Did you know that people move through four distinct stages when learning a new skill? Martin Broadwell wrote about them in 1969 and educators have been using his framework ever since. Just knowing what these stages are (and where you’re at in the process) can give you tremendous insight into how to move forward.
First, a story. Then I’ll unpack.
I gave my first public speech at age 13, in front of over 100 people. I was terrified. I stood up there with a vague sense of what I wanted to say, fumbled for 15 minutes, and sat down without having said much of anything. The worst part was that I was just telling my life story (a topic I was very familiar with). I remember wishing I could leave the event, the idea of talking to anyone after put my stomach in knots.
A few years later (16 years old), I gave another speech. I remembered the terrible feeling I had last time and thought that I should prepare for this one. I wrote an outline of bullet points, read through it, and felt confident. When I arrived to deliver the talk I found myself reading the points out loud, unable to add any anecdotes or elaborations on the fly. It felt worse than the first time because I had tried a lot harder to prep.
Fast-forward 10 years and I was delivering my first scientific presentation at a jet engine research conference. I spent 15 of my 20 minutes on background information and barely got a chance to share what I had actually done and discovered. I spoke smoothly and with great elaboration, but almost didn’t get my point across.
Today, I feel confident that I could give a half hour speech on any topic that I am familiar with on a moment’s notice. Give me 10 minutes to prep and I’ll deliver something you’d think I spent weeks developing. I actually do this regularly…
Stage 1: Unconscious Incompetence
This is the “you don’t know what you don’t know” stage. You’re unaware of the idea or skill, or you don’t see the value in learning it. People live here until something pushes them out of their comfort zone – causing them to realize they need to grow. What happened in your life lately that awakened a need to learn something new?
At age 13, when I stood in front of that room and had hundreds of eyes and ears aimed at me, I realized I needed to grow.
Stage 2: Conscious Incompetence
Here, you know you should be able to do the thing, but you can’t do it. You seek training, read, watch an expert, and then try for yourself. But you don’t get it (yet). This is classic “learn from your mistakes” territory.
At age 16, I knew I was giving a bad talk but I also knew I had taken the first steps to get better. I was out making the mistakes that would teach me.
Stage 3: Conscious Competence
Now we’re getting somewhere. Here, you can do the thing but it takes all of your focus and attention to perform. You do an adequate job, but no one uses the word “excellent” to describe what you’re doing.
At age 26, at that jet engine conference, I was adequate. There were less useful presentations at that conference (but many that were more useful).
Stage 4: Unconscious Competence
Mastery looks like doing something as “second nature.” Kobe and LeBron don’t think about the dozens of micro and macro motions to shoot a 3-pointer, it just happens. Often, people at this stage can perform the task while doing something else (look, Ma! I can chew gum and walk at the same time). It comes “naturally” and you find yourself able to teach others how to do it.
That’s where I am as a speaker now. I don’t really think about it, flow happens.
There are 15 Key Professional Skills
Every employer is looking for two things when trying to fill a position:
- Technical skills – the ability of the person to do the job-specific tasks. College classes focus on these.
- Professional skills – the transferable abilities that are needed to do ANY job. We spend almost no time teaching or learning these, and frequently find ourselves feeling like that 13-year old in front of a huge crowd.
One of the best ways to take control of your career is to master these skills following the four stages I just laid out. I prepared a cheat sheet for you:
The 15 Professional Skills You Need to Master. Just enter your name and email below to subscribe to the Intentional Academy weekly email list and I’ll send you copy!
