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Four Keys to Succeeding With a Skeptical Audience

The prospect of speaking to an audience that is skeptical, hostile, or misinformed is not pleasant. We worry about what might happen, how the audience will react to our message, and what consequences may follow. It is human nature to fear the worst – even when the worst is not likely to happen. Of course, we cannot always control the circumstances that lead to facing a less than supportive audience. But we can prepare in ways that reduce the likelihood of the situation spinning out of control, while increasing the probability that we stabilize or even make the situation better. The key is to concentrate on the factors we can control. Our preparation needs to focus on the factors that make success more likely than failure. Here are four keys to preparing and delivering a successful presentation to audiences who may be skeptical or even hostile. First, we need to be clear about our purpose for speaking and what we want to accomplish. Meeting with a hostile group absent a purpose and plan can lead to the situation quickly disintegrating and fostering confusion and frustration. Do we want to inform? If so, we need specific information, credible facts, and clear messages to share. Do we want to convince? If so, we need to understand the concerns and perceptions of the audience. We need to know what audience members value and how we might meet their needs and appeal to what is important to them. Do we want to respond to a concern or apologize for some action? If so, we need to be clear about what we take responsibility for and why we see a response or apology as important. We also need to be ready to explain what we intend to do to make it right. Second, we need to remain focused on the situation or topic. Extraneous stories, disconnected examples, and unaligned comparisons are likely to create confusion, frustration, and even more hostility. The length of our comments is far less important than our sincerity, commitment, and specificity. Our preparation needs to sort what is crucial to our message and avoid what may be distracting or sound like excuse making. Third, we need to be confident. Confidence can be difficult to generate in stressful situations. Nevertheless, a plan that focuses on why our comments are important, what we want to accomplish, and how we will organize our thoughts and words can lessen our anxiety and build our self-assurance. Our ability to project confidence can go a long way in reducing the anxiety of the audience and inject believability in what we have to say. Fourth, we need to remain open to and respectful of other perspectives and opinions. Our ideas and understanding represent one view of the circumstance. Others may also have worthy ideas and insights. When people ask questions and even challenge our message, we need to remain calm, listen carefully, and reserve judgement as much as practical. The questions we hear can open new avenues of understanding and lead to solutions we may not have considered. On the other hand, when we fail to listen and respect the views of others, we risk undermining our message and making the situation worse. Few of us look forward to controversy and confrontation. In fact, people who enjoy conflict often are least effective in managing and resolving the issues and emotions involved. On the other hand, avoiding situations where we need to share a message or address an issue can also make the situation worse and undermine our leadership. The best option: be clear about the purpose and desired outcome, plan and prepare well, and buttress our message with confidence, understanding, and respect.

Is More Time the Answer to Unfinished Learning?

In Your Corner, Student Learning

April 07, 2022

Is More Time the Answer to Unfinished Learning?

One of the most popular responses to the disruption of learning due to COVID is to increase the students’ time in school. Many educational leaders are betting that when students are in person with teachers for more minutes and hours every week, learning that did not happen during the pandemic can be made up and students will be back on track. However, pre-pandemic research calls this bet into question. Consider a 2019 study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a respected international source for information regarding education around the world. The report documented that American students spend on average 8,884 hours in school during their elementary and secondary years. By comparison, the average time in school for students in other countries is closer to 7,500 hours. It is true that some countries have longer school years, but the total number of hours students spend in school in the United States generally far exceeds their international counterparts. The difference represents more than a full school year of additional time for students in the United States. Yet, international academic comparisons show American students generally perform in the middle ranks. It is also true that American teachers traditionally spend a larger portion of their days and more total time instructing than the international average. The general assumption in the United States has been that time spent in front of students is the most valuable time, and teachers should spend as much of their time in front of students as possible. The obvious questions are: If American students are spending a full year of additional time in school during their elementary and secondary school years, and teachers are spending a larger portion of their days teaching, why are we not already out performing our international counterparts? And is adding more time in school now to make up for unfinished learning during the pandemic the solution? The answer to both questions is that what matters most is not how much time, but how time is used. Our assumption has been that if students spend more time being taught, they will learn more. This notion seems reasonable, but it misses an important point: It is not time or teaching that matters most, it is learning. We have been so preoccupied with how much teaching is happening – measuring productivity as teacher time in the classroom – that we have missed the key point that learning needs to be the organizing element. What is most important is what is learned, not what is taught. Many countries provide teachers with much more preparation time to ensure that each moment in the classroom is leveraged to ensure maximum learning. Some countries give students more time and opportunities for inquiry and discovery and less time subjecting them to “telling.” Still others engage students in longer term projects focused on deeper learning and problem solving. The point is that how the time we have with learners is used is even more important than the amount of time invested. Adding days and hours to the school year will provide little benefit unless the time is used to increase learning opportunities and outcomes, not just more teaching. The question we need to ask is how we can change learning experiences to improve outcomes. The answer to this question will tell us how to design experiences and support to improve learning results. Of course, instruction will be a part of this formula. But, so will a more active role for learners, leading to more investment in and ownership of their learning. Learning grows when learners find the experience purposeful, meaningful, and worthwhile.

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