How to Use the Conscious Competence Ladder

Transcript

[Presenter] Do you know what you know? That might sound like a strange question, but it's an important one to consider when you're learning a new skill.

In the 1970s, Noel Burch, an employee at Gordon Training International, developed The Conscious Competence Ladder model and changed the way we think about learning.

The Conscious Competence Ladder

According to the Conscious Competence Ladder, there are four levels that you climb as you learn a new skill.

Unconciously Unskilled

First of all, you start off as "unconsciously unskilled." At this stage, you don't know that you don't have the skill – and maybe you don't even know that you need to learn it.

Imagine that you've never given a presentation and never expected you'd have to, and one day you get called on to do one. Before that moment, you'd never even considered your presentation skills.

Conciously Unskilled

Next, you become "consciously unskilled." Now you know about the skill and what it involves, and you know that you don't have it.

Consciously Skilled

Then you reach the level of being "consciously skilled." You've learned the skill and now understand it.

Unconsciously Skilled

The final level is being "unconsciously skilled." This is when you become so familiar with the skill that it's easy for you.

Think about learning to drive a car. Before you start learning, you don't know how unskilled you are. But, when you take your first lessons, you quickly realize just how little you know. Then, after much practice, you've learned to drive and you pass your test.

Now you have the skill, sure, but, you still have to think through each movement and pay close attention to what you're doing. Finally, when you've been driving for many years, you reach the top level of being unconsciously skilled: it's become second nature, and you don't have to think too hard about it.

The ladder is a great way to think about the process we and others go through as we learn a new skill.

At the first level, think about your goals and existing competencies. Is this new skill relevant and worth pursuing?

The second level, consciously unskilled, can be the most daunting. You see the mountain you have to climb, and you might feel demoralized. Learning something is tough, but if it's the right thing to do stick with it and believe in your potential.

At the third level, you've got to keep on practicing. You now know what you're doing, but it doesn't yet come naturally. So keep going. Find any opportunity you can to practice your new skill.

At the top of the ladder, you're now comfortable and confident wielding your newly acquired skill. But, don't get complacent: keep using it to avoid getting rusty. Look for new ways to apply it and stay up-to-date with new thinking or new ways of doing it. Otherwise, you could find yourself on the bottom rung of the ladder again.

OK, let's recap.

Burch's Conscious Competence Ladder describes the four stages we go through when we learn a new skill: from the blissful unawareness of not knowing anything, through to the pain and confusion of being knowingly unskilled, and then the slow and careful progress we make as we develop and practice a new skill, before eventually achieving effortless performance and reaching the top rung of the ladder, when we become unconsciously skilled.

So, the next time you're learning a new skill and finding it hard, think about where you are on the ladder, and don't lose heart. Remember to persevere and stay motivated. And before you know it, you'll have reached the top.