Posted by Sten Westgard, MS
We've probably never met before.
Maybe you're a reader of this blog. Or a visitor to the website, like the tens of thousands of laboratory professionals who visit the website every month, accessing hundreds of free articles, lessons, and examples of quality control. Or perhaps you're one of the thousands who have taken our online courses or purchased and read our many books and reference manuals.
But it is highly probable that we have never talked, emailed, or had a discussion with each other.
And maybe that's not good.
In the 21st century, it's easier than ever to transmit information from one person to another, without any personal connection. This is both good and a little bit bad. Good, in that we're able to disseminate lots of information to labs and people all over the world that otherwise we will never be able to visit. Bad, in the sense that while the information may be available to many people, mere information may not be enough.
As they say, there is a big difference between information and knowledge.
It's terribly easy to get lots of information today. But if you don't understand that information, or don't have the time to digest it properly and turn it into something you can use, that information is ultimately just noise.
Despite having more than 400 lessons, articles, and essays on quality, we still get questions every day. (And undoubtedly there are even more questions that don't get asked, by visitors who come looking for something but don't find the exact answer written in just the right way.) In a few minutes of skimming and browsing, sometimes the right answer is hard to find.
In contrast, when we have our workshops, we have a chance to make sure each of our attendees "gets it." Usually, that "It" is different for each person. Perhaps it's the extra energy you get from hearing, seeing, and experiencing a live workshop. Perhaps it's that opportunity to ask the one question that fits the lessons into your specific, personal context. Or perhaps it's the exposure to fellow professionals who are learning the information at the same time as you.
Live workshops are not the only way to learn. And certainly, for many people it is not something they can always afford. Which is why we publish books and host online courses.
But for the best way to learn, we recommend live workshops. We've had people who have been regular readers of the website, loyal customers of the books and courses, who nevertheless didn't have the epiphany moment until they came and saw it in the flesh. There's a real difference between seeing it on a page or a screen and viscerally experiencing it in a workshop.
so we invite you to attend the Westgard Workshops, to learn, to question, to react and respond, and eat and spend time with us.
And you'll get more of the workshops than just information. We promise.
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