This Paulo Coelho quote came to mind last night. It was triggered by the following,
Most training in the world is about head (knowledge), but not heart.
This from a Coach/Trainer at a meeting I was at. They expanded the point by saying that people can spend years in school/university, gain a lot of knowledge (head) but come out (say after 3-5 years) with no change of heart. Or as I took it, impact on their character or how they live their lives/engage with others and the world.
‘Head, Heart, Hands’
This concept was suggested as an essential element for an effective training course. Specifically with regards to it facilitating/resulting in change. ‘Head, Heart and Hands‘ can also be articulated as, ‘Thinking, Feeling, Doing’. Or in the world of psychology, ‘Cognitive, Affective and Behavioural’. For an easy to digest overview of the concept (inc. some historical background), see here. If you’ve read my post Always a Learner, some of the basic premise, specifically how we learn, is the same.
When engaged in or facilitating training, having an understanding of these elements and how to incorporate them is invaluable*. This applies whether the context is individual, in a group, community based or corporate. Both as a means to effectively tailor the training/learning journey to those who are engaged in it. Also as a means to discern and identify impact. What has changed?
Knowledge without transformation is not wisdom.
Returning to the Paulo Coelho quote, “Transformation” is a strong word for change. It can be defined as:
- a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance.
- an act, process, or instance of transforming or being transformed
- a complete change in the appearance or character of something or someone, especially so that that thing or person is improved.
- In an organizational context, a process of profound and radical change that orients an organization in a new direction and takes it to an entirely different level of effectiveness.  Read more here…
If ‘transformation’Â is the kind of change we need, the need to strive for effective training -as a learner or trainer- is clear.
*It is also essential for us to understand how we ourselves interact with ‘head, heart, and hands’. As this will impact both how we learn, and how we develop and deliver training.
~ Additional extra:
Be a head-heart-hands whole leader