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Economical Reviewing

~ 1 ~ EDITOR: When not to review Keen as I am about reviewing, I do recognise that there are occasions where reviewing is a bad idea. There are times when reviewing might be unnecessary, insensitive or counterproductive. Maybe you should not start or continue a review... * When people don't want to review. * When reviewing has already happened without you. * When a review would be the same as the last one. * When the agreed finish time arrives. * When a break or change of mood is needed before participants are likely to benefit from a review. * When a review would bring a premature end to a special moment of wonder, flow or celebration. * When participants are stalling for time - preferring the relative safety of a review to making a decision and taking action. On the other hand, I have been impressed by people's commitment to reviewing in the most adverse situations. For example, after military operations, 'After Action Reviews' have happened in the back of bumpy trucks. In some situations quick learning is critical - whether it is a matter of life or death or of catching the 'aha' moment or noticing the exception that leads to a breakthrough. Reviewing is often associated with 'retreats' or long walks where you can create the time and space for deep reflection. But reviewing also belongs in everyday practice and is too important to put off for some perfect situation. Yes, there are occasions when reviewing is inappropriate or is unlikely to be of benefit. That's when to back off and postpone it. But these occasions are far outweighed by missed opportunities for reviewing. Reviews that are 'timely', 'little and often', 'short and sweet' or even 'quick and dirty' can generate far more learning than those long reviews in country retreats where time stands still.

ABOUT THIS ISSUE The main article in this edition of Active Reviewing Tips takes a look at economical reviewing. The 17 principles and techniques apply to learning at work as well to learning on courses or in the classroom. The second article on 'making learning sticky' is really an extension of 'economical reviewing'. The 15 exercises are designed to increase the value and use of what is learned. They are methods that grow the value of learning by anticipating opportunities for its transfer. The 'economical' theme is continued in the bookshop section. I was recently surprised to find many of my favourite books for sale at prices well below their cover price. And I'd like to pass on the news! There have been some changes and additions to the Training Calendar since last month. I am tempted to continue the 'economical' theme here too.

