ABSTRACT
Many valuable skills are developed through practising action learning. There are three key roles in the action learning set; each of which develops particular abilities: presenting a problem, helping others with their problems, and facilitating the process. All of these skills might broadly be defined as learning skills, though some are more tendencies, abilities or qualities. Their purpose is to help people move round the action and learning cycle. Whilst these skills, abilities and qualities will help everyone with action and learning, they are not the most critical element. Skilled performance is almost always preferable to unskilled, but the first essential in action learning is the desire and willingness to act and learn. The more capable you are with the various action learning skills, the more likely it is that you will want to have a go at self-facilitating your set, with members taking on the role in turn or carrying it out collectively.
