I often quote that it takes the average human 100-120 days to embed new learning unconsciously. This means that after being exposed to a new and desirable behaviour, it will take us 100-120 days of applying it before we do it naturally and without thinking about it – otherwise referred to as being “unconsciously competent”. Why then, after 2 ½ years of video calls, do we keep speaking while on mute?!
I find it almost comical that many people still forget to press the unmute button when they speak on a Zoom or Teams call despite having been doing the same thing for over two years. I admit, occasionally I am guilty of doing this however, it’s now a rare event for me, maybe once per month. This is because as a corporate trainer I have conditioned myself to avoid making this small error; video calls have been a tool of my trade for over 2 years (thankfully the direction is shifting back to classroom) and in any profession, we should use the tools of our trade correctly. However, my attendees don’t consider Zoom or Teams a critical tool so they have not focused on this relatively minor behaviour.
The above example may seem trivial, however it’s not. It’s a segway into an important observation that impacts learning at its core: People will only learn new skills, behaviours, knowledge etc when they consciously make a decision to adopt them.
It is highly unlikely that any of us will develop new behaviours on the back of a day or two’s training. In the time with the trainer new concepts will be introduced and students decide which content is most valuable for them. It is the regular and consistent application of the skills over the following 3-4 months however, reviewing their effectiveness and adjusting their delivery as necessary, that creates behavioural change.
Generally speaking, we will only commit to the regular application of something for 3-4 months if we either (i) enjoy it, or (ii) see a long term benefit from it. Scenario (i) is the easiest because of the dopamine release we experience every time we repeat a pleasurable act. When we enjoy something there is a motivation to repeat is and as long as we learn from any mistakes, we will improve and become ‘unconsciously competent’.
In business it is not always be possible to align the learning needs of our teams with a dopamine release, so we need to focus on scenario (ii) and make sure there is a clear and tangible benefit for them if they commit to the learning that will result from repeat, consistent adoption. Be careful however; what motivates us may not motivate them. If you’re not seeing the response level that you expect, it’s probably because you’re using the wrong benefits to try and motivate your target. This is a classic challenge facing Gen X/older millennial management trying to motivate younger millennials and Gen Z talent.
I tell my students that “today is the beginning of their learning journey, not the end”. I ask them what they are looking to benefit from their time with me and do my best to address those objectives. Whether they then take that 100-120 day journey is their decision, however when we first try to understand what is important to someone and then address it, we increase the chance that we will achieve behavioural change.
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