Expert Level Answers via Social Networks

I've been really enjoying the discussion around Does Deliberative Practice Lead to Quick Proficiency?  One of the interesting points raised via the discussion:

If you can get an expert level answer by asking for help through
social networks how does that compare to being an expert?

I regularly use LinkedIn for Finding Expertise and Searching for Expertise - LinkedIn Answers.  I will have conversations with people who are experts in their area and get their answers and even ask them about other answers I'm getting.  I just did this to get help with an upcoming presentation about the use of Web 2.0 Tools inside insurance companies with fantastic results.  Granted you need a base level of knowledge to understand what you are getting, but you certainly don't need to be a true  expert.

Side note: Are you reading this and not currently linked to me on LinkedIn – please read: My LinkedIn Connection Approach.

Now consider how we Evaluate the Performance of Concept Workers by looking at signals such as:

• Process - They went through a reasonable process to arrive at their conclusions.
• Reasonable - Their conclusions are reasonable in your opinion (if you can formulate one).
• Compare - If you took what they did and compared it to what you would expect from other similar performers, would they have arrived at the same result.

This raises the question:

By going to outside experts with the appropriate base knowledge
doesn't that constitute a good answer based on this criteria?

In fact, Sue Waters said in a comment that being a Connector (well connected and knowing how to leverage those connections) is really what it's all about:

I don't need to know the answers because my personal learning network is so extensive, and extremely diverse, that I know who can help me with the answer. This also means I can normally get them answered before most people can. Which means people also turn to me because they know 1) I will help them find the answer 2) they know I will be able to find it quickly.

Sue does caution us:

It is a huge danger that people are confusing online presence with being an expert.

The other danger is to take online information at face value without questioning if the information is true.

I would point out that the first danger is akin to the danger of confusing confidence with expertise.  That happens all the time and is made even harder by the fact that confidence level about answers is inversely proportional to expertise (see Vic's comment in Social Media Conversations).  Similarly, just because you find someone everywhere online doesn't mean they are an expert.  And certainly, you can't just talk to one person or read one blog post and assume you have an answer to anything.  It's always more complex than that. 

I believe there's really something here in terms of Leveraging Networks is Key Skill that allows us to get expert level answers via social networks.  This is the most important Knowledge Worker Skill Gap.  And it makes a lot of the discussion around Network Feedback, Using Social Media to Find Answers to Questions, Learning through Conversation very important topics.

I welcome your thoughts.

Firefox Bookmark Shortcuts

I had asked in Blog Post Updates - Effective Pattern? how to update a previous post. I'm still not sure I have the answer. I wanted to add something to Browser Keyboard Shortcut Basics. Since the title of the previous post is a bit different, I'm going to create a new post that is just about this one thing and then I guess I'll cross link. By the way, if you are not sure what Ctrl+T does, then go visit the previous post.

Firefox allows you to add a "Keyword" to any bookmark. This becomes a string you can type in the address bar in order to launch that bookmark. For any of your common bookmarks, it's worth your time to set keywords so that you can launch it in a new tab without having to click on anything.

Ctrl+T

elt<enter>

Opens the page.

Internet Explorer offers a similar capability with hot keys.

Does Deliberative Practice Lead to Quick Proficiency?

In Social Media Conversations, I posted the story of how this post came about.  Briefly, I sent Ken Allan the following question:

Any thoughts on how deliberative practice relates to becoming something less than an expert. It seems like it should be applicable to all levels of achievement, but everything I'm reading is the study of becoming an expert. Is that just aspirational, or is deliberative practice also studied for quick attainment of proficiency?

And he responded with Proficiency and Deliberative Practice.

The best way for me to process something like his post, is for me to walk through it and take notes.  In this case, I'm going to create a post out of it.

Ken starts with some foundation around terms of 'expert' and 'proficient' and it is really a spectrum:

all according to where the benchmarks lie for ‘proficient’ and for ‘expert’.

Then he gets at the crux of where my question comes from … expert status is more difficult to achieve these days:

It is becoming increasingly more difficult for expertise to reach expert level. The matter of change, which can arrive every 6 months to a year, or even more frequently in technology, will limit the efficiency of any aspiring expert in reaching true expert level.

This is the reason that I wrote the question.  I think of myself as being proficient at learning new subjects quickly, maybe even getting to an expert level at aspects of that.  But I'm not an expert in any of these subjects.  Jack of all trades.  My core questions were:

In this time of rapid change, is expertise really the goal anymore?

Does Deliberative Practice Lead to Quick Proficiency?

Ken landed on the same alternative goal, "quick proficiency" …

Here were some of his strategies:

• identify the required base-knowledge/skills, foster strategies for these to be recognized as key, and provide avenues for their appropriate acquisition and practice
• cull redundant and/or recursive procedures or procedural loops in workplace routines
• provide incentive for revisiting and refining/updating key knowledge/skills/procedures (used to be called ‘training’) to clarify current understanding
• foster a culture where its acceptable to ask questions to do with key knowledge/skills/procedures - in other words, it's OK not to be an expert.

