10 Ways To Master And Translate A Difficult Topic Quickly
Being a trusted authority means being able to translate complex and technical information into language that is easy to understand and compelling to your decision makers and requires a deep understanding of a particular subject matter. However, since we live in a world where new tech, ideas and tools pop up every 2 seconds, it also comes down to being able to understand them and being able to connect the dots and communicate what those trends and innovations. The question is – how do you do it, how do you get across a new trend or an innovation quickly and integrate it with your message and area of expertise?
This is what I’ll discuss in this blog post and share 10 practical strategies that help you stay up to date and fast-track your learning.
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I’ve said it before and I say it again- recency trumps relevancy and whilst I usually say it in connection with content creation, it also applies to your message. If you’ve been following me for a hot second, you’d have heard me saying that a trusted authority is all about being a translator of an area of expertise to others who usually don’t have the technical background and by you being able to get them on the same page and speaking their language, you can set yourself apart from everyone else. But it doesn’t stop there.
As a trusted authority, your ‘job’ is to commit to life-long learning as the world doesn’t stop evolving. One of the questions that I get asked all the time is how people can stay up to date especially when they’re busy so I thought this is probably a topic many can relate to and since I’m such a nerd who’s always on the look out for not only what’s next but also always find better ways to learn, I thought this may be an interesting episode for you too! So let’s
1. Accelerate Learning With Technology
I remember – back in the day haha – when I had to go to the library at Uni which was about 1h train ride from where I lived to look up certain details or access specialised knowledge. These days, especially now with AI tools being available everywhere and mostly for free, there is no excuse anymore to not upskill. It’s never been easier and more democratised to learn about any topic you want. Depending on your goal and the topic you want to learn about, you can tap into a few different resources:
Online courses: I can’t think of a topic that hasn’t been covered in one or multiple ways already in online course formats. These days, also highly reputable universities offer courses, sometimes even degrees for free. When I was in the US, I also had the chance to meet a friend who is currently the associate director for a newly set up field and she told me that Stanford offers courses for free because they have different ways to make money. Another favourite of mine is LinkedIn learning as it offers bite-sized courses and content for pretty much every topic and if you complete the course with some knowledge tests, you can also get the certification for it which you can use to boost your CV.
Online forums/ platforms like dedicated Discord or Telegram channels that usually also have an online community connected.
Online conferences/ virtual summits are also a fantastic way to connect learning with networking
YouTube/ Podcasts are not only free but usually also very engaging due to their entertaining nature that the platforms reward.
Learning by doing: so many apps and platforms allow you to have a free trial or access where you can simply get on the tools and learn as you go. Of course, you can YouTube more advanced content also whilst you go.
2. Turn To The Experts
This is literally how I initially learned about personal branding. When I realised that I was fascinated by the topic but at the same time overwhelmed by how much I don’t know and how multi-faceted the topic is, I researched people on LinkedIn who had the type of expertise I was interested in. Now I also knew that they wouldn’t just share everything they know with me so a workaround I came up with was to invite them to the companies I was working for back then and organised a lunch & learn session for initially just my team and then eventually for the entire organisation. It started with them giving a keynote and I was writing down furiously everything they said. I went through the notes over and over and simultaneously started to read books about the topics I wanted to know more about or went into forums like Quora to ask more specific questions until I became more confident. The next stage was for me to interview them as I started to gain more knowledge and was able to hold a conversation. I still had plenty of gaps though so I still couldn’t speak on the topic entirely myself. The next iteration was me organising my own events, outside work where I again brought various experts in to cover specialised topics and I also covered a section which was more recruitment oriented but still fit in the workshop theme.
Eventually I hosted my own 3h sessions, then full day to now I’m happy to run multiple days may it be for a leadership retreat, a conference or client sessions.
So what can you take from this approach: focus on the proximity principle and find ways to learn directly from the source. It may be to ask these people to speak at your company or to interview them for a podcast or even whitepaper. Make sure there’s something in it for the specialist because otherwise I can guarantee you won’t get far.
3. Remain Curious
One of the easiest ways to learn is to simply stay curious and ask a lot more questions than trying to having all the answers. This is a common trap especially very seasoned professionals fall into as they’ve done it a million times so they get a little complacent and with that, oversee challenges that come up or don’t take changes in the economy or in tech into consideration. Simply asking more questions, staying curious for a little longer when brainstorming possible solutions and also regularly checking in with yourself and being critical whether the approach is still the best to get to the outcome or if it’s time for an update or overhaul can make all the difference and open Pandora’s box.
