I don’t know about you, but I really like knowing stuff. I like feeling smart and capable and if I have to accomplish something I like it to go smoothly.
That’s what it feels like to know things.
Unfortunately, learning things often feels very different. When you are in the process of learning something, especially at the start of learning something, it’s a struggle. A steep learning curve isn’t easy to climb.
So how do you overcome the pesky learning stage and get to the glorious comfort of knowing?
I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to help make learning a little less daunting and a lot more successful.
Jump to a section
- How to trick yourself (or your audience) into learning
- How to KISS your educational content
- How to build educational content for your business
- Connect with me
How to trick yourself (or your audience) into learning
Because reading textbooks and filling in worksheets is boring, and it’s hard to learn stuff that is dull.
Have a plan
I didn’t go to college until I was in my mid-twenties, and since I had been away from school for so long, I was worried that I might have forgotten how to study. Luckily, the college offered a short preparatory course on learning how to learn, designed specifically for adult learners. It taught me a few key concepts:
Prepare to learn
Before going to a class or starting an online course, look up some of the key concepts. Read the syllabus or course outline. Look up any words you don’t already know. If you like to take notes, set up a page with the anticipated headings so you can quickly jot down a few key points. By preparing yourself and knowing what to expect next, you will have a much easier time paying attention during the actual learning sessions.
Pay attention
This seems obvious, but even before online courses where I could just hit play on a video and then cheat my way through a short quiz, paying attention in class could be tricky. If you know you might get distracted, set yourself up for success. Remove temptation. Dedicate a reasonable amount of time, 20-60 minutes, and actually focus on the learning. If taking notes helps you, then take notes. Every time you catch your mind wandering, bring yourself back on track.
Reflect on what you learned
After a learning session, quickly read through your notes. Give it just 5-10 minutes that first day, and then again the next day, and then after a week, and once more after a month. Each time, read through your notes and see how much of it makes sense. Test yourself to see if you can apply what you learned.
Share what you learned
Hopefully what you are learning is interesting enough that you will want to share it with other people. If you find you don’t care about the topic and don’t want to talk to anyone about it, you might want to consider changing direction. Sharing what you are learning, or even teaching it to other people, is a really great way to reflect on your learning, to test how much you really know, and to solidify the content in your mind.
When creating educational content, build in preparation and reflection as part of the process. Make the content fun and relatable so people will share what they learned.
Apply it!
Have no fear
Ever notice how easily children learn things? Or how hilariously bad they are at things until they do learn? It’s because they have no fear of failure, but also no preconceptions of what might work. Kids have no experience to draw on when they are learning new things, so they will quite earnestly try to put the round peg and the square peg into the triangle shaped hole. At that age, nobody is assigning failing grades or threatening to fire you for trying to fit a square peg in a triangle, so children have no fear of being wildly creative and trying any and all options.
That’s the same disruptive mindset that the tech industry is trying to tap into when they micro dose psychedelics. And it works! You can also do it with mindfulness or just by accessing your inner child.
Once we grow up, we get so used to having experience and pre-existing knowledge of how to do things that learning something new can be daunting. Plus we have been penalized for failure, either with bad grades, or lectures from employers, or just mockery from friends. So if you are learning something new, give yourself a break. Don’t bully yourself for not already being an expert. Instead, congratulate yourself for being curious and young at heart and fearless. You can only improve by trying.
One of the great things about online learning is you can re-watch lectures, reread materials, and retake tests. There is no failure.
Build content people can (and will) repeat until they succeed.
Apply it!
Have Fun
Personally, I like to trick myself into learning by doing something that feels like fun. When I read non-fiction, I choose funny authors like Bill Bryson, Mary Roach, or even Michael Pollan (sorry Michael, you are entertaining, just not “laugh out loud” like Bill or Mary).
When I first start thinking I might want to learn about something, I start by watching a few YouTube videos or reading a Reddit thread.
Once I get serious about the learning, I set little goals and milestones for myself and track my progress, giving myself rewards along the way. And if I can find a fun app, game, or other learning aid that supports the topic at hand, you can bet I will be all over it.
Want to improve your geography? Try these free online games! https://www.geoguessr.com/ https://online.seterra.com/en
Bring your game face. Include a fun video, a game, or a trivia night that friends and family can join in on as part of your learning materials.
Apply it!
How to KISS your educational content
The KISS principle is old, but gold. If you are trying to teach a really complicated subject, one really effective tactic is to break it down into stages and gradually level up the knowledge. Of course, if you are a subject matter expert, sometimes it can be tricky to realize how much you know, and to bring yourself back to a beginner level. That’s where I come in – I specialize in translating from the super technical jargon to the simple, concise, layperson language.
One of my favourite sources of inspiration is this series by Wired magazine, where they explain complex ideas at five different levels: https://www.wired.com/video/series/5-levels. In 5 Levels, an expert scientist explains a high-level subject in five different layers of complexity— first to a child, then a teenager, then an undergrad majoring in the same subject, a grad student and, finally, a colleague.
I also love Khan Academy, and videos like this one that are super playful and informative.
And one of the best, free online learning options is the amazing Saylor Academy: https://learn.saylor.org/
How to build educational content for your business
Obviously, I think you should hire me to help you build educational content. If you want to create some fun, effective, educational content for your business, connect with me for a free consultation and some idea mapping. If you like what I have to say, we can discuss working together to build your content.
If you are just getting started and can’t afford to hire me, I totally understand. I have been there. Most of my experience comes from working with absolute peanuts instead of dollars, so here are a few free tips for you:
Infographics
Adobe Spark and Piktochart are my two absolute favourite infographic platforms. They are so easy to use, and they are free or very cheap if you want to remove the watermarks.
I like Pixabay and Pexels for free images to help me build graphics and infographics.
Videos
Pixabay and Pexels are also great for free footage, as is NASA! Google free video footage and you will find lots of options, but those are a few sites to get you started.
For free online video editing, I recommend Vimeo and Adobe Spark again.
Quizzes and games
Stay tuned – I am still learning this myself. Years ago I did some work on a language learning game with a friend – we used the platform ARIS, but apparently it is no longer supported. If you want to see a little trailer of what we were working on, you can watch this video.
Connect
I know, I know, you might not be able to hire me. But reach out anyway! We can chat, I am totally open to being a sounding board and recommending whatever I can to help you get what you need to succeed.
Abby W. Pollen 