Real World Examples

I, occasionally, receive workshop feedback by my students about having more real-life or real world examples. I often wonder what they mean exactly…

What is real life? Does it suggest that some of us are living ‘virtual lives’? In the real world, aren’t we humans who go to work, have families, raise children, go for prayer, enjoy an annual vacation, develop our skill sets, and hopefully, realize part of our dream? If that is part of your blueprint for life, then, how irrelevant can that be?

This has led to me consider the following questions:

1)    Do staff only want to hear real-life stories from within their company alone? Therefore, the trainer or teacher needs to be from in-house and has worked across all departments in the company to be credible and relevant.

2)    Do staff believe in applying ‘good practices’ or ‘best-in-class practices’? If not, the real world does not matter much.

3)    Is there a misinterpretation of the phrase ‘real world’ and ‘real life’?

4)    Is there a distinct difference in mindset between employees and employers?

5)    Do they really understand what ‘theory’ is, and that it is already applied or can be applied?

6)    Are there underlying issues that need to be attended and addressed?

7)    Can you really challenge somebody’s experience?

As annoying as the phraseology may be, I suspect that there are attendant opportunities we can unearth from such feedback. How can we connect daily workplace experiences and practices with ‘real world’ ones? How can we make that leap from where we are, to another point where  ‘we could be’ in our future? Is that considered thinking outside the box?

Just one question, that leads to many more. What about you?