Build Confidence In Your Learners

Published: 29-Oct-2007

"My successful, intelligent and experienced adult learners are riddled with anxiety! What’s going on here?"

As educators, it’s essential to deliver professional training sessions that educate and entertain our participants. But even if we do manage to do that, it doesn’t guarantee that what we’re offering will actually get through to our learners.

Many adult learners experience high levels of anxiety and fear, and even lose their nerve completely when it comes to learning new skills and knowledge. For some, this anxiety can totally block their ability to learn new skills, and they may end up walking away from our training sessions without getting much from them.

Learners will pretty much learn the amount that they expect from training sessions. What they tell themselves and believe about learning has a profound impact on their actual ability to take on new skill and information. If people believe they can learn, they will, but if they believe that can’t, then they’ll struggle.

As trainers, something we can do to help maximize our participants’ learning experiences is to build their learning self-esteem and confidence so that they start to believe that they can take on and apply the information and skills we’re offering.

So how can you help your learners to build the confidence they need to be successful in your training programs? Here are a few powerful tips:

• Firstly, be honest and set expectations up-front about the fact that learning new skills and information can be quite challenging. Even if you, as a trainer, don’t believe the information your offering is challenging, some participants will find it hard to learn. So let your learners know that it’s ok if they find it challenging and that this is part of the journey of learning new things.
• Create a ‘Mistakes are ok’ environment. Help your learners feel comfortable in making mistakes as they’re learning new skills. I always talk about this with my learners, regardless of the topic. I tell my participants that as human beings, the primary way we learn is by trying things and making mistakes. I tell them that if they’re not making mistakes, then chances are they may not actually be learning. This sets up a good ground rule and creates a great learning environment in my experience.
• If your learners have already experienced being successful when they’ve learnt something similar before, have them reflect on that process and on what they were telling themselves about the learning at the time. Ask them to put aside their fear and to remind themselves that they’ve been successful before, so they can be again. Remind them that they’re far more likely to be a successful learner if they approach the new topic or skill with an attitude of "I know I can learn / do this!", rather than with fear and a negative belief.
• Use testimonials or refer back to other learners who have already completed the program and successfully took on the new information or skills. Emphasize to the current learners how much time and practice these others took to become successful to normalize the time and practice elements of the process of learning.
• Share your own experiences of learning the skills that you’re teaching. Let your learners know how long it took for you to become proficient.
• Explain how your learners will be supported back in their organization. Point out any relevant resources, tools and strategies that might help them build their skills and confidence.
• Provide as much opportunity to practice as you can during the training session. Give your learners positive and constructive feedback as they practice so they can keep doing what works and correct any mistakes that they’re making.
• Tailor the ‘skills practice’ exercises in the session to be as realistic as possible for the context that your learners will ultimately be using their newfound skills in. The more realistic it is, the easier they’ll find it to transfer the skills into that context when they return to their workplace.
• If you notice people putting themselves down about how difficult it is to learn or judging themselves harshly for being slow learners, provide them with positive feedback for the ‘small wins’ that they have had. Suggest that they notice the good steps rather than focusing on the negative. Emphasize the importance of breaking learning down into small steps and being "kind" to themselves as they learn. Positive feedback can greatly enhance their self-esteem and confidence.

When it comes to learning, many of us have really unrealistic expectations of how well or how quickly we should be able to learn things. These expectations can really damage our self-esteem and negatively impact our confidence and ability to learn. I often have a discussion with my learners about ‘getting real’ about our expectations. Some things I say to my learners around this include:

• Learning and building competence in new skills takes time and is different for everyone.
• Comparing yourself to an expert or even someone who learns a bit quicker than you is unfair and often increases your ‘learner’s block’.
• We’re all good at different things: that’s what makes us all unique. And this is a good thing. If you find that this topic or skill is one of the things that you’re not quite as quick to learn as someone else, that doesn’t mean you can’t learn it. It just means that it’s not your natural strong area or area of interest. If we were learning another topic, you’d probably find that the person next to you would be feeling anxious and you may be feeling good, so just persevere and be willing to learn at your own pace.
• Often we feel like ‘beginners’ again when we’re adding new skills to existing ones. We feel like we’re back at ‘square-one’ and our initial skill level seems to drop. This is completely normal and ok. With practice and perseverance you will overcome this hurdle.
• Learning will always take us out of our comfort zone. This is completely expected and normal. As you learn, if you notice that you’re feeling anxious or uncomfortable or a bit unsure, then remind yourself that feeling that way is a natural part of the learning process.
• And finally, be kind to yourself. Being overly critical of yourself as a learner is only going to get in the way of being successful.

By being aware of, and addressing, the anxiety and fears of our learners, not only do we impart great skills and knowledge, but we can also boost their confidence and help them to remove the barriers to their learning.

Henry Ford said: "Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." That saying is profound and well known because it’s true. The more confident people feel, the more easily they learn. Give your learners the sense that they can learn well and they’re sure to be more courageous and to become more successful learners.