My colleague Jamie Treadwell and I had a great week last week speaking at the Learning Technologies conference in London.
We shared why it is important to recognise the emotional in learning interventions, and how to use metaphor to spark creativity in learning and change programmes. Of course we had to do this practically and so had a lots of loud music and a professional wind quintet on stage, enabling delegates to immerse themselves emotionally and creatively. We were excited to see the delegates come out with new perspectives on their own situations, which they will be able to take back and apply in their own work environments.
The biggest challenge facing organisations who are grappling with change and learning, is getting people to want to change and learn. That problem is an emotional one – yet most organisations will try and solve it rationally – and then wonder why change is so difficult.
So how do we get people to want to change (or learn)?
Well 2 ways – we recognise where people are emotionally – dare to ask, and be willing to be very real about it. And then help them discover new possibilities in their current situation, by providing an environment that sparks fresh perspective and creative ideas.
This is where music comes in – it is the most emotional art form and something that everyone responds to. And it also offers a powerful metaphor, which in itself sparks powerful insight. It is very aligned to the “provocative” thought process that Dr Edward de Bono spoke so passionately about on Wednesday.
It was a privilege to speak at the conference, headlined by such luminaries as Dr Edward de Bono, Ray Kurzweil and Jaron Lanier. We have been humbled to have been mentioned alongside these guys as one of the highlights of the conference.
Check out these reviews:
Don Taylor, Chairman of Learning Technologies speaking for Personnel Today (scroll down to the video at the bottom of the article, Kate Graham and The Training Journal.