Using Intuitive and Deliberate Learning in Story Lessons - Tip #150

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

I have often proposed in my books, blogs and presentations the idea of integrating stories in learning design. You’ll find several tips in this blog alone citing many studies affirming the effectiveness of stories in helping people learn.

In this tip, something got me reflecting about how learning is about decisions and thinking, and that stories have an even deeper influence in the way we think, act and learn than we originally assumed.

Two Operating Systems in the Brain

I have been reading Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) by Daniel Kahneman, a psychologist who was awarded a Nobel laureate for his work in economics and decision making.

Credit: BestWorkFromHomeIdeas.co.uk

In his book, Kahneman discusses the two systems at work in our brains: the automatic System 1 and the effortful System 2.

System 1 is fast, unconscious, and quick. It bases thinking and actions from experiences and survival instincts. Though impulsive or reactive, most of the time these thoughts are correct.


System 2 is generally slower and more deliberate; however, it is very useful when we are presented with more complex problems that require analytical thought or deep thinking.

System 1 allows us to “make sense of a complex world” by creating “emotionally coherent stories from, and even causal relationships among, the facts before us … using associative memory to interpret according to familiar frames and past experience.” It's fast thinking that prevents analysis paralysis.


But System 1 come with some flaws. It jumps to conclusions based on a few facts and is prone to narrative fallacy, belief bias, substitution, and other errors of intuitive thought. Hence, System 2 puts System 1 in check. According to Kahneman:

Intuition and Thoughtful Thinking

Some people might see intuition and thoughtful thinking as two opposite sides of the brain, often “fighting” to gain dominance in decision making. This isn’t the case.

Kahneman says “Systems 1 and 2 are inseparable.” In fact, they need to work together. System 2’s explicit beliefs and deliberate choices are based on System 1’s impressions and feelings. When System 1 encounters an “anomaly” or a “surprise”, System 2 takes charge, overriding automatic reactions by having the last say. Together, the two systems operate to minimize effort and maximize performance.

What We Should Experience and Try

After reading Kahneman’s book, I realized a few things:

• Most learning are aimed at deliberate thinking and ignore intuitive thinking. That’s why learning becomes so hard and people would rather not learn or go into learning mode. In LinkedIn’s 2017 Workplace Learning Report, L&D pros are are still sticking to in-person classroom setting, despite learners’ demand for more modern, experiential formats.
• We tend to ignore intuitive judgement in our design because it is loose, informal and others may call it a "touchy-feely" type of learning. But, Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends 2016 report shows that modern learners view learning as an “experience.” They want training to be experiential, one that relies on simulations, case studies and flipped classrooms rather than lectures.
• Experience and research tell me that in today's world, we better make learning faster, easier and helpful; otherwise, learners do not desire to "learn." With their short attention spans and busy, on-the-go lifestyles, modern learners clamor for “point of need” learning and “just in time” training.

Simple Tip to Engage System 1 and System 2

The next time you cover, present or design a factual content, ask: "What is the intuitive response to this?" Ask your learners the question: "What comes to your mind quickly as we speak of this fact, for example, "OSHA regulations?" Over and over again -- we have tested and researched this -- the learner quickly jumps into using their System 1 thinking to learn your System 2 content. Add a deep dive exercise to challenge them to think critically of the right actions to take, making Systems 2 work for the learner.

You Might Also Be Interested In

Tip #41 - How to Weave Hard Facts and Emotions into your eLearning Lessons
Tip #99 - Changing Behavior by Advancing Experience and Stories
Tip #103 - Change Learners' Minds By Changing the Stories They Tell

Tip #117 - 5 Story Arguments that Compel Learners to Pay Attention

Tip #140 - Your Brain Prefers Interactive Stories, Not Lectures

Resources

Daniel Kahneman
Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) by Daniel Kahneman
Essay: Behavioral Science and Scienter in Class Action Securities Fraud Litigation (2013) by Ann Morales Olazábal
Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends 2016 report
LinkedIn’s 2017 Workplace Learning Report
Meet the Modern Learner (Infographic) (2014)

Ray Jimenez, PhD

Vignettes Learning

"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

How Microlearning Impacts Coaching and Behavior Change - Tip #149

In California, there’s a law that discourages people from using plastic bags. Supermarkets will charge you $.10 if you need a bag -- it’s no longer free. But dang! I always forget, so I end up hauling my purchased goods one by one to my car. I haven’t yet learned to carry a bag. I still forget.

Change is Hard

Each time I forget to bring a bag, I resolve to change (I'm going to bring a shopping bag next time); however, my behavior has not (I still forget!). And this isn't just me. In a study on the "Take 5" program, 35% of respondents believed that they should eat 5 fruits and vegetables daily; however, only 11% actually came through.

