Comments on: Working with a Know-it-All

By: Kaye Remington

Kaye Remington — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 01:28:32 +0000

Thank you so much for your very interesting articles. I really enjoy reading them and learn such a lot from them. In response to the “know it all” question: Like you, I teach post-graduate students and often they come to class with many years of experience. I think it is important to acknowledge what these people contribute to the group and celebrate it. Some are embarassed to be back at Uni learning amongst younger students. Some are a bit egotistic but, in almost all cases this kind of behaviour comes from a need to reaffirm self. Therefore I try to patiently answer the questions of the class “know it all”; acknowledge the value of their contributions; then use the opportunity to extend the discussion to others so that they don’t monopolise the air time too much, to the annoyance of others in the class. This means I don’t have to set up situations that might embarrass them. After a while I find that most “know it alls” quieten down because they feel that their knowledge is recognised and appreciated, and they feel less of a need to “display”.

By: sandrashill

sandrashill — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 20:17:25 +0000

There is a flip side to this situation, that the instructor needs to consider as well…. There are times that people are sent to training for things that they do, in fact, already know. It can be really painful to go through a training session on something you already know 95% of, just to learn the one or two things you don’t

Ideally, for someone who’s experienced in the field, there should be a way for someone to potentially “test out” of a course (with a “test” not necessarily being of the paper-and-pencil variety…in fact, the example you gave in your article is a variation on this, and, in that case, the nurse failed to “test out”). Of course, pre-tests aren’t always feasible…in that case, it’s important to pay attention to that seeming “know-it-all” to see how much of that might be true. If they really do seem to have the knowledge/skill already that you’re trying to train, discuss with your manager whether they really do belong in the course or whether it might be more effective if you scheduled a separate, SHORT, session with the “know-it-all,” or provided some kind of job aid, to catch him/her up on the couple of things they might not know.

If neither of those options are practical, but you’re fairly confident that the person really is knowledgeable/skilled in the subject, then you can try a different tack….use the “know-it-all” as a kind of trainer’s aide. Give him/her the chance to share what he/she knows, or demonstrate a skill the group needs to learn…in other words, make the “know-it-all” an ally, instead of an enemy. If you don’t want the “know-it-all” to monopolize the conversation, give him/her a task to do for the class — maybe ask him/her to create a written list of tips he/she has learned about the subject through his/her experience, which can then be shared with group later as a handout (after you’ve reviewed it to make sure the info is accurate).

There are lots of other strategies you can employ…but, the point is, it’s important to also look through the eyes of the “know-it-all” and see what you can do to make their experience a positive one, as well (or help them to get out of an experience that holds little value for them).

By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 19:19:05 +0000

Your answer is interesting because as a nurse educator I would use my Crucial Conversation skills to give feedback to this person. A person who is a “know it all” can be very dangerous in a high stakes area like nursing. I would want to let them know that being part of the team means listening and learning from others. There are some low stakes areas where you can let someone “fail” but that is very hard for nurses to do because they are concerned about what is best for the patient.

By: Kathryn Robbins

Kathryn Robbins — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 17:49:31 +0000

On the other hand (In defense of a new hire that might appear to be a “know-it-all”): it is important for a new hire with experience to show confidence and competence. Aren’t we hired for our KSA (knowledge, skills, and abilities)? Isn’t that what the interviewer wanted from us? I have been in the situation of coming to a new job only to be trained on things everyone in the profession already knows. This means we have to waste everyone’s time by listening politely and waiting for new and relevant information, or speak up and ask for training on the things that are truly relevant, appearing to be that “know-it-all” that no one likes. Literally, I have been “trained” on something as basic as confidentiality; something we’ve all been trained on multiple times.

My comment is that a know it all is probably craving new skills and challenges. Your suggestion to give them a challenge and let them show where the gaps are is excellent!

By: Mike Paulonis

Mike Paulonis — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 13:40:40 +0000

One of my favorite reasons for reading these crucial skills cases is the reminder in nearly all the responses of “maybe the problem is not ‘them’, maybe it is ‘you’.” While I think Steve’s overall recommendation to change approach to more direct experience is quite good, I think the response left out an important consideration, which is that the TRAINER could be behaving arrogantly with a know-it-all attitude and some new nurses are less capable of handling it. It could possibly be the case as well that a new nurse actually knows better ways to do some things from previous experience and the trainer is unwilling to even consider that improvements are possible. Of course, someone with “crucial skills” would find a way to suggest improvements that minimizes negative reactions, but not everyone with great skills in a field also has “crucial skills” to match. Even if neither of these “it could be you” scenarios is actually true, I think it’s helpful to suggest them as possibilities to be explored.