Have you ever gone to a seminar then forgotten everything you learned as soon as you left? I know I have.
I’ve been attending a few seminars recently, both on line and off line, and it got me thinking about how I could make sure that I gain the most benefit from the time I was spending. I decided that these 7 tips were the best way for me to learn. Do they work for you too?
-
Be present – put aside the pressing amount of work that is waiting back at the office, or the fact that there are a bunch of household chores to be done, and focus on being fully present. Clear your mind of distractions so that you can be calm and open to what you wanted to learn; after all you have made the time and effort to attend so you may as well get the maximum benefit from it. For me, being present is so important in many aspects of my life. I catch myself sometimes going for a walk and being so caught up in my thoughts that I finish the walk and can’t really remember it. To fix that problem I am training myself to be more aware of any distracting thoughts because I can then deal with them and refocus on what I was doing.
-
Switch it off – turn off your phone, blackberry or iPhone. I don’t mean put it on quiet mode but actually switch it off. I know that this can be very hard to do as we have an every increasing addiction to technology these days but it does help you to concentrate if you aren’t constantly distracted. Unless there is a baby that is about to be born – switch it all off!
-
Be active – there are two main types of learning; active and passive. When we are learning in a passive way; reading a book, listening to a seminar, we only remember a maximum of 50%. When we are learning in an active way; asking questions, putting ideas in practice, we remember up to 90%. That’s a no brainer for me so I have started to be more involved and ask questions when I can and take notes too. This diagram clearly shows the different ways of learning:
Image courtesy of Jeff at www.edutechie.ws
4. Follow up – I am being more disciplined with what I do after a seminar. Now I read over my notes as soon as I can and pick one or two things that I am going to apply to my business or life. I don’t kid myself that I’ll be able to do everything at once and I find by focusing on a couple of items I am far more likely to achieve them.
5. Be comfortable – if you feel the cold, bring a jacket, and if you need to stretch your legs pick an aisle seat. Ensure that you are as relaxed as you can be.
6. Look for the differences – if the seminar is on a topic you already know something about then instead of thinking to yourself, “I know all of this, I could be giving the seminar”, look for the information or ideas that you don’t already know. Even if all you learn is one new tip this can be time well spent.
7. Put doubt on hold – if you are listening to something completely new then keep an open mind. Perhaps the speaker’s ideas will go against common beliefs about how something can or cannot be done. Instead of dismissing the ideas out of hand, think about how you can use the new ideas to apply it to you. You may end up deciding that the ideas won’t work for you but unless you keep your mind open you might miss a great opportunity.
What ways do you use to ensure that you get the full benefit out of seminars or webinars that you attend?
