“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” —William Arthur Ward

We often forget how teaching and contributing to the community(-ies) of interest to you and your profession can positively affect performance. I personally think teaching is perhaps more powerful than “being a student” who only “observes.” Teaching helps you:

Practice what is learned in formal and informal learning experiences.

Enrich others who may not have the same background and experiences as you.

Experience “what goes around comes around.” When you contribute to the community, you help others gain an insight only you can offer and you learn by practicing, but you also increase your presence and network. Who knows what great opportunities will come out of the new connections you make?

Here are five simple challenges you can start working on today to increase your contributions to the Learning community and, in consequence, grow as a professional:

Write an article. It’s not as daunting as you may think. Outline topics based on things you’re practicing, things you know, things you’re in the process of learning. Mix it with topics you’ve encountered while contemplating ideas coming from fields different than yours. This brings different perspectives into what you’re sharing. Find out which events in your field are happening near you (or where you can travel to) and submit a presentation/workshop idea. Participants will be extra-interested if you make it practical: Make it a goal to share at least one principle or technique they can apply to their work when they leave your session. Make presenting at industry events part of your development goals, make this clear to your manager and track it. Hold yourself accountable. Create a blog and share what you know and what you’re learning. Blogs tend to be more informal and personal than an industry magazine, making them very low risk. Follow other blogs for ideas on posts. Add your own perspective to issues they share. Join a community of practice. From LinkedIn groups to Quora.com, Twitter, and Reddit, social media outlets are everywhere. You’d be surprised how much your unique perspective would be appreciated by industry professionals looking for solutions to their business problems. Internal communities within your company are also a good way to start contributing more frequently and offer little resistance. Become a member and contributing volunteer of a local learning organization such as a chapter of a national or international learning organization. If you want to volunteer but aren’t ready to join a community yet, consider donating your time and expertise to organizations that need your support that aren’t necessarily in the Learning field. LinkedIn has a job board for volunteer work that matches your qualifications. You will make new connections, expand your resumè, and contribute to the Learning community in general.

While you can and will learn a lot on your own, it is through connecting with other people with similar and different interests than yours and making yourself and your knowledge available to them, that you will grow as a professional and human being while advancing our field. Contributing to the community is mutually beneficial, not to mention that it’s a great way for you to apply your knowledge in the wild!

Enzo Silva, learning strategist/senior instructional designer for SAP, is an avid learner and instructor who worked in the language-learning field for many years in his home country of Brazil. Silva is involved in learning mediated by social media, virtual worlds, and games.