This post was most recently updated on February 23rd, 2014
How to become an expert in your field in 30 days? You can do it by following this simple formula
In order to attract a following on your blog, or your
Facebook Fan Page, or anywhere else online… or even offline for that matter…
YOU must become an authority, a spokesperson, a go-to leader in your field.
In other words, you must become an “expert”.
But you probably never think of becoming an expert because it takes too much study, will take years or at least months learn enough to become one.
You are wrong.
I will show you right here how to become more of an expert in your field, or in your niche (special interest) within just 30 days!
The fact is, that you first MUST LEARN the material you want to become an expert in.
But that’s exactly the way to become an expert as long as you learn the RIGHT way.
So becoming an expert requires learning the correct way.
Here’s the key.
Research has taught us a simple principle. It is best demonstrated by what some call a “Learning Retention Pyramid”.
To be an expert, you must retain what you are taught.
Then you must apply this learning, or teach it to others.
What research has shown us about the process is this.
If you picture a pyramid, the top half of it is the smallest percentage of the total area of the pyramid. If you segment the “Learning Retention Pyramid” into seven horizontal sections, the top (the tip) represents only about 5% of the whole. The bottom segment comprises about 90%.
So from top to bottom, you actually “retain” what you learn as follows:
- You retain 5% of what you’ve been taught in lectures
- 10% of what you’ve been taught by reading
- 20% of what you’ve been taught in visual representations like pictures
- 30% of what you’ve been taught through demonstrations and exhibits
- 50% of what you’ve learned in Group discussions with others
- 70% of what you’ve learned by actually doing what you just learned
- 90% of what you’ve learned by teaching it immediately to others
So, here’s a surefire way to become an expert fast.
Learn one new thing in your niche for each of the next 30 days.
Immediately… the SAME day… turn right around and TEACH that thing to others.
So, for instance, teach it in a blog post. Or on a video, on Facebook, in an email to your team or followers, in a webinar.
It doesn’t matter HOW you teach it.
The important thing to learn here is that the BEST way to become an expert in your niche, and the FASTEST, is to learn and then immediately teach what you just learned. Repeat, repeat and repeat.
You’ll probably be more of an expert in your niche in 30 days than most people who have just been learning without then teaching. You see, when you “actively” apply your learning, you retain and understand it far better than when you just “passively” learn it.
And best of all, in the process of actively teaching others what you just learned, they’ll come to see you as The EXPERT. And, in fact, you will be!
So what do YOU think about that! Are you willing to give it a try? Please leave your comments below. I would love your ideas on this subject.
Great post, Donna! This definitely sounds like a great way to learn what you are doing. I think that maybe this is telling me that when I finish a great book that I am reading, that I should make the blog post about it a lot faster 😉 I think that sometimes, when you come from a highly codified definition of expertise (such as I am in now as a Ph.D. student), it is harder to get around the idea of just getting out there and doing it, but I just have to remind myself that not everyone will have the same insights as me, and I can help the conversation along right away.
Steve Nicholas recently posted..Are You Keeping a Portion?
Absolutely Steve. If you get too wound up in it what is going to happen? It won’t be shared. People our out there and usually read at a 10th grade level if we are lucky!
There is a saying I go by: You don’t have to do it right, you just have to do it.
So, Blog that book my friend.
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The Art of Active Listening
Hi Donna,
I cannot agree with you more about the retention rate when you teach something to another person or group. When you are in the position to share information, you have to retain it yourself and it must be clear in your mind for another person to understand. Applying what you learn really helps retention. Thanks for sharing the Retention Learning Pyramid.
I am curious about a program to help someone become an “expert” in their niche.
Raena Lynn
Hi Donna,
Your words here are so true!
In my corporate life, my success came from learning everything I could and then teaching others. I remember learning Excel one night going through a teachers guide and then doing corporate training. The students taught me more than the book, and suddenly I became an expert!
This really works. Apply yourself to the task at hand and learn everything and pretty soon you will be one of the experts in the field.
Often people think to become the expert or the go to person is hard. I especially like your first part that says immediately turn around and teach what you have learned, we always retain it when we apply. Implement and teach is a powerful way!
Hi Lynda,
I think that is all what we learned when we came into the blogging business was to learn and teach to give good content. It really is a powerful way of learning and passing it on as a “go-giver.”
