Many people I have met over the years have commented that during their school days they could recall at least one teacher who inspired them greatly and at least one who (although probably well intentioned), presented lessons in a less memorable fashion…

 

Start by getting Attention…

The first few moments of any public presentation sets the scene for what is to follow. As someone once said “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” and each lesson should be considered in its own right as an opportunity to create a useful environment for learning. In NLP we learn about the importance of state and how the state of the teacher is one of the key influences in the communication to the class. Here is a simple exercise that has proved really useful for any teacher or presenter to get into an optimized state for teaching before entering the classroom.

(See Box 1)

 

Create interest and curiosity by using sensory rich language and storytelling

Sensory rich language

Two of the very best ways to create and maintain interest in a classroom situation are to use sensory rich language and to tell stories to communicate information. Sensory language works using words and phrases that directly engage the senses. Consider these two descriptions and notice how the second which uses sensory rich language engages the listener in an entirely different way to create a far stronger representation. (See examples 1 & 2)

 

Sensory rich language uses those words or phrases that directly engage the 5 senses:

• Visual. I see, looking at, clearly, let’s focus

• Auditory. Hear, sounds like

• Kinaesthetic. Feels like

• Olfactory. Smell

• Gustatory. Taste

 

In the UK the teaching profession has recognized the importance of using VAK (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic) representations in the classroom, but my experience is that this has yet to extend into a more intricate awareness and use of language. The more ways in which we represent an experience the more likely we are to more fully remember what occurred.

 

Storytelling

Telling stories is a great way of getting and maintaining a listener’s attention. Many of us were brought up with being told stories and of course each culture around the world has its own tradition of storytelling from Grimm’s Fairy Tales to Lord of the Rings to many other examples. Stories engage the imagination and this is the primary reason why we remember them. When someone tells a story the listener is drawn into the subject matter and there is a natural anticipation and curiosity in wanting to know what is going to happen next! In a classroom situation this technique can be used to make lesson material far more memorable and when this is combined with sensory rich language, the effect is quite profound. One of the primary influences on the creation of NLP was Milton Erickson who extensively used stories in his therapeutic work with clients. Even the old stereotypical opening phrase “Once upon a time…” prompts an expectation of what is going to occur next.

 

Use your voice’s tonality and rhythm

In a classroom or any other communicating situation, the use of voice is as important as the actual content. How we say things is as important as what we say. Actors and actresses spend time with voice coaches to develop greater dynamic ranges. When we listen to another person’s voice we are literally bathed in sound from the speaker. When the “sound of the word” is more congruent with the meaning of the word, we are more likely to remember what is said. For example the word “stretch” should sound like “streeeeetch” so the sound sounds stretched rather than communicated in a clipped manner. In voice there are three main kinds of tonality and inflection which are as follows:

 

• Questions: inflections are upwards

• Conversations: inflections are an even tone, with a level inflection

• Commands: inflections are downwards

 

Varying the rhythm and tonality in communicating the lesson maintains interest with students. Similar processes are used in sales and marketing where the purpose is in the first instance to capture attention and then to create interest. If you think about the voices of memorable and influential speakers throughout history you will notice that they all have a greater tonal and dynamic range when using their voice.

 

Structure the less on

Just as every story has a beginning, middle and end, so each lesson, in order to be memorable, needs to have a clear structure. In this way the students again are more likely to remember the full content of what was communicated. It’s a good idea to recap at the end of the lesson the key points to reinforce the communication of the content and of course set up an expectation of curiosity as to what is going to be presented in the next lesson!

 

Conclusion

In order for students to easily remember a lesson, the secret is to make the material memorable by engaging the imagination of each person. These simple approaches and techniques are used the world over in public speaking and presenting contexts as well as in advertising. My advice is to experiment with these approaches, have fun with them and above all notice the improved results from what you do!

 

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Here are some key factors which assist in the creation of memorable lessons:

-          Start by getting attention

-          Create interest and curiosity by storytelling and using sensory rich language

-          Use your voice’s tonality and rhythm

-          Structure the lesson

 

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Box 1

1. Remember a previous teaching experience when the lesson went really well and the students responded well and enjoyed the lesson.

2. See what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how you felt. When you picture this time in mind notice if you see a color picture and the position of where you see the picture. Notice what you say or think to yourself and how you say it. Notice how good you feel.

3. Now make the picture brighter and more colorful (if it was black and white, make it color), more in focus and double the size of the picture, paying attention to how that feels.

4. Now say to yourself what will motivate you to give this lesson, paying particular attention to ensuring you use a tone of voice that makes you feel more motivated.

5. Now before you step into the classroom run through seeing yourself giving the lesson in your imagination. See yourself confidently engaging the class and paying attention to each and every student in the room.

6. Now enter the room and give the lesson.

 

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Example 1

“I remember walking along a beach and noticing the sea, sand and the breeze blowing in from the waves”

 

Example 2: using sensory language

“I remember walking on the beach, noticing the deep blue sea, the golden sound and the sounds of the waves as I felt the cool breeze against my face”

 

By Nick Kemp

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