4 Stages of Trainee's Behavior
What are things that need to know by a trainer about her/his trainee? Well, some might think that a trainee is just a trainee. They come, sit, enjoy the coffee break, read the trainer profile, listen, and ask questions (when it’s necessary), have the lunch, etc. As far as they are good organize, pay attention, nothing is to be worried. All right, this is old fashion way o f thinking. Let’s have a quick look to the trainee’s behavior.
The first stage of trainee’s behavior is called the “Unconscious Incompetent”. The trainees are unconscious of what they want to get, they have no specific goal, they don’t know what they are going to do, they just come, listen (in a pathetic look at the trainee perhaps ). And yes, they are incompetent because they think they know everything, so there’s nothing new to be learned at the trainee. Or they know nothing at all, well they just sent by their boss, but it’s not the training they’re expected. Then, trainer..show them your best training..your training is worth participating.
The second stage is the “Conscious Incompetent”. Now, at this stage the trainee is aware of their incapability of doing something. They wanna come to the training and do their best effort because they need to know about certain things. Well, trainer..it’s kinda good news, at least you got their attention. But hey, they’re still incompetent. Meaning they are in a process to learn something.
The third stage is the “Conscious Competent”. This is exactly the stage which needs to be reached by the trainer. The trainee knows exactly what they want to learn, why they want to learn, what they wanna get. These are good motivation. Then they are able to master the skill they want to achieve just like your training goal.
The fourth stage is the “Unconscious Competent”. After trainer master the skill they’ve learned they become “an expert”. They know well how they do it. so well that they don’t realize that they become competent. The competent is just naturally flow. But the dangerous thing of this level is that when someone is at this stage, she/he tends to unaware of some mistakes that occur.
Then what after the fourth stage? You’ll go back to the first stage. The unsatisfied human being make people wanna learn other things, even when the trainee is already become a master in a special thing.
Allow me to give an example about the trainee’s stages. Imagine when one of your friend told you about the great things of riding a motorcycle. He gave you a clear image about driving a motorcycle. Of course, you can’t ride it. Maybe you can’t ride any. Then you’ll think…alright, I’ll try. I think it’s good, I think it’s cool. You are unconscious and incompetent. You don’t know what you are facing and you have no skill at all. You just believe in what your friend told you. You though that it’s gonna be easy as what your friend said.
Now, you had your motorcycle, ready to try, grasping the steer, foot on the brakes ready to launch, but then ohhh you found it so difficult to learn it. You tried again days by days but it’s still hard. Then you quit after some bruises on your legs and hands. You think you need to read the manual, or you need to browse the internet and learn the technique. You are in conscious incompetent stage. You know you need to learn because you haven’t master the skill.
Then, you learned through the manual. You could do it well. But you stick on the manual. Things might happen not as the manual said. You become so “robotic”, you do things exactly as the guidance told you. But yes, you did it great! You could ride it smoothly. You are in your third stage. You are conscious and competent.
Then you become a master of motorcycle riding. You know exactly how to ride it. No need the manual. You can even drive it with hands off. Wow, you become an expert, but you didn’t realize this. It just happened naturally. You are in your fourth stage. Unconscious Competent. When someone told you that your riding way is a bit scary and crazy, he told you that you need to do this and that. But you tend to ignore it. Well, you like to do it with your way..so far it caused you no trouble.
The after riding a motorcycle, you want to know more about the motorcycle racing. You think it’s great and cool. You wanna try that. You just feel unsatisfied on riding the regular motorcycle. (It reminds me of my boyfriend who want to have a digital camera, then decide a DSLR camera, then wanna have another series which need more effort to learn how to use it.
Then what stage that you’ll have? You’re back in the first stage. It’s a brand new thing!
