4 Compelling Reasons Why You Must Ramp Up Your Learning Competencies

There are four primary reasons why you must ramp up your learning competencies. You can continue to learn the way you have always learned, using the tactics you followed during your formal school years.  But what if you are missing some key learning skills and strategies that would help you keep ahead of all the information coming at you?  Maybe you are not consciously aware of how you are learning.  

As an employee, working in today's fast-paced, high technology world, your existing learning tactics need to be radically ramped up, ready to be deployed in a wide variety of evolving and more complex work-based learning situations.

Ramp Up Reason #1.  Information Explosion

You live in a time of exponential growth.  Everything about your world is changing faster than ever before in every way.  You are flooded with data all the time and everywhere. The challenge is that your conscious human mind can only hold about 7 things at once.  Your ability to move information from your short-term memory into long-term memory is critical for your ongoing employment success.

Did you also know that you are not using all your ability to learn?  What would happen to you personally and professionally if you could tap into, at a minimum, an extra 10% of your learning capacity (knowledge) and capability (skills)?  You can!  There are specific actions you can take to not only manage information overload but also thrive no matter what you need to mentally take in and process. 

Ramp Up Reason #2.  Learner-Managed Learning

Have you noticed the trend that customers are increasingly taking control of their own customer service needs, whether they like it or not?  So many vendors have moved everything online or are in the process of offering self-serve options.  There are a multitude of online site and applications to sign up for to input your customer information and order products and services, to be delivered via instant download, curbside pick-up, or delivery. 

In the same way customers are becoming more self-sufficient and proactive, you, as a learner, need to take the initiative to influence how you learn best.  Right now, most of the learning tactics and strategies are in the hands of the learning designers and facilitators, not the learners.  But that’s changing.  

Whether you’re listening to a lecture, attending a workshop or conference in person or online, completing an online learning program, or reading a book, e-book, and/or e-zine, you can consciously and intentionally apply highly effective learning competencies, skills, and strategies.  Your brain can be trained to better handle information (knowledge) and acquire skills.

Ramp Up Reason #3.  Learning Modes

You probably already know that there are four primary learning modes through which you take in and process information from your world.  The only way you can 'learn' is through these modes.  Your body doesn't have any other way (at least not yet discovered or invented) to learn:

• Visual – you learn by seeing
• Auditory – you learn by hearing
• Verbal – you learn by speaking
• Kinesthetic – you learn by touch and your emotions.

Did you know that there are core learning competencies?  There are also key learning skills and thousands of learning strategies you can personally use to learn more efficiently and effectively.

Once you know about and use these learning competencies, skills, and strategies you can intentionally apply them in any learning situation, using all four learning modes, with great success.

Ramp Up Reason #4.  Learning as a Competitive Advantage

Are you concerned about not learning as fast as everyone else?  Are you having trouble keeping up with your peers because of information overload?  Is your employability being eroded? 

As a knowledge worker, your ability to learn is a key competitive advantage to both you and your organization.

Imagine the career impact if you became a highly proficient learner before tackling your next learning challenge.  Not only would the return on investment (ROI) be high both personally and professionally, but it would also grow exponentially over time.  You know you can never stop learning. So why not learn how to learn to maximize your learning capacity (knowledge) and capability (skills).

Summary

In today's workplace, you need to learn and work at the speed of change.  There is an increasing requirement and demand for job expertise.  You can no longer assume that your job, career, and profession will continue to stay the same or even exist.  Your best plan is to have highly developed learning competencies so you can quickly and easily pivot to the next great opportunity.  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Valerie Dixon, M.Ed., CTDP, President of Learnware Design Inc., (www.learnware.com) is a leading learning efficiency and effectiveness strategist and thought leader in the field of workplace learning and performance.  Valerie has over 40 years of experience in all aspects of performance needs analysis, learning organization strategy development and learning design.  She is the creator and designer of programs and products that accelerate job competence™.

Learnware.com

We are learning experts who work with organizational leaders and employees to accelerate job competence™ for increased performance, productivity, and profits.

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