Warm beverage optional, but probably appreciated. (Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash)

Good words: A reason why you need to speak them out loud to other humans

Let’s hang out in this domain of self-directed learning again this week. Back in May, I had written as a closing comment:

“…call a friend who has nothing to do with your job, and just chat. This second type of interaction has the dual purpose of helping unblock you, or reinforce reading comprehension because you are obligated to slow down and talk to a non-insider about what you’re dealing with.”

At first glance, this might remind you of the “rubber ducky” troubleshooting method from formal (classroom) software development instruction.

We’re taught that when we run into an issue with our code, we should stop and talk out loud about what is happening (to a rubber ducky, but could be to the air, your cat, whatever). This slows us down enough to articulate exactly where we’re getting stuck, or what the problem is.

You could accept what I said on that basis alone if you’ve shared the experience of getting unstuck through speaking aloud.

However, my assertion is also motivated by learning theory. Particularly, situated learning theory (SLT).

Put forward by Lave and Wenger in 1991, this theory says learning about a given topic happens best in the social contexts where that topic is applied. (This is of course a huge oversimplification, but provides the gist.)

What’s special about this theory is: “Rather than asking what kinds of cognitive processes and conceptual structures are involved, they ask what kinds of social engagements provide the proper context for learning to take place.” (p14, book Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, 1991)

Who cares? Well, the you that has to spend time at work forfeiting daily and weekly goals to sit quietly at a computer, by yourself (or worse, alone with others on a bleeping zoom/meet call) and try not to die of boredom during the latest HR training or learning and enablement team upskilling session.

SLT says we need to interact, we need to speak to each other, we need social contexts for what we’re trying to learn. And although you can’t nope out of workplace training, you can still help yourself as much as possible by improving self-directed learning skills. One of them is seeking out others to speak to when you’re stuck.

You might have noticed what I wrote about SLT here says nothing about insiders or outsiders. (When you dig into the theory further, it prefers and studies insiders, people in the same social context/group/community.)

So when I assert that you should talk to a non-insider, I’m layering another tactic on top of this theory. The tactic of talking to a non-insider is to force you, in slowing down, to articulate all of your assumptions which, as you gain expertise, you stop noticing.

When you only talk to insiders, who share your assumptions, everyone glides over them. An outsider who doesn’t share your assumptions can see what you can’t and challenge it.

Sometimes the bug is in the assumption, and changing that assumption changes your course, uncovering a new solution.