The number one way to learn

It is generally considered that there are three ways that people learn: through observation, reading or experimenting. Depending on what you’re trying to learn, any of the three methods could be number one. However, one method has consistently proven to be hands down the best method: experience.

Every week we put a thought of the week on our company website. It’s always a motivating saying to give people something to think about during the week. An attention getting a james joyce dating cam. “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.”

Some people may have missed the whole message because they didn’t pay enough attention to the image that accompanied the saying. It turned out to be as inspiring as the saying itself. An image below Mr. Joyce’s words showed a forklift that had come off a loading dock. What many people may miss is the cargo the forklift is carrying: a missile sitting precariously in a broken crate.

This forklift driver could have read manual after manual to learn how to operate the forklift safely. He or she may also have watched video after video designed to teach them how to safely maneuver and operate the forklift. However, it is doubtful that any lesson has had as great an impact or lives on in memory as long as the day the forklift went off the dock.

When people invest in their employees, they are investing in the only asset the organization can appreciate. Equipment will depreciate, inventory will bear maintenance costs, and while the property may appreciate in value, there’s no way to capitalize on the gain without expensive new financing.

Fortune 500 companies have realized the importance of developing their employees through training programs. Many individuals have discovered for themselves the need to invest in themselves to expand and upgrade their skills. However, as with any investment, research shows that there is a right way and a wrong way to invest.

Safety videos, textbooks, manuals, online training, and other modes of education do not provide a return on investment by themselves. On the other hand, statistics show that experiential learning has a 42:1 return on investment.

Regardless of the lesson you are trying to teach someone, it is possible to find a method of instruction that allows for experiential learning. Sometimes creativity is needed. However, my experience is that there is always a method available. Take, for example, the forklift driver. We wouldn’t think of handing over car keys to a teenager without first starting to learn how to drive on a test track or desert road. However, normal forklift driver training is usually done with video and manual only. What if the forklift driver was first asked to gain experience in a remote corner of the warehouse using empty boxes? Perhaps even including test scenarios, such as a stack of empty boxes on a pallet that was too tall for the container he needed to occupy.

For maximum results, be sure to review your training programs to constantly increase the level of hands-on personal experience to facilitate the best learning with the highest return on investment.

===============