Someone from my community recently asked a common question that deserves a public response.
“How do you engage the learner to try new skills if they are used to practicing older skills.”
This is a great question because the answer is based on variable contexts. Below are some specific contexts to consider and ways to encourage learners to use new skills instead of outdated but familiar skills. At the center of each solution is a focus on the individual learner needs, their experiences, and current motivation to use old or new skills.
The learner does not know why using new skills is important.
You cannot assume learners know the reason for exploring new skills or why using new skills is important when the old skills work just fine. The key here is to share the reasoning for why new skills are being explored and should be applied. Explaining the why reveals the value of using new skills, your goal is to help learners value the new skills.
Old Skill Argument:
Printing copies of all manuals is how we’ve always maintained records and people can come to the office to review the stored documents whenever they want.
New Skill Explanation:
All documents will be posted and accessible online. This removes barriers to accessing documents which can also be accessible at any location. Online documents also provide significant cost savings.
The learner does not understand or remember the new skills.
Poorly presented or complex information prevents learning and remembering. People are unable to use (new) skills they do not understand and rely on familiar (old) skills. It is almost impossible to remember what we do not understand. Presenting new information/skills sequentially from basic to more complex in small chunks supports learner comprehension and information retention.
Old Skill Familiarity:
I know exactly how to use our old accounting system.
New Skill Introduction:
Show the limitations of the existing accounting system. Introduce how to access the new accounting system. Then how to input/transfer data. Last, how to run reports. This introduction of new accounting skills starts with what they know and progressively more complex.
The learner is not motivated to try something new.
Internal motivation is personal and next to impossible to know. Here are two examples why some people are resistant to learning new skills:
- They don’t believe the new skills are practical for the work, or
- They believe learning new skills is a waste of their time (they will not need the skills in the near future).
Resist assuming people’s internal motivation to use or not to use new skills.
Old Skills Preferred:
I’m retiring in 3 months and don’t need to learn new skills.
New Skills Resistant:
Asking about and accepting learner motivation will help you understand why they prefer using old skills. You may not be able to change learner motivation but knowing their motivation will help you in other ways.
Learners do not know how to apply new skills.
Your team knows why new skills matter, they understand and remember new skills, and now they are motivated to use the new skills but not confident how. Understanding and confidence go hand-in-hand, building confidence in using new skills should be your focus.
Old Skills Confidence:
I know how, when, and why to use these old skills.
New Skills Development:
I practiced using the new skills on small things and my confidence is growing.
The next time you question ‘how can I get the learner to try new skills’ consider the context of why learners prefer old skills. Taking the time to explore the context will save your sanity and guide you to helping learners learn and use new skills.
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