Two Benefits Of Teaching Others
By: Kelly Roberts
Tags: Self Improvement, Personal Growth, Relationships, Self, Communication

I’ve been a teacher in some form or fashion for most of my life. I tutored other students in high school. I owned a company that helped attorneys explain complex patent technology and business concepts to judges and juries during trials. I trained and mentored my employees.

I also oversaw the IT of our small company, and I frequently helped troubleshoot technology issues for my employees. I’ve become someone whom my friends and family ask for help with their technology problems.

I love gadgets, and I’ve given countless tutorials to curious strangers on new products people see me using on airplanes or in convention halls. In recent years, I have coached and mentored others in business matters, personal goal setting, and mindsets that allow them to live fulfilled lives.

Taking on the challenge of sharing your knowledge with others may seem daunting at first, but it is well worth it. Teaching other people what you know is a win-win scenario. My experiences sharing my knowledge with others have enriched my life in several ways.

Benefit #1: Change the way you view yourself and others.

Everyone has something valuable to share, and anyone can teach other people something of value. You may not believe that you have something to offer others, but you do. We each possess skills, knowledge, and experience that combine to give us a unique perspective on life.

Our unique abilities can be easy to overlook or to discount completely. We can be forgiven if we do not feel like we are novel or have an interesting life story. After all, our own experience is the only one we have ever known.

Even if your knowledge base overlaps with others, your unique voice and perspective can provide new insights to others.

Teaching other people new skills and mindsets allowed me to see my own uniqueness and to recognize the same in other people. It’s one thing to possess the knowledge that you have inherent self-worth and something unique to offer others, but it is quite another thing to experience the positive impact you can have on other people.

Knowledge is no substitute for experience, and experience comes only from sharing and by teaching others what you know.

Benefit #2: Become a better, more empathetic listener.

Being effective at teaching others requires that you learn to listen carefully to the person you are teaching. Teaching requires you to step outside of your head and subdue your internal dialogue.

To teach effectively, you must hear the descriptions and instructions you use from the perspective of the person you are teaching. That means you need to find out how much others do or do not know and how proficient they are in the subject matter you are teaching. You learn not to make assumptions and instead ask questions.

You will have to pay attention to people’s body language and facial expressions to determine if they understand what you are telling them. A good teacher does not blame the student for their lack of understanding; teachers ask themselves how to improve their communication to allow others to understand their message. When in doubt, you learn to ask the students and get direct feedback.

Adopt a teaching mindset and improve your life.

You have something unique to offer others. You may not believe that you have something to offer others, but you do. You possess skills, knowledge, and experience that combine to give you a unique perspective on life. Do not overlook or discount your uniqueness.

Embrace the fact that you have inherent self-worth and something to offer others. Share the things that excite you in life. You know things that plenty of other people do not know, and their lives will be enriched through your sharing.

Likewise, everyone else has something to offer us if we listen. It is easy to ignore others because we believe that we already know what they are sharing. That may be true, but we can still learn something from them by paying attention to their unique perspective that reveals a new aspect of the subject matter.

Through teaching others, I’ve become more willing to share my viewpoint when elicited, instead of keeping quiet and believing that I had nothing to contribute. I have also become more receptive to what other people have to share and to learn from their singular perspective.

The process of teaching others has also allowed me to step outside of myself and to connect with other people. I now have more empathy for others, and I can better see the world — and see my words — from other people’s perspectives. This practice has caused me to stop blaming other people when there is a miscommunication between us, which has dramatically improved my relationships.

Discover how you can enhance your experience of yourself, your life, and others by sharing what you’ve learned with other people.