Tate - Preface and Brainstorming

"If you are not modeling what you are teaching, then you are teaching something else." This is what Tate said in the last bit of his preface section. I find this so true. It goes along with what I mentioned in my last post. The presenter must be passionate about what they are training, and they must demonstrate it themselves.

It just makes sense. How would a motivational speaker on positive personalities look if they presented in a monotone, lethargic, and negative manner? Obviously, the crowd would take the opposite message away from the training.

Also, in the preface Tate mentioned how his favorite speaker spoke in five to seven minute mini-lectures. This makes perfect sense. I read in one of my other classes that an average person's attention span is only fifteen minutes. If a presenter speaks for mini-lectures lasting half of the fifteen minutes more than likely the audience is going to stay focused and interested.

In Chapter One Tate said, "Participants retain 90% of what they discuss with others during the completion of an activity." 90%! Holy cow! Thus, if you (as the participant) were to interact and participate you are more likely (actually more than more likely) to remember and recall what you learned. This is a great piece of knowledge for presenters. If a trainer wants the audience members to retain the information get them involved!

Training - Conflict

This weekend I spent my time learning how to Conflict Coach. This ties in with Interpersonal Communication as well as an internship I am taking this year.

I would like to share my overall view of the training weekend. First of all, I think any workshop where skills are taught to help people succeed and be more efficient in their life are great. And this training was definitely that.

What I enjoyed the most was the interaction each person had with each other. We broke out into small groups and partners quite a few times. It gave us a chance to move and to truly be engaged. I think it's so easy for an audience member or student to become distracted (even if the information is important) if they are sitting in the same spot and are not actively involved. By practicing what we're learning in partners or small groups we HAD to be engaged! Using a break out tool like that is crucial to a workshop (I believe).

Another point I realized this weekend happened to involve the overall presentation of the presenter. The way the speaker presents the information is extremely important. If the trainer, instructor or professor doesn't believe in what they are teaching then the audience/students will not be as enticed to listen. If the trainer truly is passionate (or seems to be) about the subject matter typically the students will pay closer attention. Thus, the way the instructor conducts themselves during the presentation holds and essential key to learning, in my opinion.

Start

This is the start of my Interpersonal Communication blog page. I look forward to sharing my thoughts in communication, instructing and training. 


Until next time...