Tips for Knowledge Sharing to Empower Others

I recently attended an insightful book talk with Adam Grant and Michael Lewis, and here's my key takeaway: "Help your audience feel smart." 🚀 In our everyday organizational gatherings, it's easy to fall into the trap of making the presenter the star. But what if we flipped the script?... Instead of focusing on making ourselves look smart, let's shift our attention to making our employees feel smart. Here's how: 💡 Lowering Status - Relating: "I don't know, I just teach this stuff". Anyone who has ever heard Adam speak knows this is an often-used phrase of his. By lowering our status, we create a more inclusive environment from the beginning. It's not about showing off what we know; it's about discovering together. Relating to our audience on a personal level fosters engagement and mutual respect. 🤔 What do we know about this subject already? "OK, before we begin this class on feedback, I'm curious what folks already know about this subject?" Adults come with a lot of experience - so let's use it! Acknowledging the collective knowledge in the room before sharing our own empowers everyone and increases confidence. 👥 Who else is? "Who else is geeking out about what we just heard?" What do we have in common? Highlighting the contributions of others reinforces a sense of community and in-group. Let's make our gatherings about elevating everyone, not just the person on the stage. It's not just about what we present; it's about the experience we create together. 🌐✨

Pre-workshop prep and adventures for your participants — If you can do this and it makes sense and is aligned with your desired outcomes, take the opportunity. Why have pre-workshop adventures? 💪 ↳ Get people excited about what's coming. ↳ Collect thoughts and insights you can use as a facilitator, participant interests, information about the topic, or knowledge they can contribute.  ↳ Show that you are actually a human so they can relate to you ahead of time, use a video, and show your face. What could you do? 🤔 ↳ Well, it depends on your workshop and goals, but here are some quick ideas for you! ⚡️ Team Building Workshop Idea — Have everyone complete a manual of me exercise to bring to a session as a starting point for a team field guide. ⚡️ Brand Strategy Workshop Idea — Ask participants to contribute some starter information (survey form, Miro activity, a VideoAsk, etc). It gives people time to breathe and not always think in public and makes your workshop smoother and more streamlined when you aren't starting with a blank page. An example might be to bring the name of a character/person you believe represents your brand. ⚡️ Brainstorming Workshop Idea — You might have people explore some ideas beforehand, giving prompts or the challenge. This depends on the topic and the type of participants. ⚡️ Creativity Workshop Idea — Send a question that helps people tap into wonder, their inner child. An example might be thinking about something that brought you joy as a child. You can have them send ahead of time or just bring to the workshop. Some tips for you as a facilitator. 💡 ↳ Think about the format. Do you want people to send in responses ahead of time? Do you want them to bring it to the workshop? Determine what's best for your flow and preparation — there's no right or wrong here.  ↳ Depending on the type of activity, provide your own answer or an example; however, beware of leading answers... determine when and where this example approach is appropriate.  ↳ Don't forget to align with your desired outcomes; make it intentional — if it doesn't have a purpose, don't do it.  🔥 What type of Pre-Workshop Adventures have you facilitated or responded to?! Share with me! --- Found this useful? 💜 Repost for your network. 

In discussing modern team dynamics with a client this week, four major knowledge problems emerged: uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, and equivocality. These intersect in ways that can stymie teams: Uncertainty: The unpredictability or lack of information Complexity: The interplay of numerous components makes situations hard to decipher. Ambiguity: Multiple interpretations of information affecting decision-making. Equivocality: Conflicting interpretations leading to team confusion. It is easy to gloss over these terms without profoundly understanding them, leading to surface-level interpretations and weak solutions. To address these challenges: FOSTER TEACHING & MENTORSHIP: PRINCIPLE: Never assume everyone knows what you know at the level you know. TIP: Promote knowledge sharing through workshops, sharing sessions, or mentorships. PROMOTE CURIOSITY & CONTINUOUS LEARNING: PRINCIPLE: Never assume you know all there is to know. TIP: Maintain a continuous learning attitude. Encourage questions like, “I am unsure, what are your thoughts?” ENCOURAGE DEEP UNDERSTANDING & CRITICAL THINKING: PRINCIPLE: Never confuse knowing with understanding. TIP: Ensure teams delve deeply into topics, using case studies or role-playing tools to cement knowledge. Implementing these strategies ensures thorough knowledge accumulation and understanding, elevating team performance. ONWARD!