How to develop any skill
How to develop any skill.
Two posts ago we were talking about talents and how they are a bit overrated in terms of career progress and general life success. There also was a study that proved that SKILLS are way more important than gifts and talents. And today I wanted to share with you some practical advice that I've discovered pertaining to how to develop any skill in a foreseeable time.
These simple rules will help you develop any skill from delivering impactful presentations, public speaking or negotiating skills to playing basketball and playing darts.
1) Cutting big pieces into small. What is easier - to catch an elephant or a little rabbit? Well, i know that rabbits are faster, but honestly, what are the chances you can deal with an elephant? Our goals should be big, but the steps are small. That's only when we see the results, but not the
2) Doing is key. You might read dozen of books on how to play a guitar, but you will never learn how to play unless you actually do it.
3) Regularity. It's way more effective to spend 10 minutes every day practicing your new skill, than doing it once a week for 2 hours.
4) Take breaks. I bet you know that it's during rest, but not at the gym itself do our muscles grow. Same applies for skills, taking rest and switching our attention is important.
5) Do a little break out from your comfort zone. Only like that you will feel the growth.
6) Feedback is essential. If you have the opportunity to get feedback from someone who is a professional in this field, that's precious. If not, then you can creat ways to find your own feedback! E.g. if you are learning public speaking, observe someone who does it like want to do it. See what tempo he/she takes, how poses himself, which gesture uses, etc. And then practice the same! Filming yourself would be a good idea too, like that you could see your mistakes from aside.
By following these simple, but quite important rules you can develop any skill.
Which skills do you want to master, my friends? How is that going?