~ 2 ~ TIPS ARTICLE: Economical Reviewing ECONOMICAL: Using the minimum of time or resources necessary for effectiveness. REVIEWING EXPERIENCE: Looking at experience again in order to learn. ECONOMICAL REVIEWING: Using the minimum of time or resources necessary for effective reviewing. ================================================ Reviewing saves money. Just think of the consequences of not learning from experience - for the individual and for their organisation. BP claims to save millions through regular After Action Reviews. Can anyone afford not to review? According to Nancy Dixon (author of 'Common Knowledge: How Companies Thrive by Sharing What They Know'):         "Many organizations allot no time to debriefing a project team         or reviewing a just completed event". Yes, reviewing is often the first casualty when the pressure is on. This is as true in the world of learning as it is in the world of work. But why are the worlds of working and learning separated in the first place? What is commonly known as a 'learning cycle' should really be called a 'working-and-learning cycle' because the cycle demonstrates how doing and learning are integral parts of the same process. Working without learning might produce a short term gain (more work gets done) but it is guaranteed to produce a long term loss (as old practices become redundant). That's the background. Now my tips for economical reviewing. INFORM Ensure that people * know why they are reviewing * have high expectations of reviewing * know what good reviews are like, and * know how to contribute to good reviews. TRAIN Train people in (or remind people about) the skills they need to get the most out of reviewing. These include: recording, listening and summarising as well as the skills needed for any particular reviewing technique. REVIEW REVIEWS Do this regularly so that reviews continually improve. Involve participants in reviewing the process of reviewing. Develop and customise ways of reviewing that work best for these participants and their priorities. VARY THE PACE No single pace will suit everyone or every stage of a review. Varying the pace allows you to speed through what can be done quickly and to slow down for what cannot be rushed. SPOTLIGHT Concentrate on doing one thing well. Next time shine the spotlight on another topic or perspective. Avoid shallow and speedy all- encompassing reviews in which nobody learns anything new. That would be very uneconomical. STRUCTURE Time and energy is easily wasted when the reviewing process is chaotic with participants at different stages. Use a model such as de Bono's Six Thinking Hats or the Active Reviewing Cycle so that everyone knows how best to participate at different stages of the process. LOOK OUTSIDE THE BOX Allow exceptions to your structure. People may stay silent because they cannot fit what they want to say into your structure. Silence may save time in the short term, but could be very costly in the long run. [This particular balancing act between structure and exceptions in reviewing will be explored in a future article about playing the joker - the wildcard - in reviewing.] TRAIN PARTICIPANTS TO BE FACILITATORS Perhaps you can have too many chiefs, but you can never have too many facilitators. The more facilitating capacity you have in a group, the fewer are the blocks to communication, learning and progress. If you (and they) expect all the facilitation to come from one central person, you will be overloaded and the review will be less productive. (Very uneconomical.) ROTATE RESPONSIBILITIES This both uses and develops facilitation skills within the group. USE TIME-SAVING TECHNIQUES A classic time-saver is 'Silent Statements' (and the variations I call 'Positions' and 'Horseshoe'). With enough floor space and a well- defined spectrum, everyone can instantly show everyone else exactly where they stand on an issue. This is more refined than voting, much quicker than a round, and provides a snapshot of opinion that would take considerably longer (if ever achieved) in a group discussion. USE PAIRS TO HELP PEOPLE CLARIFY AND SUMMARISE THEIR IDEAS A process such as 'Finding the Bones' helps people turn their paragraph into a sentence into a phrase and a word before their thoughts are shared with the wider group. This helps people to get to the point more quickly - very economical. The audience are also far more attentive when they know the speaker has put careful thought into a concise statement. GIVE SUFFICIENT PREPARATION TIME For example: after asking a question to the whole group, ask for two minutes silence before anyone replies. The effect and outcome is similar to 'Finding the Bones' (above) but it is a much quicker process. USE QUESTIONNAIRES If you want people to consider more than one question at a time give them questionnaires. Ask them to interview each other and/or record their answers to the questions. This is useful preparation for a focused groups discussion. USE GUIDED REFLECTION If done well, Guided Reflection can produce deeper reflection than interviews - partly because the pace can be much slower, partly because any answers are unspoken. The quality of sharing following a well-pitched guided reflection can be quite extraordinary - depending on the nature of the script and on what you ask to be shared. ENCOURAGE WRITING Before a review (or part of a review) writing by participants helps them to crystallise thoughts and/or to clarify what they want to give or get. During a review, writing helps people to share ideas. For example, everyone's statement can be put on display. After a review, writing helps to remind people about what they have learned or promised (to themselves or to others). Timely use of writing helps to sharpen the whole process of reviewing. AVOID WRITING If you write on a board or easel while others are talking it can be distracting. If you write when there is a pause, you are slowing down the review process. It is far better to encourage participants to make good quality notes. If you are heavy user of flip charts (or similar) take a critical look at the paper you are using. Wasted paper is also wasted time and is a sign of uneconomical reviewing. TALK LESS, EXCEPT WHEN FACILITATING The primary process in learning from experience is just that: learning from experience. The facilitator's role is to assist this primary process. Guided Reflection is an example of where the facilitator assists this primary process. The telling of a well chosen story might also assist reflection. But if facilitating slips into lecturing, however good the lecture, the process is based on a different theory of learning. Working and learning depend on each other.  We can work as we learn and we can learn as we work - whether the work is 'real work' or 'practice work' such as a training exercise. Reviews often focus on the 'doing' part - trying to make the 'doing' more effective, efficient, economical and even more enjoyable. But what about the reviews themselves being more effective, efficient, economical and even more enjoyable? If people regard reviewing as a waste of time or as something that keeps them away from more important or more interesting things, then somehow, sometime you need to answer these objections and demonstrate that reviewing is time well spent and is too important to miss out or postpone. ARTICLES (about economical reviewing) QUICK REVIEWS 25 techniques each taking 1, 2, 5, 10 or 20 minutes. <http://reviewing.co.uk/toolkit/quick-reviews.htm> HOW TO REVIEW A LOT IN A SHORT TIME Creative Thinking about End of Course Reviews <http://reviewing.co.uk/toolkit/1000endings.htm> COMPARATIVE BOOK REVIEW A comparative review of 'Learning to Fly' and 'Common Knowledge': <http://reviewing.co.uk/reviews/learning-to-fly.htm> TECHNIQUES (for economical reviewing) HORSESHOE <http://reviewing.co.uk/articles/ropes.htm> FINDING THE BONES <http://reviewing.co.uk/stories/starters.htm#finding> For learning about other techniques mentioned in the above article, use the search box at <http://reviewing.co.uk/>

