After all, isn't teaching just a matter of telling others something that you already know? So if I know something, and the other person does not know it, I can teach them by telling them what I already know. Is this not what we have had most of our lives?

When you grew up as a child, your mother taught you some of the basics of life. Then you went to school and school teachers added a whole pile of other things that you did not know. And when you went to church, the preachers did the same thing.

So here you stand, having gained knowledge from so many different sources, and you can now take that knowledge and give it out to someone else. Nothing complicated about that is there?

Before I disagree with you on this and show you a few things about teaching that you probably had not thought about, I would like to ask you a couple of questions. Your answers to these questions will, I hope, stop you in your tracks and make you think a bit.

My first question is this, were there times when your mother or father expected more from you than you were capable of doing? You were just a child or very young, but they expected you to know things that they already knew.

Did anyone ever tell you, "Why don't you grow up and stop acting like a child?" And at school were there ever times when you seemed to be the only one who did not understand what the teacher was saying?

You needed to ask a question, but were afraid to ask in case everyone thought you were stupid? So you just kept quiet and did not learn what you were supposed to learn. And when it came time for tests, you failed some questions in the test.

Now I was pretty much above average intelligence, but I also had times when I just could not grasp what was being taught. And then there were the times that the teacher was so boring that I just did not listen. My mind was somewhere else, thinking about something more important to me.

The teacher was pouring out knowledge, but I was just not getting it. The words just seemed to bounce off me into the air and I learned nothing. Now I want to ask you the second question.

When someone tried to teach you something, but you failed to learn it, whose fault was it? Was it your fault, because you failed to take in the knowledge you were being given? Or was it the fault of the teacher, because they did not make the teaching interesting enough for you?

And then finally the third question I want to ask you is this, think back on the different teachers you have had, and see which ones you remember best. I don't want you to think of those that you hated. Think of those who you can still remember with good feelings.

Now, this does not apply only to school teachers, but it can also include others. People like Sunday School teachers, Pastors, or visiting speakers at your church. All of these are involved in some form of teaching, so you have a lot to choose from.

Take a bit of time with this, because it will help you a lot to become a better teacher yourself. What we are looking for is an idea of what made these people stand out from the others. Why did they have a more positive influence on you?

Then finally I want you to go to the other end, and find a few teachers who had the opposite effect on you. When you think of them you may have negative feelings inside you. Maybe you cannot even remember what they taught you.

Think about the subjects you studied where you got the worst grades in the tests. Was this because you just did not pay attention, or was it because those who taught you failed to arouse your interest? What was it about them that put you off?

Please do not skim past this project, but take some time to think it through. Because the results and the conclusions you come to here, could decide whether you really want to be a teacher. And if so, what you should consider before you start.

The Hallmarks of a Good Teacher

Now that you have decided which teachers you liked, perhaps you can see what a good teacher looks like. Often it is their temperament that really stands out. So what is a good temperament for a teacher?

Remember that the two main things in temperament are emotion and assertion. So would you say that a good teacher shows their feelings or not? I'm sure you will agree that a good teacher shows their feelings while they are speaking.

So if you want to be a good teacher, you must learn to express your feelings while you are teaching. You can do this very easily when you are speaking, because you show your feelings on your face.

How Emotions Show On Your Face

A person can show their emotions by smiling when they speak. But other emotions can also show. So the teacher can also show feelings like anger while teaching. And this could make them frown rather than smile.

Another way that emotion or feelings are displayed when you are speaking is the way that you use your voice; the loudness of your voice; and the way that you emphasize certain words.

What we do with our faces, when we show what is in our hearts, changes with different temperaments. But most of the time we are not aware of what is on our face when we allow different thoughts to fill our minds.

In my book, The Blessing Code, I explain what happens to your face when you think different thoughts. Bill Douglas, the hero of the story, is told to hold a mirror in front of him and to think about different things. Then he is to watch what happens to his face as he thinks these thoughts.

I would like to suggest that you give this a try yourself, because it is going to help you to become a better teacher. Find a small mirror that you can hold in front of yourself and give this a try.

While are you are looking at yourself in the mirror, let different things pass through your mind. Try thinking a happy thought. Think of someone that you love or admire, or an event that leaves happy memories.

While you dwell on this thought you will see that something starts to happen to your face. There will likely be a grin, or a smile, or some sign on your face that you are happy within.

Now think about something negative. Think of someone you do not like, or a bad event that took place. You may find that a frown comes on your face, which everyone can see.

The Poker Face

Most of us have this kind of thing happening all the time. To stop it from happening you must make a specific effort to block your feelings. You must stop your feelings from showing outwardly. From this, we get the English expression known as the poker face.

This comes from the experience of those who play the card game known as Poker. In this game, the person must avoid showing the other players what kind of cards they have in their hands.

A normal person will give away the truth by what is seen on their face. If they have a good hand, it will show in a positive expression, and if a bad hand then it will show in a negative expression. So a poker player must learn not to show their feelings on their face.

The so-called poker face is the face that remains free of any kind of emotion, no matter what is in the mind of the person. And this does not come naturally to most of us; it is a habit that must be developed.

The Sales Face

The opposite of the poker face is something that I call the sales face. This is where you show all the emotions that you can. And here again, this might not fully agree with what is in your heart or mind.

The salesperson must persuade a prospect to buy what they are selling. And to do this they must show great emotion. They must give the impression that they are excited about their product.

This may be not true at all, but the person is keen to get a sale. So they pretend to be excited about their product. And a prospect can usually see right through this false mask that is being presented to them.

The Use of Assertion

When you are teaching someone and you simply want to impart knowledge to them, no pressure is needed. The person will either receive this knowledge or refuse it. The choice lies in their own hands, not in yours as a teacher.

But if you want to do more than just give them some knowledge to fill their minds, then your approach must change. If you want to influence the person to do something, then just telling them the facts is not enough. You must reinforce this by bringing some kind of influence to them that will lead to action.

When you assert your will, you apply pressure to help them take action. You do not wait for them to act on the knowledge you have given. But you demand some form of response from them that will lead to action. This is the power of assertion of the will, and it works for some, but often it can cause problems.

To be this kind of teacher, you must aim your teaching at the person's will, rather than just their mind. Often to influence the will of a person, you need to put the right kind of pictures into their minds. This is far better than imposing your will on someone else. And it is a skill that all good teachers use.

The Use of Inspiration

The best approach that you can take as a teacher is to stir the emotions of those you are working with. This leads indirectly to action, but there is never any need to apply pressure. The person is driven by their own feelings and desires and wants to do something.

So you should let the desires in people drive them. Otherwise, you will look like a teacher who is imposing their will on others. Nobody likes to have someone else telling them what to do, and you will fail to get through to your audience.

How do you inspire someone to do something? You paint pictures in their mind that stir up their emotions. And since we all tend to do what we feel like doing, this is the most powerful way to get someone to do something.

They are not aware that you caused them to take action, because you did not impose it on them. Instead, you suggested it and gave them a picture of what it would look like. After that, you can step back and watch the results. You have done your part and you can leave the Lord to do the rest.

The Art of Persuasion

The whole act of teaching, when it is done as a ministry, is to bring change in others. The knowledge that you give them must be far more than just something of interest. When you teach them something new, you do not want them to say, "That is very interesting, I did not know that."

They should rather be thinking, "I am glad to learn this because now it means that I can…" And you have probably solved a problem for them. If the only result of your teaching is that the hearer thinks, "Wow this person is really brilliant. I wish I was that clever", then you have failed as a teacher.

Post A Review For This Book