Presenting as a form of learning

I’ve done a bit of presenting for various reasons and have found that it’s one of the best ways for me to learn.  Also not just research, regurgitate, and forget.  We’re talking extended knowledge that will continue to be retained.

Presenting is not only for the realm of the knowledgeable.  Don’t wait for someone else to present on something you want to learn.  You don’t need to know anything about said subject.  Just the act of trying to put together some slides or a quick talk will force you to learn in a short amount of time.  Don’t forget the deadline, I feel that it’s key to success.

Your natural instinct to try and do the best you can will provide everything you need to learn and finish on time.  The first thing that comes to mind is that you’re inevitably going to make a fool out of yourself.  Worrying about that is most likely going to push you to give a fantastic talk.
I urge you all to go to volunteer to present as soon as you can at school or a local user group.  It’s something you’re interested in anyway, otherwise you probably wouldn’t be there.

So the next time you say “Hey it would be great if there was a presentation about {insert subject here}” and someone else says “That’s a great idea, thanks for volunteering”… don’t be scared.  I personally guarantee that you will really learn about what you wanted to know anyway and you get the satisfaction of helping others.

Now go out there and teach something you don’t know yet!