While currently I am doing some quite intense onboarding into a new position whilst simultaneously transitioning and handing over from my old, one of the things that has been enjoyable is taking part in the interview processes of candidates to replace me.
What this means is sitting in on a team interview where the applicant delivers a cut-down version of an enduser training session based on our product, using their own materials and whatever they can glean from what is provided online. It is always interesting to see what points they highlight and what stories they utilize in their approach, but it doesn't really matter if they get the technical details correct or not, as it is about their delivery style and methodology. The reason is that it is much easier to teach the technical details than the ability for a person to engage well with the audience and it far faster to get a person who has delivery technique up to speed, than someone who has technical expertise, but lacks training ability.
It is always fun to be part of these interviews to meet new candidates, but it is quite apparent which have potential and which do not, just by observing the audience. I would say that without seeing the delivery at all, through watching the body language of the audience you would be able to quite accurately predict which are going to cut it from an engagement perspective. And this is what I do in these team interviews.
Rather than only focusing on the candidate, I observe my colleagues (we keep cameras on) and their facial reactions, their posture, the questions they ask and, the tone of voice used. By gauging these few data points, I am able to see not only how well the trainer is engaging the audience, but also how my colleagues are unconsciously connecting with them, which gives some indication as to how they will gel with the team on a personal level. This is important, especially since the training team is very much a "people orientated" department, making the ability to connect with humans a premium skill.
It is funny at times though when I think back to high school days where I was the kid that found it incredibly hard to present to an audience and when doing the in front of class assignments, my hands would be visibly shaking. Weirdly perhaps for many I know IRL, I am actually introverted and reflective, rather than outgoing and gregarious, the normal traits required in the roles I do. However, I have learned that my introversion and extraversion can be situational, meaning that I am now able to flex my personality based on conditions, rather than be restricted to my "default" personality.
Diving a little deeper, I realized it is very much like dancing, where the music played is going to affect the movements made. And while I am going to be affected myself, as an enablement trainer looking to engage my audience, I also have to be able to affect the music. By building effective strategies to engineer the conditions for a successful engagement, I am able to shift the tempo and rhythm of the session and thereby, change the dance of participants. This creates a positive feedback loop that energizes both me and the audience together in ways that lower the barriers to learning, by raising the ability to learn.
There are many techniques and strategies that can be used, but it is interesting to see how people coming in "cold" to the interview approach engagement, if they approach it at all. Some just deliver what they have been told to deliver looking at the features of the software, while others intertwine a story through examples and personal experience. I am more (perhaps obviously and to a fault) the latter, but I have learned it "on the job" through experience. Only in recent years have I discovered that some of the things I do have similar formal methodology.
Feature based training has its place of course, but it is more for troubleshooting content, training a specific set of steps. However, if needing to affect mindset and understanding, the story-based learning approach is far more effective at developing a fundamental logic that underpins and supports a host of features that can be introduced upon it. This is where I spend my time professionally and personally, looking at the "platform" through conversation, not the details of every usecase and application that can be built upon it.
Taking a step back from this, I think (in my eyes) it is pretty obvious why I love Hive and produce the content I do and in the way I do, as it is about the conversation around the platform that enables people to build their own features (take their specific approach) to improve their experience. With a client organization it is the same deal, where the base understanding allows them the framework to choose which features are the most relevant for them to enhance their ability in the workplace to fulfill their specific role.
From a learner perspective, there are people who want to just be given a list of steps and told what to do, while there are others who want to learn how to dance. What I have found is that almost without exception, it is the dancers who become not only the superior users, but the driving force that expands usecase and returns more value, often improving their own conditions along the way, as their own repertoire of abilities grow and, they are getting better at making music music with the growing number of instruments they can play.
We all affect our world through our actions and interactions and I think that even though it might not come "naturally", we can improve the way in which we do things - if we are willing to understand what we are trying to achieve and break our defaults. Sometimes it is useful to change the music to suit the way we dance, other times it is useful to learn some new steps.
Not all DJs take requests - but still, everyone is dancing.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
I'm still working on my steps. Doesn't matter how focused I get, with each attempt I'm only slightly better than last time.
But, I think that is the process - there is the awareness of the need, then the changeover to make the steps natural - "born dancers" don't really exist, do they?
This calls for a Fatboy Slim video starring Christopher Walken.
I think this applies to all comments :D
Hahaha I've never seen this, how awesome
I think that happens when one's self-perception is clear. People themselves are sometimes confused about the role or skills required.
In my opinion, introverts do it better when they work with themselves more, and then they "dance to the tune."
Yes probably - but the problem is that most roles in life require both sides of the coin - so while it is good to have the "dance to your own drum" thinking, it only gets so far practically. Learning to dance to several rhythms helps a lot.
Yes, just like a party, I can still rock or chat with everyone with a wide and deep connection. Do not force or limit yourself to only your own rhythm. Adaptation always increases the odds of goodness
Coming in cold to an interview is not a smart thing. I have learned as a piano man, you listen to your audience and how they evolve over time. After all, your audience are your clients. When we listen to each other, we learn and grown. However, too many folks are caught up in themselves to listen.
Do you take requests?
Sorry for the delay as I do not have internet. Yes, I do take requests when I entertain as a piano man. It is a lot of fun and I do about 700 songs from memory.
I certainly would not, from your writings, expect you to be an introvert in any situation. But there it is. We all have multiple identities/personalities I suspect. I know I do, and am often surprised which one I present in some situations.
But one of mine is as a performer. You describe performance chops when you talk about the more effective ways to make presentations. A good performer makes appropriate connections with their audience, and the audience participates in the "show", evidenced by the individual body languages and other responses.
Few would. and while I am not painfully insecure, I am definitely not one for the spotlight.
I wish I had the performer in me - but it is only in my head. I am somewhat envious of the people who can really be free in front of others. What I have found though is, it is easier with strangers than familiars. Is this the case for you too?
One of the things I will miss and had so much fun doing is training folks on things! I really loved that aspect of it and hope that I can do that again at some point in the future, though on a smaller scale. It was really fun to be able to connect my experience working on their side with the technical side and intertwining them but also giving them real-world examples of when I did something. It was a lot of fun but sometimes we have to make hard choices about what we want to be doing in the future.
I wish I was able to participate in the interviewing and selection of my replacement at my former employer. I recently learned it was a good friend of mine that really deserved it and had been asking me about the role opportunities. It was bittersweet but certainly positive for them!
This is what I enjoy too - it is like being a bridge between cultures.
You are right, those choices can be hard to make, but often making them allows us to find roles in the future that combine more of the things we enjoy doing.
One of the things I like about this company is that they heavily rely on referrals - meaning most people who come in are a friend of an employee. This means that they come in with a network to build on and built-in trust. It works very well.
Yeah, ours does too. I don't think I would've got my current role if I didn't work with one of the people quite a bit over the years. Thankfully I got lucky enough to get what I have!
It all depends on the actions we take whether it's a positive or negative move but one thing is for sure that's there's definitely an outcome for sure actions been taken
Aim for the best version of ourselves, the outcomes will be what they are :)
I enjoyed reading it, after I saw the picture of the piano, I also wanted to decorate a room that had a piano, it was my dream. have a nice day.
It is good to have dreams.
I would love to take part of such interviews. What do you decide if the candidate is excited too much, though he, on the other hand, is suitable to the position.
if you mean nervous, there are several rounds. if always nervous - unlikely in my opinion :)
Yea, kind of anxiety. It might be reason to be eliminated.
I share the statement that everything in the world is interconnected, that we all influence each other and the animals around us.