The results from last week’s baseline survey regarding self-regulated learning at work were not surprising. I scored highest in interest with elaborating and planning tying for second. My weakest area of learning is help seeking. Am I surprised? As an introverted, high-achieving perfectionist, no. I am not.
Help Seeking
So, it seems obvious that help seeking should be my area of focus. Specifically, I want to focus on the relational aspect of help seeking. I’m very familiar with RTFM and I’m not shy about finding training opportunities to expand my knowledge. I am, afterall, in a graduate program tailored towards a specific career area. I know when I don’t know something. What I have difficulty with is admitting to another human that I need help.
Stretch Strategies
Over the next few weeks I hope to stretch my comfort levels with help seeking by doing a few things.
- I need to fill out my application to become a member of the Society of Technical Communication. This will allow me to utilize mentorship resources and join special interest groups like Women in Tech Comm. My goal is to complete this before the next blog post assignment so that I’m forced to follow through.
- Utilize resources within the tech comm program. This includes reaching out to my instructor as needed, taking advantage of Teams and of office hours. It also includes paying a visit to the Tech Comm lab as needed, especially while learning new software. The staff there will know what I’m trying to accomplish. Especially with MadCap Flare and Camtasia. Plus I work on campus so I have no excuse. (I actually walked past the building today on my lunch break, but did I go in? Absolutely not, people are in there…)
- Reach out to an old friend for advice. Specifically, one of the few people from high school I still interact with on social media is an active member of STC. They’ve been in the tech comm field for over a decade. There’s a lot I can learn from this person.
Finding instruction is easy. Asking for help is outside my comfort zone. But, operating outside of my comfort zone, especially in this capacity, will have several benefits. It sets me up for success. By asking for help now as a student, I’ll learn how to ask for help as an employee. This will save time and effort for a lot of people (not just myself), and may even impact a company’s bottom line to some degree.
Photo by Michael Walter on Unsplash