From the first time I ever heard Karen Pryor use the term "clickerly" as an adjective, it stuck with me. And though there is no a simple definition for the term, I knew exactly what she meant. Once you have experienced clicker training, it changes you. I'm not sure why that is (though I know we'll soon have more information about the science), but I do know it has changed me.
In Karen Pryor Academy we do a really clickerly thing in the workshops. Each student takes turns showing and telling a behavior they've trained their dog at home. During the presentation, all the other students have a feedback form on which they record three things the student did well. Afterward, the presenter receives the other students' positive feedback. When I first heard about this I thought it was brilliant. And in the months since the Academy launched, I've heard from countless students and faculty what a wonderful exercise it is. This is a totally new experience for most. We're so used to being critiqued that standing there listening to things we did right can be a life-altering event!
Denise Lacey, moderator of the ClickerExpo e-mail group, has been an inspiration too. She has posted several messages about "clicking" people in our daily lives, and the responses (how people are taking this positive approach) have been amazing!
So all this started me thinking about my own life, and how I might become more "clickerly" in my day-to-day routine. And once I started thinking about it, it's been hard to stop! So this is my New Year's resolution: to be more clickerly!
Gandhi was quoted as saying: Be the change you wish to see in the world. So I'm starting with me, and then who knows!
