You’re Not an expert, But Thats Ok

I often suggest that designers and developer run a workshop to share their knowledge only to hear: “I couldn’t give a workshop, I’m not  an expert”.  Its a fair retort, but lets consider the four stages of competence which breaks the path towards competence (or expertise) into four stages:

• Unconscious incompetence
• Conscious incompetence
• Conscious competence
• Unconscious competence 

Its true, you and I probably aren’t experts at stage four, unconscious of the vast amounts we know. We are probably enthusiastic people with enough experience to be at stage two and three: Conscious of our knowledge and conscious of what we have still to learn.  Put another way we have the expertise to decide what a workshop will cover and what it won’t.  So don’t let the concept of being an expert prevent you from running a workshop.  You aren’t an expert and thats ok.