The teacher is often most effective when relating to his audience through the experiences of his own life. Typically, it is not his victories that achieve the greatest impact on his audiences’ hearts; it is his struggles. The teacher does not have to wait until he has overcome a given struggle to teach upon it.
The key element is a kind of transparent vulnerability. This is not to say that the teacher should engage in an egocentric lament about his life. He can trace a truth as it is unfolding in his life, and he can show the audience how he is working through it.
The mark of a great teacher is not his victory; it is his transparency.