Thanks,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Hi Donna – I was always told to be careful about describing oneself as an expert. An “ex” is a has-been, and a “spurt” is a slow drip. <<>> Just kidding! Couldn’t pass up that one! <<>>
You are absolutely right, and this is not just another pyramid scheme, HA! I’ve always known from my own experience that I learn much more about something when I’m teaching it — probably more so than the student(s). It’s like, while you’re teaching, all of a sudden you have these “Aha!” moments that you may not have had if you hadn’t been trying to explain it to someone else or to a group.
A nicely written post! Thanks!
Thanks Steve, You crack me up!!! I like your pun about another pyramid scheme too. But seriously, I know it is so great when teaching something and having it become so much a part of you.
I am a picky one, so I screen people before I “take them on.”
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
I agree Donna. That is why I started my blog to increase my own personal development experience by teaching it to others. We don’t have to wait until we have degrees or anything like that to become an expert.
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Glad you said that Justin! That is the real purpose of a blog. We are the pioneers out here teaching what we know. We do not need a degree in it thank goodness.
Imagine if we did. Imagine 4 years of learning something that would not be applicable because the market changes so fast.
Thanks again,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Hi Donna, you write such inspiring posts! Right now, all I want to do is go off and teach something.
For anyone reading my comment, I know for a fact that what Donna says is true. I was a teacher of Computer Science subjects for years (about 11) and believe me, I was no expert when I first started out. And, I KNOW that I learned more than my students did, because I taught so many times.
Not only did I teach, but I practiced what I was going to learn lots and lots of times, to make sure I taught it correctly.
Sometimes, when the student asked me a question I didn’t know the answer to, all I had to do was ask him/her the “right question” and they worked out a solution themselves. In programming for example, I was a much better teacher than I was a programmer.
Besides, teaching is a lot of fun and very rewarding.
Thanks for your post Donna, I love to read your blog! Regards from Julieanne
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Hi Julienne, Thank you so much for sharing your insights. I find that teaching is rewarding too. There is a saying that escapes me now but it goes something like this: Teachers learn from their students!
That always gave me the AHA moment when pondering this. When I teach something to someone, questions arise and sometimes I don’t have the answer, but will dig it up for them or they will dig it up for me. That is the beauty of teaching.
Thanks Julienne for sharing your story,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Thanks for sharing this great advice to us.Keep on sharing..
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Wow, what an interesting set of stats Donna. I am firmly in the 70% bracket as I always implement what I have learned in order to be able to teach it. I don’t share anything without trying, unless it’s really great on the surface (then I declare that I haven’t tried it). Interesting discussion 🙂
Hi Sarah, Thanks for stopping by. Glad to see you are the 70%. That’s great. I’ve read your posts and they always give me a learning curve. Keep it up.
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Hi Donna,
Yes! I totally agree! As a former elementary teacher, I can testify to this method. Right out of college I taught in a two-room school that went to a one-room school the following year, even though enrollment actually went up (this was a private school, and in case anyone wonders how such a school is managed, it’s MUCH, MUCH easier having a few children in each grade than it is having a large amount of the same-age children in the room! I’ve subbed in one-grade rooms and come away exhausted!).
Anyway, this was decades ago. I had somehow squeaked by college without taking geometry. My 7th and 8th graders’ geometry floored me! It had been a long time since I was in those grades! So I had to learn it, review it, look at the illustrations in the teacher’s book, and we all learned it together. They didn’t know I was learning it with them. But I was.
Don’t ask me about it now, though — too many years ago! That’s another thing. In order to continue to be the expert, one needs to remember the material : )
Excellent post, Donna!
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What a wonderful story to highlight this post. I appreciate you sharing it. I totally agree when you say it was much easier having a few children in each grade than having large amounts of the same age. I think the latter becomes a behavior police rather than a teacher lol.
I know many home-schoolers with children of different ages and their education is far surpassed the “norm.”
I especially liked when you say that “In order to continue being an expert, one needs to remember the material” Love it!
Thanks so much,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Hi Donna,
You did a marvelous job of breaking this down into some actionable steps for a new person! I love it!
I think that you’ve definitely bridged a gap that “appears” daunting for folks who are stuck wondering how in the heck they can realistically make a sure-start in the online world!
