There is an assumption in the world that we all speak the same learning language. It is assumed that everybody is learning from video, yet some people cannot learn much from watching instructional video because the teaching is entirely one-sided, with no interaction. Video instruction has virtually replaced software or application manuals, leaving many people flying blind.
You have to wonder if part of the reason apps are worth only $3.99 is because of the lack of instruction documentation. Then we wonder if the developer even knows how it works (or if they care at all).
When there is no documentation, the assumption is that we think like the developer thinks. The truth is, it’s rare that a consumer thinks like a developer.
Language gives us wings. It helps us make progress, fly over roadblocks, connect.
Making assumptions about which learning language we speak, which instruction we understand, is squandering opportunity for connection, sales success, and human potential. It’s asking a whole lot of us to fly without wings, or to hand over our money without getting anything useful. The picture is of people sitting on the ground flapping their arms and going nowhere. Is that really the goal?
Kelly Hobkirk - teaching marketers how to harness strategy, goals, reality, and purpose to connect and do better work.
Kelly Hobkirk has been helping companies succeed in creative ways for nearly 25 years. His work has been featured in Time Magazine, and books by Rockport and Rotovision. Get exclusive articles when you sign up for his monthly newsletter.