Learning: What Stops Adults From Learning?

I wanted to write on this for a very long time.

When I raise this question – what stops adults from learning - I mean anyone in the age group anywhere between 18 to 75 years.

There are many people I know who completely understand the need to learn and are aware how learning will drastically improve their life, take them to their desired goal, however they still make very little progress.

What are the potential barriers that could possibly hinder an adult's learning process? As a coach I have had my days wondering why teaching adults is so different and difficult. 

Let us deep dive here

Pedagogy

Teacher centered learning usually applicable for teaching children

Andragogy

Learner centered learning relevant to teaching adults. This is primarily based on a few key assumptions.

Learning with awareness:        Why they need to learn something?

Learning in phases:                  Experiential learning

Learning for outcomes:            Problem solving approach towards learning

                                                         

The principle difference lies there. The learning depends on the Adult.

Their desire to learn

Their inclination to participate in the learning process

Their reasons to be involved or aloof in learning process

The adults really have an uncanny way of calculating immediate value of anything, even learning and that either triggers interest or kills it.

Examples of their thought process

A training on Robot Process Automation can be a good value add in my career

Why do I need a training in decision making? How will that help? I already make my own decisions?

The adult who is intrinsically motivated does something for his own sake .

What stops adults from learning?

Belief about themselves

If a learner has low confidence, self-conscious and has a negative self-image - a coach has to take care of that image first.

1.Fear

Learners may have fear of under-performing, not learning fast enough, not delivering as expected or feel humiliated in front of others. These fears can affect their learning – a coach has to assure there is nothing to lose if things are going slow and it is okay to deal with real fears not imaginary ones. 

A coach should call out  each fear, discuss consequence and mutually plan the learning map.

2. Physical Challenges

If there is any physical pain that is taking the learner’s focus and attention away, strategize with delivery option to create conducive learning environment.

Example - If sitting for long hours is a concern, provide alternative options to read, provide mail or call support, one on one agenda, micro learn at their own pace to make the most of learner's attention.

3. Training Attended 

If the learner has already attended several trainings and coaching sessions without quantifiable results

If the learner is opinionated and has strong beliefs about training or trainers due to past experience, that could also affect learning curve.

A coach should call out attendance is just the first part of learning, applying what was learnt in real life scenario and achieving results is in the hands of the learner. If there is no change in behavior, the learner has not kept his part of the deal.

4. Life Goals

If the learner does not identify the reasons to learn or the purpose of learning and does not have any goals in work or home life that aligns to that learning, the chances are slim that any learning will actually take place in that case.

They are fundamentally concerned about current needs, quick fix solutions, often get stressed easily and anxious about group participation or any kind of sharing as they lack the vision, many have - beyond now, beyond the immediate.

A coach can establish need or that purpose, provide coping strategies to deal with current issues and ready to handle any crisis that shows up in the future. 

Learner's Ownership

While barriers like language, literacy or numeracy (LLN), foundations skills for being employable and other skills can be refined the four reasons stated above are beyond the purview of a facilitator or coach.

If there is no eagerness on behalf of the learner to cooperate and be self motivated to make the learning exercise effective for their own sake, any learning initiative can be a futile effort.

Coach's Ownership

While preparing the learning road map, it is important to capture learner’s characteristics

 Categorize target learners who have very different and complex needs 

Be sensitive to learner characteristics while choosing delivery option

Develop program content keeping the above in view

Understand impact of learning on self and environment – role in the company, expertise etc.

If you can relate to these scenarios as a learner or coach and want to chalk out learning road map, write to advocating.outcomes@gmail.com to create one based on BECKON learning framework - A framework that is governed by outcomes and not driven by mere function. 

Can You Train Or Coach Someone With Victim Mentality Attitude?

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I am not sure, if the words 'Mentality' and 'Attitude' can go together. Anyways.

