Moving to accelerated learning methods may require a leap of faith

Since the emergence of the work by the likes of Howard Gardner, Antoino Damasio and Georgi Lozanov on how people learn, learning and development professionals have been striving to adopt as many of the components of accelerated learning as possible to improve the effectiveness
and impact of their L&D interventions
for their firms.

Accelerated learning focuses on finding ways to make learning faster and more enjoyable for learners. Helping learners to adapt more quickly, to analyse problems logically and to produce workable and creative solutions is beneficial in a legal marketplace where the pace of generating new knowledge is said to double over the next four years.

Accelerated learning is about ensuring that ‘faster learning’ employees know their personal learning styles and preferences, whether that is by reading, doing or talking to others. This knowledge and insight enables them to be more thoughtful about their work, deal with increased volumes of information, communicate their ideas more effectively and rekindle their natural zest for learning because they can see the impact and influence of their new perspectives or experiences.

The traditional approaches to learning which are used by many firms would not sit under the banner of accelerated learning. Lecture-style presentations, death by PowerPoint presentations and text-heavy briefing guides are still the norm in many internal practice group-led training activities.

Some L&D teams struggle to adopt accelerated learning techniques in workshops designed for fee earners, but often have greater freedom to incorporate them into sessions for central services employees. Help is at hand, however.
The L&D community in the legal sector
is a very supportive network, where ideas and suggestions are generously shared
in the interest of learning and developing.

The legal services sector can also look to other industries to see where accelerated learning works well. Award-winning L&D teams from organisations including RSA, DHL Express or SABMiller can demonstrate the impact that their accelerated learning approaches can have on client service, employee engagement and productivity.

Changing culture

Accelerated learning is about providing an environment in which people increase their capacity to learn. They undertake activities which include all of the multiple intelligences defined by Gardner. We all learn through using both hemispheres of our brains, including the different functions of our frontal and posterior lobes. Some people rely more heavily on visual materials, while others prefer the written word. Many individuals rely on verbal instruction and their ability to listen well, while others need to actively do something in order to learn. Accelerated learning experiences should cater for all types of learning methods. However, this is not sufficient in itself.

Accelerated learning requires a positive environment where people are free to try new things and to fail. Antonio Damasio pioneered work on the influence and impact of emotions on our ability to learn. He demonstrated that an environment in which learning is made easy becomes stress free.

In order for accelerated learning to take place, the learning environment and learning culture of the firm needs to be supportive and conducive to making time for learning. When this is in place, learning happens more quickly.

Research shows that a positive emotional state, coupled with the meeting of intrinsic motivators such as the self confidence to learn, clarity of expectations about why one wants to learn and having the desire to learn, will all contribute
to quicker learning and better application
of learning in the workplace. How many firms actively support or invest in generating such an open and positive learning environment?

Maximising value

Firms may want lawyers’ training to be quick to reduce the time spent away from fee earning. A variety of approaches to incorporate learning activities which help individuals to decipher, memorise and understand can be done quickly, but
the mindset of those designing and delivering their training needs to change
to facilitate this.

Successful accelerated learning involves the use of all of our senses and incorporates images, storytelling, games, experiential scenarios and even play.
Firms that embrace the full range of activities across learning situations are more likely to reap the benefits of greater thinking skills and memory techniques.

So, the next time you create a learning programme, take a step back to consider the best way to make the desired learning happen. You will be more likely to embrace the components of accelerated learning and therefore benefit from motivated, interested and enthusiastic individuals who have rediscovered their zest for learning and thus contribute to maintaining the firm’s competitive edge.

Sue Beavil is UK learning and organisational development manager at international law firm Slater & Gordon (www.slatergordon.co.uk)