Seth Godin's classic marketing book, Purple Cow, tells you that for a business to succeed it must be remarkable, it must stand out from other businesses just as a purple cow does in a paddock full of 'normal' cows!
How does this relate to learning?
From earlier posts on Brain Rules and Made to Stick, you should remember that it is the unexpected that we remember - and we don't pay attention to boring things.
So, when planning any learning session, build in surprises, something that gives learners a jolt. Look for these in every session you run. The unexpected could be a case study that has an unusual conclusion, a prop that you've brought into the session to illustrate a point, a different presentation style - something to help participants never forget!
We've all heard the term "Death by Powerpoint". Edward Tufte is a professor at Yale University who specialises in visual and analytical design and in 2006 he published a short 'book' titled, "The Cognitive Style of Powerpoint".
In this book Tufte explains that the overuse (misuse) of ready-made powerpoint templates weakens successful communication.
Tufte believes that an over-reliance upon a slide-by-slide, bullet-by-bullet sequencing forces learners into trying to absorb information and ideas in the same manner, one point at a time. Furthermore, facilitators who also read each bullet-point to learners further confuse the brain which is designed absorb information one channel at a time, that is either by reading, or by hearing. Both at once actually reduces the odds of the information finding it's way into our memories.
The key here is to consider powerpoint only as an addition to the learning environment. A slide with one message on it, very few bullets (preferably none) and no clipart, just relevant good quality photos. In essence - a backdrop that supports the message.
Facilitators are there to engage learners through a series of structured discussions, case studies, activities and reading. If the ideas outlined above are followed, learners who in the past have been expected to follow slide after slide of text and suffered "Death by Powerpoint" may well become re-engaged.
In my last post I mentioned learning design messages from TV ads. Here are a couple of good examples, the first one is also used by Garr Reynolds in a recent presentation.
The second (from the excellent Australian TV show "The Gruen Transfer' each week advertisers/marketers are given a challenge - to create an ad, in the case below, it was to create an ad promoting the Australian takeover of New Zealand!) The ad below shows how graphics and simple text can be used to completely (and humourously) alter the above message.
While you're watching both these ads consider an alternative, the ads could have been written as slides that looked like these.
Visual ads and design principles or bulleted text? It's easy to see which communicates more effectively!
Are you a designer? Should you be? What does it mean to design?How can this help learners?
A key issue with many 'powerpoint' shows is that they bore people. The topic itself could be interesting, but still the audience looks sleepy! You ask yourself, why? You make slides like most other people, you use the templates that powerpoint provides, you use effects and transitions but to no effect.
What is the answer? Think like a designer!
Here are my tips to help you do this:
Buy, read and re-read Slide:ology by Nancy Duarte. This book is all about creating presentations using powerpoint/keynote that communicate ideas effectively through great design.
Similarly, read Presentationzen by Garr Reynolds. This book will change the way you see and then use powerpoint.
Don't take the seemingly easy way out and create slides filled with text and nothing else. It may be easy but will it aid learning?
Practice the ideas from these 2 books.
Read books on design, I'll list my favourite in a coming post.
Watch TV commercials and think of them as presentations. They use text and graphics to sell messages (not unlike what you're trying to do through learning)
Here's a quote from Nancy Duarte.
"It's not about the slides; it's about the experience. Presentations can move people by showing them something they've never seen before. We succeed when we combine story and structure and design and expression to form something that more than the sum of it's parts"
And from my perspective, 'more than the sum of it's parts' = learning!
10 years ago there was virtually no use of powerpoint within learning environments - classrooms, lectures, workshops and so on. The visual media you might have seen were:
black and white overhead transparencies being whisked on and off at a great pace (with groans from participants because they were expected to copy the content of each slide!)
35mm slideshows (these were generally a nice change!)
whiteboards
flipcharts
In the last 6-7 years powerpoint has in many instances taken over, good or bad? Depends how it's used.
Here are 7 simple tips for using powerpoint (or mac keynote) effectively in learning environments:
The slides must complement the learning/message, not be the message. There have been many studies (see the book Multimedia Learning for details) that show that learners cannot read and listen at the same time. Therefore reading your slides to learners doesn't aid learning.
Strictly limit the use of animated text. It doesn't help learning, it distracts from it.
Do not use cartoonish clipart, what does it add (distraction). Instead use real images, you can download many images from Microsoft's clipart page. Just make sure to only use 'photos'. These are free, the quality OK but for better images consider sites such as iStockphoto, not free but well-priced and excellent quality. There are other good sources of images but check whether they allow you to copy them and/or pay royalties.
Strictly limit the amount of text you place on each slide (and make what you do use big enough to read). Some people think fewer slides is better but not if that means densely packed text that is too small to read. Each slide is free so why cram it full? How much text? Half a dozen words per slide would be about right - really! Provide a separate handout with the details.
Plan your lesson. Ask yourself what is the best way to get the message/learning across. If the answer is a slide then use one. If the answer is something else - activity, discussion, role play, brainstorm, group work .... then use this - don't just use slides because you can!
Read books on the effective use of powerpoint/keynote such as the excellent slide:ology by Nancy Duarte or PresentationZen by Garr Reynolds. Both these books provide a great basis for effective powerpoint design (with a great emphasis on design)
Be brave enough to try new ideas, it's worth it!
