Sparkie's Ten Commandments #3

Thou shalt not talk to thine listeners or treat them as if they are your troublesome children

It is amazing what adults can do. They hold down a job, run a household, pay into a retirement fund, look after their parents and children... So why is that some presenters treat them like they are four years' old?

A smatter of condescension, some "guidelines" (read rules) at the start to keep everyone in their place... It's enough to bring out the worst in your learners. Drone on like a school master of old and watch as people start to fiddle and play up!

Your adults know an incredible amount and have decades of life experience. They might not be experts at what you do, but they are experts in their own right. If you choose to treat them as experts (in another field) then your focus grows. Not only do you think of how you can help them, but also, what you can learn from them.

I used to teach a short module on data protection - despite knowing very little about it. At the start of each session I would get groups of around six people to write down everything they knew or thought they knew about Data Protection. Without fail someone in each team would have plenty to say, because either it was or had been part of their role. All I had to do then was to correct any misunderstandings and draw out their own expertise.

The best way to use the experience and knowledge already present in your audience is to ask them questions, set them tasks and get them working in groups. The person with the most relevant knowledge then teaches the rest of the group and you simply correct or add in where there are gaps.

Plus, you treat them like the knowledgeable experts they are.