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Why Speaking Is A Skill Schools Suck At Teaching And How To Fix It

March 13, 2018 / Oskar Cymerman

We spend all our existence learning to live. Sometimes we look at another person and think they have it all figured out but they don’t. That is the truth. We are all learning.

We are at different points; our levels of skill at various skills vary. If someone drew a curve for every skill there is we would all be somewhere else on the curve but no one would be at the top because each curve is infinite. There's always more to learn and that would be a lot of curves to draw and examine.

One of the things we continually learn is speaking.

But I learned how to talk before I even learned to walk! you might say.

I'm sure you did but here's the thing.

Speaking to an individual or a group to pass information on, or to teach, or to entertain, or to persuade is something we do every day. Most of us count on our speaking skill to perform at a high level on the job. Thus, the speaking skill is something we all can improve and become more successful and to have a greater impact on the world.

Don't believe me? Check this out.

In 2013 Google launched Project Oxygen to discover the secret recipe that makes the best employees. Prior to the project, Google believed individuals with STEM degrees were the biggest game changers. This theory proved untrue. The investigation found it was employees who were the best coaches; people with great communication and listening skills that provided the most value to the company.

In my recent post Listening Is A Skill Students Lack Because We Don't Teach It. Let's! I described how we are taught to read and write extensively in school but not explicitly instructed on listening as a success skill. But what about communication, especially speaking and presenting to groups and individuals? How are schools doing at that?

My opinion on this is clear as evidenced by the title of this article. Our educational system kind of sucks at teaching students to communicate orally and visually.

Take presentations...

Why Are Student Presentations So Bad Most Of The Time?

I remember having to present information for various classes in high school. I'm sure you do as well. Back in the 1990s, we defaulted to a podium and a set of flashcards that might have been aided by PowerPoint slides.

Today, students might use PowerPoint or Google Slides or Prezi or something else.

Back then, I was given a list of things my presentation had to contain. The emphasis was on content while there might or might not have been a mention of speaking clearly and maintaining eye contact with the audience.

Today? it's about the same.

Back then, most of us kind of sucked at presenting. Except that one Mexican kid I remember from Mr. Denis' Social Studies. That kid was great.

I don't remember everything, but I still remember what he talked about: the Aztec culture. I wasn't friends with him (though we were friendly) but I still remember that he brought props for all of us to see and touch and smell; artifacts and examples of the Aztec art and culture. I don't remember his name but I vaguely remember what that kid looked like.

I also remember being jealous of how well he did. Everybody knew he crushed it and Mr. Denis confirmed our suspicions with his comments afterward.

Today? it's about the same. While the presentation-giving technology evolves faster and faster our presenting/speaking skills seem stuck. I am sorry to say that most of our students suck real bad at giving presentations. Most are quite bad at communicating information. This is why half of the class is sleeping while the other half has side conversations on those dreadful presentation days.

And every once in a while a kid will step up and everybody listens. She has the secret sauce. Maybe on some unfathomable unconscious level she knows that

“The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listener receives.”

— Lilly Walters

But most students suck at presenting information and it's not their fault because in school they are judged on the knowledge they send.

Schools Suck At Teaching Oral Communication

First, most teachers don't teach students how to present well. This is because we were not taught ourselves and we tend to think it is what it is. We get stuck in thinking that student presentations are supposed to be boring and everyone just has to suck it up and grind it out through a day or two of class presentations. We the teachers did in our day so they have to now. But that's a bunch of flowers.

Second, the emphasis has always been on the content of the presentations. The rubrics mandate to include A through Z and how much detail for each topic. We don't teach what effective presentations look like because we're often not quite sure ourselves. We don't show what effective presentations look like, because we don't really know how to model them and/or have not developed any ourselves.

Now compare this to writing...

Outline. Check that. Redo or refine if necessary. 1st draft. Check that. Make it bleed red ink from the teacher's pen. 2nd draft. Check that. Make it bleed again albeit hopefully less this time. Refine/redo if necessary. Final draft. Grade. Rinse and repeat such essay writing throughout the school year. And that's just practice!

Before all of the above happens, students have been extensively instructed throughout their educational journey on essay writing, structure, language, and whatever else goes into it.

Can you tell I'm not an English teacher? But the point is that the writing skill is repeatedly practiced and continually developed and not just in high school.

If we examine student communication in groups we find it lacks too. While most have learned how to get along and not yell or throw objects or body parts at each other during differences of opinion by their junior year of high school most groups don't do real group work.

While the environment appears collaborative we observe some students check out while others take over. First, many school projects have little meaning to students. They're just means to ends: graduation, college, job.

Second, due to perpetual lack thereof little class time is devoted to work on the group work part of the group work. Just as is the case with individual presentations, collaboration is assigned but not explicitly taught. Sure they are mentioned at the beginning but collaborative skills, which rely heavily on effective oral communication are not reinforced, revisited, and reassessed throughout the school year.

