| “Yes, I Understand.”
(No, He Actually Doesn’t.)
If you’re like 99 percent of us, when you transfer
knowledge you say things like: "this information is
very important." “do you understand?” and
“any questions?”
That’s how we were taught in K-12: Shut up. Listen.
Open head so we can pour in content. It’s what we
revert to in adult life when we explain and teach. The people
you’re teaching also revert to K-12: they smile, nod
and say “I understand” whether they do or not.
A Simple Way to Make Sure Someone 'Gets It'
Next time you teach someone, make them repeat back, what
you just said in their own words.
But don’t come at them like Mrs. Nelson in the sixth
grade, trying to prove they weren’t listening. Start
with: “What I’m going to tell you is important,
so I’ll ask you to repeat back what I said in your
own words. Is that okay?”
Now they’re listening with a whole different level
of intensity. And when they repeat back to you, you can
address any thing they get wrong.
More Where that Came From
That simple but powerful technique is just one of sixteen
skills we teach in our Peer Mentoring workshops (see listing
at right). Peer Mentoring teaches effective one-on-one knowledge
transfer and is getting great results at companies like
Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Nordstrom, Phelps Dodge and
many others.
Check it out. And then, next time you hang up the phone,
you'll know they understood exactly what you were trying
to tell them.
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