Think of a skill you are particularly good at and proud of…perhaps one that has advanced your career.   How did you get good at it?  Select from the following: trial and error, apprenticeship, lectures, family and friends, practicing.

Eric Mazur, Harvard physics professor, has asked this question to multiple audiences and found that two things consistently stand out: The first, not surprisingly, is that practice is one of the most common responses. Around 60% of people say practicing helped them change for the better.

The second, and even more important point Mazur has learned from this question, is that for many audiences NOBODY says ‘lectures’.  Zero people are improving their skills through lectures!  Nevertheless, most higher education institutions still focus on the lecture as a primary teaching tool.

While lectures certainly have value (awareness, entertainment, inspiration, etc), this ancient and all too common teaching method is a complete failure when it comes to helping individuals improve their skills.  (See the full Harvard magazine article: “Twilight of the Lecture” here.)

At Aardvark, I occasionally get asked to give a lecture on design and am honored when I do.  Instead of lecturing, however, I try to transform every lecture request into an interactive mini-workshop.  People learn not from listening, but from reflecting on an experience.  If all they have to reflect on is sitting in a room hearing me talk, they may learn about a new topic, but the kinesthetic experience they have to reflect on will be heavily based on how comfortable the chair was, how well they could hear, and how the room smelled…many things that are beyond my control and outside of what I hope they glean from the experience.

In our current age, we can find information, inspiration & entertainment on the internet without paying a dime.  We can sit quietly and absorb lectures from the comfort of our homes.  But if we really want to change how we act, transform how we think, and get better at the skills that make us valuable in the world, we must engage, play, and practice. Here at Aardvark Design Labs, we look forward to playing with you and helping you hone your innovation skills.

(For some simple ways to make your lectures more interactive, check out some of these activities from Thiagi.com: http://www.thiagi.com/interactive-lectures.html)

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