Talks
Keynote: Unlearning - The Challenge of Change by Jessie Shternshus
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Keynote: Unlearning - The Challenge of Change by Jessie Shternshus

by Jessie Shternshus

Summary of Keynote: Unlearning - The Challenge of Change by Jessie Shternshus

In this engaging keynote presentation at RubyConf 2018, Jessie Shternshus explores the theme of unlearning as a critical component of adapting to change. She begins by emphasizing the importance of being ready to challenge and change our existing knowledge and mental frameworks.

Key Points Discussed:

  • Unlearning as a Necessary Process:

    Shternshus defines unlearning as stepping outside of our existing mental models to discard outdated or ineffective knowledge. She argues that while we often focus on learning new skills, it is equally important to recognize when things no longer make sense and to let them go.

  • The Nature of Change:

    The speaker highlights that change is a constant element of life and work environments, necessitating an ongoing process of unlearning. Shifting to accommodate new paradigms is presented not just as a necessity but as an integral part of personal and professional growth.

  • Engaging Exercises:

    To illustrate her point, Shternshus conducts a participatory exercise that challenges attendees to read directional words aloud while following their representation on screen—a task that emphasizes the common struggle with cognitive dissonance and the importance of collaboration in overcoming challenges.

  • Personal Anecdotes:

    Shternshus shares her own journey of unlearning through various roles, including her experience as a babysitter, a Disney character performer, and her time in education. Each role required her to adapt her approach and understanding, showcasing that unlearning is a long journey filled with lessons.

  • Example from Agile Australia:

    She recounts a humorous anecdote from a recent experience at Agile Australia, illustrating a situation where an unlearning opportunity arose in a social context. This story showcases how unlearning is not limited to professional spaces but permeates daily interactions and behaviors.

Conclusions and Takeaways:

Shternshus concludes that being open to unlearning is essential in navigating the shifts and complexities of our environments. She encourages the audience to embrace change and consider the necessity of unlearning in their professional practices, leading to enhanced collaboration, communication, and creative problem-solving in their work and communities.

Overall, this keynote serves as a reminder that while we often seek to acquire new knowledge, the ability to unlearn is just as crucial for growth and adaptation in a rapidly changing world.

00:00:15.650 Hi everyone! How's everybody doing? Awesome! Thank you all for having me. I always love being a part of the Ruby community, so I'm super excited to be here with you all today.
00:00:23.310 Today we're going to talk about unlearning: the challenge of change. Alright, I hope you've had your coffee because I'm going to break your brain a little bit.
00:00:29.010 We're going to do an exercise together. Looks like this! Everybody see that? We're going to look up at the top left-hand corner and say the correct directional word for where that word is placed.
00:00:40.350 So, what should that say? 'Up'! Correct! Okay, let's read together, going across. We'll read all the way through, and if you stumble, high-five yourself or your partner. It's all good - it's just a game, people.
00:00:53.309 So, again, we're going to start at the beginning on the count of three. And again, what word should that one be? Here we go! One, two, three: up, down, up, left, right! Oh yeah, some people had some good coffee because that was phenomenal!
00:01:08.130 Very good! How many of you messed up a little but left it to the louder voices to pick it up where you left off? Teamwork! Good job, everyone.
00:01:19.740 Our environment demands that we unlearn so that we can shift and make room for something new.
00:01:26.640 I’m Jessie Shternshus, the owner of The Improv Effect. I started my company 11 years ago, and I help people worldwide with communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.
00:01:35.280 I actually got a lot of my start in my career in the Ruby community. One of my first corporate jobs was working with Hashrocket in Jacksonville, Florida, where I’m from. That’s where I got introduced to the Ruby community, and I really just loved it.
00:01:47.460 It had a warm feeling, very friendly, and very edgy, pushing the envelope. I felt like these are my people! But I've had a long unlearning journey in general regarding my work history.
00:01:59.860 I was a babysitter. Anyone else a babysitter when they were little? Yep! I learned and then unlearned that as I have my own kids.
00:02:05.580 After that, I even worked at Disney. I was a character performer; talk about unlearning! When you're in a fuzzy suit with slits for eyes, you have no peripheral vision and paws for hands, and they expect you to sign stuff. It's cute.
00:02:13.900 I was a teacher for several years before starting my company, and that’s where I am today. It's a long unlearning journey, but it's been a lot of fun.
00:02:26.650 This summer, I had the opportunity to go to Agile Australia, and I loved it! I was nervous to be so far away from my family, but I tried to embrace it and be present.
00:02:33.700 I had a couple of friends from the States there with me, and at night we took an Uber to the speaker dinner.
00:02:39.910 As I'm getting in the car, we were all piling in. One of my friends, Sarah, goes to the door and opens it, and the Uber driver is like... and she’s like... and then she slams the door back.
00:02:46.649 She goes, 'Sorry,' and he goes, 'Did you want to drive?' and she's like, 'No!' So clearly we hadn't unlearned anything because she almost sat on the driver! He thought he was being held up. We made quite the impression overseas.
00:03:05.350 Shift is a way of life, right? It's constant. We're constantly having to shift and make room for something new.
00:03:14.580 So, what is unlearning then? When we learn, we add new skills or knowledge to what we already know, and when we unlearn, we step outside of our mental models to discard something that no longer makes sense.
00:03:29.160 I like to think of it like this: maybe things have been working all along, but at some point, you feel like you're trying to shove a square peg into a round hole. You're like, 'This worked yesterday! It even worked this morning! Now it's broken!'
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