everything I know by:
- being asked to train others
- being given ‘challenging’ projects
- the trust and faith that my supervisors had in me
To feel less vulnerable, I opened my communication channels with my mentors trying to discuss the best way possible and finding the best possible solution.
To overcome the fear of being asked a difficult question by new hires or experienced folks, I read voraciously and built my own understanding of instructional design and all things related.
To avoid making mistakes others had made, I was always over-prepared and over-anxious.
To always be sure of everything I said to others, I tried things myself before making others learn it.
So it was all about learning and doing and making mistakes and learning! Soon, 10 years passed and here I was –doing needs analysis, curriculum analysis and design, course analysis and design, development, and training delivery without any fancy degrees on my card but by enjoying several positions in the area. By the way, my first ‘job’ lasted 10 years… with the same company. I did get a chance to pack a lot of experience and take up several positions in instructional design and learning.
Here I am now. I am walking a different path and have become an independent learning specialist. My work and approach remains the same. I am still learning and doing. I am making mistakes and experience continues to be my biggest teacher. Books are still my best friends. I read far more today. I blog, I tweet, I network. Instructional design and learning is my expertise and training delivery is my forte. I continue to be over-prepared and over-anxious! I think it helps! :)
Caution: Long post. Is wordy and may be boring at places. But this is the story of my professional life. Life is boring at times. But it is always interesting when you write about life after 10 years.
~~~~~~~~~~
What did I want to be when I grew up? Honestly…. so many things!
I wanted to be a rock star, a musician, a dancer, a painter, a writer, an editor, and a teacher…all at different ages of my life and sometimes all of these rolled into one! But never did I imagine that I would be an ‘Instructional Designer’.
One of the big reasons for my lack of imagination is that I did not know that a career like this existed! And to add to my limited view of career choices, in my country, we did not have any courses then (and do not even have now) that allow you to graduate in instructional design. Our lack of vision continues…but more on that at another time.
My first encounter with content writing and editing was at school where I edited the school magazine for 2 years. I submitted many of my own poems for the magazine to compensate for the lack of participation from others. This meant that I had to write poems at a regular frequency and soon developed an appreciation for the ‘written word’ and writing in general. My home was always full of books owing to my father’s interest in reading. My interest in books and all things that help us ‘learn’ started early. Books became my friends.
After school, the difficult period began. Since I did not want to be a doctor, engineer, or a lawyer (what my parents thought I should be) or be a botany, zoology, or microbiology graduate (typical ‘girly’ subjects then), I decided to do something vocational. I joined Bachelor of Home Sciences (another girly course – for the obvious reasons –though my reasons were different). I am still surprised I joined the course – what with my utter lack of homeliness and no interest to be ‘homely’ either! I was a bright student and one with the toppers but I think I studied yet completely ignored the first two years (all about science and home). My carrot in this course was a chance to specialise in Community Resource Management in my final year. I waited for 2 years to ‘breathe again’ in my third and final year. The third year was all about consumerism, mass media, and management of resources – mind, time, and money. That is how close I ever went to formally learning about how to communicate with the public at large. I loved it!
My brush with management and the growing curiosity about the resource of ‘mind’ led me to enrol in a 2-year Post Graduate Management course. I went on to specialise in Marketing and Human Resource Management. With all my management studies and an increased confidence and practical view of life, fortunately (I can say that now), I landed my first job that of a content writer and within the first 6 months moved on to become a manager of content writers! Why I applied for the post is another mystery. The ad said they wanted writers without informing much about the kind of writing etc. I knew I could write so I applied. Rest is history – literally!
I learnt about instructional design on the job. I had the right environment - some wonderful mentors and being fortunate to be working in the largest training company. Along with working on client projects, very early in my career, I was asked to conduct instructional design-related training for budding writers joining our team, our division, and then our company. I started as a substitute trainer for some of the trainers who were not available at the time of the training. Slowly, the trainers did not need to be available anymore. I found my calling and took to training like a fish takes to water.
I think I learnt everything I know by:
- being asked to train others
- being given ‘challenging’ projects
- the trust and faith that my supervisors had in me
To feel less vulnerable, I opened my communication channels with my mentors trying to discuss the best way possible and finding the best possible solution.
To overcome the fear of being asked a difficult question by new hires or experienced folks, I read voraciously and built my own understanding of instructional design and all things related.
To avoid making mistakes others had made, I was always over-prepared and over-anxious.
To always be sure of everything I said to others, I tried things myself before making others learn it.
So it was all about learning and doing and making mistakes and learning! Soon, 10 years passed and here I was –doing needs analysis, curriculum analysis and design, course analysis and design, development, and training delivery without any fancy degrees on my card but by enjoying several positions in the area. By the way, my first ‘job’ lasted 10 years… with the same company. I did get a chance to pack a lot of experience and take up several positions in instructional design and learning.
Here I am now. I am walking a different path and have become an independent learning specialist. My work and approach remains the same. I am still learning and doing. I am making mistakes and experience continues to be my biggest teacher. Books are still my best friends. I read far more today. I blog, I tweet, I network. Instructional design and learning is my expertise and training delivery is my forte. I continue to be over-prepared and over-anxious! I think it helps! :)
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