An interesting way to start a presentation
The keynote speaker had arrived early. he used the extra time to list the first names of all the members of the audience in alphabetical order. At the start of the lecture he displays the names on automatic scroll. He then announces that at some point he will stop the scroll and ask the highlighted name about their ideas on education (not quite that but a really difficult question). The audience shows all the effects of fear. There is however some relief as the automatic scrolling passes the M (M for Michael) …brilliant its not going to be me. He then says that its easy to make it scroll in the other direction. More fear. He slows the scrolling so it becomes even more fearful and he never really asks the question of an individual. Message … no learning can take place under stress.
Brilliant but what a turn around. The school which I am very closely associated with uses a similiar technique. How do you get kids to listen? You get 30 lolly sticks and write in each stick the name of a pupil. The lolly sticks go into a jar so that when you start to question the kids about the learning experience you take a stick from the jar and ask that child the question. Brilliant concept …it really encourages listening but now what else does it do?
Maybe I shouldn’t go to these inspiring talks.
