Those who can do, teach.

Indeed, you’ve heard the adage “those who can’t do teach.” Not only does conventional wisdom tell us that’s not true - so does science. Those who can teach have achieved a higher level of mastery than those who cannot.

Teaching others helps you learn the material yourself better. Psychology calls this the “protégé effect.” Even just expecting to teach something can grow your understanding of the information through increased metacognitive processing. Why? Teaching another person an unfamiliar concept requires a more profound knowledge of the information.

Preparing to teach can also motivate you to learn. After all, you don’t want to let down your student, do you? You may also feel more confident in your abilities when acting as a teacher.

Most of us aren’t in everyday situations where we are teaching others. So, how can we leverage teaching to improve knowledge retention? Even if you aren’t a teacher or a facilitator, there are lots of ways to use teaching to your advantage:

• Write a lesson plan! Think through how you’d teach someone else the material you just learned in training.
• Talk to a partner or friend. Teach them the information while having dinner or riding in the car.
• Teach your team. Is there something you learned in training that would benefit your team? Walk them through the new information during your next team meeting.

Are you ready to take action? The Pulse can help.

From free monthly training to custom all-day workshops, our team can find a solution for your learning needs. Please register for our next BD360° Intensive, where we will cover our best practices and lessons learned.