10.1 Alternative Learning

There is another way to learn (rather than making mistakes), and that is by learning from other people. To do that effectively, two skills that most people lack are required: how to read between the lines and how to take advice. A famous technical editor said, "People don't read," meaning that it's very rare to find someone who has really done his or her homework by reading technical publications and so staying abreast of current industry trends. It is also true that very few people readily accept the advice of others. Everyone should try harder to accomplish these basic techniques more effectively. While this advice is really simple, few people regularly utilize these basic skills in much depth; therefore, they waste a great deal of time and energy by not benefiting from the knowledge of others.

The phrase "reading between the lines" is only a figure of speech. People do not literally read anything between lines of text. Rather, they analyze what the author is saying at a level of detail somewhat beyond the surface discussion. This requires the use of knowledge, experience, and imagination.

To read between the lines, first visualize the situation of reading a story about human experiences. Try to imagine how those people were feeling and acting that motivated what they did. Were they lazy, angry, ignorant, misinformed, or biased? Now read an article by a vendor or consultant. Is the writer competent to speak and act on this subject? Does the writer have an agenda, perhaps product- or standards-centric, and is he or she trying too hard to be persuasive? How does what he or she is saying compare to personal experience and knowledge? Is the writer right or wrong or somewhere in between? When did he or she write this, and what was the historical context of these comments?

These are impressions that one should be able to pick up naturally while reading. The ability to read between the lines gives people the ability to discriminate and consciously decide what they will add to their knowledge and what they will reject. Every piece has some good and some bad information. To win the psychological war, one needs to know the difference instinctively.