Why All The Unsolicited Advice???
*Warning: Long Ranty Post*
Is it just me or does everyone else respond negatively to unsolicited advice? I mean who in their right mind actually welcomes advice especially when someone comes along and forces it down your throat?
I strongly believe that learning should be self-initiated. If anyone else forces knowledge upon you, chances are you won't be in the proper frame of mind to receive it and end up rejecting the information at the end of the day. The result is both the people that give and receive the advice become frustrated!
A very common example would be my Dad. Every now and then, he tries to force his style of accomplishing certain tasks onto his children. I admit there are certain tasks that he is greatly more experienced with but the delivery method of this information is all wrong!
Just because I am not doing a certain task as well as him doesn't mean I want help! First off, I have to acknowledge that I'm not doing it correctly in the first place. It so does not help the situation when you begin your sentence with "You're Doing It Wrong! Do It This Way!" I automatically become defensive and its highly unlikely I'll learn anything at that point in time.
Instead, it would be so much better if the sentence went like "Do you know there is a better way to do that?". At the very least it would have given me a chance to agree or disagree and justify myself instead of suddenly getting defensive over how I carry out a specific task.
Its even better when I get to realize my own mistakes. That way I will be extra eager to find a much better way to perform a certain task either by conducting self-research or asking a more experienced individual. Whatever information I glean at this point of time will be earnestly accepted and most likely be used the next time I go about executing a similar task.
I believe that this is a far superior approach in teaching knowledge rather than resorting to forcefeeding people with information. People are generally proud and most will not willingly accept that others are wiser than them regardless of whether its the truth or not.
Not only that, even though by nature older people tend to possess more experience and may be more knowledgable in most things, there are still times when they are caught by surprise when introduced to easier and faster ways of accomplishing certain tasks.
This is the reason that everytime, I'm teaching anything to anyone, I try to make it a point to ask whether that person already has any prior knowledge or inclinations on that subject. Not only does that person feel happy to be given the chance to share his or her own opinion but I may also pick up certain things that I wasn't aware of before.
Hence, a 'win-win' situation =)
Is it just me or does everyone else respond negatively to unsolicited advice? I mean who in their right mind actually welcomes advice especially when someone comes along and forces it down your throat?
I strongly believe that learning should be self-initiated. If anyone else forces knowledge upon you, chances are you won't be in the proper frame of mind to receive it and end up rejecting the information at the end of the day. The result is both the people that give and receive the advice become frustrated!
A very common example would be my Dad. Every now and then, he tries to force his style of accomplishing certain tasks onto his children. I admit there are certain tasks that he is greatly more experienced with but the delivery method of this information is all wrong!
Just because I am not doing a certain task as well as him doesn't mean I want help! First off, I have to acknowledge that I'm not doing it correctly in the first place. It so does not help the situation when you begin your sentence with "You're Doing It Wrong! Do It This Way!" I automatically become defensive and its highly unlikely I'll learn anything at that point in time.
Instead, it would be so much better if the sentence went like "Do you know there is a better way to do that?". At the very least it would have given me a chance to agree or disagree and justify myself instead of suddenly getting defensive over how I carry out a specific task.
Its even better when I get to realize my own mistakes. That way I will be extra eager to find a much better way to perform a certain task either by conducting self-research or asking a more experienced individual. Whatever information I glean at this point of time will be earnestly accepted and most likely be used the next time I go about executing a similar task.
I believe that this is a far superior approach in teaching knowledge rather than resorting to forcefeeding people with information. People are generally proud and most will not willingly accept that others are wiser than them regardless of whether its the truth or not.
Not only that, even though by nature older people tend to possess more experience and may be more knowledgable in most things, there are still times when they are caught by surprise when introduced to easier and faster ways of accomplishing certain tasks.
This is the reason that everytime, I'm teaching anything to anyone, I try to make it a point to ask whether that person already has any prior knowledge or inclinations on that subject. Not only does that person feel happy to be given the chance to share his or her own opinion but I may also pick up certain things that I wasn't aware of before.
Hence, a 'win-win' situation =)
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