The very first criteria of BECKON learning strategy is to assess an individual's current capability before chalking out learning road map and signing off desirable outcomes, they plan to achieve. As coaching consultants, you will face huge challenge if your resource is one with "Victim Mentality"

It is incredibly easy to identify a person with victim mentality as their characteristics are so prominent that you can spot them miles away. We figure out during Q and A and face to face session. The saddest part is they have the faintest clue of it.

Is it a personality trait or an identity? That seriously depends on how chronic the case is.

These people tend to regard himself or herself as a victim of the negative actions of others. They will speak exactly in that language as if that was the truth, even if there is no way to verify it and there is no evidence. It is a habitual thought process and quite naturally dominates their language, imagination and energy levels.

What language patterns will you observe to immediately draw your conclusions: How much time will you need to train those thought patterns? Will you need a complete era or three lifetime? Probably not!

When you know it is the language patterns that govern people's victim mentality - That is your first remedy zone.

You will hear a series of negatives - about what wasn't, what isn't, what won't, continuous projection how someone or something outside is responsible for their thoughts, feelings and destiny. The final hint is their soft language - what they doubt, why they delay and what worries them. 

None of these empower them and as a result they have a tough time trusting themselves and making decisions simply because it is their language that controls their feelings and their actions. Why do they speak this language because they are habitually trained by themselves to think like that?

Here are Cathy's lines:

I hope I don't get tongue tied today. This interview is very important

If you constantly visualize getting tongue tied, how confident would you feel? You are destined towards jeopardy.

I was late last time for an interview because I met this old friend and he went on and on 

Certainly not her fault who forgot to tell him that she is on her way for an interview and will catch up later.

The more you know about the language, the more you can easily avoid it and the coach just acts like sensors, to assist them be on track, with the right language first that can re train their thought process.

Part 1: For Leaders, Communication Is Not Just Communication

You have been with the organization for over a decade. Your growth in the firm has been phenomenal. Your success quotient with people, process and project is way above average. Your potential and performance even got you to the advisory board. As a senior leader, you are the Go-To person for anything pertaining to your domain and strategic moves. Your work inspires many and yet, in spite of all your achievements you have never been invited to be a key speaker in seminars, leadership trainings or address large audience in Town halls. Did you ever wonder why?

As you grow up in the corporate ladder, did you ever realize that you had to work on your communication style, body language, regardless of whether your audience remained same or has changed? What you speak reflects how you think and your thinking has definitely changed over the years. How you say determine what impact you are likely to create. Positive impact is the desired outcome and if there is even the slightest of chance to damage that leadership image or impact on audience, why should you be invited to address an audience in large forums?

Here is a quick checklist of C’s for you to run through so that you can identify what is stopping you from getting those opportunities to speak in important platforms. You may work on remedies accordingly. (A list of remedies will be published soon)

Command on language: Is it your heavy accent? Do you fall short of right words due to limited vocabulary? Would you be more comfortable talking in your own mother tongue? Is it really about language in the first place? Do you abhor the spontaneity required in speaking and you think you are better off writing your thoughts? Fight this war out first before you do anything else to improve communication, as if it is language concerns, you have a huge task in hand. We all know fluency in language cannot be acquired overnight.

Crowd Conscious: Though you are well prepared for the speech, well rehearsed with multiple dry runs for the presentation, the sight of an enthusiastic crowd diffuses your spirit for the fear of letting them down or not living up to their expectations. Does the sight of a dais actually bring butterflies to your stomach? Who should we treat here then? Not the butterflies for sure. You are human and so are they. Get the intentions right – your key messages will not just penetrate the crowd but their minds too.

Circle of Influence: You have always been a great presenter. You address queries from the team effectively. Your storyboards are very well accepted, however you have a comfort zone with specific team members, clients, and small group of stakeholders. You sail through because you are able to influence them, get their buy in, relate to them. You believe, you might not be able to have similar control with a bunch of strangers or larger group.

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Next in the series is on developing Competence