Recently, I had the opportunity to deliver a Tableau training session. It was also my first experience teaching a group.
I thought the biggest challenge would be explaining Tableau. I had spent time preparing the presentation, planning demonstrations, and thinking through the practical exercises. What I didn't realise was how much thought goes into teaching itself.
Before this experience, I underestimated the amount of planning, observation, and adaptability that effective teaching requires. Preparing the content is only one part of the job. The real challenge is understanding your audience, communicating ideas clearly, adjusting your pace, and making sure everyone is learning along the way.
By the end of the session, I walked away with a completely new appreciation for teachers, trainers, and anyone who regularly shares knowledge with others.
Know Your Audience
Before the session, I was told the audience would have little experience with Tableau. I planned the training with beginners in mind. However, once the session started, I quickly realised the audience had a much wider range of experience than I expected. Some attendees had worked with Power BI before, while others were completely new to business intelligence tools.
Although their backgrounds were different, I found it was still better to explain concepts from first principles rather than assume everyone understood the basics. It's much easier for someone with experience to skip familiar content than for a beginner to catch up after missing an important explanation.
The Pace Matters More Than You Think
The biggest lesson I learned was about pacing.
When I started the session, I was demonstrating faster than I realised. It's easy to move quickly through a topic that's very familiar to you. But as I watched the audience, I noticed some people looked unsure or needed extra help following along.
That was my cue to slow down.
As the session progressed, I deliberately paused more often, gave people time to complete each step, and waited longer than felt natural before moving on. Those extra few seconds made a noticeable difference. It reminded me that teaching isn't about getting through the material quickly, it's about giving people enough time to process what they're learning.
Small Tools Can Make a Big Difference
One tool that made a surprisingly big impact was ZoomIt.
When demonstrating software, it's easy for learners to lose track of where the mouse pointer is or which button you're referring to. Using ZoomIt allowed me to zoom into important parts of the screen and highlight exactly where I wanted everyone to focus.
I also included visuals in the presentation before moving into the hands-on exercises. Explaining some of the technical concepts visually first helped provide context before asking people to apply them in Tableau.
Things Didn't Go Perfectly, and That's Okay
One of my presentation slides relied on an animation that didn't work correctly during the session. Instead of spending time trying to fix it, I skipped the slide and explained the concept using a live demonstration.
Later, during an interactive exercise, I accidentally clicked an option without realising it, which changed the graph's behaviour. Initially, I spent time correcting it because I thought something had gone wrong.
Looking back, I probably could have left it alone because the audience was already arriving at the correct answer. On the other hand, it turned into a useful teaching moment for the audience on how to avoid making the same mistake. Sometimes the unexpected moments become the most valuable lessons.
Teaching is About Reading the Room
One thing I learned is that you can't rely solely on the plan you prepared beforehand.
Good teaching requires constant attention to your audience. Are they following along? Are they asking questions? Do they look confident or confused?
Adjusting the pace, repeating an explanation, or spending extra time on a concept isn't a sign that the session is going badly, it's a sign that you're responding to your audience.
Looking Ahead
Overall, I genuinely enjoyed delivering the training. I felt my preparation paid off, and I was happy with how the session went.
If I could improve one thing for next time, it would be increasing audience participation. While there was a fair amount of interaction throughout the session, I'd like to make future training even more engaging by encouraging more discussion, questions, and hands-on participation.
Teaching isn't just about sharing knowledge. It's about creating an environment where people feel comfortable learning, asking questions, and making mistakes.
My biggest takeaway from this experience is simple: slow down, watch your audience, and adapt as you go. The best teaching happens when you help others understand it.