It’s nearly time for DS44’s LWTDSL (learn what the data schoolers learn), so I thought I’d reflect on the lesson I gave on Tableau Prep to the public last month. I have a bit of teaching experience from tutoring GCSE students and helping in tutorials while at my university job, so I thought I was relatively well-prepared for the day. I soon realised that teaching 30 plus people who have a wide range of abilities is pretty different to anything I’d experienced before!
Here are my key takeaways from teaching Tableau Prep for 90 minutes straight.
- Plan plan plan. Writing a good teaching plan is key to delivering a successful lesson. Practise a timed run through and make sure you have spare material in case you have more time.
- Speak slowly. Some people I was teaching had never used Tableau Prep or Desktop before. If I’d rushed in my explanations, people would have been left behind early on and unable to get much out of my lesson.
- Read the room. While you can plan the content you teach, you can’t really know the style to deliver it in until you’re in the room on the day. Some audiences might prefer a more interactive approach, while others will prefer you to talk them through. It’s important to gauge this early on so your delivery of the lesson is appropriate.
- Teach at a pace that suits everyone. If there are people in the room that are taking longer to pick up concepts, set a challenge for the more advanced people and continue teaching those who are at an earlier level.
- Be patient and understanding - some guests/clients at events such as these are from a completely different background and have no experience in data handling. Even concepts that seem basic to you may be completely alien to them and therefore still need explaining.