avatarSergey Faldin 🇺🇦

Summary

The author advocates for learning through teaching, emphasizing that blogging is an effective method for deepening one's understanding and sharing knowledge with others.

Abstract

The article discusses the pedagogical approach of "learning by teaching," where the author shares personal experiences of how teaching others has been a cornerstone of their learning process. From helping classmates to becoming a guest lecturer, the author has consistently used the act of teaching to solidify their own knowledge. Blogging is highlighted as a powerful tool for this process, allowing the writer to delve into subjects they wish to master and to document their learning journey. The author argues that this approach not only aids in personal learning but also benefits others who are less experienced in the subject matter. The article also addresses the imposter syndrome, reassuring readers that one doesn't need to be an expert to start teaching; they just need to be a step ahead of their audience. Honesty and authenticity are stressed as crucial elements in building trust with the audience, with the author advising against pretending to know more than one actually does.

Opinions

  • The author believes that teaching others is a highly effective way to learn and remember information.
  • They suggest that blogging about a topic is a strategy to learn continually and to process information more thoroughly.
  • The author points out that imposter syndrome can be a barrier but insists that one doesn't need to be a guru to teach; they just need to know more than their audience.
  • Teaching is seen as a way to create a structured understanding of a subject, which reinforces one's own learning.
  • The article emphasizes the importance of honesty in teaching, stating that pretending to be an expert can damage trust and credibility.
  • The author values the connection with the audience, suggesting that sharing one's learning journey openly can foster this relationship.
  • They recommend using personal stories to make content more relatable and trustworthy.
  • The author cites Larry King's advice to "be yourself" as applicable to blogging and teaching, highlighting the importance of authenticity.

How to Learn by Teaching Others

Short answer: blog

My recent post about the lessons I’ve learned as a newbie writer on Medium turned out the best one I’ve written so far. At least from the point of views, anyway.

In that post, I’ve mentioned briefly that I like teaching others as a way of learning myself. A few people highlighted this idea, so I thought it would be useful to expand on it some more.

So here it is.

I Learn By Teaching

Some people I am full of BS when I tell them that. But it’s true.

In fact, it has been so for as long as I can remember.

When I was in school, I was the kid who explained the school material to others. When I applied to college, I helped my classmates with college applications and motivational letters (often for cash). Later I started blogging and writing about business and marketing, even though I was a beginner entrepreneur myself.

And after 2 years of blogging and freelancing, I was invited as a guest lecturer at a business school (at 19!) to teach digital marketing.

It’s a known fact that people give each other advice they desperately need themselves. All of these famous bloggers talk about things they themselves need to hear most. Me included.

But when you explain something to others, you make a simplified structure of whatever you’re explaining, and it helps you remember it better. Einstein famously said that if you can’t explain something to a child, you don’t know it.

In fact, teaching others as a way to learn may be the best life hack nobody told you about.

How To Learn All Your Life?

Blog.

It’s something I use all the time. Whenever I want to dive deep into something, I immediately start blogging about it.

When I wanted to become better at marketing and find freelance clients, I started a channel in Telegram dedicated to content marketing. I wrote daily about what it takes to become a better blogger (becoming a better blogger myself, as a result and learning on the go). 3 months went by and I got a message from someone, saying they want me to create content for them.

Yay.

It’s very easy to trick yourself, to think that you understand something, when you don’t. But it’s hard to trick others. The need to explain something to others pushes me further than if I only had to do it for myself.

Having a following, even if it’s 10 friends and your mom, motivates you to keep learning (and teach what you’ve learned).

And in the world where you’ve got to learn all your life just to keep up with the fast pace of change, thoughtful and educational blogging may be the only answer on how to stay educated.

You Don’t Need To Be a Guru

A lot of people start feeling bad about teaching others when they don’t understand the topic thoroughly themselves. I get that. It’s called imposter syndrome, you’ve probably heard about it (who hasn’t these days?).

But you don’t need to be Tony Robbins to talk about life, money or success. You don’t need to be Oprah to talk about self-development, books and your soul. You don’t need to be a guru to teach others. And you don’t need to teach everyone.

You just need people who know the topic slightly less than you do. You need people are 1 step behind you in whatever you are trying to teach them.

You probably won’t teach Medium veterans how to write on Medium, right?

But there are so many people on this platform who aspire to be writers, and can’t start.

By honestly talking about your journey, learning on the go and teaching what you’ve learned, you create a win-win for yourself and others. You get to learn and summarize what you’ve learned. And aspiring writers (who are 1 or 2 steps behind you) get to learn something valuable from you.

The better you become, the more people get to learn from you. But wherever you are on your journey, you always have something to teach those, who are not yet where you are.

This also explains why Tony Robbins has such a big following. He’s 1,000 steps ahead than almost about anyone else in money, success and life, and he can teach almost everyone.

But Don’t Lie

When I say that you should learn by teaching others, I am not saying that you should lie your face off, talking about stuff where you have no idea what you’re talking about.

That won’t bring any value to anyone, you included.

You’ll just trick yourself into thinking that you’re an expert (I see so many of those on the web!), and people will see through your bullshit and stop trusting you.

Building trust is the most important asset you should be focusing on. Like most important things in life, it’s hard to build, easy to destroy.

When you blog as a way to teach others, you talk honestly about your journey. That’s how you connect with other people. In the words of Tim Denning, you inject humility and get really high on it.

You say:

Hey guys, I don’t know anything, but I want to figure this out. I’ll document my journey in this blog. Watch me and learn WITH me!

Not:

Hey bro, I am your financial/marketing/business expert with gazillion years of experience. You do what I say, and you’ll be like me. Here is what you should do/must do/obligated to do…

Nobody likes being told what to do. People like honest stories and real people with whom they can connect.

More than that: if you support your arguments with real stories from your life, your content will become more credible and trustworthy.

Larry King was given the best advice during the beginning of his radio career. It’s applicable to any kind of media, blogging included.

He was in his early twenties and very nervous before the his first show on the radio. His colleague, a famous radio journalist, looked at him and said:

Larry, there is no secret to this business. Relax. Just be yourself.

So you too, be yourself. And don’t lie.

Life Lessons
Self
Personal Growth
Personal Development
Self Improvement
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