When teaching university students in Thailand, whenever I assign tasks, they often ask me, “How should we present this, professor?” or when they submit ideas for competitions, they frequently ask, “How should we start?” It seems like they are waiting for answers... waiting for the professor to show them the way.

At their age, I also asked this question to my Japanese professor. The response that has stuck with me to this day was... “What do you think?”

After that, I was encouraged to think for myself. This was the approach of all my Japanese professors. When I graduated and returned to work with Japanese colleagues, my teammates and I never asked our Japanese boss, “How should we promote this product?” or “How should we solve this problem?”

Instead, we would walk in with our own ideas, and our Japanese boss would simply give feedback on whether it should be done and what issues to watch out for.

Both my Japanese professors and my bosses employed similar techniques to train us not to wait for answers but to think and solve problems on our own. How do the Japanese teach or train their people to think and act independently?

First Concept: Hansei Kai or Reflection Meeting (反省会)

The term “Hansei” translates directly to “reflection” in Thai, while “Kai” means “meeting.” Thus, Hanseikai literally means “reflection meeting.”

It sounds intense, but it serves the same purpose as a Reflect meeting or a review meeting after completing a task.

Japanese students conduct “Hansei Kai” after activities they participate in, such as organizing sports events, exhibitions, sports competitions, or concerts, to review what their team did well and what needs improvement.

Japanese employees also do this every time they complete a project, such as after launching a new product or organizing an event.

I once co-taught with a Japanese instructor, and after class, we would sit down for a Hansei Kai to see what we taught well, what students found difficult, what needed improvement, and how to address these issues immediately.

If we finished a project and just went our separate ways or celebrated, we might not learn what we did well or what issues arose.

Hansei Kai encourages everyone to think, observe, and recognize mistakes that occurred, and to find ways to prevent the same issues from happening again.

Second Concept: Kansōbun, Meaning Essay (感想文)

Kansōbun means “essay.”

Japanese students are trained to write Kansōbun almost all the time. For example, after reading a book outside of class, they must write about their feelings or opinions regarding that book.

When going on field trips, they must return and write a Kansōbun about what they learned or observed during the trip.

The Japanese take this essay writing very seriously, to the extent that there are national competitions for Kansōbun based on books read, supported by the Japanese government.

Winning essays are published in newspapers for all Japanese people to read.

This Kansōbun activity is not limited to schools; company employees are also trained to write Kansōbun, such as after attending external training sessions.

I once met some Japanese company presidents who assigned their employees to submit a Kansōbun every month, with topics like “For me, what does good service mean?” Some months, the topics might be more abstract, like “What are we born for?”

Why write?

The Japanese believe that writing allows us to reflect on what we have learned, think deeply, and learn to choose words, organize our thoughts, and communicate effectively.

“My new employees initially struggled to express themselves and grasp the main points, but after I had them write Kansōbun frequently, they began to develop their own thoughts and think more deeply,” one Japanese company president shared with me.

In large companies, senior employees review the Kansōbun of new hires, helping them practice communication and critical thinking skills simultaneously.

In summary, both “Hansei Kai” and “Kansōbun” are practices that encourage us to pause and think.

Hansei Kai may involve reflecting on the past... training us to identify mistakes to learn and improve further.

Kansōbun is about practicing thought and communication...

Don’t let things pass by without reflection... Try to pause... think... gather insights... and learn through the Japanese thinking process.

SOURCE: www.krungsri.com