Structuring Your Message To Be Heard
Need to talk and need to be heard can be met with dual success depending on delivery. The following are pointers I share having learned the importance of each when teaching a lesson throughout the years.
Prepare Materials
We can all ad lib or create some impromptu moment where we find ourselves quite pleased with the results, feeling mighty good about how we were able to come to some warranted level of success. However, when the audience is of importance, wanting to make sure what we intend to deliver is what gets received, we must hold ourselves accountable first and foremost when it comes to preparation.
Whatever it may be, it is best to overly prepare than to be ready under the least expectations of what is to be forecasted. Whether the weather brings us sunshine or rain, we at least can make certain we prepared for a picnic. An audience can be quite good at seeing ill-preparedness. The transparency becomes even more real when reviews or feedback are given to follow. Hence, whatever you think you’ll need, from pencil to projector, not only should you have them ready, testing the electrical circuit prior to risking not having power access could be the difference between success to an undesirable outcome.
The Headline
Our minds are set up to think scientifically, constantly looking for meaning around us. Given that problem solving centralizes on the “why” following the “what” with the “how” commingled amidst one part to the other, instruction for any learner must start with focus to arrive at the end with any meaning at all.
Understanding the what of our success cannot lead to anything further without clarifying exactly what the very point or goal is at first.
A simple title gives meaning to a lesson rather than just starting without such lead. Imagine getting on a bus not knowing what bus you got on to take you to whatever destination it is assigned to go. The headline must be clear. Otherwise, don’t blame the patrons if they don’t understand where they are supposed to be heading under your navigation and control.
The Do Now
If leading a lesson, lecture or seminar have those walking in asking, “What are we supposed to be doing?”, the person in charge should be wondering what caused such question to be uttered if clearly, the “what” has been modeled or posted for all to follow. Even those not paying attention to the prompt would have no way of knowing if there were none for others to point to.
Entry work, no matter in a classroom full of young minds or a room full of adults having gained pre-knowledge or two, having an opening thought or process as each individual walks in to settle in their seats is a powerful drive to the right direction toward a strong finish.
You Do
Having a problem of the day to start a new a concept to first explore is a good way to get the mind to open up the thinking process. This is the moment of connection to the concept meant to be learned or understood. How else to assess the mind’s level of comprehension if one is not tested? Questions lead to answers. Meaningful questions lead to meaningful answers.
Allowing the mind to first explore the means to solve a problem opens the doors to various levels. If a connection has already been made with past experience or knowledge, the mind can create something from memory. However, if one is at the basic fundamental level and no connection can be made, ordering a mind to create something from nothing could cause some frustration.
This is suggesting that a mind must produce some results and yet, no lead or direction. This is like drawing water from an empty well. Interestingly, if a mind trusts that there is no wrong in one trying, there is some peace and trust in making effort. Thus, one could believe that there is water to be found beyond the depths of an empty well.
Resistance of a mind to think could result in the mind thinking back to the last time they did. If there was a reward, the mind will not fear thinking. If, in fact, there has been punishment, (i.e., put downs, break downs, yelling) the mind will not desire or may hold fear to try. Perhaps, not even opening its door to any thought at all due to knowing the well known ending could easily be a mind’s reactive defense mechanism.
This part must be encouraged and praised so trust is built. A blank page today could be a letter or number tomorrow and eventually equations and sentences or even models drawn out.
You Do should send the message of Just Try.
We Do
That turn and talk piece, another critical step to understanding. When one has had the courage to get on the bus to go somewhere, it can quite be frightening to get off at a new destination without the certainty of knowing if the direction was right.
Anyone who has ever been unsure of their exact location finds the courage to ask around for confirmation or help. Even with a map or navigation system, we can doubt our very arrival to a place that is unfamiliar. Hyatt was my angel back in third grade when a bus driver let me off a wrong stop just a few days after I had moved to this new town.
Talking to those around you provides some comfort to hear back, “I’m not sure, but…” or “Here’s what I know…”
Being wrong doesn’t mean you can’t be right. Turning left two blocks ago instead of right doesn’t suggest one can’t go back to start from that point to move onto the right way. Thus, one must ask at times to make sure they haven’t gone too far into the wrong direction.
Turn and Talk is a great way to know one is not alone. Ask others around you and see what connections can be made to strengthen one’s thought process. The “we” eases away from the island of “I”.
I Do
If one has been enabled to believe they aren’t capable of solving anything in their own, then, this is the point where those are relieved to have just done absolutely nothing else, but wait to arrive to.
We get on a plane trusting that our destination will be met because we have a pilot who has been well trained to get us to where we paid to go. We eat our snacks, read, listen to music, or sometimes, even watch a movie before that landing tells us all is well and when we step out, our destination awaits to embrace us.
We don’t think to pay our way into a plane only to find out we would be flying it, too.
Unfortunately, those who have been enabled to just wait and arrive to someone else working out our problems have this trained and developed mindset. Just because something is given, it does not mean that the mind has created a map to know how to get there.
If every person were to be placed behind a car, how many would be able to direct themselves correctly if not, smoothly, if not, safely, from Point A to Point B?
Think assessment and this is far too many times the problem many enabled minds have come to know. They skip the Do Now, the I Do part and silence themselves during the We Do knowing the I Do will soon arrive. They watch someone else get to the solution or problem solved without having made any effort to understand how.
All of a sudden, assessment day arrives and the defensive mind states, “I don’t understand this” or “I can’t do this”. Both are true and correct statements.
The reason? You never did. So, you arrive at can’t.
Your message may not be heard from the very start. Trust in yourself, however, as long as you laid out the message for all to fairly take in, process, and absorb, the rest was up to the receiving end. If the majority got your message, you crafted well.
You can take all horse to water, but not all will drink right away.
