Building Microsoft Excel competent User in 1hour! The 20/80 Rule Learning strategy from experience

 “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, either way, you're right.” ~ Henry Ford

It does not matter at what level of computer skills one may be whether new or otherwise. It has been achieved before and I relate this from practical teaching experience that anyone can become a competent Microsoft Excel user in 1 hour or less. The 20/80 rule works wonders in computer application skills training as a totally new user with practically no previous exposure to the application can be transformed. In the 20/80 rule, we use 20% of the time to introduce the application (content delivery) and 80% on building muscle memory or motor skills. This training model is quite useful when dealing with adult learners above the age of 35 or 40 (practically Adults).

How does this work? Let’s take the example of driving schools, the driving instructor knows that any new trainee knows what a car is including the steering wheel, gas or brake pedal and the newbie can actually drive the car in their mind. However, the new trainee’s hands and feet do not know, as experience has shown that whenever you let someone who has never driven before to try to drive, you can see how their hands and feet become epileptically out of sync in trying to get the vehicle even to move an inch. Why? Because whilst the mind knows something about the car, the hands and legs have absolutely no driving motor skills or muscle memory on the equipment. Are you catching the idea? Remember the first time you signed your signature! Your brain worked with your hand to ensure that the hand can actually scribble the signature the way you wanted it to look. In the initial signing sessions your brain was alert to ensure that the hand reproduced the same signature. However, when the hand masters the art, you no longer have to think about how you sign because your hand can now do the job without you thinking about it.

Applying the same method with building spreadsheets skills in adults, the category of senior citizens we can call BBCs (Born Before Computers), the battle is won in the first 10 minutes of the training session. Let’s now break down the 20/80 rule with reference to spreadsheet skills training

• The first 10 minutes or a little more depending on the number of students is for storytelling. During this time the instructor and the students introduce themselves and should include allowing the students to tell a bit about their experiences regarding the subject at hand. It’s during these moments when the instructor can take the students’ own stories of weaknesses with regard to the subject and turn them into stepping stones of triumphant entry into the next versions of themselves with reference to the subject before them. I am not sure why but I have learned from teaching experience that the name EXCEL scares the hell out of new users. It’s like whenever new users have seen the EXCEL interface on computers with the mysterious boxes as they usually refer to them all over the screen, it reminds them of their mathematical woes probably in their formative school days. How do I get the students passed that fear gate? I ask the students to open the Excel application on the training computers and we all look at the interface together before we even click anything on it because I know that we need to address the elephant in the house, the EXCEL boxes, or CELLS that they see. This is the most interesting part of the storytelling when you tell the students that what they are seeing is actually a primary school second grade (grade 2) mathematics book in electronic form which has been designed not to allow the student to do all thinking when using it because the computer application was designed to think for them. The students may probe a little further on the details but usually, you can feel the sigh of relief dawn on their faces as they suddenly relax with a sense of confidence to conquer. This makes the brain send a new message that they are dealing with the simple stuff.  It also helps a lot to dispel every rumor or every prejudiced idea the students may have heard about how complex Excel is and reinforce the “Yes we can do it” message that should encourage them to be willing to start from scratch with the attitude of “they can do this” By the way when dealing with adults try as much as possible to remember their names and call them by name when encouraging or motivating them it makes them feel ‘young’ so to say if you know what I mean
• It’s also important to let the students know from the onset that the computer has the lifesaving Undo and the ESC button so that they are not afraid to click and make mistakes. Students find this very comforting and are ready to explore without fear.
• If the students are already users of other computer applications such as Word Processors, they may not have problems handling the notorious Mouse but if not ensure that they are helped in handling the Mouse using a clicking (left or right) exercise because the Mouse handling skill is crucial in working with Excel.
• Utilize 20% of the time on the delivery of the content and clarifying details on spreadsheets and how to accomplish different tasks as per the subject plan. Adapt the plan based on the student profile as strict adherence to the order of the tasks can sometimes be very boring and fail to ignite the fire in the students
• 5.    In the 80% part of the rule, it’s time to move the content from the head to the hands (body) to build motor skills or muscle memory. Start with the simple but interesting tasks that should start building the muscle memory like the FILL down series technique for days, months and number series. This is where the students type the first day or month and use the left-click and drag down to fill in the rest of the names of days or months as a list. Let the students repeat doing the task for even four times again and again. In my experience, this creates the students ‘Wow’ moments and motivates them to begin to look forward to more interesting automated tasks. When you create that ‘Wow’ moment in students then you know that the hidden expert in the students is now awake and ready to come out. The rest goes into autopilot as you see a group of interested and interactive students even trying to get ahead of the instructor's Excel possibilities

The Objective of building computer skills is not to push everything in the head but to impart the skill into the body (hands) because the body does not forget easily just like the body does not forget how to walk. 

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