No one is born with expertise. So how is expertise acquired?

A common conception is that experts know more and perform better than those around them. Perhaps expertise is relative. Most of us learn via observation, demonstration, and practice. Interest helps, but proficiency usually requires logical, concise instruction - someone to show us how. The more complex or alien the task, the more the learner benefits from simplification and the quality of information being shared.

While routine experts rely on known procedures they’ve used many times to solve problems, adaptive experts solve problems in new ways by inventing original procedures and strategies. Adaptive experts perform with understanding.

This is how I approach instructional design.

Understanding empowers all

The key to designing successful training lies in understanding the learner’s needs. Adults need to know why it’s important to learn something, before they will take the time to learn it. Most of us only open up to learning once we believe it can help us solve a problem. Today’s adults count on assimilating the training they receive today into skills they can use tomorrow. The most successful training programs are designed with that expectation in mind.

When you understand what motivates learners, it’s much easier to design workforce training programs that will be embraced and recommended. Training really is the game changer.