~ 3 ~ TRANSFER OF LEARNING: Making Learning Sticky Imagine a sticky seed blowing around in the wind looking for fertile soil in which to grow. The chances of the seed finding suitable soil are greater if both the seed and the soil are 'sticky'. In other words, to maximise the transfer of learning, the learner needs to seek out opportunities for using as well as recognising the potential value of what they have learned. Stickiness facilitates connection making. Without connection there is no transfer. Plans create connections - and so does stickiness. Here are 15 exercises that will help to make learning sticky. They are ideas to choose from. Be selective! MAKING THE SEED STICKY 1. Recognise its value List 5 reasons why this learning is important for you or for others. 2. Consider its potential uses List 5 ways in which you could use this learning without adapting it. 3. Imagine other possibilities List 5 different ways in which the learning could be used ­ if adapted. 4. Identify any internal barriers to transfer List 5 things you could unlearn in order to help you use this learning. 5. Explore the boundaries List 5 situations in which you would be unlikely to use this learning (If your answer is 'none', that's OK!) MAKING THE SOIL STICKY 1. Spread the learning. Create understanding.  List 5 people who may benefit from learning something like this and see if they want to. 2. Find, create and use support. List 5 people who would readily support you in your efforts to use this learning. 3. Find stony ground and try to understand it. List 5 people who will be skeptical or lukewarm until they have seen the results. 4. Prepare the ground. List 5 factors within your control that would make you more likely to use this learning. 5. Create the climate. List 5 factors you can influence (but which are outside your direct control) that would make you more likely to use this learning 'WHAT IFS' - FOR EVEN STICKER LEARNING 1. What if you could use this learning wherever you wanted? Where would you use it and why? 2. What if you discovered that this learning was unique to you? What would you do? 3. What if you were given 4 weeks to focus solely on using this learning for the benefit of your team or organisation? Describe the beginning and end of this special project. 4. What if you could wave a magic wand and pass your learning on to everyone else in your team or organisation? What would be the result for you and the organisation? 5. What if you could run short courses to train others in what you have learned. Whom could you attract and how would you promote it? What benefits would you advertise? STICKY LEARNING IN PERSPECTIVE The point with sticky learning is not to exhaustively list all possibilities but to help people appreciate that there is a bigger world of possibilities than the more obvious ones. It is the habit of conducting 'what if' exercises (or similar) that gets people into a creative frame of mind. It helps people realise that flexible and creative thinking are essential for transfer ­ especially far transfer. Having people thinking of themselves as 'creators not consumers' and as ACTIVE LEARNERS both DURING and AFTER the course makes it more likely that transfer (near and far) will happen. MORE ABOUT TRANSFER Articles and workshops on the Transfer of Learning: <http://reviewing.co.uk/articles/transfer.htm> For my article 'How Transfer Happens' (and an explanation of 'near' and 'far' transfer) send a blank email to: roger@reviewing.co.uk

~ 4 ~ BOOKS OF THE MONTH: What's under £5? While browsing through the Active Learning Bookshop I couldn't help noticing that some excellent titles are now being offered (new or used) way below their real value. The most glaring example was copies of Cornell's classic Sharing Nature with Children being sold for just 1 cent. Economical or what? You will find the best offers conveniently arranged on a single page divided into seven topics. Here is a taster of what you will find on that page: GAMES & ACTIVITIES Playfair: Everybody's Guide to Noncompetitive Play GENERAL The Atlas of Experience (the inspiration for Metaphor Maps) GROUPS & MEETINGS Zen of Groups: A Handbook for People Meeting With a Purpose The Red Book of Groups: And How to Lead Them Better LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT Principle-centered Leadership (Stephen R. Covey) Leadership Skills (John Adair) OUTDOOR LEARNING Sharing Nature with Children Sharing Nature with Children 2 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway The Little Book of Confidence THINKING & LEARNING How to Mind Map Six Thinking Hats Teach Your Child How to Think Wise Up: the Challenge of Lifelong Learning Here is the short cut to ALL the books under £5 (at the time of 'going to press'): <http://reviewing.co.uk/reviews/bargain-books.htm> SPECIAL REQUEST I don't ask for donations or payments for Active Reviewing Tips, but I do ask you to visit the Active Learning Bookshop. Reviews, recommendations and customers are always welcome! <http://reviewing.co.uk/reviews/index.htm>

