“Did you get a certificate for the course you attended?” is a question of little value. Better questions would be, “What did you learn on that course? What are you doing to apply what you learned? What are you doing to share what you learned?”
“How was the conference?” is a question of limited value. Better questions could be, “What did you learn at that conference? What are you doing to apply what you learned? What are you doing to share what you learned?”
“What nonfiction books have you read lately?” is a question of some possible value. Better questions might be, “What nonfiction books have you read recently where there were actionable takeaways? What were those actionable takeaways? What are you doing to implement those takeaways?”
“What are your favorite podcasts?” can be a good conversation starter. Perhaps more useful questions would be, “What podcasts do you find most valuable in challenging your thinking or inspiring additional learning? What are some episodes that you listened to recently that caused you to do a deeper dive into the topic or inspired you to act on what you learned? What are some of the action steps you have taken because of listening to podcasts recently?”
Too often our questions stop with the ‘What?’ and we never ask about the ‘So what?’ and ‘Now what?’. So, what did you learn and what are the applications and implications for training? So, now what are you doing to take action to improve your mind, body, or craft and your training?
I am not impressed by the number of books you have read. What I am interested in is what you learned, and more importantly what you did to apply what you learned. It is ok to say that a book was an interesting read, or the class was interesting, but there were not any actionable takeaways. However, if you say that about every book and every class, there is an issue.
Maybe if we got into the habit of asking better questions, we could inspire people to act, implement and share more often. That is what will raise the level of training and positively impact the profession.
P.S. As always, remember to ask these two questions:
- What’s Important Now?
- What’s the smallest change I can make that will make the biggest difference?
Take care.
Brian Willis
Winning Mind Training – Providing practical training to law enforcement professionals in the areas of instructor development, Performance Enhancement Imagery, leadership and mindset.
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