Chapter Four - Ringing Chimes

Presentations are created to inform, to entertain, to convince, and more importantly – to educate. But to have a good presentation is to know that it is effective. Burmark states in Chapter 4, to be effective, we must accomplish two things: 1) get their attention; and 2) make the presentation stick. (pg. 63) A presenter must catch the audience attention from the start, either by distracting them or presenting in a way that draws attention to the speaker and the topic at hand.

                I recall an assignment I had in my course, Learning and Cognition, where my partner and I chose the topic of Robert Gagne and his Nine Principles of Instruction. When it came time to present, we both walked in wearing military jackets, the audience was surprised, confused, shocked maybe. Until we introduced our topic, Gagne began his research of science of instruction during WWII in the air force with pilot trainings, thus our military jackets was a great way to “capture our audiences attention.”

                But of course keeping their attention is the kicker, what type of activities or information can we share with the audience to keep them interested and alert? A presenter must remember that the presentation is a learning opportunity that can only be successful if it is interesting enough to the audience. Using some of Burmarks’ idea of CHIMES, (pg. 65), I can see how  one or several of these suggestions could have a positive outcome as a presenter.

References:

Burmark, L. (2011). They Snooze You Lose: The educator’s guide to successful presentations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass 
Gredler, M.E. Learning and Instruction-Theory into Practice. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson, 2009