Speaking to your audience. I feel like this is the key component in effectively communicating. Gathering the information is a job anyone can accomplish, but to convey that knowledge onto others is another job entirely. After observing Dr. Norris’s workshop, I realized that captivating an audience’s attention is a necessary part of teaching a workshop, regardless of the subject matter.
Dr. Norris’s audience was high school students and his topic was computers and technology. As a person only a few years older than his target audience, I can appreciate the difficultly of teaching/lecturing on computers and technology to a generation who grew up with it. Our generation likes to claim technology as being part of our generation; we feel we know more about it than anyone else. Dr. Norris took the challenge and used modes of communication that were appreciated by high school student; he used the contemporary video website YouTube. Its success was inevitable. In combination with the popular website, Dr. Norris incorporated videos illustrating the futuristic technologies. The movie-like sneak preview of futuristic technologies entranced the young participants. The workshop was extremely successful as the students wrote down the YouTube video names to watch again from their home computers.
Our audience for the Lowman Home project couldn’t be more different than high school students. However, the principal of an audience absorbing material better when interested, remains true. I began to think of ways to interest the senior citizens in computers in general, not knowing our exact workshop topic. Having not taught a workshop in a while, I spoke to one of my professors, Dr. Chappell, who teaches an advance Professionals Masters of Business Administration course to upper-level business executives looking to get a Masters degree. I felt with their age and accelerated course schedule is resembled a workshop in many ways. I asked Dr. Chappell what his teaching strategy was to best convey his knowledge to his learners, he said, “After a long day, I feel that the last thing these executives want to do is listen to me drone on for three hours, I keep my class as high energy as I can.” I decided that the retirees at the Lowman Home would be more interested by an instructor honestly enthusiastic about their subject matter as well. Thinking of other ways to get the learners interested, incorporating easy games and relating every subject to their lives are other ways to keep participants actively processing and learning the information we are trying to communicate.
I feel the more we plan for the workshop the more error-proofing and trouble-shooting will be accomplished, and the better the workshop will run. The retirees at the Lowman Home will be most impressed and interested in a well prepared and thought through workshop.
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Very well put. Dr.Norris is a great example of someone who can effectivly communicate to an audience with flare. Studies have shown that if the presenter is prepared and knowledgeable on the topic they present they are more than likely going to get the audiences attention even if the topic doesnt usually intrest them.
ReplyDeleteI am interested to see if these computer lessons at the Lowman home take away the fear that people from that generation usually seem to build up.
Kelly,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very important aspect when teaching. Its good to know the age of your audience so you can think of material that they can relate with. Dr. Norris used Youtube to teach material to High School Students. Youtube may not be appropriate for senior citizens, but talking about how e-mail is related to traditional mail can be an opening to interest. If you can grap the attention of your audience then you are on the way to success with the students.