Becoming a Great Instructor - Part 3

Great instructors aren’t born — they’re made. Or (more precisely) they’re taught.

In case you missed it, here is: Part 1 of 7 - The Relationship and Part 2 of 7 - The Student

This is Part 3 of our 7 Part Series on Becoming a Great Instructor. The purpose of this information is to teach you how to be a truly great instructor, a person who helps other people learn. Talented instructors have the power to capture an audience, sway opinions, and convert opponents to their cause. You will learn proven, time-tested ways to be the best, most prepared, and most professional instructor you can be.

*This information is designed for instructors but can be applied to anyone in a position of leadership*

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The content of this newsletter series will be divided into seven parts. They are:

• Part 1 – The Relationship
• Part 2 – The Student
• Part 3 – The Instructor
• Part 4 – Your Presentation Skills
• Part 5 – The Classroom Setting
• Part 6 – The Presentation
• Part 7 – PowerPoint

Part 3 - The Instructor

3.1 Introduction

Your responsibility as an instructor is to lead and help your students have a great learning experience. Show them what to do, where to go, and how to get there. Students are easily intimidated, are concerned about being treated unfairly, and often struggle with feelings of being unimportant. Be sure that students feel welcome, believe you respect them, and know you will treat them fairly.

The instructor’s responsibility is a commitment to offer his or her knowledge, talent, ideas, and wisdom openly in a desire to help. At all times show respect and compassion toward your students and maintain a high degree of integrity in your life.

Teach topics and material that meet your student’s needs, which you are happy with and you can do a good job of presenting. Connect your knowledge with the student’s needs and the student must realize that what you’re saying will work for them. If you are in a situation where you must teach something that you don’t think is essential to the student, try to filter out the most important material and make it applicable to them. Do not test the students on irrelevant material if you have a role in the test development.

Have confidence in the training material, and total command of the knowledge required.

3.2 Attitude

Be inspirational, kind, and respectful no matter what level of expertise your students are on. Ask yourself, “What can I do to serve”? If you are firm and demand a high level of professionalism and discipline, your students will want to be more like you.

Of course the opposite also applies! What attitude are you projecting to your students? If you fake it, your students will know. They may never say anything, but they will read your insincerity.

How do you want the students to feel about the class? Do you want them to learn? Teach them. Do you want them to have fun? Give them something to enjoy.

Be willing to share your knowledge and resources with other instructors.

3.3 Dress Up

What you wear communicates a self-portrait of you. Don’t dress to project a personality that isn’t yours, and remove objects from your clothes that make noise (such as coins and keys in your pockets). We like people who, on special occasions, get a little bit dressed up for us.

Don’t dress or act in a manner calculated to make you “fit in” with the students. You are not their peer, but their leader. Instructors should wear business casual clothes, such as khaki slacks with a pressed shirt and shined leather shoes. Avoid wearing blue jeans, cut-offs or shorts, running shoes, or scuffed and dirty work boots. Shirts shouldn’t have a logo, unless it’s for your own company or school.

Dress Professionally.

1. Minimum dress should be a polo shirt with collar, dress slacks with belt and leather shoes.
2. Next level of dress would include a dress shirt.
3. Next level includes a tie and possibly a sport coat.
4. If you are being paid by an organization you should wear a suit and tie or at least a tie and sport coat.

Men: If you don't wear a white shirt, wear a shirt color that looks good on you. If you keep adjusting your collar or pulling your pants up because they are too big, choose another outfit. Your audience will pick up on your comfort level, so it works to your advantage to feel good in what you are wearing. When choosing your suit keep in mind the background color of your stage, and choose a suit that will help you stand out. If you are speaking in front of a black backdrop avoid wearing a black suit. Consider having your wife or someone with good fashion sense help with your clothing decisions.

Women: Keep make-up and accessories simple - nothing flashy or overdone. Avoid wearing jingling bracelets, loud prints, or colorful shoes that draw the eye away from your face. Wear a fabric that does not wrinkle excessively. When choosing a suit or a shirt keep in mind the background color of your stage. If you are speaking in front of a black backdrop avoid wearing a black suit. Choose colors that flatter and frame your face.

3.4 Empathy

Some instructors never really understand the problems of their students, often because they’re talking about their own achievements or interests, rather than the students’ needs. You must get inside the mindset of your students and look at the world through their perspective. Find out what’s happening in their lives; remember — they’re evaluating you and your presentation from their perspective.

3.5 Enthusiasm

Fill the room with your authority, and your enthusiasm for what you’re about to say. You command your students — by your poise, by your presence (which includes how you dress and conduct yourself) — to put everything aside except paying attention to you and your presentation.

They should feel the change that you created in the dynamics of the room - and they should sense that something is about to happen. Your presentation should sooth their areas of concern and create a comfortable atmosphere. Objectivity will enhance your reputation and sensitivity will win you their attention.

On occasion, you may encounter a student who is not enthusiastic or connected to your presentation. They may even appear to be rude and their body language may tell you they are not listening or they may be reading a newspaper or seem to be ignoring you completely. Remember that there may be things going on in their lives that are not evident to you which influence their behavior – looks can be deceiving. Be tactful in dealing with these situations if they are not disruptive to the class.

3.6 Mood

Students mirror the instructor’s mood minute by minute. Want to know how you’re doing? Look at your students.

Be aware that you can not always rely totally on student body language or feedback as the students may have other issues or concerns that have nothing to do with the class. Students may also “fake it” to display attentiveness and interest when they are not really engaged.

Sometimes you may feel like you are “faking it” or you are a “pretender”. Confidence will grow with time and with successful presentations.

Visualize a successful presentation to help you prepare and build your anticipation prior to a class. Success begins with a vision of your goal.

