Teaching is Learning: 5 Perks of a Two-Way Knowledge Transfer

It’s never too late or too early for learning and teaching. Once upon a time, someone told that one needs to keep knowledge, but there are two facts about this person who made up this so-called don't-share-a-thing rule. Firstly, they did not tell us what would happen if we nag this rule and share.

The second fact is that this person wasn't invited to many parties.

In a real-life, knowledge transfer is a basic of success. In this article, I’ll share 5 not-so-obvious perks of a knowledge transfer:

1. You will learn something new.
2. Sharing knowledge helps to boost empathy.
3. You'll meet many great people.
4. It is easy to build a team of your mentees.
5. If you are the most excellent expert, keep in mind there is always someone more extraordinary.

Let's take a closer look at each item on this list. I will try to convince you that teaching and learning are vital, but at the same time can be relaxing and fun. I will scare those who refuse to learn. I'll tell them they get stuck at their stage of development and then rollback. But first things first.

This Is The Only Way To Learn Something New

Whatever you want to learn, you need two things: knowledge and a mentor. Wait, I can hear something!

That’s you saying: "But I have been learning on my own all my life. I don't need a mentor!"

OK, I got you, but there is a contradiction. Let me explain.

You actually use the services of a mentor for self-study. Don’t look at me like that. 

The task of the mentor is to give you methods, control your progress, and motivate you. If you learn Spanish, for example, via an online course, you use a ready-made approach.

The program checks your tests. Some online courses even adapt to your level as you proceed. Doesn't it look like a mentor?

If you learn using books, you take on some mentoring duties. You build a method, control your work, motivate yourself.

But someone provided you with the information. In fact, this person is your mentor, separated from you in time and space.

When you teach someone, you learn new things too! You master the skill of teaching, structure your own knowledge, recall the details forgotten a long time ago.

Students may ask tricky questions you may be surprised while looking for answers. By teaching someone, you conduct yourself.

The best way to exchange knowledge is training in real-time. I will explain why I think so later in this article.

Knowledge Transfer Boosts Your Empathy

When you learn from someone, you get the knowledge and life approach of your mentor. This works perfectly, especially for long-term one-to-one knowledge transfer. I'll tell you why I love face-to-face training. I love it as this is the only way to convey not just dry facts but something personal.

If you and your mentor are in a good relationship, you can discuss anything. Your mentor can become your friend and help on many issues. A friendship with your mentor will help you stay motivated for a long time.

But where is empathy in all this? Well, empathy is the ability to feel people. With it, you can adapt to them and connect with them easily. Empathy helps to make friends and manage teams.

When you teach, you need to adjust to your student. Let’s say you have a developed method of work with organized people, but you'll have to change it to work with the non-obligatory ones. You have a method allowing you to teach people motivated by a higher goal. But it won't work with the ones prioritizing sensual pleasures. Finding a key to each student is a challenging task. Doing this over and over will boost your empathy.

You Will Meet Different, Amazing People

It's easy to build a team out of your mentees. It's just as great to work with your mentors.

The truth is, not many firms hire people with no experience to "grow" them as professionals. It's a pity because this practice helps employees feel important. It forms a sense of duty to the company. This is how firms gain loyalty - one of the central values ​​for the company — and it leads to reduced staff turnover, faster business processes, and so on.

Growth is one of the main factors for the formation of the employee’s loyalty. It will be harder for an employee to leave the team one has grown in. People are happy to work with those who care about their development.

If you are a mentor with a class of friends, it will be easy to embody any idea you’d like. Each of your students is a person with hobbies, certain psychological types, and competencies. You can form a whole dream team consistent from matching people.

Your Expertise Is Extraordinary, But There Is Someone More Extraordinary.

You may think you are the most remarkable engineer, but tech is moving forward unstoppably.  To keep your status, you will have to learn. And first, you might admit that there is someone more incredible than you. From such a thought, your ego may feel really bad. But trust me, this is only for the best!

The most astonishing expert can get a lot from being a student. Learning removes unwarranted self-importance and helps to look at the world more accessible. No wonder the ancient philosophers said, “I know that I know nothing.”

Effects Of Not Wanting To Share Knowledge

"You haven’t convinced me. I am the best in my field, and I won't sit in a student's chair ever again. I am cool enough to teach you all here."

Does it sound like you? Then please read this part, and if not, you can skip it.

As I said, the world is advancing and what we couldn’t imagine in the 1970s is our reality of the 2020s. Think of the world with no Internet and if you don't recall it, then guess. Could you, living in such a world, even imagine the Internet and all the possibilities it offers? Unlikely.

You cannot imagine what awaits us in another 10, 20, 50 years. Well, you can, but this is unlikely to correspond to reality. Whether you like it or not, progress will develop rampantly. Your skills, experience, and knowledge will become obsolete.

Conclusion

Studying is not scary.

You need to explore if you want to become an excellent expert or remain so.

It is helpful to learn to keep self-importance from skyrocketing.

Learning and teaching develop empathy. You will need it to lead, get up on the career ladder, make friends, and so on.

There is someone more incredible than you, and that's okay. Do not be afraid of this or worry about it. Take this fact as a motivation to learn.

It doesn't matter if you are a student or a teacher. You learn new skills during knowledge transfer anyway.

By sharing knowledge, you don't lose anything but only gain.