People find it hard to change their behavior EVEN after a life-changing event. Dr. Edward Miller, CEO of John Hopkins Hospital from 1997 to 2012, shared in 2006 how “90% of all the people who have had heart bypass surgery and or an angioplasty within two years of their surgery have gone back to the exact same lifestyle they had before the surgery.”

Micro-Coaching

One of my favorite books by Ken Blanchard is the One-Minute Manager (1982). The book talks about the three key secrets of being a good manager: goal setting, praising, and redirecting or reprimanding. To me, those three key actions sound like “micro-coaching.”

Credit: Amazon

Changing behavior, coaching and sorting out problems are really very tiny, specific actions that take time to do. So it’s difficult to change behaviors about multiple things and ideas at the same time. If the stores require that I show my ID and explain why I didn’t bring a bag, and send me home to get my bag... Well, there are too many things to learn and remember -- and I will hate it. (This is of course an exaggeration.)

Instant Coaching

I have worked with thousands of trainers, designers and leaders, and everyone recognizes this challenge in changing behavior. But, while they agree there’s a problem, they also recognize that it’s inevitable that learners need to change behaviors for everything they wish to learn. So there’s a disconnect in what we believe and what we do.

My work on Microlearning leads me to believe and practice the following.

• Learners usually decide they want to change behaviors, not because of the content or learning materials, but because they see it as a necessity to be effective in doing their work.

In transpersonal psychology, this is the emotional connection to the new behavior or the innate desire to develop and grow. Shifting to the new behavior must mean something for the learner so they can put sustained effort at achieving behavioral change.

• Coaching works, not because of the coach, but because the learner can coach himself/herself. They can observe, reflect and then coach themselves.

In LinkedIn’s 2017 Workplace Learning Report, one of the key strategies toward a successful L&D program is to build a culture of Transformative Learning. It includes change in actions, where learners observe, apply and experiment in order to learn and grow.

• Goals are aligned and problems are solved, because the adjustments are made in smaller ways. Even big goals are changed by taking small actions. For instance, by implementing simple rules in the workplace like stopping rules or rules of thumb, learners are making minor adjustments that result in big wins for the organization.

The change of behavior, therefore, is possible because the worker has the answers from experience, other people and bosses, and access to content. They don't change behaviors because of training sessions.

Making content smaller has nothing to do with reducing the size of content or splicing big content into chunks. Rather, it is about how workers make the change, how they coach themselves, and how they align goals and solve problems.

You Might Also Be Interested In

Surgical Insertion of Micro-Scenarios that Beautify and Fire Up Your eLearning

12 Metaphor Story Questions to Engage Learners
Tip #58 - Learning in 30 Seconds-Learning ala The Matrix Style
Tip #87 - Why Simple Rules Produce Instant Learning and Application

Resources

Ken Blanchard
The psychology of change management by Emily Lawson and Colin Price
LinkedIn’s 2017 Workplace Learning Report
Tip #87 - Why Simple Rules Produce Instant Learning and Application

Ray Jimenez, PhD

Vignettes Learning

"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

The Secrets of Graffiti Learning Pros - Tip #148

How do you sneak in success into your learning design?

When I conduct webinars or speak in workshops and conferences, I meet two types of learning pros: the Fixer-uppers, or those who help learners fix things, and the Sprayers, or those who “spray” learners “band-aid” solutions and content. Because they focus on different approaches, you might think they contradict at all times. At first glance, yes, it might seem that way, but these different approaches can both help.

The “fixer-uppers” are most likely the trainers or designers who are proximal to the problems, and right then and there provide answers. They may be the buddies, supervisors or people who have experienced the same issues that learners have.

The "sprayers" are more likely the pros that live away from the work situation so they take all knowledge they can take from SMEs, documentations, and secondhand knowledge and information. They build large content and repositories. This is their strength. They provide solutions, but learners just have to drill down and find them.

There’s a "spray person" and a "fixer-upper" in all of us. But there’s also a third type: the graffiti person.

Graffitis and Learning

Graffiti artists paint rapidly, create ideas and leave colorful markings on walls. They’re driven and they work fast. (People say if it’s not done in five minutes, then it’s not graffiti.) Because many people dislike them, such as the police and maintenance staff, graffiti artists work incognito. They don’t claim fame and they don't get paid. They sneak into places and leave only their work behind.

In the eLearning space, graffiti learning is most of the time “out of control." Graffiti learning pros are unhappy with the spray-can people and the fixer-uppers, and like graffiti artists, they sneak in solutions.

This is what the graffiti people say:

"I’m unhappy with my program. There's got to be a better way to engage learners."

"I tested this small thing and it made a huge difference."

"If I ask my boss, he will say no, so I sneak in the new approach to test it."

"Like a snail, I inch in new ideas. Then they see it and say, ‘Wow’."

The “sneaking in” approach might be seen as a small one, but for the graffiti people, it’s the only way to go. They know that through this, change happens.

