Mapping Teaching Skills to Biz Skills: From Questions to Connections

Welcome, welcome, welcome. Today on this episode of podcast, we are going to talk about mapping teacher skills to business skills. I'm going to do a couple of these, I think four podcast episodes in this particular discussion about mapping. And the first thing we're going to talk about, is moving this from the skill that used as a teacher of asking questions, to using that skill to create connection with clients and potential customers. So many of your teaching skills really matter in your business. And one of the things that happens is people move out of teaching into business, and they're like, Oh, I have to start fresh. But that's not really the case. Your teaching skills are actually your unique advantage. They're not at all a disadvantage. And they're the thing that makes you special in the business world really more than anything. So this week, we're going to talk about that most vital skill, asking questions, and how it really translates directly into your business as connecting with customers and clients. And in money, actually, because you know, connection, the byproduct of connection is money. The first before I do that, though, I want to talk really quick about celebrations. One of the things I love sharing here on the podcast, in my group, and all the places I have is amazing things that are happening with my clients, because I love to really celebrate them. I do it more so than anything, because it's a key habit for me. I really do believe and I've come to believe even more strongly over time, that celebrating is a key part of success. If you think about your last, when did you really celebrate it? Right? Our brains are taught where society teaches us, you know, our, our lives teach us that when we have a win, it's like, okay, when done on to the next bigger thing. But when you just move on to that next bigger thing, and you don't take the time to sit in your celebration, you're teaching your brain and your kids and the rest of your life, that that success wasn't worth pausing to acknowledge. And I don't think that's what you want to teach your brain or anyone else. So one of the habits that I have that I've been really like digging back into and tried to take more seriously lately, I'm a chronic celebrator. But I'm trying to do a better job is I I issued myself a challenge a couple weeks ago, that every day I would write down five celebrations. This is something I talked about a couple of weeks ago in my Facebook group. If you want to go see that video, if you're looking for a little bit more about what I do and how. But for you, I would issue the same challenge. Can you challenge yourself for a week or 10 days or two weeks or longer, to sit down once a day, and really take two minutes to write down five things that were worth celebrating that you're proud of today. And they might be little things like I would say one day last week, it was like a client resigned. And that's a big thing. But the other thing is I had done four days of exercise in a row. And I was super proud. And that might sound like a little thing, but it was a big deal here. And, and I also had made the plan. I knew it was going to be for dinner every night. And also I was celebrating that. But all of those things are worth celebrating. So anyways, celebrations matter. And that's, it's a habit celebrating. And so, take this challenge, try to celebrate. And we'll keep celebrating together, you'll have more to celebrate if you practice celebrating. Okay, so let's talk about the focus for today, which is mapping teaching skills to business skills, questions, the questions we ask to to creating connections and clients. So first, as a teaching skill Connect, questioning is like a core teaching skill, right? In a classroom, it is an art to know what to ask how to ask it, when to ask it. It is part of the zone of genius for really great teachers of which you are right. When you ask a kid or a student a great question. It does all the things right. A great question does all the work for you. In a classroom, it can start people thinking it can engage people, it can help them expand ideas. It can clear confusion, it can loosen something that's in the way And that's been like, sticky. One good question can do each of those things. But all of those things also. And so this questioning skill, asking the right question is a huge teaching skill, but it's also a vital business skill. Because in the business world, the people who ask great questions, the people whose empathy, that are curious about other people that use their critical thinking skills to ask whatever the second great question is, right, you think of like in a classroom, you'll ask a student a question, they'll start to think, and then your next question is what stretches them even further. In the business world, this is exactly the same, you will meet people who are great questioners. And they make everything feel really easy. Because they are learning about you, you're learning about them. They're using empathy and curiosity and critical thinking, to connect. And that's what amazing questions do right? In a classroom, they build connection at the base of everything in the business, the same is true. So your skill of questioning is what creates connections to other people. You build bonds with students like this. You build bonds with clients like this potential clients, asking a great question. Whether you do it in a Facebook group, whether you do it in a networking conversation, whether you ask it in someone else's group, whether you ask on LinkedIn, or any of your social platforms, whether it's an email, whatever, it is a part of how you show people who may or may not spend money with you, that you hear them, and that you see them. When I ask questions in my group, in the teachers and business group, it's part of how my people know that I know what they're thinking about. I know the next question they need to answer in their businesses. It's how I tell them, that I'm with them. It's how I tell them that I'm thinking about them and that I care in them knowing that I have the sense to, you know, pause long enough to think about them. Before I ask a question, is what helps them engage back? Right? These questions aren't just questions, I'm asking to create a sale. The questions I'm asking because I give a crap if their businesses grow, whether they pay me money or not, for the people in my group on my email list, it really matters to me for you here. It matters to me that you get what you need to grow the next step right. And that's what great questions do. So to really transfer this skill from the classroom, this questioning skill into your business, here's what you can start with. Think about the questions that you want to