How?

By using jargon or skipping what seem to be obvious steps.

In order for us to successfully transfer our knowledge, or teach someone what we know, we must break steps down. We must share each piece of information one step at a time.

We have learned this information and so can others. But we must teach them from their perspective, not ours – remembering what it felt like to be a beginner.

Connect Dots

My daughter loves to color and has many coloring and activity books. One of activities found in many of these books is something I used to call a “Dot to dot.” In a dot to dot puzzle, you draw straight lines from point 1 to point 2 to point 3, etc.

By looking at page before you start to connect dots, you can’t really tell what is going to be drawn. You may have some clues based on how many other lines and related pictures exist on page, but until you complete puzzle, you don’t really know what you have.

Our expertise is like that. We are asked to share what we know with others for their benefit. What our job really is is to set a context and provide a bigger picture for them. Telling them steps or procedure or technical components of something isn’t enough. They need to know situation environment, surroundings. They need to understand relative priority and importance of various things you are teaching them.

As “expert” you help them complete their own mental puzzle by guiding them in connecting their own dots.

Making these connections is how we will be most successful in having our expertise valued and used by others. And you can only connect these dots when you have other three barriers reduced or eliminated for yourself.

Your success will expand as you expand success and capabilities of others and lessons of this article can help make that happen.

Kevin is Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on “Unleashing Your Potential” go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

5. Learn from everyone. There are more people to learn from than just speaker/trainer. The other people in room can be a great way to learn. Tap into their experience and knowledge. Talk to people at your table or around you. Think of them as peer coaches. These people can help you learn during session and might become great people in your network after you leave. Be involved, participate and allow yourself to learn from everyone, not just person in front of room.

6. Build an action plan. At end of training, build an action plan. Review your goal(s) and build a plan to implement what you have learned. Reflect on your answers to golden question and resolve that you will apply those ideas too. If training has been really valuable, you may have several ideas. This is great, but be realistic on how much you can apply at a time. Build your plan recognizing that you ay be able to implement some things tomorrow, but that other things might need to be spread out over next week or more.

7. Teach someone else. If you want to really lock in what you have learned, share what you have learned with someone else. Talk to a colleague back in office. Share concepts with a friend. Not only have you helped other person, but you have increased your mastery and clarity of ideas in your own mind.

Bonus tip # 8 – Review your notes. If you want to really retain what you have learned for long term, set up a process to review your notes. Review them evening after event. Review them next day, and next day. Then put a note in your to-do list to review them one week later and one month later. Each review only needs to be five minutes long. You are simply trying to build concepts in your mind through repetition and giving your mind a chance to spark new connections and new ideas.

As you can see, these strategies don’t require any additional monetary investment, just an investment of your focus and approach. Applying just one of these strategies can have a major impact on your results. Applying them collectively will put you among learning elite.

Put these strategies some where so that you can review them before you attend any training event. Over time reminders will turn these strategies into your own habits – habits that will help you move towards your goals and potential.

Kevin is Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. To receive your free special report on “Unleashing Your Potential” go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/index.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.