L&D professionals enjoy sharing knowledge, so I want to see more of us writing, says Barry Johnson
Many people start writing blogs or articles, but perhaps not many get them published. It takes stamina, determination, single-mindedness, dedication, lots of time and, of course, a driving interest in communicating. That last one should be common among L&D professionals.
There’ll be great days, where you’ve written masses and you feel like you have said ‘it’ and you are excited. But then there is the next day. Doubts arise – ‘they must already know this, I must write it better; oh it's like a handout, I’ll have to start again’. Then you find you can’t write a word and lose faith in what you’ve written. Those are the days when the confidence leaks out of you, and you’re tempted to abandon the project. You need clarity of purpose, as well as resilience, to get through that day. This is the case for me, and I believe other writers must also feel this way. Perhaps we have some strategies to get back on track.
We have something to say that others may want to hear. For me, writing is a sort of personal journal, and I love it when I get comments saying ‘yes, me too’, or adding to what I’ve said. It is a kind of hobby; I could build a model train line – but I just love writing.
How do I decide what to write about? I admit I read a lot of stuff. For example, I have recently been reading about neuroscience. Some writers, I feel, could benefit from going on a writing course because I struggle to understand what they are trying to say. Some of it is just alchemy. (And some of it is down to finding a good editor – ed.)
For me, I suppose it is reading a different angle on the way I have learned something, and then wanting to share it – or I read some ‘belief’, and my experience makes me think ‘hmm’. It’s great to have beliefs, but just because I believe something does not make it true.
Why am I writing this blog? Recently a colleague asked me to write something on transactional and transformational leaders for her. So I did. That triggered some reading and some points of view from the academically inclined – and then I rejigged the piece with my new clarity. I wrote it three times and went to bed in the early hours having emailed it to her and was pleased to get ‘star’ sent to me the next morning.
Yes, writing is fun. Now, what is it you want to share with us, L&D professionals?
Barry Johnson is a non-executive director of Learning Partners