Within the psychological mind, there are four stages of competence, or the “Conscious Competence” learning model.
This relates to the psychological states that are involved in the process of progressing from “Unconscious Incompetence” to the final objective “Unconscious Competence”.
There is Four Stages of Learning any new skill that you want to acquire, which will provide an amazing model of the human learning pattern.
These are the Four Mental Stages of Learning Any New Skill
The first stage of this process,“Unconscious Incompetence”, suggests that individuals are initially unaware of how little they actual know when they are first learning a new skill…
…or in other words…
…you don’t know what you don’t know.
You are blissfully ignorant, completely lacking the knowledge and skill in the subject in question.
As you recognize your incompetence, you will start to consciously realize that you are “Consciously Incompetent”, then will consciously start to…
…know that you don’t know.
At this level you realize the little amount you know about this subject, and find that there are specific skills that you will have to learn.
Once you are in realization that learning specific skills will be required, “Conscious Competence”, starts to take place, as you begin to comprehend the new skills and knowledge required…
…you begin to “know that you know”.
While still concentrating on the performance of these activities, you are also practicing and experiencing the subject, and the skill or tool will become increasingly automatic.
Eventually, this skill will be utilized without you even being consciously aware or having to think through the process before hand.
This is also known as…
…“Unconscious Competence.”
Your objective is to reach this level of competence, where your new skills will become habits. You will perform the task without conscious effort and with automatic ease.
This is the absolute peak of your confidence and ability with this newly acquired skill.
Was that at all confusing?…
…let me break this down in a scenario I am sure we have all gone through.
Think of the first time you went to tie a shoe. You did not even know, that you didn’t know how to tie a shoe…
…you were “Unconsciously Incompetent”.
Say your mother or father show you how to tie the shoe, but you still could not do it…
…this is you being “Consciously Incompetent”, you are aware that you do not know. You were shown the example but cannot follow through with the tying of the shoe.
So you have been practicing the way your parent taught you how it was done, and you are becoming successful, but it still takes you a moment or two to think about the process you must go through…
…”How am I suppose to go about this again? The right lace goes over the left loop or?”
When you are at this stage in the game you are now “Consciously Competent”, you are in the knowing of what to do, but it is still not an automatic reaction when you are asked to tie the shoe.
After a while of doing this, you do not even think about “how” to tie the shoe, you just tie the shoe lace…
…you are “Unconsciously Competent”.
When asked to tie the shoe you automatically bend over, and give er a loop, a swoop and a pull, tying a perfect lace with ease.
Another common example would be driving home from work…
…you know, that time when you are driving, and your mind is in heavy thought about the day.
Then when you arrive home you snap out of it and think,”Wow, I don’t even even remember how I got here, my mind was some place else.”
This is because you have driven home hundreds of times and are “Unconsciously Competent” when it comes to your commute from work to your home…
…you know exactly how to drive home…
…you do not think about it anymore, it is out of the conscious state and is now an unconscious process…
…you just know how to get there.
Any new information you are learning, or a skill you are acquiring, that you would like to reach the Unconscious Competent level leveraging it, you teach-ability index must be high…
…meaning you will have to learn it over and over and over again until it is stored in your knowledge bank, with the ability to retrieve it with full confidence, and no doubt.
So I leave you with this…
This is a concrete description of skill and knowledge mastery, which is in our minds learning processes. In our everyday experiences inside of our world.
This model is a fabulous lens to delivering insights into several different dimensions of how our learning any new skill.
You can have anything in this world as long as you are present minded with everything you do, and keep a burning desire with full intention of your vision!
What new skill have you learned lately that you can say you have witnessed this process in actual growth?
I would love to hear from each and everyone of you…
…so please email me with your thoughts!
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