Explore how shared learning, nurturing connections, and active contribution in communities can boost professional growth with Fiona McBride
In my last post, I shared how the changing season can serve as a metaphor for growth within our facilitation practice. I reflected on the importance of seeking continuous improvement, trying new approaches as a professional.
In our professional lives, those around us play a crucial role in our personal development and contribute to the collective success of our clients and customers.
To truly flourish we need to recognise that our own learning can be hugely amplified when we engage with others
Communities can offer rich opportunities for shared learning, collaboration and innovation – helping us to flourish together in ways that might be difficult or impossible to achieve on our own. I want to explore how communities can enhance our facilitation skills, develop collaboration, and become a space where we can all thrive.
From when I was in-house as a learning adviser, later on as a people development consultant, and now as a freelance learning consultant and facilitator, my connections and the people around me have always been important to me. I feel fortunate to have these wonderful networks, connections and communities around me, and here are some tips on why you might want to develop this yourself.
Building on continuous growth
It’s wider than our individual journey of improvement. I do wonder how often facilitators get caught up in themselves. I spoke in my previous blog about the importance of continuous reflection and personal growth, and how this mindset is useful to allow us to refine our skills. However, what I didn’t mention is how it also opens the door to a deeper kind of growth that can only be found in communities. To truly flourish we need to remember or recognise that our own learning can be hugely amplified when we engage with others.
Communities, connections and networks enable us to move into environments where we can think differently, share experiences, work things out and ultimately grow and change.
There can be informal or formal elements to these communities around us, but what needs to be consistent is how supportive they are for us and the others in them. If they are supportive spaces, they will ultimately help us to flourish.
Reflection through shared learning
Personal reflection allows us to identify areas for further growth, and reflecting with others has the potential to offer an even deeper level of insight and learning if we want it. We know our thoughts and ideas are shaped by our own experiences and therefore influenced by our biases and assumptions. But I know I can lean into those around me to help challenge my thinking, check my ideas and highlight my assumptions. I get to connect with viewpoints that may be new, different ways to work on problem-solving and new ideas to trial.
I so often find new ways of looking at a situation come to light when I take the time to share my reflections with those I trust and invite them in.
Nurturing our shared communities
I have always spoken not just about how I look to others for support and guidance, but how I can support and nurture those around me in return.
Communities and connections need care and attention. I’ve found that offering support and feedback to others is often appreciated, even if it’s just the gesture of offering help.
I appreciate it can feel tricky to know where to begin if you want to be an active member of communities and networks around you, not to mention potentially overwhelming. When I explore this with other facilitators and learning professionals, I appreciate the concerns they often share about the pressure to ‘keep up’ on social media or how conversations can move on so quickly in WhatsApp groups and Slack channels, and let’s not mention the notifications pinging and piling up!
But being an effective active contributor to your network doesn’t mean you need to respond to everything all the time.
And remember, you don’t have to be perfect; communities are amazing when people are real, honest and share the ups and the downs of their experiences. Take your time to find your own rhythm with this, make this work for you, so you can contribute thoughtfully without getting overwhelmed.
Get involved
I hope this has sparked your thinking, on how and where you create connections and what you have around you to lean on or into. If this is new to you, you might like to check out the following networks and communities to get you started… Let me know how you get on!
Training Journal LinkedIn Group
Fiona McBride is a Learning Consultant and Facilitator at her own company Fiona McBride Consulting
