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Mystery Meet: Students Succeed with Surprise Saturday Speeches

February 3, 2012

How well can you give a speech on the spot?

Thanks to an in-class exercise, the students in my COM-103, Public Speaking class at National University now know their answer to this question.

Two months ago — during a class on Saturday, December 3, 2011 — I challenged them to give one-minute informative or persuasive speeches about one item they randomly selected from a bag.

They energetically engaged the assignment and succeeded superbly (as I anticipated, despite initial hesitancy on their part)!

Here’s how completed the exercise:

I brought to class a bag I had earlier filled with 20 random items. After announcing and explaining the exercise to my students, I walked around the room, bag in hand, instructing each student to reach in and retrieve one item without looking.

The selected items included:

Bac’n Buds Plastic Jar (3.25 oz)
Black Wine Gift Bag
Blueberry Muffin Mix (7 oz)
Göt 2 Be Hair Gel (2.5 oz)
Hand Sewn Bag of Marbles
Hand-Held Hole Puncher
Large Yellow Sponge
New England Patriots Helmet Bank
Playing Cards from London (52)
Rayovac 6 Volt Lantern Battery
Red Bandanna Neck Cooler
Synthetic Pillow Stuffing.

I then gave my students 15 minutes to research and prepare a minimum one-minute speech about the item (using the computers at their desks).

Once they were ready, we began. While each student spoke I clocked their presentation without giving them any indication as to their progress or total time.

After giving the speech, each student wrote his or her name on the board and, next to their name, the length of time they guessed their speech to have been. I then told them how long their speech actually was, which they then wrote down on the board next to their estimated time.

My intent was to help them understand the differences in perceived time versus actual time — while also gaining practice giving speeches in a somewhat improvisational way.

Notably, with one exception, all of the students underestimated their total time, generally by a large margin. In one surprising case, a student’s estimate of her time was exactly the length of her speech!

The results are as follows:

Guess: 0:55 | Actual: 3:20 | Difference: -2:25
Guess: 0:45 | Actual: 1:11 | Difference: -0:26
Guess: 1:05 | Actual 1:05 | Difference: 0.00
Guess: 1:00 | Actual: 0:26 | Difference: +0.34
Guess: 1:01 | Actual: 0:51 | Difference: -0:10
Guess: 0:40 | Actual: 1:00 | Difference: -0:20
Guess: 0:40 | Actual: 0:57 | Difference: -0:17
Guess: 1:21 | Actual: 1:31 | Difference: -0:10
Guess: 1:07 | Actual: 2:04 | Difference: -0:57
Guess: 1:04 | Actual 2:09 | Difference: -1:05
Guess: 0:12 | Actual: 0:15 | Difference: -0.03
Guess: 1:30 | Actual 1:35 | Difference: -.05

In one particularly poignant speech, the student with the red bandanna neck cooler first presented a thorough overview of the history and uses of the item, but then explained how it also represented gang affiliation and death in her Los Angeles neighborhood. I was touched and impressed by how mature and meaningfully this student presented something so personal.

Overall the students seemed to enjoy the exercise . And, as I anticipated, each approached his or her item with a unique angle, but with an equal ambition to achieve. In total, the exercise took an hour to complete, and it really helped us start the class off with exceptional energy and excitement.

So are you ready to give your surprise speech?

Posted in Career, Classroom, Education | Tagged California, Education, matthew a. gilbert, los angeles, Academia, communications, learning, National University, public speaking, persuasive speeches, informative speeches, improv, improvisation, speeches, classroom, students, teachers, in class exercise, COM103, higher ed, adult education | Leave a Comment »

Thrive at Five: Celebrating My Fifth Year in My Second Career

September 2, 2011

On Saturday, September 2, 2006 I “officially” enrolled in my second career: teaching. It was on that date that I taught — of all subjects — my first traffic school class! Crammed with 40 students into the meeting room of a motel in Woodland Hills, CA without working air conditioning on a 100+ degree day — it was almost literally trial by fire!

In the five years that followed I have matured immeasurably as an instructor and managed to forge my own path into the world of academia. I now teach a variety of on-line and on-campus marketing, management, communication and writing classes (in addition to the occasional traffic school class).

The schools for which I now teach include UC Santa Barbara (Extension), UCLA (Extension), National University, Strayer University, and Axia College of University of Phoenix.

While teaching at these (and other) schools, I’ve had the privilege of learning with students from countries including Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Russia, Spain, Taiwain, the Philippines, and Turkey.

For those of you curious about how I have found my way to teaching opportunities, my most common methods are through personal referrals, social media relationships, postings in the Education/Teaching Jobs section of Craigslist, HigherEdJobs.com and the jobs section of the Chronicle of Higher Education website.

Although I am dedicated to continually improving, I am confident in my abilities to create curriculum, inspire my students and manage a classroom. My students respond positively to my methods and I appreciate their consistently positive reviews. I’ve also become quite adept at driving all over Southern California to teach! On a related note, I am grateful for having taught traffic school: it helped me develop a casual, yet professional style in my classes.

Numerically speaking, by my estimation, I have taught more than 150 classes (roughly 115 college level classes and 39 traffic school classes) and have learned with approximately 2,200 students! I am honored to have shared a learning experience with so many students and look forward to the individuals with whom I will have an opportunity to learn in the next five years!

Speaking of which, as a lifelong learner, I embrace Søren Kierkegaard’s idea that “to be a teacher in the right sense is to be a learner.” I join with my students on a journey towards generative learning which, according to Peter Senge, “enhances our capacity to create.” Learning generatively connects existing knowledge about a subject with emerging ideas about it, resulting in a more personalized understanding. In a classroom, a generative learning approach encourages students to individually engage material rather than passively listen to lectures.

