What’s your style of learning, and what can accelerate it? Michael’s perspective is that the faster you can push through the initial struggle of learning a new skill, the better. He calls this the “sucky spot”—the point where we’re not yet good, and we feel uncomfortable. Most of us want to escape this discomfort as soon as possible.
The most influential factor in speeding up learning is your relationship with failure. Michael shares a story about his friend, Spencer, who freestyled rap for the first time in a group. Despite being the least experienced, Spencer confidently embraced the challenge. Even when his first attempt was clumsy, he quickly adapted, focusing on musicality instead of perfect words. His ability to let go of self-consciousness and throw himself into the activity allowed him to grow much faster than others.
This is where self-consciousness comes into play. Most people approach a new skill or situation with a mindset of wanting to succeed, rather than trying something new and uncomfortable. The ones who progress the fastest are those willing to fail publicly, learn from it, and keep pushing forward.
In learning, particularly in public speaking, people often want to practice their strengths, but real growth comes from drilling weaknesses and doing the uncomfortable thing. A great example is Tristan, a Toastmasters participant who doubled his practice reps compared to others, pushing beyond his comfort zone and improving faster as a result.
In games like Rapid-Fire Analogies, success comes from letting go of control and jumping into the subconscious mind, allowing yourself to look ridiculous. That’s where breakthroughs happen—not when you’re in control, but when you’re taking risks.
Your learning style is a reflection of how you speak. If you’re cautious in learning, you’ll be cautious in speaking. The goal is not to expand your speaking skills, but to expand your comfort zone. Speaking well is just the by-product of that growth.
Most of us shrink opportunities to the size of our comfort zone, which slows down progress. To become a rapid learner, you must push past the desire to know the outcome, and simply go for it, even if it means failing in front of people.
The game is about expanding your comfort zone, not your speaking ability. Be the person who doesn’t care if you fail in front of others, and you’ll learn faster than you ever thought possible.