When i was being taught, my trainer was effusive with the praise. He said "that's exactly right". "you make a great point".

And he pointed out what I was doing wrong with "it seems". That helped him give the correction, without making me feel stupid. "It seems you were going for this, but you got this instead"

Never assume your student knows anything. Sometimes students will not feel comfortable asking for more detailed information, or will not even realize that they don’t know the things they don’t know. I like to imagine I’m teaching the skill to my elderly mom - I need to give her all the background info and really explain each step. If your student is picking up on things super quickly, you can adjust your style.

Not a tip, but if you want to continue at teaching, looking into a train the trainer course, they are short but give great guidance on the best way to get your knowledge across

Ask the person how they feel they learn best then regularly check in to make sure you're learning how best to communicate with them.

This may sound odd, but I avoid using negative language like, "don't".

The rationale is that sometimes when you say something like, "Don't do it this way." There is a chance that they will register "Do it this way."

Instead (and I explain why I sometimes speak this way before I start teaching) I say something like, "This is incorrect", or, "This is a bad example."

Those phrases are less correct grammatically, but less likely to be misinterpreted as well.

A basic but handy framework for teaching folks a skill is the EDGE method. Explain the task, Demonstrate how to carry out the task, Guide the student through performing the task, then Enable them to do it on their own until proficient.

Beyond that, I would suggest building rapport with your student(s) to understand their starting point, breaking down your craft into clear learning objectives and tangible measures of success. Then, use that to build a pathway (curriculum) of bite-sized steps that build on one another. And most of all be open to trying new approaches and taking feedback from your students to improve it over time. Students make great teachers if you listen.

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I was a dog trainer for years, where I primarily taught owners how to train their dkgs, then managed a grooming salon where I taught new employees how to bathe and do basic grooming.

My recommendation is to get a beginner book of whatever you're teaching or write down the fundamentals so a) you don't miss any of the important foundation information and b)so you can teach in a cohesive way that builds on itself.

Foundation is the most important thing for learning new skills, and you want to make sure your trainee gets a really solid one before moving on to more technical aspects.

There is a book called “how we learn” by Benedict Carey. It should be mandatory reading for all high schoolers. Easy and great read. And will teach you how people learn best.

One of the biggest skills that you can have in your toolbox is patience. When teaching we're (supposed to be) the subject matter experts in what we're transferring to a new mind. Because we've done what we're teaching for so long, we may run into a "let me do it for you" thought process at times. It really doesn't teach anything. When I teach, I use various methods. I take it all the way down to the "for dummies" version without insulting their intelligence and give it to them in a wash, rinse, and repeat manner. Show them how to do something, explain why it was done like that, and allow them to do it until they understand how and why, then we go to the next block. After the next block, we go back to the first one to check the retention and do the same for all.

1. Give them space. Let them know mistakes are expected and ok. Be a resource they can come to for help, but allow them to problem-solve on their own. That way they can own the work and create their own style and process.

2. Balance this with having them assist you on your own projects so they can learn first hand. Having your own projects going simultaneously also gives you something to do while they are working nearby.

3. Include them in the entire process so they can see it as a whole. It's tempting to train someone on a single aspect of a process all the way through, then move on to the next thing, but it's more helpful for them to get a general understanding of the whole so they see how ideas connect. It will inform how they work on every level.