Guest Post - Elizabeth Schuelke

Elizabeth is one of Chris' Spring 2012 Professional Speaking students at Carnegie Mellon. Here she writes about Presentations.

Prompt: Every class is at least part presentation.  What are the good and bad things you’ve noticed about the classes you’ve been in.  What would you do differently?

As with any presentation, class should be a conversation; a forum for the production of ideas and transmission of knowledge. Carnegie Mellon professors rank among the most accomplished in their fields, and many of them excel in leading our young minds into their field of expertise. The best teachers I have had so far at Heinz really have embraced the conversational and interaction aspects of teaching. They ask many questions, seek active input and rely on peer to peer insight to fuel the class discussion. The classes I have enjoyed the most involve me to be fully engaged and result in a conversation between my fellow students, myself and the professor. It is not a time where I am being talked to but rather an evolving educational space where the professor has an agenda he/she is wishing to teach but is also always changing as students bring their input and insights to the table.

Despite the many great successes of Heinz faculty, some professors seem to experience a hurdle presenting their knowledge and actual absorption by students. It’s the old adage “they are too smart.” Unable to relate to students first discovering a particular subject, these professors end up talking to a classroom of unresponsive participants who spend half the time lost or inattentive. Students, I have noticed, don’t gain as much from the class and the subject feels as though it falls flat.

The greatest improvement on this could be greater interaction. I have noticed that most professors who fall prey to an unresponsive audience rely far too heavily on power point. The concepts taught here at Heinz are complex and dynamic. Professors that engage visual and verbal communication, asking questions, drawing on a whiteboard and involving student response end up with active students who garner a wealth of knowledge from the class. Explaining dynamic models through a snapshot on a slide, however, often results in a disconnect between what the presenter is attempting to convey and what the student is actually absorbing. I would highly recommend professors use power point as a supplement at most. Show an idea or brief caption but then use whiteboards and discussion to convey the actual message.