by Kevin Daum
Don't get in the way of your own
learning. Here are five ways to step aside and continue to increase your
smarts.
Most people don't really think much about how they learn. Generally you assume
learning comes naturally. You listen to someone speak either in conversation or
in a lecture and you simply absorb what they are saying, right? Not really. In
fact, I find as I get older that real learning takes more work. The more I fill
my brain with facts, figures, and experience, the less room I have for new
ideas and new thoughts. Plus, now I have all sorts of opinions that may refute
the ideas being pushed at me. Like many people I consider myself a lifelong
learner, but more and more I have to work hard to stay open minded.
But the need for learning never ends, so
your desire to do so should always outweigh your desire to be right. The world
is changing and new ideas pop up everyday; incorporating them into your life
will keep you engaged and relevant. The following are the methods I use to stay
open and impressionable. They'll work for you too. No matter how old you get.
1. Quiet Your Inner Voice
You know the one I am talking about. It's
the little voice that offers a running commentary when you are listening to
someone. It's the voice that brings up your own opinion about the information
being provided. It is too easy to pay more attention to the inner voice than
the actual speaker. That voice often keeps you from listening openly for good
information and can often make you shut down before you have heard the entire
premise. Focus less on what your brain has to say and more on the speaker. You
may be surprised at what you hear.
2. Argue With Yourself
If you can't quiet the inner voice, then at
least use it to your advantage. Every time you hear yourself contradicting the
speaker, stop and take the other point of view. Suggest to your brain all the
reasons why the speaker may be correct and you may be wrong. In the best case
you may open yourself to the information being provided. Failing that, you will
at least strengthen your own argument.
3. Act Like You Are Curious
Some people are naturally curious and others
are not. No matter which category you are in you can benefit from behaving like
a curious
person. Next time you are listening to information, make up and write down three to five relevant questions. If
you are in a lecture, Google them after for answers. If you are in a
conversation you can ask the other person. Either way you'll likely learn more,
and the action of thinking up questions will help encode the concepts in your
brain. As long as you're not a cat
you should benefit from these actions of curiosity.
4. Find the Kernel of Truth
No concept or theory comes out of thin air.
Somewhere in the elaborate concept that sounds like complete malarkey there
is some aspect that is based upon fact. Even if you don't buy into the idea,
you should at least identify the little bit of truth from whence it came. Play
like a detective and build your own extrapolation. You'll enhance your skills
of deduction and may even improve the concept beyond the speaker's original
idea.
5. Focus on the Message Not the Messenger
Often people shut out learning due to the
person delivering the material. Whether it's a boring lecturer, someone
physically unappealing, or a member of the opposite political party, the communicator
can impact your learning. Even friends can disrupt the learning process since
there may be too much history and familiarity to see them as an authority on a
topic. Separate the material from the provider. Pretend you don't know the
person or their beliefs so you can hear the information objectively. As for the
boring person, focus on tip two, three, or four as if it were a game, thereby
creating your own entertainment.
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