Helping experts share their know-how & novices to discover it
It should be simple.
The expert has the knowledge you need to create your video, blog post, or presentation. He’s steeped in his subject. So it shouldn’t be too hard to extract:
Should it?
But expert interviews can be tricky. Ever felt like you’re drowning in information? Do you struggle to keep the conversation on track? Yes? Then this post is for you. [Read more…]
How do you know what to say?
You don’t want to patronise people. And you definitely don’t want to short-change them. You want to be helpful. So it’s an easy mistake to make. I’ve done it myself. Several times.
Teaching practice was scary. I was scared of running out of things to say, or things for learners to do. I went into every session with enough material for a week. The thought of blank, bored faces was terrifying.
Here’s what my tutors said:
‘Your students are confused. Information overload. Again.’
Knowing what to say and what to leave out is tricky.
It’s frustrating isn’t it?
You’re an expert. You want to share what you know. Teach the world what you do.
You spend hours crafting your videos. But have you got it right? Will people watch to the end? Has your time and effort been worth it?
You want this reaction:
‘Wow, now I get it’. ‘Wahay! So helpful’.
Not this reaction:
‘Well, that’s 10 minutes I’ll never get back’.
Who’s in control? You or your content?
Does this sound familiar?
‘It’s clear in my head until I try to explain it’.
Are you wrestling a mutating beast in a battle to tame your expertise? For every head you chop off do two more spring to life?
We’ve all been there. So you’re not alone.
Want to be the hero of your own content creation story?
What makes people give up?
It’s disheartening, because you want people to get it. You want to help.
So what goes wrong?
Well, this story might help. I used to teach literacy skills to young people who had missed years of schooling. For some, writing more than two sentences was an achievement.
One day, Jess (not her real name) proudly gave me ten lines of writing – with no punctuation. To encourage her progress, I suggested she make it even better with some full stops.
rebecca@stickyteaching.co.uk
@stickyteaching