When I ask people what advice they would give to a new instructor or training officer, I often get this long speech. At times, I've forgotten what I've asked by the time they are done with the answer. So I thought I would pose the question a new way. Twitter allows a 140 character statement, so in a way, we are required to be short, concise, and to the point. So here goes... if you were to Twitter advice to a new instructor... what would it be?

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what was the question again?
Learned a long time ago that the KISS method is the best for new or old instructors.
Keep It Simple Stupid. Good luck.
Don't constantly fidget with your PowerPoint presenter during your lecture. (I continuously get busted for doing this and you won't even know you're doing it)

Be mindful of your crutch words/phrases as well... I.E. Uhhh... Umm... Uhhh.... or "As a matter of fact" "Whatever the case may be" etc etc

Be confident in your teaching. Avoid criticizing yourself or your abilities


I know this was a couple things, just look at it as 3 different tweets ;)
Run for your life now!
1. Don't lie- if you do you lose all credibility and you'll lose your entire audience.

2. Don't BS an answer to a question- Nobody knows everything. If you don't know, tell them... but also tell them that you'll find the answer... then find it.

3. Don't curse (too much)- A little cursing (no f-bombs ever) at the right time can reinforce a point and break the ice. Too much and it's unprofessional.
Energy, energy, energy! People will learn more if you can produce enough energy to fill the room...even harder if the class is not giving energy back, but if you have enough; they will start to feed off yours...I recommend "Confessions of a Public Speaker" by Scott Berkun
Know what your talking about, work from your own paper, and be humble... you truly have no idea who is in your audience when talking to larger groups. Dont try to bullshit your way through your presentation.
Do more hands on
I like to keep track of a new instructor's "umm count". (how many times they say, "umm") I would twitter his "umm count" periodically throughout his presentation. I know I'm a Bastard!
Training goes both ways, you teach and also learn at the same time. Relax and throw a little humor in your talk. Don't lose your temper when someone argues with you.
This isn't about teaching through twitter. The question was about giving a new instructor advice in 140 characters or less like you could on twitter.

I actually don't think this has anything to do with twitter, but moreso getting people to respond with very short and concise answers.
Know the subjects you teach, be patient with the students, answer questions without getting angry (even if the question sounds stupid) and don't forget to tell students when they are doing a good job.

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