Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

What is the best way to learn something new? People learn in different ways. Some prefer to read about the topic, some may want to watch videos, and others choose to have someone else walk them through the process. Any of these methods work equally well, depending on your learning style.
If the subject is new to you, a little orientation is likely needed to gain familiarity with the task. While all the methods outlined above may be a good starting point, I believe the best way to get comfortable with the subject is to teach it.
A few years ago (okay, maybe decades), I taught classroom training on some of our software products. In one year, I traveled to nearly 20 different cities teaching the class. Every single time during the training, I learned something new. Maybe it was because I changed the order of the subject matter, or it might have been a question from a student, and I needed to do some research or experiment.
Last year, a consulting organization I belong to asked me to teach a class on ethics at an annual meeting. I attended many classes in the past, but teaching it gave me a whole new perspective.
Give it a try. Take a process you are somewhat familiar with and make a video teaching someone how it works. You’ll be surprised how much you learn, and you may even post it on social media and become a famous influencer.