We’ve all fallen asleep in training sessions or in conferences that are meant to teach us important things..but don’t quite reach us. Our brains are complex things and resist change, and even if the message gets through we only retain about 5% of the information. So how can a poor lecturer get through to us?
An article in HR Magazine (Nov 2009) by Charles Jacobs suggests that the best way to get through to the audience is through stories. Think about the last time you heard a good lecture. I’m willing to be it wasn’t a presenter that flipped through a pile of Powerpoint slides with lists of facts. The lectures I remember (though not everything, of course) were ones that inspired emotion in some way. Sometimes the lecturer connected with me personally by talking about feelings or events I identify with, such as motherhood or the environment. Other times the presenter may connect their topic to a current political hot button. Personal experiences help, but if they aren’t in a world I relate to I’ll soon be playing with my cell phone. As an attendee at events where it is important that I learn the subject, I try to make a connection even if the speaker isn’t quite capturing my attention. I may even decide I don’t particularly like the presenter or his lecture, and just the fact that I’m looking for things to disagree with keeps me focused.
A good presenter has a few other skills besides storytelling. They really need a sense of humor, some flexibility in adjusting to a particular audience, and enthusiasm! Nothing loses an audience faster than a droning voice reading the notes to them.
If you are trying to lead a group and need to have them focused on the task, it helps to give a clear picture of the final product or event through a story. The audience needs some sort of vision to hang on to while they wade through the task at hand.
Retraining is more prevalent now than in the past, because of the shifting job market. It is important to learn new skills well, and one can only hope the instructor or lecturer cares as much about the learning process as you do. It is important that you engage, and if the speaker is off the mark try asking questions to get what you need. The audience can make an average speaker successful by being attentive and responding to his ideas, so hang in there and learn.
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