When teaching a class, you should...

Today is my first time to teach in Maxim's Academy. The overall atmosphere is relaxing, yet improvements needed. Audience: Bakery Managers who participated in Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) Service Award Topic: SCAMPER technique I have been a tutor teaching students who were younger than me, it's my first time teaching someone older than I am. The SCAMPER technique I taught is a thinking tool that can apply in problem solving and innovation. For managers, SCAMPER helps them to improve their quality service.

As many of them are quite young, they are very energetic and active. In order to shape a interactive environment, I gave examples and asked questions relating to each component of the technique. Some of them gave funny and creative examples. The room was filled with laughter and joy. My direct manager was there observing my performance.

3 advice from my manager

After the lesson, she gave me advise on what areas to improve. I believe these advise are also useful for starters as well 1. Gesture The presenter should always be open to the audience. Crossing hands is not appropriate as it is a sign of rejection. If you are not speaking but observing the interaction among the class, put your hands on the back or in the front. 2. Standing Position Again, open to the audience. The presenter should not stand at the corner of the podium where the microphone is situated. Standing in the middle is suggested instead. The presenter will have a clear look of all the audience as he/she gains the widest angle at that position, whilst far end audience will not feel neglected. 3. Facilitate Everyone's attention focuses on the person speaking. It is important to invite the audience to voice out their opinions. Oftentimes, audience will speak with one another during that moment. The presenter should remind chit chatters to listen to the one who is speaking, whether he/she is an audience or a presenter. It shows respect, meantime making sure no important points are neglected.

Observations As for my observations, I realized some key factors that presenters should be alert to: 1. Audience attitude It is nearly impossible to gain the audience attention if they are not interested at the first place. Know audience's purpose of coming. Focus on delivering the content instead if you know they are forced to come and not interested in the topic at all. 2. Interaction Interaction helps the audience engage. The presenter should give a minute or two for free discussion. It keeps the audience on track. Also, while a member from the audience is answering the question, others are more likely to listen. If you are a presenter or an audience, share your thoughts below. Whether it's a boring lecture or an interesting seminar, just tell us.  

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