News & Views
At the end of the day, in my own personal opinion , it's all about communication, yeah?
By Terry Freedman
Wed, 7 May 2008, 18:34

England's The Daily Telegraph recently reported on a study which found that 10% of the words we Brits use in conversation are so-called “filler” words. In other words, all the “ums” and “ahs” that do not add anything to the information being imparted.

So that got me thinking:

Are we good at teaching kids how to communicate effectively, as opposed to using the tools of information and communications technology effectively?

The reason I ask is that teachers and schools tend to pride themselves over the fact that their students can use PowerPoint, VoiceThread, digital video and other tools of the trade. However, in my experience of going to schools, and to conferences where students are speaking, presentations by students are almost invariably awful. The reason is that they are usually guilty of one or more of the following:

Gabbling through their talk so quickly that you can't actually understand what they're saying. I'm sympathetic about the possibility that they are probably nervous, but that simply tells me that they haven't had enough practice, or the right kind of practice, or that they are too focused on themselves instead of the audience.

Mumbling. Part of the art of communication is being able to project your voice or to use a microphone.

Hands in pockets. This isn't confined to kids, of course: many adults do it too. I think it's quite rude. If you think I'm being unreasonable, then I invite you to try my litmus test. If HM The Queen or the US President were to visit your school, would you allow a student to address her or him with their hands in their pockets? Of course you wouldn't! So why let them do it when addressing the rest of us?

I've visited a lot of schools over the years, and seen a lot of ICT lessons. In all that time I have never seen a teacher assess a student's presentation in its entirety, only in terms of its content (ie subject knowledge) and in terms of the use of the technology. I think this is a mistake: a good speaker can captivate an audience even without PowerPoint or whatever, but a good PowerPoint will not always “rescue” a poor speaker.

It seems to me that the teaching of Information and Communications Technology ought really to include, or be supplemented by, the teaching of communicating with technology. This is not the same as ICT, and is not the same as Communication Skills. It should include talking when showing a PowerPoint, when to use a graph or a spreadsheet table, and when to use nothing at all.

For more information about the study referred to by the Daily Telegraph, including research which suggests that filler words are good things, read this blog post.

© Terry Freedman Wed, 7 May 2008