Human Resources
Active learning:
the key to your professional
development
The AICM 2016 National Conference
offered attendees countless
opportunities for professional
development, but the real return
on investment is translating the
experience into tangible personal
and professional outcomes. As the
saying goes; you only get out what
you put in.
“It’s essential
to walk away
with a sense
of ownership
over the insights
you’ve gained.”
Jane Calleja, National Training
Manager at Weber BBQ has spent
over 24 years teaching learning
and development across numerous
industries, including finance at
companies such as National Credit
Insurance Brokers and Westpac.
Her presentation at the end of the
conference shared practical habits to
ensure attendees are equipped to get
the most out of opportunities at the
conference and we caught up with her
to hear why she thinks it’s essential to
bring the conference mindset back to
the office.
Put your focus on personal and
professional growth.
For a business manager, Calleja
says the conference is an essential
component in learning to be ‘changeready.’
“You need to be asking ‘how can
I engage my team as we bring in
automation or new technologies’ and
‘how can I harness their creativity and
continue to develop them to create
new business opportunities.’”
Engage, socialise and reflect.
Jane Calleja
The German brain researcher
Hermann Ebbinghaus has a model
called a ‘forgetting curve,’ which
teaches us that nine hours after we
listen to a presentation we won’t have
retained almost 36 per cent of what
we’ve heard.
Calleja explains that we must
apply mechanisms for recall in order
to firstly build long-term memory and
secondly to apply insights gained at
the conference.
“When you’re actually in the
conference room – take notes!” By
putting what you’re hearing onto
paper and into something you
understand, you’re engaging yourself
with the process.
Then, you need to actively reflect
on the experience.
“You need to value taking the
time to reflect on the experience and
ask yourself ‘how can I apply that to
my work?’ You should add to that
by socialising your learning – talking
about it. Discuss it with a leader or a
manager to pull that information apart
and process it.”
What happens when you get
back the office?
It’s essential to walk away with a sense
of ownership over the insights you’ve
gained. Being accountable for your
actions post-conference, Calleja says,
is key to instigating change.
“It’s not just turning up and
learning, but asking ‘what am I going
to do with it?”
One way to keep development
going is to create what Calleja calls
a ‘personal learning network’ that
will continue the momentum. And
it’s something the AICM actively
facilitates.
“I think the AICM really supports
this by enabling you to find likeminded people. Those people can
become a sounding board for new
ideas, or the opportunity to find a
business mentor, hear about new
trends to help you stay relevant – or
even light the way to a new career
opportunity.”
December 2016 • CREDIT MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRALIA
11