Learning from Experience

What it is

One experience, thought through. Your mentee looks back on one recent experience and picks one change for next time.

When to send it

Send it while it is fresh. Send it soon after the event, while the details are still clear.

• A first timea first talk, a first client
• Something that went wrongor better than expected
• Before trying againa second talk, the next interview

Filling it in

Fifteen minutes, three steps. Describe what happened, look at both sides, then choose one change.

1. Describe what happenedJust the facts, in order.
2. Feelings and both sidesWhat you felt, what went well and what did not.
3. Meaning and next timeWhat you learned, one change and a date to try it.

Reading the answers

Follow the line to one change. Good answers link what happened to one clear change for next time.

• What happenedjust the facts, in order
• Both sidesthe summary flags it when one is missing
• Next timeone change and a first chance to try it

Questions to ask

Ask about the pattern, not the slip. People who ask follow-up questions are liked more (Huang and others, 2017).

• How would someone else who was there describe it?then: what would they see that you did not?
• Is the lesson about this one time, or does it keep coming back?then: where else have you seen it?
• What would make the next try easier?then: what can I do to help?

Why it works

Learning from experience needs a pause to look back, draw a lesson and try again (Kolb 1984; Gibbs 1988). This is a widely used reflection tool; its effect has not been measured on its own.

Sources

• Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Prentice Hall.
• Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic.
• Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D. & Jasper, M. (2001). The “What? So what? Now what?” model of reflection.

How a tool works on Mentornity

1. 1The mentor picks a tool from the library and sends it with a short message.
2. 2The mentee fills it in step by step; the answers are saved as they go.
3. 3Both see the answers, comment on any part and agree the next steps.
4. 4Only the two of them see the answers, not the program admins.

Guides for both sides

• Learning from Experience for MentorsFor mentors and coaches: when to send Learning from Experience, how to read the answers, which questions to ask and how to plan the next try.
• Learning from Experience for MenteesFor mentees and coachees: what Learning from Experience is, how to fill it in, where to find it and what happens at your next meeting.

More tools: Reflection

• After-Action Review10 min

  Look back at one event soon after it: what you expected, what happened, why they differed, and what to keep or change.

All tools →