It turns out that Content Is King in school just as much as it is online. The problem is that students often don't get to choose the content. It's passed down through the sacred scriptures of the Book of [Insert State] State Standards.

How To Fix It

Here's the no silver bullets deal:

Without significant time investment into teaching students how to communicate orally using visual aids, most students will graduate high school lacking these important success skills.

Currently, the status quo dictates teachers employ a content-heavy but light-on-soft-skill-building approach to educating students. And while students undoubtedly pick up such skills as they stumble through the educational system these skills are rarely deliberately taught in high school. Raise your hand and wait to be called on or don't cut in front of others while standing in the lunch line just don't cut it.

Ideally, the federal, state, and local governments lead a system-wide mind shift in how school time is allocated but that's some utopian world that has nothing to do with the real one our students, their parents, and ourselves live in.

It's safe to assume that the man and those who fill his coffers will not suddenly emphasize success-skill-building in any meaningful way so again it is up to individual schools and teachers to lead this change.

Spending class time teaching our students life and work success skills is best practice. It's time well-spent now and forever. It's time invested in their future, not someone else's agenda.

This will look different depending on where you find yourself. Some of us have more flexibility than others. Some can do more than others but we all can do more than we are doing now. Hey, if this job was easy anyone could do it right? I'm including a couple of resources you can use to help students improve their communication skills.

For teaching and delivering better presentations check out Please Call The Cops 'Cause You're Killing Your Students! and How To Use Visuals To Avoid Death.

For teaching more effective collaboration check out How To Transform Groupwork Into Collaboration.

For teaching effective speaking check out How To Speak So That People Want To Listen.

What You Can Do Right Now

If you agree with me thank you but that is not enough. Check out the resources just above and pick just one small, medium, or large thing you can start teaching your students, plan how and when to do it, and implement it in your classroom now.

You have the power to change lives. Use it often so they can change the world.

Hi! I'm Oskar.

I teach, write, speak, rant to make the world better.

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categories / Teaching
tags / focus, teaching teens, deeper learning, learning, teaching

Achieving And Maintaining Focus: Routine, Readiness, and Rhythm

February 21, 2018 / Oskar Cymerman

“The only thing that can grow is the thing you give energy to”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do you remember the last time you tried to get some (or a lot) of work done and you spent the first 5 minutes twiddling your thumbs trying to decide what to do? Maybe the thumb thing was followed by staring at the wall in front of you wondering where to begin?

Have you ever managed to achieve the type of focus that allowed you to continually produce meaningful results for the entirety of your work session?

But let’s not stop there. Let’s up the ante and strive for more.

Have you ever managed to achieve the type of focus that allowed you to continually produce unfathomable results?

Well? Have you?

Total focus. This is what it takes. Science says It can be done. Let's explore this further, shall we?

Total focus, complete focus, insane focus, call it whatever... can be achieved with effective planning and deliberate practice. While the exact method is unique to every person there are common elements that increase focus. These are having the right routine, being ready to work, attaining the right rhythm, managing distractions, and minimizing stress.

Routine

Choosing the right work environment and keeping it consistent is key to achieving total focus. One way to do this is to be like Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway had a desk with one object on it: a typewriter. Hemingway used his desk for one thing: writing. He didn’t read at it. He didn’t eat at it. He stood by it and wrote. History and legions of entranced readers prove Hemingway produced works of art.

But why is doing it the Hemingway way beneficial? While it might seem a waste to use your desk for one particular thing only, there’s a method to this madness and yes it’s scientific.

When a soccer player sets aside his Sunday loafers and places cleats on his feet his mind, body, and the rest of his being is told it’s time to play soccer. When you designate one and the same spot to work on your larger than life project you communicate to your entire being that it’s go time; it’s time to work on THIS and ONLY THIS one thing.

And then it happens. The more you repeat the behavior the quicker it becomes a habit. Your work spot becomes sacred. The uncertainty disappears. Each time you get to your magical place of work your body, mind, soul, and spirit know exactly what to do. Every part of your being consciously and unconsciously pushes you toward success.

So whether you choose to work at a nearby cafe, at the kitchen table, in your cubicle before or after hours, or at a desk in a quiet attic room make it predictable to achieve total focus. Make it your routine. One spot. One task. One goal.

Readiness

It is difficult to focus and produce desirable results when your brain is missing the information necessary to complete the task. If you have knowledge gaps or lack experience necessary to be successful in your endeavor do the research and learn whatever is needed before you start your work session.

If your time is severely limited, but you commute to work start reading or watching videos on the train to work or listening to podcasts and audiobooks while you drive. Alternatively, you can devote 25-minute work chunks (pomodoros) to doing anything that helps you learn more about the ins and outs of your project before producing the actual product.

After all, learning and gaining experience is an integral part of any project you undertake. The more expertise you gain the better the final product will be. Few things are more disappointing than finally carving out some time to start on your dream and then realizing that you’re experiencing the biggest brain fart.

