Have you ever attended a training session thinking you were going to learn about one thing, and ended up getting more than you bargained for? I think if training is designed well, this would happen nearly every time a person attends a session. It’s certainly one of the things I use to determine the value of a session. When a participant says to me, “This was so much better than I expected it to be” or “I came for one thing, and got a whole lot more”…. I feel like I have done a good job.

When we are designing activities in a workshop, we need to think about what the activity is REALLY about.  For example, many of you may have read my recent blog about the handwriting class I did. I thought I was attending the class to learn handwriting.  I ended up learning how to shift from a fixed to a growth mindset (Dr. Carol Dweck).  I also learned about how I learn, being kind to myself, tolerance and patience.  All of this is what I would consider “accidental wisdom”.

I think ordinary trainers focus only the skill or technique.  Whilst this is of course important, it’s a missed opportunity.  Take juggling as an example.  I can teach people how to juggle and I can be happy if they can demonstrate the skill at the end.  An ordinary trainer uses juggling as an energiser with no further connection made.

A better trainer will think about the principles being taught. It’s not just about juggling, it’s about learning balance, peripheral vision, rhythm. All of these can become a metaphor for other things in their world and the better trainer will help make those connections.

A great trainer will be focused on the concepts or higher order learning (accidental wisdom - although it’s not so accidental if it’s by design, right?). What is juggling REALLY about?  For some it’s trust (the process). For others it’s belief change (I couldn’t and now I can).  And again, if you debrief it effectively you may unearth other gems. “I felt myself resisting, and then had a breakthrough” (learning about learning).

It’s one of the reasons I’m not a fan of icebreakers.  When done at the base level, they are simply activities that irritate participants.  When you take the opportunity to create accidental wisdom they can be meaningful and useful.

When was the last time you experienced accidental wisdom?