Well done! I hope you do more articles like this!
Cat 😉
Thanks Cat for your wonderful comment. I truly appreciate it. I don’t do stats much, but this one I needed to show people how they can learn more efficiently and kick it out there for others to know.
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Twitter: hollyfulfordjef.
March 4, 2012 at 9:15 pm #
I realized how much I learned when I started teaching school lessons.. In particular grammar!! I didn’t’ always think I had it figured out, but once I had to teach it I got it totally!! So I have to agree with you.. It is so much better to learn through teaching.
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Thank you Holly for your confirmation on this subject. We really do learn more when we teach than just letting things stick in our heads.
The premise of our blog is to give good content. So what better way is there for us as “learning-addicts” to teach others what we have learned along the way?
Thanks
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Hi Donna,
I love the idea of the pyramid because with an image and stats linked to it you show us what we knew already on a theoretical level that is the best way to learn something is by teaching it to others.
I realize that I have a perfectionist syndrome in the sense that before teaching something I ‘m expecting to test it myself on myself before offering it to others,
The reverse is more powerful, by trial and error showing teaching others we become experts, quicker and more effective indeed.
Hi Patricia, I was a perfectionist a time ago, but since I have been on the internet, I find myself sharing information that I pay for. For instance, If I pay for a $197 product and learn it inside out and apply it, I share that information.
I realized I didn’t have to get it pin perfect in order to teach a method to people.
Thanks for the awesome comment,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Hi Donna,
Teaching and practicing your knowledge is by far the best way to master it,
I have read a lot of books about it and actually I can verify it from my own experience too, thanks for sharing…
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Very powerful statistics. I was shocked to see that 90% retention is by teaching what you learned. I think it is because you are actually doing the process in your head and showing it to someone that it has a powerful effect on memory. Very interesting. Thanks.
Hi Jacob,
I have always found that whenever I have learned something and talked about it to someone I was actually teaching them. I found that I retained more doing it that way.
I also like to write things down as I learn them. That helps me retain it also.
Glad you enjoyed the post.
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Refreshing and enlightening advice post, Donna. None of that ‘fake it till you make it’ stuff either. To be an expert, one has to teach and impart that which has been learned.
As a newbies, I am willing and well glad to undergo in a training given by the experts because I know that they are able to know what are those things can help to me to become productive in different factors…
Very inspirational Donna. I love the advice the best way to learn is to teach. Very true
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Thanks for visiting my Blog and hope you have the stamina to take the advice. Looking forward to vising again,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Hi Donna,
Great advice! I can’t agree more. I will teach my husband to become an expert. Thanks!
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Good for you Edyta!
Great idea for me to teach my husband also lol
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Twitter: marquitaherald
March 2, 2012 at 3:13 pm #
Terrific advice Donna, and for those willing to invest the time there are more and more opportunities to teach online. I’ve recently joined a group of “experts” giving advice at site called “Task” and it’s been an amazing experience – both in terms of being able to offer personal growth assistance to readers, as well as having the opportunity to meet and work with other professionals.
marquita herald recently posted..If You Long to be Happier, Begin by Defining What that Means to You
My Dear Marquita, You are such an expert in your field because you continually are learning and putting it out there for all of us. You are the poster gal of this post.
Thank you and keep it up!
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Donna I love your passion and enthrusiasm that always shows in your blog posts:)
I’m not 100% convinced you can become an become an expert in a months time however you can definitely learn something and become knowledgeable in something new. But I guess it really depends on what people’s interpretation of an expert is – for me it’s someone who knows a subject inside out and has been doing it for a long time, someone who not only knows but teaches too…
At the end of the day though it’s amazing what the mind can pick up and learn and practice does make perfect:)
Lilach Bullock recently posted..Should you be Pinterest-ed?
Yes Lilach, I used that word to invoke a response. Expert is a funny word with many different meanings. I thought that if I used this particular word, it would provoke one’s mind into how much you already know.
Little trick I did here lol
When you think of all you know (and I know YOU know a lot) You can consider yourself an expert. Why? Just look at a new person trying to start a business on the internet. They may have never even gotten further than an email. To them, all your knowledge and all you give, makes you an expert in your niche.
Thanks for your comment,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Great post and a worthy challenge. I’ll take you up on it! I may not be able to do one in a day, but I will do it. Thanks for this. You’re right all the way!