ask your people that will help you build connection. Think about the kinds of things you want to know from them, like truly want to know, don't think about the kinds of questions you think will lead to a sale. You're not trying to have to try can't the little word is lost to me. Right? The second, you're not trying to, like sprinkle bread columns down a predetermined path. That's not what these questions are for. But what's a question they truly need to be asking themselves right now? What's a question that you really want to know about what they're thinking and doing? What's a question that you can ask that everyone can get behind and connect to? And sometimes they're things that are not about business or what you do? Sometimes they're just human kinds of questions like How are you? Right? Like, truly I want to check on you. So what do you want to know? And then why do you want to know it? Like what is your purpose? Okay, know what you hope to get out of the question. When you ask a question in a classroom. You do it to engage prior knowledge, you do it to help kids makes connections, you do it to highlight common misconceptions. When you're asking her people questions when you're asking other humans questions about business, about work about what you do. Why Why are you asking What are you trying to get at with them? Are you trying to help them move on Step forward. Are you trying to prompt them to think about something that you know is hard and highlight an issue they might be having? Are you asking because you truly just are curious? Why do you want to know? And then once you know what you want to ask and why you're curious, like what the reasoning is, think about how you want to ask, do you want to have one on one conversations? Do you want to make it a post? Do you want to tell a story with it? Do you want to do a video? Do you want to get on a podcast? Do you want to do a webinar? What are all the different ways you can ask that question and get that information? That would feel true to you that would feel like an effective way to get that information? Do you make a survey? Do you something else? There are all kinds of options. You might try more than one. But, but try them right? Think about what your vehicles are, I think of all those options as vehicles right? cars I have in my garage. And it's up to me to decide which ones I want to drive. There are a few things that go wrong in this transfer of questioning from the classroom to a business. One in particular, is asking questions. And we talked about it a second ago that are more like breadcrumbs, where you're trying to lead someone to a predetermine destination. I think of this in the classroom, people play guess what the teacher is thinking? where the teacher is asking a question. They want a particular answer. They don't get it. They just ask the question again, they ask the question, again, the kids are like, well, but what are you trying to get us to say? Just tell us what to say? If that's why you're asking the questions, that's not going to build connection, and it just looks like it didn't build learning. If you're really true in your intention, and you know what your intention is with the question, this isn't going to happen. But, but be careful, right? It's not about just leading them to pay you money. It's about really being human. And that's the second part. The other roadblock that happens in here is when you're really just not being present, you're not being fully committed to the conversation, to the post, to the video to whatever habit, you know, whatever the venue is, you're not truly present, if you're just asking to ask, if you're not there to receive or to really, truly build connection, you're not going to get connection, like people are as engaged with us as we are with them. And that engagement starts with me starts with you. If you want to have greater engagement and connection, you have to be willing to do it first. And then the last one I would I would be aware of is that the places you want to connect the ways you want to connect, have to feel good for you. If the idea of webinars is absolutely terrifying, might not be the place you start, maybe small group presentations, maybe some other kind of venues the place to start. If networking in large groups is like makes you Ill maybe you start with one on one, maybe you start with small groups. Pick something that you can be comfortable in so that you can really be connected to people because of your rack. Connection is hard, right? So all of this is to say that your teaching skills in particular, your questioning skills are a huge advantage to you in business. You already know how to do all this. It's just a matter of being intentional about how you're asking the questions how you show up asking the questions and where you do it. That's all you already have the skill now you're just applying it in a new way. That's all. And so if this is really something you want to do more of, you want to really leverage all your teaching skills you want to build your business using the things you're already good at. But you're just not sure what that looks like because it's hard to do something new and know what you need to bring along with you. Right. It's like going on vacation to a new destination without knowing whether or what to pack. It's hard. If you need guidance, if you need an ally, if you need someone in your corner who has seen it and who knows what you should pack. That is what I do. This is the kind of coaching I do One on One clients, we not only know what to pack and what the weather's gonna be like, but we know which outfit for which occasion, right? So my job as a coach is to help you take the things you're already good at, and help you frame them in the way that will serve you as a business owner, it's sooner than later. So you can go through it yourself, absolutely, you're capable. But there are going to be more road bumps along the way, because there are things you don't see coming, that I have seen time and time before with clients. That's the benefit of having someone experienced in your business with you. So if that sounds like it would be really helpful, easing the roadblocks, knowing which skills to bring where knowing how all the mapping works. If that sounds like it would be useful, then we should talk, you can come visit my website, which is torpeycoaching.com and set up a time to talk about coaching, I would love to help you use all the skills you already have to your advantage in your business because that's what they are. And that is how you create connection. And then as a byproduct of connection, you make money. And it really does work that simply we would love to talk to you about it. I would love to talk to you about it. I can't wait to connect and I'll see you next week.