emphasise discussion, exploration and playing back experiences in theirminds.
is the stage during which we make connections betweenexperiences and ideas, and see how the experience ties in or conflictswith other concepts and models. People who are most comfortable in thisstage emphasise knowledge, conceptual thinking, and abstract ideas.
enables us to modify our actions by deciding how we will dothem differently the next time. It involves reviewing and summarisingwhat we have learnt, and deciding the next steps. People who are mostcomfortable in this stage emphasise decision making, categorising,applying judgements and organising.Learning is an ongoing process that can be seen as a cycle of continualimprovement. Depending on our natural preferences we tend to be mostcomfortable at one particular stage of this cycle, and least comfortable atanother. To learn fully from all our experiences however, it is important toengage in each stage of the cycle.
Learning From Experience
Traditionally, learning has been associated with reading books, attendingcourses and lectures, etc. However, real learning is not just aboutacquiring information, but about engaging with it and integrating it so thatit affects not only your thinking but also your behaviour. It has beenshown that there are many different ways to learn, some more suitable toparticular Personality Patterns than others. The Learning Cycle can be applied at a general level and at a specificlevel. To give an example of the former, more general level, a highly qualifiedmanager in an aerospace company was made redundant, and was unableto find suitable work. To remedy the situation he decided to undertake aStrategic Management course at University. He chose this route becausehe has a naturally preference for the Thinking stage of the cycle, and ismore comfortable learning ideas and theoretical knowledge.However, on seeking the advice of a professional career consultant, herealised that his best course of action would be to improve his personaland interpersonal skills by taking part in a series of shorter presentationskills workshops in which activity, role play and participation are required.He found this uncomfortable at first, but saw that this was exactly what heneeded in order to become a more convincing and persuasive manager. The Learning Cycle showed him the area that he needed to develop most. To give an example of the latter, more specific level, most of us use thetelephone at work. After you have made a call, write down or discuss witha colleague precisely what happened during the call. This is the Reflectingstage of the cycle. Next, read up about effective telephone techniquesand/or talk to a colleague whose telephone manner impresses you. This isthe Linking stage. Finally, using the information you have gathered writedown precisely what you will do differently next time you have a similarcall. This may seem a simple thing to do, but you will be surprised how