If you’ve learned a skill and want to pass it on to others, knowing how to present it in a way that is well received is very valuable.

Utilizing introspection, which is defined as “the examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes” can be a helpful tool.

When first taught how to tie your shoes or ride a bike, you had to practice over and over.

Often you knew what you were doing wasn’t right and could likely identify what was going wrong, e.g. losing your balance and falling off the bike, or placing the string in the wrong loop.

If someone were to give insight like “stop losing your balance” we’d agree it’s not very helpful. What would be helpful is if someone were to prompt you with introspective questions.

What can you do to stop falling off? What loop do you need to make first?

Questions prompting introspection provide two-fold benefits.

Benefits from an internal perspective, the trainee. 

And in many cases, it helps the trainee feel less micromanaged.

Personally identify what struggles you’re facing and what you are doing well.

Benefits from an external perspective, the trainer. 

Asking the trainee questions allows you to hear their perspective instead of guessing at it.

If their perspective and overlaps with the insights you were going to pull, it eliminates repetition and confirms to you that they’re thinking along the same lines.

People don’t like being told what to do – knowing that from a trainer perspective we can use introspection to help others reflect and pull insights on themselves.

This is not a strategy taken out of fear of someone’s poor reception to correction but rather a more impactful way of providing lasting insight.