To Entertain or To Teach?
Due to the type of professions which found me throughout my colorful and varied career, I have given many thousands of demonstrations/presentations and have held many hundreds of training classes. Sometimes you are just entertainment; sometimes you really need your audience to learn things. So why can’t your presentations be both? You can entertain without teaching, but you shouldn’t teach without at least some entertaining.
I am reluctant to give you a formula, but this one works so well and it works 100% of the time that I have to share it. When you structure your teaching presentation if you will divide it into four distinct sections, you will find that your effectiveness will skyrocket! When you want to develop a presentation that teaches as well as entertains follow these four steps.
Teaching Step One:
Tell them what you are going to show them in Step Two and give a brief summary of what they will have learned when the demonstration is over.
Step Two:
Show them what you mean or actually demonstrate your methods and techniques. Use your personality to add spice to this section; I sometimes use funny short stories or anecdotes.
Step Three:
Test for understanding by asking questions which tell you if they understand or, if practical, having them show you they understand. Audience participation is required for this section to be effective.
Step Four:
Summarize by Telling them what you told them and drill for skill when practical. If you were presenting a method or technique in relatively slow motion, show your audience at regular production speed. Execute your methods and techniques as though you didn’t have an audience who needed to see every nuance and understand every step along the way. Mention a few of the most important points here but keep it short.
Entertaining
When you are structuring a presentation that is just entertaining a crowd (at a trade show or craft fair to non-turners);
Tell them briefly what they will see and say it in lay terms. Keep it to no more than two or three sentences. Show them- do your demonstration and shut your mouth. Stay away from jargon and trade terminology. Finish your demo and make a call to action. You had a reason to be demonstrating in the first place so you need to ask for some kind of action consistent with your purpose, i.e. sign up for free drawing, get on you club’s mailing list, take club literature about club meetings, etc. Or, if you are selling something at a craft fair or raising money for a worthy cause, ask them if they see anything that they might like to take home today (buy it!) or make a donation, purchase a raffle ticket, etc. Don’t forget to ask for the order even if it is just their email. Many of us focus only on the Show them part of the demonstration and forget the real purpose; which is either to teach or to entertain in order to present an appropriate call to action. So remember that wherever you go, there you are.
Here is my inspiration for this message:
Deuteronomy 32:2 NIV Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
Proverbs 23:12 MSG Give yourselves to disciplined instruction; open your ears to tested knowledge.
Titus 2:7 NIV
7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness
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