Graffitis can be a modern art form or a complete nuisance, depending on your point of view. But “graffiti has a better chance of bringing in new meaning or changing mindsets and perspectives than anything indoors,” a well-known graffiti artist named Bansky has been quoted as saying. “Graffiti has been used to start revolutions, stop wars…” In the very least, graffitis make you think.

In one article, Bored Panda lists more than 20 graffitis that tackle the issue of climate change and hits the nail on the head: “This street art uses simple slogans and provocative images to spread important and inspiring ideas in ways that are easy to remember. Such art can inspire people to action or at least remind them about important issues that they may have forgotten.”

The Key to Learning Design Success

In a recent blog post, I shared several tips on implementing a corporate-wide story-based learning approach. I mentioned that training content should be embedded as part of the story. Sneak in training content with an engaging story and learners have a better chance of learning than using the traditional, boring approach.

It’s pretty much the same when applying new learning designs. When someone asks me how to apply Microlearning or Story-based Learning design elements in their courses, I say Sneak. Don't call them anything. Don't call them a design. Don't call attention to them. Just do it. Sneak them in."

This is how you sneak in success!

Resources:

Banksy
20+ Powerful Street Art Pieces That Tell The Uncomfortable Truth
Tip #83 - How to Implement a Corporate-Wide Story-Based Learning
Tip #20 - Weaving Stories and Factual Content for Seamless Lessons

Tip #59 - The Brain and The Stories We Tell: Top Reasons Why Stories Change Our Behavior

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Tip #120 - It’s Really That Simple - Steps in Story Learning Design - Try the Live Exercise
Tip #124 - Are Instructional Designers Incapable of Micro-Learning Design?
Tip #141 - Advanced Models of Story-Based eLearning Design
Tip #146 - You Too Can Be a Da Vinci of eLearning Design

Ray Jimenez, PhD

Vignettes Learning

"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"

Are We Taking the Concept of “Micro” Too Far? - Tip #147

I was reading an article in The New York Times about how a company in Wisconsin wanted to microchip their employees. My first reaction was absolute horror and all I could think of was that this is what I do to my pets to find them. Then I wondered if we really have gone too far with this whole “micro” concept thing as my thoughts wandered to the movie “1984” with its portrayal of big brother watching. As I continued to read, I saw that fifty out of eighty employees actually volunteered for this procedure. Skeptically searching for any conceivable reason a person would allow themselves to be microchipped by their workplace, I found a surprising answer.

Sometimes you have to see the purpose to understand the value

This microchip would make it quicker and easier for these individuals to do things such as access the building they work in and pay for their lunch with a simple swipe of their hand. The interviewees expressed a common desire of making things quicker and easier (that, and the idea that this was going to be happening in the near future anyway). No more looking for an access card that was misplaced or waiting in line for someone to locate their wallet at lunch. At the swipe of a hand, the result is instant.

Then I read another article about building a portable computer on a USB drive where a mini computer containing all the apps, programs, and files can fit in your hand. Again, the purpose lies in the desire to make things quick and easy.

How does this connect to microlearning?

When I take the concept of micro and apply it to the content development environment, I begin with the idea of purpose, quick and easy, and then add accessible and immediately applicable. This is microlearning and it is the next big thing.

What we typically understand microlearning to be is a technique that provides the learner with bite-sized information that fits in a time span of three to five minutes, and is offered frequently to improve skills. The focus is chunked content presented quickly, over an extended period of time to build knowledge. But is microlearning only about learning that is quick and easy or are we missing the true advantages that microlearning has to offer beyond knowledge, retention, and expertise?

Microlearning is about micro-actions

Microlearning is more than a way to arrive at the corner of Knowledge Lane and Expertise Drive. It goes beyond the limitation of learning a skill. Microlearning is a practice where learning is not an end to itself; but a practice that focuses on what is needed at that moment in time providing a bridge to the necessary steps for completing an action. When we take microlearning and connect it to micro-action, this practice thrives beyond the LMS, typical corporate training, and professional learning, and brings the workflow to life.

How? Because Microlearning that is focused on micro-actions, what needs to be implemented or supported in the workflow, moves workers through known blocks so that they are able to quickly and easily complete the task at hand.

Here is an example of how microlearning can be implemented as a micro-action for completing different Alexa commands. Click image to visit this example.

Think About It

Consider your workflow and identify where within it is there typically a block. Imagine having a tool to refer to at that moment that enables you to quickly and easily get the answer needed to complete the task instantly. That tool is microlearning and its practice has led you to a micro-action and ultimately success. Micro is not just the future, it’s now and we are only getting started.

Tips References

Tip #129 - Why Does Microlearning Mean Better Learning?
Tip #134 - Microlearning Leads to Rapid Skill Acquisition
Tip #110 - Are We Stuck in Big Content, Unable to Think Micro-Learning?

Ray Jimenez, PhD

Vignettes Learning

"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"