I was out skiing over the weekend with my friend and mentor Jack Pransky, and it was interesting to realise the tables turning: Jack was the Student and I was the Trainer. (Jack’s on a European Tour and stopped by for a few days – you can follow his tour here)
It reminded me of how often people go out with a ski instructor and learn and improve only to find that when the lesson finishes, they go back to how they skied before. It’s as if the instructor has magical properties to improve you.
When I used to do my Girls Only workshops one of things that I found worked to embed skills was something that I called ‘coaching the coach’.
What I mean is when you thought you’d ‘got’ something new, then teach it to the class. And if the class ‘got it’ then it meant you’d got it too. And it would stick.
My coaching colleagues call it ‘teaching from the back of the room’. We’re so used to hanging out with so-called experts and when we pick up our own expertise we don’t realise it and a whole heap of insecure thinking kicks in. The best trainers (‘real-experts’) I know teach from the back of the room as the best way to learn is to teach. And we’re so used to the teacher being at the front of the room that we take a back seat and stop learning.
And as my friend Jack said, we can only teach what we know. Which means you’ll never teach above your pay-grade!
Bon Ski!
I like how you put it Good experts teach from the back of the room. We can only teach what we know. Ive been thinking about our conversation last week. This makes me realize that I can can teach what I know right now and write a proposal and send it off you suggested I send it off with only what I know right now.
Thanks Anthony
Leonard Irwin
Kingston Ontario Canada