Teachable Moments

Sitting in church last Sunday, I observed two quiet, almost-unnoticed scenes of parents instructing and guiding their children, and the children responding beautifully.  This caused me to reflect on the “teachable moments” that come along in our working lives every day and every week — and to wonder how often, in the head-long rush to “get things done” and “move the ball forward,” we see and capitalize on these moments with those we are formally or informally responsible for developing and mentoring in our organizations.

Quiet Instruction (Preparing and Supporting)

Before Mass began, a woman stood at the lecturn quietly instructing two teenage girls.  Only a few soft words were spoken, as she demonstrated how to open the book of readings and then return it to its place — clearly referring back to prior instruction

Power Point: Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

In The Beginning

Michelangelo - Creation of Man - Sistine Chapel - 1512

When I started using Power Point fifteen years ago or so, I felt “guilty” if I didn’t use complete, complex sentences on each slide.  Despite the knowledge (even then) that this overload of text violated every design and training principle going, my need to be complete and comprehensive was too much to overcome (self knowledge doesn’t always result in self mastery, I guess — or at least not right away!).     I probably shouldn’t feel too badly about this, as I had a very talented and otherwise practical colleague who couldn’t sleep at night if she didn’t have a full paragraph of text on each slide (often all in one LONG sentence) — or so it seemed, any way, judging by her presentations.

My Evolution: Less Is More

I recently heard an expert on designing and delivering powerful presentations suggest that he has taken to delivering presentations where the only thing he has on each slide is a photograph (i.e., no or very limited text), which he uses as the prompt for “telling the story” of the slide .