Job for Consultant: Re: [sap-career] Teaching SAP SD

Reply from Viet_Tran on Dec 27 at 2:34 PM

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Dear Typewriter:

Here is my announced response to your request:
In general, you should understand the crucial difference in meaning between being a teacher and being an instructor. I do not want to lecture here but the goal that you want to set for your endeavor must be clear to increase substantially the success that you expect.

Let us, first, forget the cited saying of "He who can, does; He who cannot, teaches". The saying does imply a big corn of truth, but it logically is not correct (in many cases). Let's take you as an example: You are successful in your daily business dealing with SAP because you "do" and you plan (or at least have a desire) to "teach".

The English proverb describes clearly what it means to teach "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; TEACH a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

Being a teacher requires substantially more than being an instructor. Based on your description, it is assumed that your goal is to be an instructor, a successful one.

Your First Request:
1. How, what training should I do to be a teacher / instructor?


My response:
You already are a successful man in SAP. You therefore do not need a hand-on, step-by-step instruction.
SAP specific knowledge is already a part of your daily business. Do you need any more SAP-related training? ROI of more-SAP specific knowledge does not look good. It therefore is not necessary, at least for the beginning in dealing with the public of your instructing business.

In contrary, Non-SAP related (speak: other skills) training is highly recommended. Here is a story from a man whom I know well (and he could be me, so I use the pronoun I to describe the story based solely on the truth): Decade(s) ago, I was a student at Technische Universitat Berlin in Berlin, (West) Germany for my first Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering. And I was a student who arrives from a poor family with the result that my parents were not able to support me financially for a study in Germany. In addition to it, I was a big spender as student. I therefore look for a job to earn money which I must have to spend big. I get a "teaching" job (instruction) for other students who are beginners in their first two semesters. Do I need training? The answer is yes, certainly and a lot of them. Do I get them? Or does the Technische Universitat Berlin "teach" me how to "teach"? The answer is completely No. In substitution for this, I use my intelligence to "cut the corner (all the corners)". I chose the earliest spot of tutors to "teach" with a belief that I do not need to prepare myself because the classroom would be empty in the early morning because all the students are busied themselves the night before and they do not care to arrive in the classroom in the un-Christian hours in the early morning. It is true that my VERY fist classroom is attended by a few students. Is it a problem? Indeed it is a huge problem. Why? Because these students are the best of the crop and they come to class fully prepared and with all the questions for which I do not have answers that satisfy them. They want the best for their study time. They prepare everything and are so eager to wait for the first class to open. I am sweating and fall flat on my face the very first time.

Decade(s) after this incident, I am standing in the front of the people of C-suites (I assume that you know what C-suite is) without any complication and with ease.

The difference is that I do not need any training anymore because I have collected the training piece-by-piece over decade(s) on a daily basis.

Conclusion:
Training needs time; situation and circumstances dictate the content of training.

Your Second Request:
2. How much time should I prepare before starting to teach?

Please see the conclusion of your request number 1.

Your Third Request:
3. KEY / IMPORTANT skills needed to be successful as an SAP SD teacher

My Response:
You already possess SAP-SD specific skill and knowledge. And here, it is assumed that you ONLY want to be a successful instructor and NOT Teacher.

The above-referred story in answering your question number 1 sets fort as follows:

Generally, a capable instructor will be the one who appears in the front of the attendees in a natural way and without any firm plan or schedule that appears that she/he must follow. The firmer the instruction schedule, the easier the instructor can be successful (on a low level). Why is this? Because a plan with details is always simple to accomplish. And most of instructors are reasonably afraid to arrive at the class without a plan with details that she/he wants to follow because a plan with details always hold the hands of the instructors to reach the goal of the class.

Should I have to hold a class I would subjectively and intentionally come empty-handed-ly to it and open the class with the offer: "I am here to answer all your questions that you might have and I will answer them clearly and completely to you. I will discuss with you in depth and provide you necessary knowledge and skills that you can learn (but you have to practice yourself) to accomplish your set goal."

That is the opening statement that I would generally give to the class and based on the result of discussion the attendees and I will determine the goal of the class and how to reach it.

An Example:
The people from C-Suites do not know much (and do not want to know more) about the hard core of what SAP is or how SAP functions. They ONLY want to know why they must spend a large sum of monetary means, should they decide for SAP. And they are the people who posses the capability to decide for or against SAP and must afterward financially be responsible for the decision.


Commencing instruction to a class for people from C-Suites in SAP: "YOU ARE HERE TODAY because you want to know and you want to be convinced for WHY you must spend a large amount of money in case that you decide for SAP. I AM HERE TODAY with you for ONLY one reason: I will deliver to you at least ONE Reason for WHY you should accept the fact of the market that YOU Must decide for SAP. The simple answer to this question is: Because you do NOT have any other comparably good choice. For now and for a foreseeable future!"

That is all that I say and based on the discussion, including harsh critics of the attendees, the direction of the classroom or presentation is set. Pour in, then, your knowledge, skills, follow-able arguments etc AND you will step out of the class with recognition that you are a capable person in your chosen area. The attendees will thank you for this.

Domination with competence is the core of success on a high level; this applies.

Again, you already are a capable person. Pick and chose the items that fit you, your style and support your class attendees to reach the goal with you.

Should more information or contribution be necessary, please notify me at your earliest convenience. You have my personal commitment.

Regards,

Viet Tran

---------------Original Message---------------
From: Viet Tran
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 4:06 PM
Subject: Teaching SAP SD

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Dear Typewriter:
Dear All Others:

It surprises me that my previous email reply does GO THROUGH and appears on this forum. I value it as a sign, should it not be a coincidence that the filtering process of the organizer, namely Toolbox for IT, is not in place at the time my response email arrives for this forum, of liberation to increase the professional quality of this forum on which I am willing to contribute to the fullest of my capability.

First, I wish, all of You and Your Family Merry Christmas!

And I will come back after Christmas time.

Regards.

Viet Tran

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