Unlocking the Power of Kata: Tracy Defoe on Adult Learning, Coaching, and Asking Questions

Coach at www.TheLearningFactor.ca

Joining us for Episode #467 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Tracy Defoe.

She is an adult education consultant and researcher specializing in workplace education. For parts of the last 10 years, she has been puzzling over the challenges of participation and leadership in continuous improvement.  

She has taught communication, writing, teamwork, and cross-cultural communication as well as teaching methods to adults in colleges, universities, and the workplace. A regular consultant to business, labour, and government, Tracy is also an advocate for plain language and clear design.

Questions, Notes, and highlights:

• Her website
• Your origin story for C.I., Lean, Kata…?
• How to navigate the distribution of varied mix-level knowledge / experience in a room when it's not 1×1?
• How much can somebody absorb at once when learning?
• “I don't know Yeti” – the mascot for Kata School Cascadia
• The benefit of making learning fun?
• Starter Kata questions – when is it OK to move beyond the rigid starter questions?
• Teaching and coaching through questions
• Being a 2nd coach? Mentor for the coach
• Difficult to not jump in with advice when you DO know the process — for kata coaching?
• Intervening vs. allowing them to make the mistake?
• Being heard vs. feeling heard
• The power of plain language… as opposed to jargon? What example comes to mind? Kata / Kaizen?
• “Problem solving” sounds too definitive
• Kaizen Events off track… Kata goes off track how?
• Having a “third coach”?
• Tell us about Kata Girl Geeks
• Master Class with Tracy and Tilo Schwarz
• Time in the coaching dojo and how you learn every time?

The podcast is sponsored by Stiles Associates, now in their 30th year of business. They are the go-to Lean recruiting firm serving the manufacturing, private equity, and healthcare industries. Learn more.

This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network.