stepping-stone vs technique

stepping-stone

technique

noun
  • Practical ability in some given field or practice, often as opposed to creativity or imaginative skill. 

  • The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements. 

  • A method of achieving something or carrying something out, especially one requiring some skill or knowledge. 

How often have the words stepping-stone and technique occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )