Humans are hardwired to learn through imitation. This past winter, I was reminded of just how effective modeling others can be.
Here where I live in Ottawa, Canada, we have the world’s longest outdoor skating rink at 7.8 kilometers or 4.8 miles.
Well, its been about 30 years since I last put on a pair of ice skates and, although I could keep myself upright, I was having some difficulty staying co-ordinated in the actions needed to move forward smoothly.
And then I remembered the trick of modeling others to accelerate learning. Just ahead of us was another family skating at a similar pace. They were all good skaters and looked to be traveling with ease.
So I simply watched the movements of the woman in front of me. I quite literally stared at her feet. Within moments, my feet were imitating hers and I too was balanced, relaxed and comfortable. So much so that we skated the whole distance, twice!
In psychology, we are just beginning to understand something called mirror neurons. Essentially, neurons in the brain of an observer mirror the activity in the brain of the doer, albeit to a lesser degree. This in part explains things like empathy, compassion, thrill seeking, addictions to sports or video games and, of course, learning through modeling. By watching others, we create brain activity that is similar to theirs.
Action – What would you like to learn? Who in that profession, industry, sport, activity or situation ranks up there with the best?
Seek them out. Learn their habits and actions. Model what they do. Stare at their feet!
For fun or for business, modeling accelerates learning.