I was recently at an event with colleagues I had not seen in quite a while. As part of our pleasantries, we wanted to share updated contact information with each other. Even though two of them work in technology, there was momentary fiddling as we tried to figure out how to AirDrop or virtually transport information without having to enter it.
We managed to do so, but the brief exercise reminded me that so much of what we know about technology and how it works is through micro-encounters just like this one. Few people (and none of us of a certain age) had any formal education in how to use a computer or phone, and even if we did, the knowledge would have long become obsolete. Rather, we learn about the personal computer, the smartphone, smart appliances, streaming, and a host of other applications either through others or by trial and error.
It’s a good model to apply to many other things. We don’t need to be experts in other pursuits — how to cook, how to garden, how to prepare a proposal, how to analyze data — rather, we need to adopt a mindset of experimentation and freely ask for help. You don’t need all the answers; just keep asking the questions.
