The trifecta for effective communication is a knowledge of who you are as a communicator, your message, and an awareness of your audience. The latter, especially, can be a grizzly bear–especially when that audience is a tired, hungry, overheated upper school.
The following is a case study in what we thought was an effective presentation:
The setting: a library filled with 250-or-so 9th-12th grade students, packed as blocks of water in an oversized ice tray—slowly melting despite valiant efforts from a dripping backroom AC.
Speaker: Alejandra Kubitschek.
Purpose: To “bring us Brasília” on the eve of its semicentennial.
Audience: squirrely 9th-12th graders with varying levels of interest, attention spans, and experience with the city.
Through effective audience interaction, proper Powerpoint usage, original documents, and a host of other skills I (Mr R, again), feel I know a great deal more about my ½-hometown.
To help us with the next (and final school year) Candango, please leave comments, (A) about what you learned about Brasília, and/or (B) what contributed to the efficacy of her presentations (three ovations?!).
