Being, or Employing, a Good Learner

Good writers, as well as other professionals, are usually good learners. As an editor who has worked with many writers, I’ve grown to easily recognize good learners. To keep growing at all times, they do these three simple things.

Ask as many questions as possible

• What message do we want to convey through this post?
• What are the needs of our potential reader?
• I’ve never written about healthcare IT. Could you please shed some light on this industry?
• What words should I use to sound convincing to our audiences?
• What is this development tool, what does it do?
• You’ve talked a lot to our leads, what do they usually ask?
• You asked me to leave out this phrasing, why?
• How do I create effective headings? And so on.

Doubt, challenge, provoke discussion

• Hey, I think we are using the wrong rhetoric in this post. Our readers won’t buy it.
• We’d better stop using this buzzword — ‘innovation’.
• What if I don’t use our traditional formatting on this page? It might help us engage more readers.

Embrace criticism

Good learners embrace feedback to grow. They see it as an opportunity to get better, not an obstacle. They take no offense, they don’t take it personally, however hard it is to hear that their work is yet to be edited, polished or even rewritten (OMG!). There is no great product without editing. And there is no editor (manager) dying to ruin the writer’s career (they have the same goal, right?). No feedback — no improvement.

It’s time you took action

For employers and managers: if your employees, team members, subordinates don’t ask questions and don’t challenge your way of thinking — you either encourage them to do the opposite or end up with a team that doesn’t get better.

For aspiring professionals: if you are a person willing to learn and ultimately become an expert, never stop asking questions and thinking critically. In your team or somewhere outside your company, you will always find someone who is more knowledgeable than you. Use the chance to learn more. Be that knowledge sponge. Don’t be shy to ask questions, don’t be afraid of looking stupid. A person who wants to know more has never looked stupid. Besides, many experts find it pleasing to answer questions, sharing knowledge with others.

Now, go ahead!

Mikita Cherkasau is copywriter and CEO at Your Extra Marketer, a small content marketing agency with a single focus on IT.