HOW TO CONNECT WHEN TEACHING YOGA OR ANYTHING ELSE
I love yoga, but I’m not a yoga teacher. Because of my published writing though, some people have asked me for advice, or if they should start yoga for a physical problem. I’m not qualified to give specific advice, but I tell them, Hell yes, start yoga, and I willingly share what yoga has done for me.
But I’ve learned a few things from a teaching career in higher education that spanned 26-years and four states: Wisconsin, Michigan, Hawaii, and Ohio. I’ve taught speech, writing, employment skills, English, film study, best sellers, sociology, philosophy, theology, motorcycle rider certification, and I coached youth soccer.
But this is not about me, it’s about you. This is the single best idea I’ve learned from all my teaching, presenting, giving instructions, listening to speeches, and leadership of a classrooms, meetings, or a faculty union; it’s not about me . . . ever. The working title for my speech book, currently in the hands of my agent, comes out of this learning and is the core out of which I operate. It’s called, It’s Not About You.
This is one of the hardest lessons for teachers, because while teachers are usually responsible adults, they can take upon themselves more responsibility than required. Yes, teachers are responsible for presenting content, but they are not responsible for learning, and neither are they central in the learning contract.
This is a hard lesson for teachers to hear because it requires putting the ego aside. Teachers, it’s not about you. Ever.
Remembering that it’s not about you is the key to public speaking, teaching, or coaching, and I believe it’s the great secret that many speakers miss
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