Teaching Adults

Teaching children is easier than teaching adults. At least, it is easier to get them to listen to you. Why am I making such a statement here? Coz recently, I have been conducting the Acceptance & Continuance Upgrade Briefing to various groups: Partners / Managers / Staff. Before I went for the Instructor Training Workshop at Pulai Springs, everything was fine and the comments from the various manager / partner groups were quite good. However, last week, I have started conducting the staff briefings and find that it is more difficult to catch their attention and make it less boring.

At the first run last thursday, I started with the session, forgetting to state the objective for them clearly and in the end, they can't really catch what I was trying to tell them, as some of them have not even accessed or seen the system. They did not appreciate my time in "teaching" them how to approach various questions. After evaluating, I thought it will be more beneficial for my co-instructor to give the technical briefing and show the group how the system looks like before I tell them how to answer the questions. The second run on Friday appears to appreciate it better. However, today, I understand that the group was disinterested since this morning, as I had lunch with Tong Gunn. When I tried throwing questions to the floor, I didn't receive any form of responses at all. At the end, I was browsing through the course evaluation and some was directing directly to me: too soft, can't hear, topic too boring, can make it more interesting, can engage the group more, etc etc...Hello! I've asked people at the back of the class whether they can hear me. They could have told me to speak up if they can't hear. I constantly reminded myself to speak out. Anyways, I've told myself that I will never conduct a course without a microphone. Throughout the briefing, I was trying to tell them what they're supposed to watchout for and keep reiterating why they should pay attention to the briefing. Even though I don't like to, but was trying to relate to them, I was using words like "being arrowed", "smoke your way", some obvious Singlish terms, so that it can be of a good laugh. However, it doesn't seem to appeal to them at all. I am kinda lost now. So should I incorporate some "Singlish" element at all? As it is very common for instructors to include Singlish terms, etc...so, why they gave a disapproving "repeat", when they've heard me?

Anyways, I have at least another 2 runs at the end of the month. I will try my best to be less "monotone" and be "more engaging"...try to make it "less serious"...but I can't do much with my voice, even though I hated my own voice...really, I'll need some form of practise before the Risk Management for SA1 training next Thursday! I don't want to keep receiving such discouraging and degrading comments and keep up my own expectation. At least, I need to appear to be passionate about the topic that I'm going to present! God help me...