The Value of Methodology

We've all attended seminars/talks where it was promoted that we would be taught on how to become a better speaker or a better student or whatever fits your situation. Even I myself have been guilty of giving such talks where the focus was more on the idea rather than the methodology.

I now realise just how easily people are tricked into thinking that learning the theory of something is good enough. The illusion of progress and improvement. We all want to become better but as human beings, we will always look for the easiest way to do that. The actual process of self-improvement is always painful and takes a long time, so it's no surprise that we would take mental shortcuts to convince ourselves that learning how is good enough without actually practising how.

The next time you attend an event that promises to teach you something, judge its value by looking at the balance between theory vs. practical. By practical, I don't mean that it would make you practice the theory at the event, workshops often do that. What I mean is that it should teach about the methods instead of just the rhetoric part of the topic.

Example:
Topic - How To Ace Your Interviews
Rhetoric - You have to be prepared and sharpen your critical thinking
Methods - Study the company and job offered, do a mock interview

As you can see, most motivational seminars/talks are heavily focused on the rhetoric rather than methods, which is why I despise them. They give you a short burst of happiness, a pop if you will. The illusion that you've somehow become a better person. It's a good way to make money because as I've mentioned before, we human beings will always want the easy way.

Next time you learn something from someone else, look at the balance between rhetoric vs. methods. It will give away what the person truly knows or what the person is trying to hide from you.

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