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Hello Anne. Good to see you here again. The challenge is rather simple. All you have to do is be mindful of it. Whatever you learn (and we learn so many things throughout the day) pass that one thing on to someone, or your network of friends. That’s it. It is as easy as that.
Good to see you again,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Teaching something you have learned to somebody else is indeed an excellent way of retaining that knowledge. There is probably no better way at all of making that new knowledge a part of you in a way that makes it seem as if you have been doing that skill forever.
And explaining a thought or an idea to somebody else works very well for clarifying your own thinking on a particular topic.
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Thanks Michael! I always find that teaching someone what I have just learned retains it in my mind. But it is also good to expand that knowledge and share it with others.
Thank you for coming by,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Twitter: PJZafra
March 2, 2012 at 4:09 am #
Wow Donna,
Great post! Loved reading it. I love the tips and insights you’ve shared here and such an interesting point of view. I totally agree with what you said in this post. Being good at something will definitely give people the idea that we’re an expert or a leader in that field. What does that mean? It means they’ll be coming to us for help because they trust that we know our stuff. Thanks for sharing this! 🙂
Have a great Friday and weekend! 🙂
PJ
Pete Zafra recently posted..Blogging 101: 7 Steps To Create SEO Optimized Articles
Hi Pete! Thanks for stopping by. You said it in your comment that people come back to us because that trust that we know our stuff. Whatever we know, it is important to pass on.
Sometimes we forget the 101 stuff that we have learned in the past. It becomes taken for granted. But for the newcomer, it is important advice.
If I had to make a list of everything I have learned since I began this business, the list would go to the thousands.
Keep on plugging at it.
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
What a simple concept that is so overlooked! And so true. I’m sure a lot of us can see this working in our everyday lives but how many of us actually realize what’s happening? Donna, you put it perfectly into words and made us all aware of something that there’s NO EXCUSE for not doing!
This is such a great plan to put into action. On the flip side, think of how beneficial it will be to the person who you are teaching. Sounds like a perfect match.
I’d also add, to use a buzzword that gets thrown around a lot, that if you can learn AND teach effectively, it expands your own knowledge to the point that you can become not just an excerpt but… wait for it… a “thought leader”. After all, how did all these “gurus” start out if not as learners? And what batter way to graduate to thought leader than by teaching others and deepening your own understanding?
Love it!
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Thanks Carol Lynn
Yes, How did all these guru’s start out? They were learners and they put into action what they have learned. I wrote this post because of the guru’s I follow and watch them learn a new concept and kick it out for a couple of hundred bucks. Well they can because they have already established their expertise!
Blessings,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Some great tips here Donna. When I am taking a course or listening to a webinar I like to keep good noted and then turn that into content for my site. The best one’s to do that with are other network marketers how are presenting and using the information I learn there to create new things.
HI CLINT! Absolutely! I do the same thing. Just jotting down a few notes can be a new blog or two. Learning the newest information and spreading it out there is what it’s all about.
Thank you for visiting,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
I absolutely love this post Donna! This is so in line with where I am right now. Just yesterday I realized that I have spent a lot of money over the last few years on different programs and info products and in order to get the most out of those investments I need to find a way to pass on that information to others. All of the new knowledge and wisdom that I have gained has no impact if it only exists in my head.
I have been thinking that I need to start a 30 day challenge and you have given me a great idea!
Thanks for the inspiring post!
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Awesome Melissa!
I am so happy to hear that you are thinking about taking this 30 day challenge. It is true! Once you think about all the time and money spent on things you learned, you can pass it on. Yes, you studied it and implemented it, so now, go for it and teach it. You are an expert on it!
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Donna,
That’s awesome.
In the current issue of Success Magazine one of the guest speaks about how “winners” implement whatever they learn right away.
But teaching it is taking the ball even further.
Powerful, Donna!
Akos
Thanks for that information Akos. I must research that article. “winners” and “experts” to me are the same thing. Thanks for the head’s up, I dig up that article right away.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
I Donna,
I like your pyramid of learning. It’s amazing how little is retained to start with. Now, yes, it makes sense that if we teach someone else what we’ve just learned it’s going to make an impact on us – Therefore, we will retain it much, much better.
