Steve Kauffman’s recent article on the Three Stages of Language Fluency has me wondering if there aren’t some parallels to the language learning process and developing various knowledge work skills. He says:

In the global information age, maybe it should be “you are what you can say”. Language, in its varied manifestations, is mankind’s defining achievement, and it also defines us. Language can be social, political, technical, practical, entertaining, sensual, philosophical, and much more. At the banquet of life, each language is another course. The better you can use languages, your own and others, the more you can enjoy the feast. At least that has been my experience.

And mine, too, as much of what we knowledge workers do is enter a “foreign country” of sorts where we have to learn the language, culture, conventions and landscape. If that’s the case, then perhaps we can learn something from applying the three stages of language fluency to knowledge work.

Stage 1: Connecting with the Language (60-90 hours)

This is a sort of immersion stage where the learner tries to get the lay of the land. Steve describes it this way:

When I begin, I need to “connect” with the new language and overcome my resistance to its strange sounds and structure. I don’t need to speak. I don’t need to understand any grammar. I don’t need to get anything “right”. I am not interested in mastering a few phrases or simple greetings. I want to get into the language, to get a feel for it.

In this stage you work with “short simple content” with the goal of developing a vocabulary. The emphasis is more on listening, with some practice in trying out these new words and phrases. Applied in a knowledge work context, this is the stage of observing “expert” practitioners and how they go about doing their work, immersing yourself in the words and visuals associated with the knowledge skills you are trying to develop.

New words in a language at first seem strange and confusingly similar to each other. However, by staying with simple content, where common words appear often in different contexts, these words eventually start to stick. I usually associate the new words and phrases with episodes where I have heard them. The more associations I can attach to a word or phrase, the easier it is to remember.

I don’t speak much at first. I have so few words anyway. I practice repeating words and phrases out loud to myself, in a haphazard manner. I don’t worry about pronunciation. That will be easier to work on once my brain gets better at distinguishing the sounds.

I might speak a little, just for fun, to try out what I have learned. I can easily find a native speaker tutor or language exchange partner via the Internet. I don’t got to classrooms, since I don’t want to be confused by other non-native speakers.

Note that Steve says it takes 60-90 hours to move through this stage. That’s a few weeks full-time or several weeks on a part-time basis (more likely to be the case).

Stage 2: Getting Comfortable in Most Situations (180-360 hours)

The goal of this stage is to understand and be able to participate in most ordinary conversations. From a knowledge work perspective, this is the stage where we develop a greater understanding of the particular problems and issues associated with this skill and become more “fluent” in being able to apply the skill in various situations. If we’re developing our ability to present ideas effectively, for example, we get more exposure to and practice with the tools and processes of presenting.

Steve notes that at this stage, he recognizes the need to keep himself motivated to learn, so he follows only those contexts that are interesting to him, rather than forcing himself to slog through strategies that bore him. His main emphasis is still on reading, listening and increasing his vocabulary with the ultimate goal of being able to recognize at last 90% of words in any conversation. There’s a strong focus on absorbing and reflecting on experience that I think is similar in developing our knowledge work skills.

Stage 3: Constant Improvement (180 hours to forever)

This is the stage where, according to Steve, you “continue to enjoy the language, to learn more words, and to use the language better.” It’s also the stage where his main task is to follow his interests, continuing to deepen and develop his skills.

From a knowledge work perspective, this is where I think we can begin to play around with some of the frameworks and vocabulary we’ve been working on. If I’m learning how to present my ideas, maybe I delve further into using visuals and developing my visual literacy skills. Perhaps I look at using other tools for presenting, such as podcasting or videos.This is the continuous improvement phase that I think is part of any knowledge worker’s professional development.

For me, thinking of developing knowledge in these three phases is a useful construct. What do you think? Are these stages of language fluency applicable to deepening our knowledge work skills? What could we learn from this to assist us in supporting professional development?