It is for this reason that I am motivated by the motto “semper discens, semper faciens,” which translates to “learn continuously, live generatively.” To help my students learn generatively, I avoid assignments that require repetition of information in deference to papers, presentations and projects that provide a platform with which they can confront personal or professional issues. When possible, I customize curriculum to meet the needs of each class and am responsive to change throughout the term.

Acting as a “guide on the side” and not a “sage on the stage,” I combine learning with laughter and encourage students to pursue their individual ideas. Having taught students of various ages, ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds, I am especially sensitive to the diverse challenges with which my students might be contending. Considering this, I believe an educational environment should encourage students to compete with themselves, not with each other. Learning should create community, not competition. When one of us succeeds, all of us succeed.

Interdisciplinary by nature, I teach courses in business, communication, English, technology and traffic safety. While each discipline is distinct, I consider their common intersection with humanity, technology and industry. I often include elements of one or more of them in every class, regardless of its primary focus. I encourage my students to shatter preconceptions and create meaningful knowledge.

In summary, although it can be as challenging as it is rewarding, teaching allows me to help shape the lives of others while giving my life greater meaning.

Posted in Career, Education, Personal | Tagged peter senge, Education, MBA, Germany, matthew gilbert, Career, teaching, Axia College, University of Phoenix, UC Santa Barbara, Korea, Adjunct, Craigslist, Søren Kierkegaard, learn continuously, live generatively, Marketing, college, Italy, Chronicle of Higher Education, communication, National University, anniversary, Management, UCLA, India, writing, training, Strayer University, HigherEdJobs.com, Brazil, China, France, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Russia, Spain, Taiwain, the Philippines, Turkey | 1 Comment »

Social Media Math: Google + Me = ?

July 9, 2011

On the same day the Space Shuttle launched into its last orbit, I was invited to launch into my first orbit as a first generation member of Google+ by my friend, Detroit-based photographer Hillary Fox. You can view my profile and, if you are currently a Google+ member, add me to one of your “circles.”

If you would like an invitation to join, please contact me with your e-mail and, once there are more spots available, I will send you one. When I first signed up yesterday morning there were invitations to be had, but 12 hours later, when I endeavored to invite a friend, the option was no longer there.

It appears the system is once again closed to new users to prevent overwhelming the servers. Of course, the secondary benefit mirrors the most basic tenet of economics: scarcity drives demand.

Clearly, there is significant interest in this latest social media initiative from Google. With some of their more recent efforts — Wave and Buzz — seeming to have disappeared before the end of their first act, it will be interesting to see what happens with Google+.

I have taken Google+ for a few short test drives so far, but nothing too in depth. At the moment Google+ strikes me as very similar in almost every functional way to Facebook, though with the trademark Google simplicity of design and interface. I like the threaded discussions (as in Facebook) but for some reason it seems more free and open like Twitter.

Some specific thoughts:

Sparks: I signed up for a half-dozen “Sparks” (news feeds about topics in which I am interested).
Circles: I have also explored some of the posts of people in my “Circles” (groups of people I can define and to whom I can share content differently — like Facebook’s Lists).
Hangout: I haven’t yet chosen to “hangout” with anyone (group video chatting allowing up to 10 users at once).
Huddle: I also have not yet “huddled” (a group messaging function that lets users share information with certain “Circles”).

One additional improvement I discovered is that you can edit an update once it has been added — something you can only do in Facebook immediately after you post it. I can’t say that I see it as a “Facebook killer” yet but it is far too early to pass judgment. It definitely has potential to make a difference.

For some reason, despite its prowess elsewhere online, Google has struggled with creating a widely used social media platform. I wish them well in this endeavor. Generally speaking I am an admirer — and user — of many of Google’s services (it’s hard not to be given their extensive involvement in everything Internet).

In March I began using an Android-powered phone and to say I am overwhelmingly impressed would be an understatement. Previously I used a BlackBerry and while it was good, it was not great. Android’s functionality and features quite simply blow me away.

In May I began using Gmail more heavily after a new laptop failed and I needed a temporary solution to remain in communication with the outside world while I limped along with my old laptop. Once I began using Gmail to send and receive e-mail from my POP account, I suddenly realized the efficiency and effectiveness of the service.

Notably, I really appreciate the immediate integration of my calendar and contacts between my phone and my Gmail account online. This was always an arduous task with my BlackBerry and one of my chief frustrations (in addition to my Curve 8330 being vastly under-powered and unable to run more than two applications at once).

I have also discovered the ease with which I can save documents online and forego the need for a USB drive (for most cases). There are numerous other features offered by Google but those are just a few that I actively use.

One thing I do like about Google+ is that it integrates with all of these existing tools that I already use. Again, the idea of efficiency, immediacy and interactivity offered by Google+ with other Google products. Overall, I am unsure what will come of Google+ and what to expect from it. I am also unsure in what way, if at all, it will change my social media practices and priorities.

As it is, I am using social media more selectively and strategicially, though I still find incredible value in my Twitter accounts (I use @MatthewAGilbert and @doctorious the most regularly) and Facebook; both allow me to learn and share knowledge while making professional and personal connections that have enriched my life.

I also continue to teach several courses that directly or indirectly deal with social media and it’s impact on industries and individuals. Social media continues to evolve into an undeniable cultural and commercial force and my being able to teach it is a great way to continue learning about it.

Looking forward, I am intrigued and excited to find out what will become of Google+. For more information about it, you might want to explore this CrunchBase profile for Google+ — I found it useful.

The video below also offers a general overview of the service: