Teach People First

Every craft lends itself to specific insights. Here’s one I’ve come to because of tap dancing.

Tap dancing is an odd art form in that not everyone has a frame of reference to it. Some people have seen a tap dancer perform in person, some have seen on on television, some remember the old movie musicals, while some haven’t experienced any of these things.

This puts a unique burden on the modern day tap dancer. While they are performing they are put in a position of educating members of their audience about what it is they are actually doing, their own artistic references and influences, in addition to their message. Some do this with intention, others intuitively, while others reject the responsibility altogether.

Here’s the thing: Whether we want to or not, sometimes our work demands that we teach people first. As we try to share the message we’ve been given, we also need to take care of the people listening. We need to be sure that they understand the language we are speaking, the craft we are using, and the analogies we’re drawing. Otherwise, our presentation is in vain (literally).