EXPERIENCE IN TRIATHLON II

Experience in itself is good but debriefings could be dangerous if we do not know how to do it; or simply, if we do know what we need to keep as experience.  Debriefing also gives information about how far we are from objectives.  "In the field of experiential learning methodology, the debriefing is a semi-structured process by which the facilitator, once a certain activity is accomplished, makes a series of progressive questions in this session, with an adequate sequence that let the participants reflect what happened, giving important insights with the aim of that project towards the future, linking the challenge with the actions and the future."   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debriefing

http://www.schooltube.com/video/f08a7b6c1937b6925bac/

I have seen military debriefing for the purpose of information but not as a learning process; it is done for the protection of the party involved most of the time.  Or, it is used as a Pow Wow for the leaders to continue with the same order in the case of politicians.  We use debriefing to point out the future actions and to give a useful experience to participants.  We know that experience is the only thing we keep forever.  Albert Einstein would say: “Education is what is left when we forgot everything we learn at school.” Experience with the proper debriefing gives us the real education.

Debriefing as an instrument to find out where we are as a team is extremely important.  We had had athletes who were not in the same page and the debriefing sessions were too painful for them.  In retrospective, we learned that they did not pay any attention to the debriefing process; they were waiting for the time to party after the competition and our session.  We learned from this experience that our team was in danger because we were unable to improve as a team and individually; our steps were very painful to say it differently.  This was something we learned after five years of building the team with adolescences and children.  In this age group, the family of the athletes will make the debriefing process useful or tormented.  This age group follows the family traditions religiously, and perhaps “never learned knew tricks” at this early age or will never learn because their education/learning process does not allow learning.  We depend on the debriefing process to teach something and according to where the group is.  Is the debriefing process for the purpose of cohesiveness of the group?  Is the debriefing process for the purpose of basic educational rules?  We should start where the group is; otherwise we will be speaking to a wall and developing enemies.