Product Training for the Technical Expert

1Hands‐On Learning in the Classroom: Articulate Your Approach

You are a product expert.

I’ve worked with you. I’ve been on conference calls with you. I’ve heard those who respect your expertise in your product and say that you should be the one to train the beginner, because you know the product as well as anyone. I’ve seen you reluctantly agree to teach them again. Maybe they’ll get it this time.

Okay, so I haven’t worked with you, but I’ve worked with many like you, and here’s what else I know about you. I know that you are very smart. People say that you “just get it” when it comes to your product, technology, or industry. You can probably install or use your product with your eyes closed. When people need help understanding the limitations of your product or stretching the possibilities of what it can do, you are one of the few that gets the call. What others think is difficult, you find to be simple. You like to fix it, install it, program it, commission it—whatever you do with your product—you like to do it yourself.

Now you’ve been told you need to “transfer your knowledge” to others.

But you’re frustrated that no matter how much you go over it with people, they still think it’s difficult to understand. It seems so obvious to you. You’re afraid some might think you don’t want others to become as smart as you are—that you’re one of “those” knowledge‐hoarding engineers—but that’s not true. You genuinely want to make it easy for them as well.

“But,” you say, “I can’t.”

Take ...