Education Training Skills

The old saw goes that those who can do, while those who cannot teach. But in reality, teaching requires both the ability to teach and learn. Learning to teach is often daunting, but comes with the reward of learning to share your skills and knowledge.

Learning to train

Training skills to others requires more than repeating a set of instructions or rote instruction. Yes, rote instruction and repetition can aid memory retention, and some physical skills (carpentry, for example) require repetition to build muscle memory and technique. But effective training requires the trainer to impart the trainee with not only the how but the why of various skills. Knowing to follow steps in a given order serves the trainee for a day, but knowing why enables the trainee to make judgment calls about when a step needs repeating, skipping or modification.

Practice patience

When a trainee just does not "get it," all can seem hopeless. But this is the trainer's moment to shine; imparting knowledge against all odds. Giving up or blaming the trainee is teaching failure. When the trainer cannot learn to impart knowledge and gives up, the message sent to the trainee is that if something is difficult, giving up is an excellent option. Remember that trainer and trainee are both struggling to learn. The trainee must learn skills from the trainer, but the trainer must learn to impart the required knowledge. As a trainer, model the discipline and dedication to learning that you want the trainee to acquire.

Good teachers are constant students. They study new developments in their subjects, and they constantly study how to better instruct others. As a trainer, never forget to learn from the trainees everyday.