The use of metaphors in the learning room as conversation anchors is no revolutionary. (And, by now you’d know my love for them is unparalleled.)
But here’s how I’ve been using them differently off-late…
Instead of doing a traditional Stop/Start/Continue, 3/2/1, Rose/Bud/Thorn, and the likes of it…
I’ve been introducing industry / job-role specific metaphors, either as closure tools or learning collation tools. For instance:
The recent intervention for a metal manufacturing giant saw metallurgical anchors to collate takeaways from the day. Like so:
(Purists and stalwarts, please pardon my science)
– ANNEAL:
(Annealing is a gruelling process to fortify metals)
The parallel drawn here was ‘what are some of my biggest strengths’
– ALLOYS:
(An alloy is a mix of metals, not in its purest form)
So the parallel drawn here was ‘what are some areas I would like to purify/ develop’
– CORROSION:
(Rust. Junk. Waste.)
Translated as ‘What are some corrosion areas I can identify, that I’d like to do away with’
The result?
Now while doing this may or may not be on the absolute right side of science, but from a social standpoint, it’s a big hit among the participants and sponsor, alike. It’s an effortless pick-me-up among the events of the day.
Personal touch. Smiles beaming ear-to-ear. Shows effort. Relateable. Resonating. Hitting home.
What’s more?
One thing to be absolutely mindful of here, would be to clarify these metaphors with the Client in advance, to ensure the tool lands in the correct, uncompromising context. And of course, a robust context around the task and subject needs to be set.
I invite your thoughts, would you try this?
Old wine, new bottle?
