Share your voice -- but save it!

The biggest mistake I made the first time I spoke in a middle school classroom for the entire day was planning to talk too much. I had so many lovely things to share! I had snazzy cool photos of working out in the field and my coworkers acting goofy in the lab. And I had so much to say-- a little something about how the environmental research I do applies to their world, what I liked and disliked about being a scientist, what a typical day was like, how much it rocks that I get to wear jeans to work every day (one of the kids yelled out, "So do I!!").

And so, by the time I got to sixth period, and my sixth time giving my talk, I was totally dead. My voice sounded like I'd been crawling through the Sahara for days without water. And I was just a little bit cranky and not nearly so glowy and enthusiastic as I was when the day began. I'm guessing if you charted my effectiveness as a speaker throughout the day the slope would've been negative. Sad when I started out with spirits so high!



I told my sister, the middle school teacher who invited me to her classroom, that seeing as how she does this every day voluntarily I would immediately appeal to the Vatican to grant her sainthood. She just shrugged and told me that "You get used to it." And she went on to say that she usually doesn't have to talk the whole time, but instead breaks things up with activities, quizes, tests, reading, movies ...

A light went on in my head. Of course! So obvious! Just because I am a guest speaker doesn't mean that I have to speak the entire time. In fact, let's face it: that's kind of boring.

I read somewhere not long after that, and unfortunately the source escapes me, that a good rule of thumb is to not "lecture" for more than 10 minutes at a time. There are plenty of things you can do to break it up while reinforcing your message -- a short movie, a demo, a game, an activity, or just plain question and answer. I had thought to bring a short video with me that first time, and I was very glad I did that at least.

While this is probably a big "no duh" to teachers everywhere, it's a bit of a revelation to a scientist. Usually when someone asks a scientist to come speak somewhere the only question the speaker asks is "How long do I have?" And still, often whoever invited you has to use a hook to pull you off the stage while you're still desperately trying to show your last awesome slide of data (even though most of the room has long since nodded off). Scientists have a tendancy to be information crammers when it comes to speaking. Meanwhile in the classroom, teachers appreciate that people learn in different ways, besides just orally. So not only are they saving their voices, they're also being far more effective at getting the message across.

Seeing as how scientists are just those curious kids who never grew up ... I wonder if next time I present at a conference I should include an activity or demo? Hmmm ...