Richard Feynman Technique: Teach Others

Known as the “Great Explainer,” Richard Feynman was revered for his ability to explain complex and dense topics like quantum physics to virtually anybody in simple and intuitive ways. He won the Nobel Prize for his work in quantum mechanics. Richard Feynman always wanted to know more, to learn more. He once said, “I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there.”

His approach to accelerating learning (The Feynman Technique) — explaining or teaching what you learn to others can help you learn better and retain more of what you learn. The Feynman Technique is laid out in James Gleick’s biography, Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman.

For thousands of years, people have known that the best way to understand a concept is to explain it to someone else. “While we teach, we learn,” said the Roman philosopher Seneca. According to research, learners retain a greater percentage of what they learn when they explain/teach the concept to someone else, or use it immediately. Your ideas will never be more effective than your ability to make others grasp them. When you share, you remember better. It challenges your understanding and forces you to think better. So, if nothing else, teach others for your own sake. Whatever you choose to learn, you could teach others by starting a blog, a podcast or a video channel. You’ll reap the benefits in your own learning progress. ~Opong