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> At a conference, people are always going to be using technology. They are always going to be checking their phones, and they are always going to have a thousa

by a3_nm 12y ago

> At a conference, people are always going to be using technology. They are always going to be checking their phones, and they are always going to have a thousand things going on. In computer science conferences in research (the area I'm familiar with) this tends to happen as well, but there is a venue (Schloß Dagstuhl) which has (among other interesting traditions, such as mandatory random seating assignments at meals) a policy of not having WiFi in the conference rooms. I think it is clear that had the WiFi been there almost everyone would have used it, yet somehow I only heard people talk positively of the no-WiFi policy... There is, I think, a sizeable proportion of people who see connectivity-induced multitasking as a weakness, and are happy when given an occasion to not indulge in it. > If I am interesting enough, laptops start closing, phones stop being checked Sometimes this is not enough. If you started with a room full of people doing something else, and the talk is sufficiently technical so that you can't start paying attention midway through, sometimes you can be faced with the very hard task of catching people's attention during the first few minutes when they still haven't noticed that someone else was talking... > those professors who [have to] make attendance mandatory (A side point, but from my experience of the university system (in France), mandatory attendance in classes is usually a policy set by the institution more than by the individual teachers.) I agree with your general point that being anti-tech in classes should not be an excuse for giving bad classes. But I don't think that's enough to dismiss the feeling. There's also another thing: professors teaching their students may not feel like it is their duty to earn their audience's attention, to have a slick and attractive presentation style, so as to compete with any possible distraction... They may feel like they can teach the class as they like, and it is the students' role to adjust. I think this balance between the professor's sense of entitlement and the students' varies a lot across cultures (also depending on how much the students pay for tuition, e.g., much less in France than in the US). But this is something where there can be a difference between classes at university, and conferences.

Swizec 12y ago
> Sometimes this is not enough. If you started with a room full of people doing something else, and the talk is sufficiently technical so that you can't start paying attention midway through, sometimes you can be faced with the very hard task of catching people's attention during the first few minutes when they still haven't noticed that someone else was talking... I've come up with a simple script to combat this problem. I start like this: "HI! Wow what a beautiful audience, you guys are awesome! Let me ask you something, <insert question about topic>" The "HI!" is a universal attention catcher, everyone subconsciously responds to that no matter what they're doing. (try it sometime in a busy office or something, just say HI). The second part tells the audience that this is going to be about them not you. And it establishes an instant connection - this trick I picked up from Russell Brand's standup routine. Finally, the question engages people's brain and gets them to start thinking about the topic. Granted, this approach might not work well in a classroom setting. But starting with a question should work great there as well. > There's also another thing: professors teaching their students may not feel like it is their duty to earn their audience's attention, to have a slick and attractive presentation style, so as to compete with any possible distraction... They may feel like they can teach the class as they like, and it is the students' role to adjust. I think this balance between the professor's sense of entitlement and the students' varies a lot across cultures (also depending on how much the students pay for tuition, e.g., much less in France than in the US). But this is something where there can be a difference between classes at university, and conferences. One of the most entitled professors I've ever had, was also the only person I've ever seen fill a classroom on a sunny May afternoon on a Friday. He literally considered students no better than cattle. The only prop he'd ever use was a piece of chalk and a chalkboard. No slides, no computer, not even any notes. Just scribbles on the chalkboard. But he had amazing charisma. When he entered the room, everybody listened and for the whole class, everybody paid attention. It was beautiful to observe. And even he would always start by establishing a personal connection with his audience. Every time. Because, if you want to teach people, the first step is always getting and keeping their attention.

by a3_nm 12y ago

Swizec 12y ago

> Sometimes this is not enough. If you started with a room full of people doing something else, and the talk is sufficiently technical so that you can't start paying attention midway through, sometimes you can be faced with the very hard task of catching people's attention during the first few minutes when they still haven't noticed that someone else was talking... I've come up with a simple script to combat this problem. I start like this: "HI! Wow what a beautiful audience, you guys are awesome! Let me ask you something, <insert question about topic>" The "HI!" is a universal attention catcher, everyone subconsciously responds to that no matter what they're doing. (try it sometime in a busy office or something, just say HI). The second part tells the audience that this is going to be about them not you. And it establishes an instant connection - this trick I picked up from Russell Brand's standup routine. Finally, the question engages people's brain and gets them to start thinking about the topic. Granted, this approach might not work well in a classroom setting. But starting with a question should work great there as well. > There's also another thing: professors teaching their students may not feel like it is their duty to earn their audience's attention, to have a slick and attractive presentation style, so as to compete with any possible distraction... They may feel like they can teach the class as they like, and it is the students' role to adjust. I think this balance between the professor's sense of entitlement and the students' varies a lot across cultures (also depending on how much the students pay for tuition, e.g., much less in France than in the US). But this is something where there can be a difference between classes at university, and conferences. One of the most entitled professors I've ever had, was also the only person I've ever seen fill a classroom on a sunny May afternoon on a Friday. He literally considered students no better than cattle. The only prop he'd ever use was a piece of chalk and a chalkboard. No slides, no computer, not even any notes. Just scribbles on the chalkboard. But he had amazing charisma. When he entered the room, everybody listened and for the whole class, everybody paid attention. It was beautiful to observe. And even he would always start by establishing a personal connection with his audience. Every time. Because, if you want to teach people, the first step is always getting and keeping their attention.