I’ve got to apply this 30 day rule and try to teach everything I’ve just learned 🙂
Thanks for that 🙂
Sylviane Nuccio recently posted..How Can Freelance Writers Get Clients And Keep Them
Hi Sylviane, Yes, not only will you “shine” as a go-giver and expert in your niche, but it does help you retain what you learn.
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Wow! That is so simple! I love to learn and I love to teach. I learn so much in a given week but fail to turn around and use it or teach it. I am going to give this a try this month. My company blog needs some serious dusting off so I will make it a resolution for March to learn something new each day and use it and teach it! Thanks!
Hi Jenny, Happy to have you here. It is rather simple, all you have to do is put out one thing you have learned on any social media site and do it every day. Watch what happens. Of course, it is better to do a blog about it and run with that blog too.
-Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Twitter: rachellavern
March 1, 2012 at 1:26 am #
Hi Donna,
Your wonderful post is actually a reminder of a concept that I learned in a workshop; however, I forgot to apply it. I love the idea of positioning myself to be an expert by learning one new thing each day for 30 days and it is very doable.
Now to find someone to teach my newly acquired knowledge/skill to. Me thinks my dog is going to be getting a lot of schooling over the next 30 days.
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Ha Ha Ha Rachel, I can just picture your dog! You can put it out anywhere, you don’t have to write 30 blogs, but a single tweet would do. Be consistent and Face book it, Google+ it, put it on Linked in, etc.
When you think of it, everyone complains of information overload. It is a fact that we learn so much. Just take one thing and run with it.
Thanks for visiting,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Wow Donna,
I didn’t know that teaching had such a high retention rate! I knew it was high, but not that far apart from a lecture. Well it is time for me to get out and do more teaching. I like those kind of results.
i like the way you packaged this post. Very inspiring.
My Best,
Stephen
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Hi Stephen, Yes, if you are consistent every day and put out one stink’n thing you have learned that day, people will start to follow you. It can be as big as a Lecture or Webinar or as small as a tweet. It doesn’t matter. What matters is you taking action!
Thanks for your comment,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Teaching your material not only demonstrates to your students that you know what you are talking about, it also helps demonstrate to YOU that you know what you are talking about. Many people are resistant to seeing themselves as experts; I think its because we are keenly aware of what we don’t know. But it actually takes surprisingly little knowledge for others to see you as an expert — you only have to know more than they do!
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You are absolutely correct Lesa. We may not consider ourselves an expert, but how many people do you follow that are go-givers and give “answers” to all the questions you may have. In your mind you consider them an expert in their field.
When you calculate all that you know and put it out there, people will feel the same way about YOU.
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Such an inspiring article! You are totally right, the best and most effective was of learning is the teaching. It’s not only the “praxis makes the master”-theory, but also an interactive process of learning. I don’t know if it’s possible to be an expert in 30days, but I’m sure that the techniques you’ve described are the quickest ways to be an expert.
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Hi Julie,
I find the best way to learn is to teach. With all the information we get on a daily basis, it’s mind boggling. We learn so many things in 24 hours. If we made a list of that, how many things would it be? Hmmm makes you think doesn’t it?
Passing on one piece of information that you have learned each day for 30 days will get you noticed. Hey, we are all about go giving and leading, so what are we? Experts!
Thanks for stopping by
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Twitter: AdrienneSmith40
February 29, 2012 at 7:34 pm #
I never really looked at it that way Donna, interesting.
I was never comfortable with the term “expert” because to me things are always changing and evolving so you are always having to learn new things.
The more time I spend online though I have come to understand what you just explained in a different way. Study the area you really want to excel in, apply what you have learned and then teach it to others. By doing this you have now become a “leader” because most people never envision themselves in this capacity. All you are really doing is teaching others so I guess you could also use the term expert right!
There you go, giving me something else to think about. But I love that when that happens so thank you for that Donna. Great post.
~Adrienne
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Hi Adrienne,
I too was hesitant about the word “expert” but when you think of all that we have learned and a newcomer comes to us to start, we are “experts” when we lead.
Thanks for your comment,
Donna
Donna Merrill recently posted..The 30 Day Expert
Great advice, Donna! Will certainly share this one far and wide.
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Thank you for commenting Tea! Also, thanks for sharing.
-Donna