This is My Dream Job...

            First of all, a huge shout out and thank you to my brilliant co-facilitator this evening.  I had fun with our lesson tonight and credit is due to Mr. Alex Hofer.  Our audience had some great discussion and kept an upbeat attitude on what can sometimes be a dry topic.  I appreciate all of you and your feedback, it has been noted to wear a bow tie and to do more power-claps.

            Lets talk about the things that make facilitating a workshop/lesson successful and more importantly, fun.  I can’t describe in words how much fun I have as a presenter.  I have heard over and over again how important it is to do what you love for a living and you will never work a day in your life.  If I could travel and facilitate workshops for a living I would most certainly not have to work ever again.  I have observed and practiced several techniques and strategies over the past couple years to fine-tune this skill. It is something I am good at, proud of and have even been paid to do. I want to share with you three little things that can make a world of difference when in this role.

            First and foremost and most definitely the most important in my opinion is something very simple and yet it can be the most difficult at times, energy.  The energy, enthusiasm, and attitude you bring into a presentation will have an affect on all aspects of your performance and more importantly, the audience’s experience.  If you are excited to be there and have fun with it, people will naturally feed off of your energy and feel the urge to match that, or at least come up to meet it.

            Second, is to give praise to your audience and especially to those who are actively participating.  One of my personal favorite ways to do this is with a good old power clap (Everybody claps once in unison on the count of three).  This helps bring everyone together and shows gratitude for whoever spoke. It can even be done each time somebody or a group shares from the beginning, which sets precedence for the entire lesson. If the power-clap isn’t your thing or the group is smaller, simply say something along the lines of “thanks for sharing”.  A little bit of gratitude can go a long ways.

            The last thing I want to cover is very nit-picky but still an effective strategy if utilized.  It is only used in partner or group presentations and we call it mirroring.  Your position in a room in relation to your partner(s) and the audience can control people talking, change direction, and force people to pay closer attention.  Think about it; if presenting with a partner there is often no point to standing in the front of the room next to them while they are speaking.  It makes much more sense to stand in the back of the room where you can be out of site and out of distraction. It also gives you the opportunity to observe the audience and take care of trouble students without interrupting.

            These are only a few strategies that can add to a lesson but if used on a regular basis they can become second nature and that much more effective.  I am excited to see my fellow mentors as well as myself grow and learn as presenters over the next several months.   

~Easten