June 30th, 2009 by Jeff

Lack Of Acknowledgment

If there is only one hint that you take away from this article, make sure that it is this one. Teaching is the act of inspiring others to want to learn more and to engage in learning. Every time a participant says something, does something or participates at any level, you should look them in the eye and in front of the whole group thank them for their answer, action or contributions.  If done sincerely, the whole group warms to the thought that learning is fun, that you are there FOR them and not out to prove something at their expense.  Read the rest of this entry »

June 26th, 2009 by Richie

If you go back to my bio, you’ll see that I spent a few years as VP Programming at NBC New York. The best way to describe my stay there is as follows…there was a Disney movie made about a monkey in charge of selecting the new shows for the network. There are many who, to this day, believe that movie was based on my career. But as I watch TV, what is their excuse today? We have absolutely reached a new low in programming. Let’s go through it. The reality craze has brought us such classics as Miami Ink, a series about tattoos. Then there is a series about folks who “repo” stuff. And let’s not forget about The Bounty Hunter.

Now before this sounds like sour grapes, Read the rest of this entry »

June 26th, 2009 by Jeff

Being in front of a room of people can certainly be intimidating. As I stated in earlier blogs, the fear of  public speaking or simply looking foolish in front of peers or important strikes terror in the hearts of many of us. Even after 4 years of public speaking, I am still a nervous wreck before even the smallest of presentations.  Now let talk about your worst nightmare coming true, when a participant of the group who simply does not agree or worse yet gets upset with the facilitator in front of the whole group! Read the rest of this entry »

June 24th, 2009 by Jeff

Similar to preaching, many of us spend too much time talking or telling rather than showing interest in the mood or mindset of the group.  Many times it is the intimidation of being in front of a group that drives trainers and facilitators to drone on and on. Read the rest of this entry »