Workshops and me

 I am someone who does not like ‘Workshops ’. Let me elucidate – Workshops per se would be okay, if the process itself was revamped. Now, this is a very broad and general statement and has no reflection whatsoever on the company I work for, where the culture is exceedingly progressive & very different from the run of the mill. Not enjoying workshops may sound odd or strange, considering I am in the ‘education field’, and have been so for 40 years, but hear me out before you pass judgement. A great Workshop or Professional Development event is to supposed to refine skills, be simple, be fun, energize one, be an invigorating learning experience, and above all, motivate, and inspire the attendee to do better and think differently. However, for many employees, the world over, it is usually the opposite. More often than not, they come out feeling bored, disillusioned and even disgusted. The reason –a large number of PD’s that people attend are repetitive, passive, jargon heavy, tiresome, too simplistic, or just downright monotonous. It is often the case of ‘old wine in a new bottle’ and if I may add- not exactly, very palatable wine either! Now you may say that it is not workshops, which are a bad thing, but the resource persons who conduct them – for me it is the complete package. Here is a question, along with some advice to Educationists and others who may read this, as it pertains to all segments of the workforce. Why is so much of the professional development that people attend, such a waste of energy and resources? The number of person-hours that probably go down the drain in companies and institutions is such a criminal waste of time. I have, over the years, had this discussion with innumerable friends and colleagues, and almost all have had similar views. According to a recent survey, ‘the majority of PD is provided in a workshop model, and workshop models are inherently ineffective. This has been a perennial debate and the jury is still out on this one. It amounts to giving everyone the same information, regardless of their prior knowledge, skills, experience, and leaving it up to them to determine how, or if, it is implemented at all. The follow up is zilch. People have obviously heard of the word Differentiation. In 1999, the American educator, author and speaker, Carol Ann Tomlinson, wrote about the “Differentiated classroom- responding to the need of all learners” Over the years, we have seen how Differentiation continues to play an effective & substantial role in how pupils are taught, and it has proved a boom, to tens of thousands of pupils, especially those with a special educational need. Now what about adults in a PD classroom? If it has worked for children, then why won’t it work for adults? They could be bankers, teachers, marketing professionals or accountants – it does not matter and mark you, this is not rocket science. We would certainly not teach our students this way. In addition, if we do not expect our students to come to class at the same level and learn in the exact same way- so why do we expect it from others? It is about time managers and leaders started thinking differently. Prior to conducting a workshop or a PD session , it would be wise to take a survey of your staff to see what they know about a professional development topic, and how skilled they consider themselves in that area. I am an educationist, and hence I know that schools already have a sense of this, from knowing the teachers well and being in their classrooms regularly, but it is about time that all administrators, in diverse companies, realize, that getting prior reflective feedback from the intended participants is critical to the success of the PD as well. Educational institutions can do better too. This information will also then allow leaders to tailor this professional development session to meet the needs of the individual, designing smaller group sessions with flexible groupings to instruct them at their varying levels of readiness and need. Thus, the more experienced ones can get together to problem solve difficulties they might be having, or compare solutions while simultaneously sharing strategies and best practices. This way, participants of all readiness levels are meaningfully engaged, and the ensuing workshop becomes an enjoyable learning experience-, which was obviously the intention in the first place. When you work on the interest or need of the participants, they are more likely to be deeply engaged, making the work more productive -- just like with students in a school. In the classroom, we often have stronger students help their peers. Allow the workshop participants that have particular skill sets or experience, to run smaller group sessions. It provides leadership opportunities and develops a sense of ownership over the institutional improvement process. It is also worth considering that fact, that sometimes adults are more open to listening to someone in a similar position to himself or herself, than they are in taking directives from a senior administrator. I had the wonderful opportunity, while in my present company, to attend a Leadership course at The Tuck School of Business – part of the Graduate business school of Dartmouth College, an Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. To say that I returned with a fresh perspective, not only on education, but also on life itself would be putting it mildly. The sessions were interactive, simplistic, thought provoking and fun, and it was time well spent. I feel if we truly practice what we preach where differentiation is concerned it will surely add value. If professional development is about growth and improvement then leaders must first strive to improve the process itself.