How do you rate your technical skills, e.g. writing SQL code or creating calculations for your next dashboard? How do you feel about the things you build and the frameworks you rely on?
This week I’m sharing my favourite way to test your knowledge, because we should all put ourselves to the test every now and then.
As a data professional you are working with data all the time. That includes tools, techniques, frameworks and really hard and complex problems.
When was the last time you tried to teach what you know to someone else? Passing on your expertise and enabling and empowering others with new skills and knowledge is the best way to check whether you’ve truly understood a concept and mastered something.
In 2015 I attended a Tableau Train the Trainer training and become an official trainer for Tableau Desktop and Server, allowed to teach their public training courses.
Two things happened:
- I realised what I knew and how much I didn’t. From there I focused on acquiring those new skills, which included technical elements and teaching, presentation and demo skills.
- The second thing was that I realised I LOVED teaching even more than I loved building.
As a result I focused on both: using Tableau as much as possible to keep learning and improving, while also finding ways to pass on my knowledge and ideas to colleagues and clients at the time and the community further down the track.
If you’re up for a challenge, I’d love you to try this:
Pick one of your favourite technical topics and create a mini training session from it.
You could deliver it as:
- A Youtube video (3 min)
- A bite-sized lunch & learn session (5-10 min)
- An in-person session for your colleagues (15 min)
- A presentation at the next user group or conference (20 min)
- A detailed how-to article including screenshots and gifs/animations
- An inspirational and high-level session at your kids’/nephew’s/niece’s next ‘bring your parent/adult to school’ day
In the words of Robert Heinlein: “When one teaches, two learn.”
It really is true. You will learn so much from teaching and you’ll confirm to yourself what you know and where your gaps are.
Once you have to break down a complex concept into information and ideas someone else can understand and apply, you’ll feel challenged in new ways.
Try it for yourself. Schedule your teaching session for August and get cracking!
Have a great week.
Eva
P.S.: Let me help you create more awesome moments in your work day. If the idea of talking to an audience scares you, let’s work together on your public speaking skills. Send me an email with “public speaking” and let’s get started.