Put the person before the agenda: The courage to not know (Judy Walker Associates, October 2026)

Summary

In the October edition of the newsletter, Judy Walker argues that effective After Action Reviews (AAR) conductors should do only minimal preparation before a review, focusing on understanding the broad context rather than conducting detailed pre-investigation research. Drawing on ideas from Rod Naquin, Vygotsky and Mikhail Bakhtin, she suggests that meaningful learning happens through open dialogue with participants, allowing collective understanding of events to emerge rather than being shaped by preconceived assumptions.