The Three Fs of Learning

Let's talk about three F words...

Frequency. Failure. Feedback.

If we want to learn something new, we must:

• Generate repetitions with frequency.

• Fail.

• Correct through feedback.

Whether it's piano, Italian, or empathy,  we learn by doing. Specifically, we learn by doing things…incorrectly (at first). Our brains learn more through failure than success. While we all love the dopamine hit caused from winning more than the cortisol effect caused from losing, the truth is that failure forces us to correct. When we have a coach or teacher that can guide us through those failures, we create new neural patterns, and we grow.

Practice Frequently. Fail. Correct via Feedback.

While this might seem obvious, for us as individuals, the frustration of failure often results in giving up. For companies, learning often emphasizes online or classroom courses only and they expect employees to be self-directed (see giving up). This also limits their opportunity to correct via feedback. We could have a whole separate conversation on how companies give feedback…

The next time you design a learning program give your employees time to practice. Let them fail. Give them support when they do.

You'll be surprised at how quickly they learn.

For more on learning, here's a great protocol from Dr. Andrew Huberman: https://hubermanlab.com/teach-and-learn-better-with-a-neuroplasticity-super-protocol/