The Protégé Effect: When 1 Teaches, 2 Learn
Ever wondered why your big sister was so smart?
With national polls in the US indicating that the 2024 Presidential lection is ‘too close to call’, there is one statistic that has yet to be raised: the birth order of the two candidates. Kamala Harris was first born, as were Joe Biden and Barak Obama. Donald Trump, on the other hand, was in the middle.
Could this be significant?
After all, 52% of the 44 US Presidents were middle born, and only 31% first born.
Whilst it’s probably safe to assume that there are more weightier aspects that will determine the outcome of this election, birth order should not be sniffed at.
Research has shown some interesting statistics in regard to the eldest of siblings:
16% more likely to excel academically, especially if female. First born girls were found to be 4% more likely to go on to higher education in the UK than their male counterparts
45% of CEOs in the US were first born
First born in the family tend to live longer, earn higher salaries, and have higher IQs by about 3 points
So for those of us who – through no fault of our own - were later arrivals into the World (I, Mark Loasby, was number 4 out of 5), this may seem a bit unfair. However, help is at hand.
One of the reasons that first born children tend to be smarter, is because of what’s known as the Protégé Effect.
The Protégé Effect: When 1 Teaches, 2 Learn
This is the concept that we learn more effectively by teaching information to others, even if those others aren’t necessarily less knowledgeable than ourselves. To quote Robert Heinlein: ‘when one teaches, two learn’.
This is exactly what our older sisters – or brothers – were often required to do, to show their younger siblings what was expected, to teach them.
The good news is that this same concept – embedding knowledge by teaching others - can be applied to any industry or profession that involves training.
In the early 1980’s, Jean-Pol Martin, a French teacher in Eichstatt, Germany, adopted the approach of allowing his students to help in teaching different parts of the curriculum to their peers. He discovered that this boosted motivation, increased self-confidence, and enhanced their communication skills.
These outcomes were then substantiated by Catherine Chase’s research at Stanford University. Knowing that others will learn from us appears to increase a sense of responsibility to be certain to be providing the right information.
This effect is also the key component of the Richard Feynman technique, as well as Rodney Peyton’s 4 Steps in teaching surgical skills. Indeed, our consultants at Connect Communication have applied this model when running workshops to help surgeons instruct others in the procedure for conducting successful hip and knee surgery.
And computer programmers practice what they call ‘rubber duck debugging’. This is where they explain the code line-by-line to a plastic toy. By verbalizing their thinking process, they find it easier to identify potential issues in the programme.
But if you don’t have a rubber duck to hand – or would find speaking to a plastic toy outside your comfort zone – AI is here to help. Find yourself a Chatbot and teach them a thing or two!
Presentation Skills Myths and Realities #7
The Need to Impress
Many years ago, speaking at the South East Asian Writers Award ceremony in Bangkok, the celebrated – and controversial – author, Sir V.S. Naipaul, advised Asian Parents not to send their children to study English at his alma mater Oxford, and to be wary of all US and English universities.
Whilst I’d not go as far as Naipaul in regard to whether to attend these universities, his concerns about the increasing use of jargon, of ‘abstractions and big words’, infecting wider society were certainly profound.
Our Managing Director Mark Loasby debunks presentation myth number 7 on the blog this month:
Read Myth 7: The Need to Impress
Tales from the Media
Being on the Other Side of the Microphone
As an ex-broadcaster/ interviewer I have the nose for a story and a burning desire to extract information from a contributor. This month when I was asked to be a guest on a BBC Radio news programme to give an update on life in Hong Kong, I jumped at it!
Whilst I felt that the shoe was on the other foot this time as I was the BBC guest and not presenter, this was my opportunity to paint a ‘real’ picture of life in Hong Kong today.
Connect’s Ex BBC Newsreader and Presenter, Rebekah James talks about her recent experience of being the contributor and not the presenter.
Read: Being on the Other Side of the Microphone
A Taste of our Team Building Experiences!
Planning a team building event before the end of 2024? We host event and team building experiences for any audience size up to 1500 people!
Get in touch for more information: information@connectcommunication.com
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Until next month!
Warmest regards,
The Connect Family