Brain farts aside; once you start you want to keep going. How will you maintain total focus for 25 minutes? How will you keep going without stopping? How will you attain rhythm?

Rhythm

If you’re thinking music you’re on the right track but it’s important to pick the right type. While lyric-filled music can be inspirational it is best to use instrumental music to attain rhythm during tasks that require intense mental focus. Lyrics work well when you’re training for an Ironman race but are distracting if you’re reading or writing. Luckily, there are plenty of productivity mixes on YouTube or Spotify. I suggest you find and save your favorite ones ahead of time. Then, try them out and pay attention to whether they help or hinder.

Another way to get in rhythm is to time your work sessions. You can use your phone’s timer or download an app that lets you do that. Some apps keep track of your work (or focus) sessions and breaks. In addition, putting your phone in airplane mode and using it specifically for focus and rhythm helps you manage the distractions it can potentially cause.

Eliminating distractions is difficult if not impossible but if you want to maintain total focus you will need to have contingencies in place to manage the different distractions life throws at you. And this is what my next post will explore: Achieving And Maintaining Focus In The Age Of Distraction And Anxiety.

Till then I would be honored if you chose to use a few strategies from this post to help students, coworkers, or your loved ones focus better.

You have the power to change lives. Use it often so they can change the world.

Oskar

I frequently share brain-based teaching, learning, and success strategies. Sign up for my newsletter below to receive them when I post them.

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I teach, write, speak, rant to make the world better.

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tags / focus, teaching teens, deeper learning, learning, teaching, total focus, productivity, routine, readiness, success, rhythm, deep work, work, performance

Listening Is A Skill Students Lack Because We Don't Teach It. Let's!

February 15, 2018 / Oskar Cymerman

Listening consciously, listening is a skill

“Listening Consciously Is A Doorway To Understanding”

— Julian Treasure

We are taught to read and write in school, but not educated on how to listen. Not really. Not deliberately.

We're constantly told to listen, but we're not shown how to do it. I wonder how often and how many teachers assume students know how to listen but just choose not to?

However the (non) listening problem is deeper than students just choosing not to listen. Sure enough some do, but many just don't know how to listen, because schools don't treat listening as a teachable skill. As a result the listening skill of many students and later adults is poorly developed.

Fortunately, listening can be improved with a little know how and practice.

This is what this post is about.

There are two ways I recently learned about but upon closer examination they're essentially the same. It makes sense as the elements of good listening are the same regardless of who, what, and where.

I recently listened to a podcast featuring Julian Treasure, a positive noise expert who has delivered a couple of Ted Talks including 5 Ways to Listen Better.

Listening As A Skill

Our personal and professional success depends on how well we can absorb, connect, and apply information and how well we can connect with and understand others. Thus, listening is an essential skill at school, work, and in relationships.

On this podcast, Julian Treasure used the acronym RASA, which stands for Receive, Appreciate, Summarize, and Ask to explain how to develop the listening skill.

Receive

Receiving is all about listening 100% without doing anything else. This involves single tasking, focusing on the speaker's verbal and non-verbal cues, and maintaining eye contact.

Appreciate

To appreciate is to consciously put value on what the other person is saying and setting the intention to learn from him or her. If you tell your mind This is good stuff! it will be and you will benefit.

Summarize

Summarizing involves taking the other person‘s words and restating the key points using your own so it's easier to recall and use the information later. This can be done in your head or on paper.

Ask

Asking questions during the conversation or presentation helps understanding and keeps you engaged with the speaker. Asking follow up questions helps with retention of content and furthers understanding and the ability to use the information properly.

Listening Is A Conscious Activity

Listening is a conscious activity, but most people do not see it as such. Often, we just approach it as something that happens to us and so we miss the point. We are distracted, multitask, and fail to connect to the speaker and the information she conveys. Just think of all the times you had a conversation with a friend or a loved one while browsing on your phone or tablet.

This is why it’s important to teach listening as a skill and as an active endeavor. It is important for our students to become conscious of the fact that they are doing something when they are listening. Listening is not a passive thing that happens to them. Let's tell them that and teach them to listen with intention. Then, let's allow them to practice and become better at it.

I wrote an article about this in the past and while in it I use an acronym HEAR to teach active listening the information leads to the same outcome: Developing the Active Listening Skill.

But whether you use RASA or HEAR or something else doesn't matter. What matters is that we teach our kids to listen well.

You have the power to change lives. Use it often so they can change the world.

Oskar

I frequently share brain-based teaching and learning strategies, lessons, and brain-related infographics. Sign up for my newsletter below to receive them when I post them.

Hi! I'm Oskar.

I teach, write, speak, rant to make the world better.

BOOKS & TOOLS

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First Name

Last Name

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categories / Teaching
tags / focus, teaching teens, deeper learning, learning, teaching, listening, active listening', active learning