How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice! How do you ensure your presentation stands out? Rehearse.
We recently had the privilege of working with two teams of presenters from the Momentous Institute, the school supported by the Dallas Salesmanship Club. The Momentous Institute readies children through grade five to succeed and graduate from high school.
The Institute held its third annual Changing the Odds Conference to share and celebrate its successes. More than a thousand people attended to hear keynote speaker Malcolm Gladwell – and educators and staff from the Institute.
How do therapists, educators and researchers match a renowned speaker like Malcolm Gladwell? By having presentations mapped out with every stylistic element – audience interaction, props, interesting visuals, relevant video and activities – and by rehearsing.
One of the teams talked about experiential learning and used an exercise that encouraged teamwork. Attendees formed teams of no more than five people and were instructed to build a pyramid on the table using only cups and a rubber band attached to five strings. The teams quickly figured out they had to pull the strings to stretch the rubber band in order to capture each cup. While chaos ensued, most of the teams built a pyramid in in approximately 15 minutes. Then, participants pulled out their phones and immediately tweeted and sent pictures, disseminating news and excitement about the conference.
The second team began their presentation describing their favorite childhood superheroes – Popeye, Wonder Woman and She-Ra from the cartoon series. The pictures introduced the concept that empathy can improve a child’s life and that it can be taught and learned. They concluded the hour by bringing out Popeye’s spinach, Wonder Woman’s Lasso and She-Ra’s sword to drive their message home.
Both teams incorporated many elements into their presentations. They came off perfectly – because they rehearsed. Malcolm, you’ve got competition.
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