Lectures Foster Couch Potatoes!

Does this image capture the spirit of your last "training" session? Ever wonder why it's so hard to pay attention when someone lectures? Ellen Weber says, "Lectures actually work against the human brain. Brains require workouts to learn and grow ... while lectures foster a coach potato mentality." Think about it...

Look at people’s faces during a long talk and you’ll detect many daydreaming, a few sleeping, and others talking or passing notes to survive the feat.

Talking cannot provide the novelty or stimuli a brain needs to hold and apply information. That's why brains go elsewhere ... during long talks ... simply to find a fix.

A steady flow of facts in isolation ... or too many stories in a row ...exhaust and wear down the brain. In fact, people learn far less in talks than most realize. Imagine the waste of training dollars … especially when upstarts and trainees could anticipate and enjoy learning ... if it fit their brains and improved their situation. Think of the transformational benefits that could come to any organization.

Here're tactics to get participants' brains up and running:

1. Ask participants what they wonder about concerning your topic.

2. Request that folks pair share strategies they've used at work to solve problems related to your topic... Next, shift pairs to form a group of eight... so strategies are shared around the table. A "secretary" reports the groups' Best when time's called.

3. Strive to have participants do 75% of the talking... It's not what an expert says... but how a participant engages expertise... that'll be remembered.

4. Ask participants if they still have questions... In this way, you can be sure you answer participants' quest to learn more.

5. Create a one page handout of main points and vital information from your former "lecture."

That's just a start to make professional development sessions interactive. Amazingly, participants can bring facts and strategies to your topic you've not yet considered!

Ready to take a risk, come out from behind the podium, as Mike Sansone advocates, and join participants?

Here are more of Ellen Weber's resources chock full of ideas to bust the temptation to lecture...

Learning that Inspires Invention

The Curse of Facts Without Feet

Bomb Boring Staff Meetings

Thoughts?