4. Simplify The Subject By Summarizing It
This is probably the most overlooked method but also one of the most effective and efficient ones: Writing a one-line summary that covers all of the core information on the topic. As Einstein already said: ‘Sorry for the long letter, I didn’t have time to write a short one’ shows that the work is in the thinking to simplify a topic for others that focuses on the core of what needs to be covered and gets rid of all the noise that isn’t relevant for the audience. Remember: the role of the trusted authority is to be the translator and the easier you can explain a topic, the more people are able to buy in to it. Studies have shown that – when anything takes us too much brainpower and requires us a lot of calories to burn – we find ways to not do it and the last thing we want when we give presentations or pitches is that people switch off and don’t hear anything we say because it’s too technical and clever.
5. Tap Into Your Community For Expertise
We spoke about the power of a community in a previous episode with Mark Schaefer who explained that community is the last great marketing strategy. However, tapping into a community is also a powerful way to learn and upgrade. Depending on the topic and the type of network you’re looking for, you may want to consider online forums like we discussed earlier or also join industry associations, local events and of course, conferences in person. The power is in curated and collective knowledge so being proactive with starting a conversation by asking big questions can open your eyes to a completely new path and approach to it.
6. Teach What You Want To Learn
The best way to learn is to teach as the saying goes. And by ‘teaching’, I don’t necessarily refer to the classroom kind of teaching only. Yes- it may be an option if that’s something you’re interested in and enjoy doing but it doesn’t have to. Another excellent and quick way is to simply share the newly acquired knowledge with someone who doesn’t know much or anything about the topic yet. Aim is to tap into my previous recommendation where you start with a high-level summary that gets all the information across that’s required to get a glimpse to the topic.
Another way to teach is to write a social media update or even blog about it.
Of course creating your own online resources, potentially even an actual online course is the ultimate form of teaching as it requires you to also understand learning principles and how to prepare content that flows and is easy to apply.
7. Go Vertical In The Topic
As humans, we are wired for growth so the shiny ball syndrome is known to most of us I’d say. However, it’s easy to commit to it when it’s new and fancy but novelty wears off.
The real magic happens when you go deep rather than wide with the topic and get familiar with all the aspects of it which gives you a better understanding of how the topic actually works. When I initially learned about personal branding, it was very much focused on the external parts of it. Now that’s easy – the hard part which I struggled with initially was people’s mindset – may I add, their limited mindset and beliefs about themselves. Having the best strategies and tactics without the mindset that’s aligned to that, doesn’t get anyone to anywhere so I started to learn more about psychology. Then I got deeper into positive psychology whilst at the same time, I studies how the job market is changing and translated why personal branding is become the one thing that can future-proof careers, teams and organisations. If I wouldn’t have gotten deeper into the subject, I wouldn’t have been able to connect the dots as much as I can do now and with that, develop not only content that resonates with a particular audience but also create learning materials and programs for them, keeping all my own learnings in mind.
8. Engage In All Learning Styles
Everyone’s got primary and dominate learning styles, however, I truly believe that the mix of all of them (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, reading/writing) fast-tracks learning. Take this podcast as example: you access it as an auditory format. You can also get it as a blog which is the written format. If you follow me or impaCCCt – the company page on LinkedIn, you will also see visuals to this topic and dissected into smaller chunks. So there is something for everyone and different formats provide perspective from multiple dimensions, which leads to deeper understanding and retention.
9. Ask An Expert To Teach You
Without the luxury of time, the best way to get up to the level where you can perform in your role is to ask someone to teach you. It can be in form of 1:1 support or joining a mastermind with like-minded people but where there is still personalised support.
10. Learn More By Doing More
Learning by doing is probably still the best way to fast-track learning. If your current role or workplace doesn’t offer stretch assignments, see if you can create and propose them or pitch yourself to work on a project, even if it’s in your spare time. Put your hat in the ring to get on a board, pitch yourself to be a panel speaker at a local event or network with peers in the domain where you can develop the skill further by observing them or simply having the power of proximity again.