These give you a quick starting point, before Visual Learning month is over I'll look more closely at the book slide:ology and PresentationZen, focusing on the importance of effective design within learning environments.
Reading Seth Godin's blog entry "In the Mood"yesterday made me think about mirror neurons again. Seth writes, "Books and songs and movies that have an impact work because they motivate us to take action, not because they show us exactly what to do." Mirror neurons get you "In the Mood", they trigger a response in your brain - this is learning.
Why do you do this - and what's it got to do with learning? Let's find out!
Buyology
Over the Christmas break I've read a few books.
One that stood out was Buy-ology by Martin Lindstrom
(a book about the science behind why we buy products). Apart from the book's application for anyone involved in retailing or other selling professions the book has relevance for learning in general. Consider the facilitator/teacher, their role is really 'selling' ideas successfully to learners who can decide to either 'buy' the idea or not!
Buy-ology is based around a study that uses fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to identify which parts of the brain respond to different buying/advertising stimuli. I won't explain fMRI in any further detail here except to say that it is an extremely accurate method to determine which areas of the brain are active at any point in time.
Mirror Neurons
One finding relates to 'Mirror Neurons' (neurons are brain cells). Let's use the example from a study in the book Buy-ology to illustrate how mirror neurons were discovered. Monkeys were used in one test - it was found that certain neurons in the monkey's brain would respond in the same way if either they picked up a tasty nut, or if they saw another monkey pick up a tasty nut. In fact they even responded when they saw a scientist licking an ice-cream!
The effect works in humans too!
Do you cry when you see something sad in a film?
Are you more likely to smile when someone else does?
Picture your favourite food in your mind - are you salivating?
Remember the Yawn at the start of this article. You weren't bored or tired - hopefully!
When you use the expression "I understand where you are coming from" it is another way of saying, "my brain remembers something like this happening to me".
In all these examples mirror neurons are at work.
How can mirror neurons help learning?
By tapping into learners' previous concrete experiences, mirror neurons allow you to link new ideas and skills with existing knowledge. Learning activities that can take advantage of this include:
Role Plays - excellent method of triggering mirror responses.
Case Studies - provide clear concrete examples
Group presentations
Powerpoint/Keynote slides filled with relevant images - an image can trigger a mirror response
Post-training activities to link practice with ideas from session.
These activities, through the action of mirror neurons, help learners to embed new ideas and skills in their long-term memory. We all benefit from repetition when learning - a knowledge of how mirror neurons work should provide teachers/facilitators with another tool when building effective lessons and learning programs.
Continuing my theme of drawing skills and learning, is the book,The Back of the Napkin
by Dan Roam. Published just last year (yep 2008 is now last year!)
The book is primarily about using pictures for solving problems and selling ideas.
You can see there's no stretch in linking problem solving with learning - learning is essentially about solving knowledge problems and learning new ideas. Here is a sort video of Dan Roam explaining the book's key concepts, it's worth a look!
I've been trying to use more (admittedly basic) pictures in sessions I've facilitated since reading the book and time and again have found that people, watch more attentively, question ideas in more depth and generally follow arguments more quickly - pictures engage learners.
My 3 year old loves to draw - all the time. Our house with Santa on top of the chimney! There's nothing he won't have a go at.
Children believe that they can draw - most adults think they can't.
Typical adult response, "I can't draw." It's a pity we think like this because drawing can really help people grasp ideas. How many facilitators, presenters, teachers draw to illustrate ideas? Some, but not many.
You don't need to draw perfectly accurate images, stick figures might even work well. The point is that people will follow what you mean better via a drawing, pictures ADD to your message.
A New Year's resolution (or just a good idea if you don't do resolutions) use drawings more to illustrate your ideas. Pre-prepare pictures to use if you don't feel comfortable drawing in public! Part of your prep for any learning session should be working out what drawings will help learning - then practice drawing them.
A
new year and the second month of the stickylearning blog! This year is all about learning how we learn and using this to
make learning more effective for others.
Through the year you'll see
learning ideas coming from many disciplines - corporate training, knowledge
management, school teaching, marketing, advertising, music, design, athletics
and more.....anything that can make learning more effective!
First up though a book for the year - everyone should buy it
(seriously!) The book's titled Brain Rules and is by a bloke called John
Medina, a molecular biologist. I have a scientific background originally
- but this book is not typically scientific - there are no boring bits - there are no
convoluted scientific explanations - and there's a DVD that has the key points in
easy to digest chunks.
The book's all about 12 'Brain Rules' for surviving and thriving at work, home and school. You can see them all listed at the Brain Rules website. But a few key ones for learning are:
SHORT-TERM MEMORY (Rule #5) - repeat to remember
LONG-TERM MEMORY (Rule #6) - remember to repeat
SENSORY INTEGRATION (Rule #9) - stimulate more of the senses
VISION (Rule #10) - vision trumps all other senses
At the Brain Rules website follow the link to further video's on youtube that illustrate the remaining Brain Rules. Also for another view of the Brain Rules book, here is a presentation from Garr Reynold's on the book (from slideshare)
