I remind myself that I, like most adults, have a low tolerance for the early phases of learning: I don't know about it. I can't do it. I'm getting critical feedback on my performance. It takes a pretty solid sense of self-esteem to say, "Bring it on! I'm going to flounder around until I master this. How am I doing?" Is it any wonder that participants in our classes shy away from role plays, practice exercises, and other forms of hands-on learning that require them to exhibit their lack of skill?

My five-year old daughter recently made huge improvements in her swimming ability because her Uncle Byron patiently spent hours in the pool with her, guiding her as she worked through her fears. For a five-year old, fear of immediate drowning is at the top of the list! It took patience and skill to get her to let go of the wall and swim a few strokes.

The fears of adult learners may not be as dramatic as drowning but they certainly can work to inhibit skill development. Our challenge as trainers is to make it safe for our participants to let go of the wall and try some new strokes. Some questions to consider:

How do you motivate learners in your classroom to take risks?
How do you help clarify the benefits of learning a new skill?
How do you reward incremental progress?
What do you do to create a safe environment in which others learn easily?
What do you do to prevent embarrassment on the part of learners in those early phases?

Please share your best practices with us so we can learn from you.