3.7 Nervousness

Nervousness is a fact and it activates the adrenaline that puts an edge on what you’re presenting. If you are prepared and understand your own personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, you’ll do fine after a few minutes.

3.8 Preparation

You must connect your knowledge with students’ needs, and students must realize that what you’re saying will work for them. To accomplish this, you must have confidence in the training material, and total command of the knowledge required. If there are any gaps in your knowledge or if you lack confidence in the training material, you will perform poorly and be unlikely to meet the students’ needs. When presenting new material or a presentation that you have not done recently, review the slides before the presentation. Visualize a successful introduction.

Flyer. Preparation actually begins the day you produce the flyer announcing the seminar. Be sure that you clearly describe what the student will get from the program. Let them know what they need to bring to the seminar: papers, Code book or other references, calculator, etc. Include a picture of the instructor, possibly a picture of the office personnel that will help with registration and the seminar hotel.

Confirmation Letter. Remind them about things to bring to the seminar such as books, calculator, jacket or sweater as well as seminar location and time to check in. Include information on seminar hotel and host city.

Handout. If you have a handout for the student, be sure it’s clear and attractive. Use professionally prepared material and be sure each student has a copy of the class textbook.

Personal Preparation. An ill-prepared instructor sends a dramatic message to the student: “I don’t think you’re very important, because if you were, I’d be better prepared.” Students develop perceptions about instructors that affect their attitudes about the class and their receptiveness to learning.

Make sure to prepare yourself physically and mentally. Put a high priority on getting enough rest and exercise, take some time before your program to refresh yourself, and allow some time for reflection. Spending time away from your work provides for your emotional needs to be met as well as physical. Spend time on a hobby. “Get a Life”!

Teach new and different things on occasion to provide variety and to keep from becoming “stale”. Consider “re-inventing yourself” every five years. In order to provide a well-rounded training program, it is important that you maintain a balance in your life. Keep your own spiritual, mental, and physical needs in perspective. Set your life priorities to include time for your spiritual needs, family relationships, work commitments, recreation, and physical well-being. You will be better prepared to provide a great educational experience for your students if your life is in balance.

Plan. The following guidelines will help you prepare to give a presentation and maintain your sanity and your exercise schedule while getting your work done. First, write up what you want to accomplish with your presentation. Fill in the blanks:

1. My objective for the talk is _____.
2. Three key messages I want to get across are _____.
3. The underlying theme of my talk will be _____.
4. I want my audience to say ____ when I’m done.
5. I want my audience to feel _____ when I’m done.
6. I want my audience to do ____ when I’m done.

Don’t work problems on the board “off the cuff” if you are not familiar with the problem. It is better to have examples worked out in advance so you are prepared. Include appropriate examples in your PowerPoint presentation. Advance planning will help you feel more confident and less like a “pretender”.

Supplies. Be prepared. Create a checklist of all of the teaching materials that you will need:

• Business Cards
• Calculator
• Class Textbook
• Code Book
• Computer
• Jump/Flash Drive (back up files)
• LCD Projector
• Cables
• Watch
• Writing Pens
• PowerPoint Backup

3.9 Presence

Great instructors have “Presence”. “Presence” communicates that the instructor can handle anything. “Presence” is something that the student feels about the instructor, often before the instructor even appears. A great instructor will engulf the student in a sudden awareness that something unusual is going to happen, and communicate with the student at a high level of involvement and concern. Great teachers cultivate feelings of emotional closeness with the students, as if they had shared a special moment.

3.10 Take Control

Great instructors project a sense of purpose. They carry themselves well, their attitude is outward, and they’re aware of their surroundings. They visualize a successful presentation as they prepare. Great instructors are more concerned about the students needs, than their own. Nothing is tentative; they’re decisive, well prepared, project a positive attitude of confidence, with sensitivity toward the student.

3.11 Teach

Never expect the students to know a point if you haven’t taught it! Help students understand by bringing the subject to their level and make learning fun and interesting. Don’t ask questions that you have not taught them to answer. You are there to teach them, not to show off your knowledge.

Teach to the level that students need to know. If there are several different ways of solving a problem, it may be good to expose them to all methods, but concentrate on teaching them the material that they will need to know. Don’t spend a lot of time on material that is way more technical than necessary or more in-depth than needed.

It is easy for teachers to focus on a topic that is very important to them, but perhaps not as essential to the student. Evaluate your instructional goals and be sure that you are teaching material that fits the class objectives and the student’s needs, and that you are teaching the essential topics in an appropriate proportion. Don’t give in to a temptation to over-teach your passion.

Teach positive methods with a positive attitude. Showing the students poor installations or “bad” examples can backfire and lead to the students developing a negative attitude about their work environment and co-workers. Positive teaching will lead to positive attitudes in your students.

3.12 Your Performance

Your students are continuously evaluating your performance and forming opinions. Are you responding in a positive manner to help the student answer the following questions?

• Is this instructor alive? – Do you know your material, and are you excited about helping them.
• Am I glad I came? – As the instructor, are you glad you’re there?
• Is this instructor a phony? – Never lie, if you don’t know the answer, just say you don’t know. Tell them to email you later and you will try to find the answer. If you make a mistake, admit it!
• Does this instructor really have an idea I haven’t heard before? – Know your audience and be prepared to impress them.
• Is this instructor giving me everything he’s got? – Give the students everything you have and more. Don’t hold back anything; don’t worry that he or she will become your competitor. Have a heart for the students.
• Am I getting the point? Is there a point to get? – Establish clear objectives in the beginning and follow through with them to the end.
• How much longer will this go on? – If you do your job right, the students should be wondering, “Where did the time go”?

Stay tuned for Part 4 - Your Presentation Skills.