Page 252 - Learning to Learn

READING EXPERIENCE 9: PERFORMING WHEN BEING EVALUATED
252 L EARNING TO LEARN: BECOMING A SELF-GROWER
“She’s right,” Ken said, who had seen negative examples backfire during his management tenure
at the plant. “They can be great learning tools, but how you use them has to be well thought out.
What do we want our audience to learn, and how can they learn about teamwork from a negative
example? Maybe that’s something to save for the very end of the semester when the class has
already internalized team roles.”
“He’s right,” Sam said. “Let’s try to focus on more positive models of teamwork. But Jenn, that was
really great. I’ll remember that clip forever.”
Step 6—Develop the Structure of the Message
Develop the message you will communicate, taking into account all the previous steps of the methodology
(the purpose, the audience, the media, etc.). Generate a logical sequence of topics or concepts that provides
a framework for you to deliver your message and for the audience to understand it. You should also
consider the amount of audience interaction you want in your presentation.
It’s helpful to divide your presentation into easily managed sections:
Components of a Presentation
Introduction Does the introduction gain attention, contain a strong opening statement,
and define the problem or purpose?
Body
Does the body contain sufficient background information, place information
in a logical sequence, and explain any methods used and results obtained?
Have you made appropriate use of statistics, stories, or examples?
Closing Does the closing contain conclusions, recommendations, and/or a strong
ending statement?
Afterwards
Be prepared for questions. Think about possible questions, and prepare
answers, especially those possible questions that you are most anxious
about. Keep your answers short and to the point.
The team felt good about the script they’d put together for their presentation. It started with a
series of slides:
Slide 1: Edmund Hillary, as Jennifer narrated his accomplishment in climbing Mt. Everest. Slide 2:
An image of Hillary’s climbing team, as Jennifer narrated how many people were involved and two
of the most critical teamwork roles for the team. This continued through all 10 occasions where
a largely uncredited team and their collaboration made an incredible accomplishment possible.
(Neil Armstrong, Jonas Salk, Helen Keller, Charles Lindbergh, Mother Teresa, etc.)
The remainder of their presentation included a brief listing of how each role the team ended up
using not only facilitated the smooth and productive functioning of a team but added value and
quality to the final product the team produces.
Their presentation concluded with an overview of how each person in the group, by performing
within their role, made this presentationpossible. The final slide included a listingof“credits,”naming
each team member by name, role, and accomplishments.