I’ve been writing about professional development of new marketing professionals recently because I believe:

• Job opportunities are declining because traditional marketing education cannot keep up with the latest technological advancements in our industry.
• Job opportunities will decline as fundamental jobs are enhanced or replaced by AI.

Developing professional skills is paramount for staying competitive and innovative in marketing. Understanding the different approaches to Learning and development—telling, showing, and involving—can significantly enhance a marketer’s ability to adapt and thrive. Each method offers unique benefits and can be leveraged to facilitate deeper understanding, practical skill application, and innovative problem-solving.

Our traditional education route for marketing graduates has the hierarchy of learning in the following order as students attend classes, do workshops, and then build experience in internships:

Telling: The Foundation of Knowledge Transfer

Telling is the traditional method of instruction, where information is directly conveyed through lectures, presentations, or readings. It’s an efficient way to introduce marketers to new industry concepts, theories, or updates. The information processing theory supports the effectiveness of Telling as an educational method, which suggests that telling helps encode information into long-term memory.

However, while telling is efficient for covering a broad range of topics quickly, it may not always ensure deep understanding or the ability to apply knowledge practically.

The most important factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows. Ascertain this and teach him accordingly.

David Ausebel

Thus, telling should be tailored to the existing knowledge and skills of the marketer to be truly effective.

Showing: Bridging Theory and Practice

Showing goes further by demonstrating how concepts are applied in real-world scenarios. This method can be case studies, live demonstrations, or video tutorials. Showing is grounded in the Social Learning Theory, which posits that people learn from one another through observation, imitation, and modeling.

For marketers, seeing a concept in action facilitates a deeper understanding and retention of information. It bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.

Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do.

Albert Bandura

Involving: The Peak of Experiential Learning

Involving, or experiential learning, is the most immersive method, where marketers learn by doing. This approach is based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, which emphasizes learning through experience. Involving can include workshops, simulations, or real-world projects where marketers apply what they’ve learned in a controlled, reflective manner.

Experiential learning is particularly effective in marketing, as it allows professionals to experiment with different strategies, analyze outcomes, and learn from mistakes in a safe environment.

Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.

David Kolb

This hands-on experience is invaluable for developing practical skills and innovative thinking in marketing.

Integrating Telling, Showing, and Involving

The most effective professional development programs for marketers integrate telling, showing, and involving. This blended approach ensures that marketers receive information, understand how to apply it, and can adapt their strategies based on real-world feedback.

1. Telling introduces the concept and provides the necessary background knowledge.
2. Showing demonstrates the application of these concepts in real or simulated scenarios, offering visual and practical examples.
3. Involving allows marketers to engage directly with the material, applying what they’ve learned to solve problems, innovate, and refine their strategies based on outcomes.

A comprehensive professional development strategy that incorporates telling, showing, and involving, tailored to the learning style and needs of the marketer, can significantly enhance their skills, adaptability, and innovation in the fast-paced marketing world.

But what about our institutions of learning? I’d argue that the learning hierarchy above is inverted with the speed at which technology advances. I assisted in building some corporate training programs at Butler University and was shocked that the average university class took three years from creation to classroom. That makes it impossible to prepare our marketing graduates for their first job opportunity.

If you genuinely want to build the experience and expertise of marketing graduates, they should be working their craft daily – and then getting input on the foundations of business communication, sales, buying behavior, and analysis behind it.

©2024 DK New Media, LLC, All rights reserved.

Originally Published on Martech Zone: Telling, Showing, Versus Involving: A Guide for Marketing Professional Development