The Follow-up Counts

Over the years, I have taught numerous courses. I have been driven by the idea of a group of people who have gathered to learn, improve their environment, and find inspiration. Because of this, I have worked to be relevant and to evolve my teaching skills. Amongst all the great locations and environments where I have taught, there have on occasion been places which did not provide proper technical equipment, did not have adequate air conditioning or heat, or worst of all, had a complete loss of power. I have projected presentations on small, discolored walls and built up restorations under my iPhone flashlight. But, despite these limitations, I had never failed to appear for a scheduled program, whether it was here in the United States or overseas.

Unfortunately, about three weeks ago, that streak ended. After two canceled flights—one delayed and then one returned to the gate, only to be finally canceled hours later—my 14-hour airport experience came to an end. Fortunately, with the aid of current technology I was able to use a video conference to complete both the lecture and demonstration remotely. But for me, it was not the same or enough. My streak had ended, and I did not take it well. As a follow-up, I re-booked myself to appear at the same forum for an in-person presentation in the middle of November. From this experience, I learned that when unforeseen circumstances beyond our control attempt to derail us, sometimes the cure is a simple follow-up to bring us back on track. While the follow-up did not erase my inability to attend the original lecture, it did appease some of my disappointment and satisfy my need to meet my commitment.

A follow-up plan is not exclusively useful in unexpected circumstances. When I attend or sit in at various teaching events, I find that a follow-up plan for implementing the new information is almost vital and, at the least, certainly beneficial to my work. Many people leave lectures or educational days motivated to follow up on the new information presented. However, as time slips away, the motivation leaves with it, and the intention of following up on the implementation of the new information dissipates. On a lecture slide years ago, I presented the phrase, "Learn and Apply: Taking the courses is easy. Living them is not." My evaluation, not intended to be overly critical, should not be construed to imply that learning is necessarily the easy part; showing up to a lecture or event, whether it required a simple commute or more extensive travel plus the loss of a workday, should not be the challenge. Showing up should be the easy part. The challenge is in the follow-up—taking what was learned and applying it to create a worthwhile experience. New information has the potential to add value to our work, but the only way to experience that value is by following up and following through to make use of the information gained.

Peter Pizzi, MDT, CDT
Editor-in-Chief
ppizzi@aegiscomm.com