Technology can be scary.

We have come across countless coaches who have bravely leaped into the smart phone/tablet/web-app world, but are only utilizing a very small percentage of the capabilities of the respective devices.

For example: You bought an iPad and so far you have just opened Safari and your email program. Or, you have a new Android device and you have used it to make calls, send a text message and maybe browse the web. This is totally fine…you are amongst a large group.

If you’re ready to explore these useful devices a little more deeplly, here are a few tips on how to start learning these devices and becoming, dare I say, “experts”:

1) Try to break it
I don’t mean take your device and smash it, but I do suggest you roll up your sleeves and start opening everything. Get in there and click on any icon, every icon and after you open something up, click more into it. At this point, don’t worry about what specific task your trying to achieve…thats not the goal. The goal is to come to the realization that you’re not going to break it. My mother has a Macbook and she is scared to do anything but go to Google in fear of “oh, I don’t want to hurt it”.  Well, she won’t – and neither will you.  As long as you stay away from any “delete” buttons, its ok. Get your hands dirty.

2) Go to the app store and download a game
If your on an iPhone or an iPad, click the “App Store” icon. On an Android? Go to the “Android Marketplace”. Or if on a blackberry, find the “App World”. Once you are in there you will find tons of apps, many of them which are free. Find a game that looks interesting and download it. You will probably have to enter your password, but the game will download locally by itself.  Why games?  Well (1) they are fun, and (2) they often utilize many of the gestures that the devices are capable of so their almost like a crash course in mobile usage.  You’ll learn without even knowing it.

3) Complete a mobile task
Start thinking about what you always wished you could do while on the road or on the field but couldn’t because you needed to be at your desk. Back to the app store: There are hundreds of thousands of apps between the mobile devices. Each app store gives you the ability to browse and search so get in there and start digging around. I wouldn’t suggest downloading an app, but instead downloading lots of apps. Most likely you won’t use them all with frequency so you can always remove them later. In the app stores, you can see what other people have said about the app and you can see screen shots of each as well as a description.

4) Try something new
Once you have a comfort level with downloading apps and navigating your device, start over and try something new. Its very easy to fall into a routine (or trap) of utilizing these devices for just a few specific actions. The problem with that is pure under utilization. Every few months, many of the mobile devices have software upgrades that give them much more potential (the first couple of iterations of the iPhone did not have cut & paste). Every day, apps that you downloaded will have updates with new features. Every day, new apps are released!

5) Keep it to yourself
If you let your 10 your old son/daughter/nephew/niece/etc. use your mobile device…you will never see it again. Trust me on this one.

We’re asking you to push your limits of comfort and then we’re asking you to refine from what you have learned. Technology is ever evolving and it can be tough to keep up with. The best way to do so is to “get your fearless hands dirty”.