~ 5 ~ TRAINING CALENDAR ENGLAND: Roger Greenaway REVIEWING SKILLS AND TOOLS FOR TRAINERS Wednesday 20th - Thursday 21st October, 2004 at Log Heights, Ripley Castle, North Yorkshire Extend and refresh your facilitation techniques in this critical area. Help people to get full value from their learning experiences. Log Heights has since evolved into Azesta - same castle, same Shirley, more twist SCOTLAND: Dave Key and Mary-Jayne Rust WILDERNESS ECOTHERAPY COURSE with Footprint Education Sunday 10th - Saturday 16th October, 2004 Learn about engaging with the healing power of outdoor spaces at Doune Bay Lodge (accessible only by boat or on foot) on the Knoydart peninsular, on Scotland's wild and rugged west coast. Details: <http://www.footprint-education.org> Enquiries: <mailto:info@footprint-education.org> GERMANY: Johan Hovelynck FACILITATION - What Makes Your Program Truly Experiential? 2 day workshop for advanced practitioners with Johan Hovelynck November 22nd (18:00) - 24th (17:00), 2004 at Altenkirchen, Westerwald, Germany. Details: http://www.four-teams.de/facilitationfourteamsworkshop2004.pdf or write to Bernd Rademachers at <mailto:info@fourteams.de> NETHERLANDS: Roger Greenaway REVIEWING SKILLS FOR EXPERIENTIAL TRAINERS Friday 4th - Saturday 5th February 2005 in the Netherlands (conducted in English) This is Roger's fourth open workshop in the Netherlands. Details: <http://reviewing.co.uk/netherlands-reviewing.htm> Enquiries: <mailto:info@traintrainers.com> FUTURE EVENTS: Roger Greenaway Open events in which I will be providing training in reviewing and related subjects: Hong Kong, Denmark, South Africa, Norway. Dates and venues will be announced via this newsletter and on my website at <http://reviewing.co.uk/_news.htm> ECONOMICAL TRAINING The most economical way of receiving training in reviewing skills is to get a group of people together with this common interest and get in touch. If you prefer to do the calculations in advance see <http://reviewing.co.uk/profile.htm#cli> - or just ask.

~ 6 ~ WHAT'S NEW at http://reviewing.co.uk Working and Playing with Different Age Groups is a new 'shelf' in the Active Learning Bookshop <http://reviewing.co.uk/reviews/age-group-activities.htm> Books for under £5 is another new 'shelf' in the Active Learning Bookshop <http://reviewing.co.uk/reviews/bargain-books.htm>

~ 7 ~ QUOTE: Why reviewing matters? ''If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience.'' George Bernard Shaw

~ 8 ~ EXTRA: AAR ... After Action Review (again) This quotation appeared in a recent issue of Active Reviewing Tips, but here it is again as it is such a good fit with the subject of 'Economical Reviewing'. ''AARs are a simple way for individuals and teams to learn immediately, from both successes and failures ... the format is very simple and quick ... In an open and honest meeting, usually no longer than twenty minutes, each participant in the event answers four simple questions: 1) What was supposed to happen? 2) What actually happened? 3) Why were there differences? 4) What did we learn? ... Our experience was that the simplicity of the process and the low time requirements were key to its acceptance.'' Chris Collison and Geoff Parcell in 'Learning to Fly' (2001:78) Review: <http://reviewing.co.uk/reviews/learning-to-fly.htm>

~ 9 ~ INTERACTIVE: Readers' Questions This newsletter is more interactive than it may seem. Most issues are created in response to questions from readers like you. Your own questions, requests, ideas, feedback, etc. will help to make this newsletter more responsive to the people who read it - people like you who scroll all the way down to item 9! Have your say. Write to: roger@reviewing.co.uk And/or write to a friend and tell them what they are missing. (Thank you, if you do.) POSTSCRIPT Are you a fan of economical reviewing? Do you like using the minimum of time or resources necessary for effective reviewing? If so, please share your ideas.

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