How would you like to find a single activity that could help you:
- learn your specialty subject more deeply,
- make a positive change in the world, and
- establish yourself as an authority in your field?
You found it: it’s teaching!
You might be thinking: Me? A Teacher? Kirstin, you’re crazy! I’m not an expert at what I do – I’m still learning.
That’s absolutely true, and do you want to know something? The people you look up to as experts and teachers in your field are still learning, too. They just started a little before you, and they are doing it faster because they are teaching! Here’s an important secret you should know:
You don’t have to know everything about a topic to be an effective teacher and provide value to others. You just need to know more than the people you are teaching.
When you are the teacher, people begin to see you as an expert and you gain authority in your field. Teaching gives you an opportunity to serve others by sharing your knowledge, which is great for them and you. And believe me, nothing forces you to learn your own specialty topic more deeply than explaining it to someone else.
The transformation teaching offers is this: to become better at what you do, enrich your life by serving others, and move your career forward by becoming a recognized expert in your field.
Am I starting to win you over? If you need a little more convincing, here are 3 specific reasons you should start teaching right now:
Learn more deeply
One of the things I love most about teaching is that it literally forces you to learn the topic in a profoundly deeper and more meaningful way. It is much easier just to know something than it is to explain it to someone else.
When you teach a subject you will be forced to learn more deeply.
As soon as you start explaining something, you identify areas of your own knowledge that can be improved, and where your skills can be built further. As you deepen your understanding of that topic, you also build confidence. It’s easy to talk about things you know well!
Another wonderful thing about being a teacher is that you become a better learner. As you develop your teaching skills, your learning skills will improve, too. You are learning a subject more deeply, because you have to in order to explain it. But by doing that you are also teaching yourself to become a better learner, and that will benefit you in many ways.
Benefit others
Think about the best teacher you’ve ever had. Maybe it was the high school teacher who sparked your love of science or reading. Or maybe it was a mentor who guided you through the early years of your career and pointed you in the direction that lead to your success.
Now imagine if that person had not taken the time to teach you what they knew. Maybe you wouldn’t have been set on a path to the career you have now. Or maybe you never would have found your own passion – the one they introduced you to.
When you teach, you can benefit others and become a force for good in the world.
When you become a teacher you are paying it forward by giving others the opportunity to learn something that could literally change their lives. You are giving them something – knowledge, skills, an opportunity – that maybe only you can give. What an amazing way to serve others and be a force for good in the world!
Be the authority
When you are the teacher, people begin to see you as an authority in your field. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, an expert is, “a person who has special skill or knowledge in some particular field; a specialist; an authority” or “one with the special skill or knowledge representing mastery of a particular subject”.
When you are a teacher, you become a trusted authority in your field.
Now check out the Merriam Webster definition of authority: “power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior”. Wow. Think about what that means. That means in your area of expertise, people will be influenced by your opinions about the topic. Your thoughts on the subject even have the potential to change their thinking or how they feel about the subject for the better.
Remember, you don’t have to know more than everyone else to be an expert, you just have to know more than the people in your audience. You also don’t have to know everything there is to know about your entire specialty topic, just the small piece of it that you are teaching.
I hope I’ve convinced you that if you haven’t already, you should give teaching a try. Teaching creates many benefits for you and those who benefit from learning what you have to teach. You will learn your own specialty topic in a profoundly deeper way and gain confidence in that area. And finally, you will start to become known as an expert in that subject, which could lead to advancement in your career, or even a new job.
If you enjoyed reading my article, please sign up for my mailing list! I’ll let you know when I post something new.