During the season break, we've pulled out a bonus short from one of our early episodes. This one is from Episode 9, Driving Test Tales and Five Minute Theory with Terry Cook.

This one was the possibly the scariest thing I've ever done. Cause this was the first podcast I did. And I stewed over this for roughly 15 years. Not the episodes stewed over doing a podcast roughly 15 years. And then when I settled on doing one for, the theory, it took me quite a long time to actually pluck up the confidence to do it in itself. It's just a case of putting myself out there publicly. So this is probably my proudest one as well, but it is all about learning and understanding the theory rather than ticking a lot of boxes. And the big thing I try and get across as well, a lot of driving instructors are critical of the apps. I'm not going to name them all, but you can go and download the different theory test training apps. And a lot of instructors are critical of those and in some ways, rightly so, but there is a place for them. There is a place for them. But my big thing is when you are at school, you don't take your GCSE and then learn the subject. You learn the subject and then take your GCSE. And the problem with the apps is that people take the test straight away. So wherever it's mock tests or just a 10 question test teaser or whatever they're called. t learn the subject that just try and memorize answers. Whereas if you actually take time to learn it and understand it, not only does it make the theory test easier, it helps you learn to drive as well. You actually understand what the things on the road mean and why things are happening. It makes it a hell of a lot easier. So that's where that came from. And yeah, it is what it says on the tin. It's five minutes of theory goodness. And there are episodes where I dive into a specific question where maybe one of my learners asked me or someone's messaged the show and said I'm struggling with this one. There are episodes where I'll dive into a topic. There are episodes where I might give, like my top five tips on something there's even been an episode recently where. I did an episode on how to use the app. The theory test apps that people use, how to get the best use of those, rather than just going through them on over and over again. And I did get some good feedback on driving test tales, including some from feedback from yourselves now is great, but the five minute theory, the feedback I've gotten that is. Genuinely heartwarming. There are people that I've never met messaging me, saying they were ready to give up driving, but they've now passed their theory there, are, reviews I've got on I've got people that have been driving for years that have messaged me and said are listening to this because it's helping me refresh now. And I was just, it's just such a amazing heartwarming feedback for that. I think for me what I've got from the five minute theory and the feedback I get from my students is the theory side of things is really boring because all you're doing is you read in the question and then answer that you read a question and all of a sudden you're falling asleep. The concentration goes, what I loved about this was it is what it says on the tin. It's five minutes and it's not doing 20 minutes of reading questions. Bite size little chunks. You get the knowledge. Yeah. Love it simple. And brilliant yeah. And the way that you were explaining. So, I listened to a couple and you took question and it's well, it's not going to be this answer because, and yeah. in some circumstances. It might be this answer, but only in that set of circumstances. So the reason it's this one is this. And like you say, instead of just learning it by rote its not times tables. I think sometimes with the theory we don't really do it enough on lessons b ecause some students are sort of like saying that apps. Then I go away and practice with theory on my own. I'd learned to drive in the lessons. And that's it. It's two separate things. Do you feel that they should be joined? I feel like there should be the option for them to to be joined, this is just me being honest and I appreciate all the people disagree with this, but I give all my students the option. If you want my help, I will happily give you whatever help you want. Again, I'll go about, so the first lesson with, the young girl out today, um, you can message me anytime you want. If you message me at 3am. I have no problem with that. I will not reply. I reply at 6:00 AM when you get up, if that happens to be one, y'all doing it because of your shift partner, whatever fine. Text me that what I'll do is I'll go and do a five minute theory podcast on it, or I'll do a video for my Facebook group, for my learners and put it up in there so you can go and see it. So it's not just. For you is for, for everyone, but also I'll give them the option of, well, do you want to spend some time in the car doing it? Some of them will want to spend 10 or 15 minutes at the start of the lesson other ones. will just pick my brain throughout our lesson. And there are people like you've said that just don't want to help all and that's completely fine. I'm not going to force it upon them. I will gently encourage it sometimes. What does that sign mean? what is a dual carriageway. Then we can have a conversation about it and they wont always realize we're actually then covering the theory. But we are, but I think that the key thing that you said there, and again, you know, there will possibly be driving instructors that listens to, this will shoot both of us down for this it is boring. It is. If you want to go to sleep on a night, start reading the highway code, you will doze off, straight away. So don't try and read the highway code cover to a cover, read it section by section. If you know, you've got a lesson coming up, we are going to be working on pedestrian crossings. Well, read that bit of the highway code. If you are on a bus and you see a sign that you don't know, you see, whatever is that you're not sure about. Go back and read that bit of the highway code, you know, tie it into what you're doing, or even just aim to read a page a day. Don't sit down and try and do it. cover to cover cause you will be bored senseless. Yeah. And using it as your prep for your lessons it's one of the things that we talk about fair bit prep and plan for your lessons. And, the highway code is there to help you do that. But then of course, people can listen, have a look through your list of, five minutes theory if they will listen, instead of looking at the highway code and have listened to the relevant episode of your podcast. Yeah, I would agree with that and not just cause it's my podcast, but I would agree with that. You can download the actual highway code on audible and you can listen to the highway code, um, dont it's ridiculous, tedious. There is no point you won't learn anything, whether you use mine or whether there's someone else who's you find out that or whatever use that, use the thing that's relevant. Use the thing that works for you. If you're not someone that learns by listening, if you're someone that struggles to engage with audio, well, don't listen to the podcast or you probably listen to this, but don't listen to the podcast. Find something that works for you, but find something that works for you that actually helps you rather than just because my mate did this and he passed. Well, yeah, you may have probably got lucky. No, I like that. I like that because it's been going some time. Hasn't it is an extensive, uh, should I say library of podcasts? Yeah, the five minute theory was in February 20, 21, 1 that came out. I think there's some like 70 plus episodes on there, which is pretty good, but almost all of them are, five minutes or less, you know, that's, that's what it, is there a couple of bonus episodes on there they're a bit longer. I have got a couple of bonus ones coming. They are again, I'm calling them five minute theory, extended episodes where I've got people coming in to specifically talk about, how to handle cyclists on the road and how to handle horse and riders on the road. So they're probably going to be 10 to 15 minutes, but yeah. Always stayed at a five minute basis where you can come in and find the podcast search on the podcast. Look for the one they're looking for, where it's dual carriageways, where it's or the reflective studs on motorways. I even did an episode. One of my proudest ones was on roundabouts. Like how can I describe roundabout with an audio format with no visual aid? And I got a lot of good feedback from it and I did well with that one. That one worked. Yeah. I'd definitely recommend anybody. It doesn't matter whether you've passed your theory test, whether you are a learner looking to pass your driving test or whether you've been driving for a while, if you've got any nerves or confidence issues, then I definitely recommend having a look, see if there's something in that library, of episodes that might just give you that snippet of information explained in a different way that might just give you that light bulb moment and make all the difference to how you feel.

I'm just gonna jump in here to let you know about our drive calm journal. We've created a 12 week prompt journal to support our listeners to take action and improve driving confidence. The journal includes questions, prompts, and exercises to create an action plan and an opportunity for reflection afterwards. Search drive calm on Amazon to take a look. We hope it helps.