What advice do you have to give a presentation to disgruntled teachers?

a 6 hour presentation to about 50 teachers who rather be home doing something else (as would I)What advice do you have to give a presentation to disgruntled teachers?
I have been in your position before. It's tough. What is it exactly that you will be presenting? Not that it really matters. The most important part to any presentation is your enthusiasm, and their participtaion. One of the things that I'm sure you already know is that a mormal persons attention span is about 20 minutes. After that, people tend to wander. That's why varying your activities is so very important. Here are some ideas.





1. Ice breakers. I like to do a Person to Person scavenger hunt. I create about 20 random questions such as, ';I graduatied from the University of Texas.'; ';I have taught for 15 years.'; '; I have travelled to China,'; etc. I make enough copies for everyone. Then, they are given as much time as it takes to question eachother. As soon as they find a person who matches that question, the individual must initial it. Once all questions have been initialed, the game is over. Of course there is always a prize for every winner. This is great because there are probably new teachers out there who may meet a great mentor. If nothing else it can be a great coverstation starter.





2. Follow your ice-breaker with about 15-20 minutes of presentation. Please do Powerpoint whenever possible, and don't be afraid to sprinkle appropriate cartoons into your information. It can hold people's attention. At this point you have engaged them for about 30 minutes. It is time for either a 5 minute break and/or another activity depending on your schedule. Follow with another thirty minutes of presentation, and then a ten minute break. I would use this formula for the entire day.





3. Be sure to include any kind of group activities that you can.


Everyone learns more and remembers more when they are part of the program. Be sure to have acitvites set up so that they have to present to the group as a whole. This also provides a chance for you to monitor their understanding, and it gives you a small break as well.





There are so many great activites out there too, that don't cost a thing. Be sure to have rewards as well. Teachers love things they can use, like pencils, rulers, pens, etc. Put some of these things in a pencil holder, and it makes a nice presentation. You may also call people and ask for a donation of a gift certificate. You will be amazed at the kind of communtiy support you will get for teachers. At the end, or even in between, you can have a drawing for your door prizes that didn't cost a dime!





There are several websites that will give you ideas for games. Just type in ';icebreakers'; and you should come up with a lot of links. Best of luck to you. Just remember to keep it light if possible, and fun no matter what!What advice do you have to give a presentation to disgruntled teachers?
Okay - been there, done that. Sometimes I get hired by school districts to do this kind of training (I'm a teacher, too.) In some instances, the attendees are self-selected, and they really want to come. (I've even presented workshops where teachers are paid to come!) In other instances, teachers have been required to attend, and some of the less-mature teachers come in with a chip on their shoulders.





So - you have to establish GOOD WILL with the teachers. Here are some things that I have done over the years.





1 - Learn everybody's name, but DON'T use nametages. Have everybody introduce themselves briefly, and make notes as they speak (but don't be too obvious.) Then, when you call them by their names, they will be very surprised. It will make them feel important. People LOVE to hear their own names.





2 - Keep them moving. No adult likes to sit still for long periods of time (unless there's a game on.) After the introductions, do a line-around. Have the teachers line-up in circle, based on a criteria you set, like ';How many years have you been teaching?'; or ';What state were you born in? (alphabetically.) Just about everybody has fun with these activities. It is about THEM, and they learn things about other people.





3 - Be prepared, be prepared, BE PREPARED !!! Keep it rolling. Have every handout ready, and laid-out in order. Don't pass-out handouts until you need them. Get your powerpoint and examples loaded. NO TECHNICAL PROBLEMS !!!





4 - Don't talk about yourself. Even if you're a really swell person, most people see that as a waste of time.





5 - Make the room comfortable. Check the temperature. Provide comfortable seating (most teachers don't want to sit in little-kid chairs.) Provide snacks and plenty of caffiene.





6 - Door Prizes !!! People love door prizes. If you're demo-ing a product, call the vendor, tell them what you are doing, ask for a door prize (I do this and have NEVER been turned-down.) Go to Wal-mart and buy a $5 potted plant and give it away. Even if you have to spend $25-30 of your own money, it is worth it (I assume you are getting paid.) Give a door prize every hour. Don't wait until the end. You want to build good will EARLY. Give a neat door prize within the first hour.





7 - Visit local restaurants and arrange for lunch discounts. Most restaurants have a drawer full of discount coupons that they are pleased to give you.





8 - Depending on how much influence you have over the situation, try to arrange a ';perk'; for those who attend. Maybe the attendees can skip the next faculty meeting, or take a half-day off on the next teacher work day. One year I did a voluntary workshop, and only 10 teachers participated (out of 30.) The local grocery store had just donated $1000 to the school, and the principal gave each teacher $100 to spend on their classrooms.





9 - Be prepared !!! I know I said that before, but it is SO important.





10 - Vary the activities. You can't do pitch/catch for 6 hours, especially with adults. Have things for them to DO. Put them in groups, and then share their ideas.





Finally - you have to remember that YOU are setting the tone for the meeting. In your question, you stated the you would also rather be home doing something else. PLEASE don't communicate this to your audience - it is POISON. You have to let them know that what you are talking about is very important, that you know their time is valuable, and that you will do your best to present this information to them so that they can use it in the future.





Good luck !!!!





P.S. - Smile a lot !!!
Get exerpts from the movie Freedom Writers. Show the most powerful parts of the film. Discuss how many obstacles were in her way......yet she overcame them.Have teachers list obstacles and how they as a staff can overcome them.


Then once that is done pick the top three and make a ;plan on how to solve them.


After that show movies with effective teachers:Mr.Holland's Opus.....Coach Carter...and again F.Writers.Talk about the importance of building meaningful relationships and show how the movies have proven it and what the teachers did....then work in teams to make a plan on how to build classrooms that have a strong sense of family.
First - make it engaging - but my advice is use ice breakers carefully. The last thing I want to do when I'm somewhere i don't want to be is to do some cheesy activity. ACK!!
HOLY SH** -- Good luck with that!