Good stuff.

It's interesting to see how these relate to and enhance the core elements of Deliberative Practice:

• Deliberate practice identifies specific, defined elements of performance that need to be improved and works them intently independent of actual performance.
• Goals are set around each element of performance.
• Feedback and coaching is continuously available.
• Deliberative practice is hard, not fun and separated from actual performance.

In reading studies on deliberative practice, it's pretty clear that there's a nice body of research showing that this works.  And the reality is that likely you've seen this with your kids – think improving soccer skills, study skills, etc.

However, do these same elements hold true when we are talking about a world where expertise is not the goal?  Where quick proficiency is the goal?  Where most people will be in a role for only a few years?  Where they need to get up to speed immediately?

I'm also trying to figure out how this relates to Work Literacy.  I believe that some of the methods described in the Tool Set series are actually part of a core set of work skills where concept workers should develop expert level.  However, even there, with the rapid change in these tools and methods, rapid proficiency might be a better goal.  And the use of these work skills are often about rapid proficiency or leveraging the expertise of others to act like an expert.

I don't expect that there's a simple answer to any of this and the great thing about social media conversations is that they can take their time.

I hope you will contribute your thoughts to this conversation.

Social Media Conversations

This post is just a quick reminder of the beauty of interesting new social media conversations and social media relationships. 

Ken Allan and I have had several interesting exchanges via our blogs and around the eLearning Learning site.  I'm not even sure what I would call Ken – it's somewhere in the peer, colleague, friend space.  I've never met Ken and I don't think we've had a real-time conversation (apologies to Ken if that's not true).  And the list of these kinds of relationships that I have is fairly long.

But it's a beautiful relationship with wonderful conversations.  As an example, during a recent email exchange, I threw in a question that I had been pondering:

Any thoughts on how deliberative practice relates to becoming something less than an expert. It seems like it should be applicable to all levels of achievement, but everything I'm reading is the study of becoming an expert. Is that just aspirational, or is deliberative practice also studied for quick attainment of proficiency?

This morning I wake up to find his post: Proficiency and Deliberative Practice.  I'm about to go post about that particular topic so I can collect my thoughts on it. 

But I had to also comment on the beauty of that kind of exchange.

And there's this interesting element that it's a public conversation.  It's part of the appeal of Twitter – you get to peer into a little snippet of public conversation.  Of course, blog conversations can go deeper.  And I'm not saying it's an either or.

I still like to use the analogy of a huge cocktail party when describing social media.  Everyone is standing around and you likely can engage them in really great conversations.  But, there are some patterns and norms at cocktail parties and in social media conversations.

• 95%+ of vendors don't get social media conversations.  They believe that sending a press release to a blogger works.  Good luck with that.  Go ahead and send it, but don't expect results.  Think about walking around a cocktail party passing out flyers.  Well received?
• You do need to Spend Time in social media to be able to engage in these conversations.
• My experience with Browse My Stuff has shown me that most bloggers are quite open and willing to engage. 
• I am quite willing to engage in social media conversations - see Conversation Topics

Okay, now onto Ken's post.  Thanks Ken!

Oh, and it goes without saying that I welcome comments, posts and other social media conversations.

Disclosures

Keeping with the theme of creating posts that really shouldn't be posts, but I need to have an appropriate page in my blog, I thought I should take the opportunity to create a page where I can list any and all disclosures about relationships with vendors, people, companies that may appear in my writing or speaking.

Editorial Firewall

Before I mention these relationships, with any and all companies that I work with in a consulting capacity and who I will discuss in my blog, I include in my contract what I call an editorial firewall clause. That clause says:

• I have a responsibility to provide unbiased content in my blog, presentations and consulting.
• All relationships will be disclosed and transparent.
• All communications in my blog, presentations and consulting will be authentic. In other words, there is no editorial control by anyone over spoken or written statements. There is no offer of editing comments to have a positive slant. I will talk about competitors. Basically, I'm going to say what I'm going to say.

You might think that this would be an issue, but I have yet to have any trouble. The reason is that it really doesn't do a vendor any good to have anything but a fair representation of where they fit in the market. What they are good at. When you might use someone else. It's a waste of everyone's time to say anything else.

Disclosed Relationships

I'm sure this list will grow over time, but the two that I know I should mention are …

• Adobe – Member of the eLearning Advisory Board – High level discussions with Adobe around product direction.
• Upside Learning – Advisor discussing product and services direction, positioning and product marketing.
• ProProfs - consulting around market positioning
  

If you have any questions, comments or concerns – feel free to email me at: akarrer@techempower.com