Humanizing yourself as an instructor.
I have found that a funny "mess-up" story about something I have done helps the students see that I am human and therefore, not scary.
John--
That is excellent. It makes you human!
Susan
Almost daily, or at least weekly, I bring stories from the field of some of the dumb things I did. Not only does it let them know I'm human, if they're listening they might learn what not to do from my mistakes. Though it seems a majority of the newer generation of students don't get the lesson, the sharper ones understand and are very receptive to the lesson learned...
Depending on which course I'm covering, I use some specific examples from my career to show that anyone can make a mistake. However, besides just showing them I'm not perfect, I use the examples to show how I was able to learn from the mistakes, and also to have a discussion about how to professionally handle themselves when they make them. Stories about screwups don't have to be just entertainment...
I try toshow the students stories of making mistakes, catching them and fixing them. Unfortunately for me the only response I usually get seems to be I am boring the class with TMI, too much information. My stories are truthful and to a point. This does not stack up with other instructors who may tell more colorful(or off color stories) in their classes.
That's so true,Humanizing yourself as an instructor goes alot farther then some may relize, I tell them that the one thing that is different between them and I is the fact that I simply started this career eariler then they did. The proof in that is I say -Just look at all the instructors you see here, Most if not all used to be students here,So theres nothing to stop you in following your dream and then possibly come back to share what you have learned out in the field. That really peaks there intrest in knowing that they have a future after there future. Meaning that some of them may just become instructors because there shop experience and shop knowlage could bennefit someone else's life just like my exp i hope, has helped them.
I agree that it is very important to humanize yourself as an instructor. Naturally this must be done in a way that maintains the highest level of professionalism. I really like the great posts in this category. The funny mess up story, the story about a mistake made, caught and corrected, the story of how you made a mistake and how you took ownership of it and made it right. All great stuff. I hear and understand what was said about competing with "colorful stories", but if an instructor speaks with sincerety most students can detect that and I think deep down they probably prefer sincerety to colorfulness.
Thomas--
This sounds like an excellent 'speech' to make students feel comfortable. Good for you!
Susan
Rick--
Sincerity is always the best. If we speak from the heart, it comes across and people respect that.
Susan
Sometimes the best way for adult students to learn is through others mistakes. If a student truely listens to their instructors tales of mistakes-of-old then they know what pitfalls to look out for on their own.
Michael--
Great point. I don't think anyone had brought up the idea of discussing prior mistakes. We can learn much from what others have gone through!
Susan
James, The stories you tell should be related to the subject and objectives of the lesson being presented. These stories help break up the lectures and give the students a point of reference of what is being taught. By telling stories off topic the students could be distracted from the true goal of the lesson and become bored because they do not see the relavence of the story to what is needed to be learned. These distractions could cause bordom to set in or be determined by the students as too much information to process - especially if it becomes excessive.
I always tell the story of my start in the business as a floor sweeper and very slowly I was promoted to higher levels because I didn't have the formal training that they are getting here, and that it took 5 years for me to get where they will be when they graduate..
Robert--
That is a great story and sets a realistic expectation that students will not start out as a CEO immediately after graduation. Having worked in career services, this is a very common misconception.
Susan
I have found this not only helps show that i am human but also that the students will relax a little bit and be more inclined to come to you when something goes wrong and ask questions more openly.
Another thing that I found works well is to tell them some things that you have done in the field that they can picture themselves doing, it can be something funny or exciting but they need to be able to visualize themselves doing it also. It works pretty well.
Brian-
That is a great point. Telling them about our professional experiencce is a good thing. Telling them actual stories about some of the exciting or interesting things we have done on those jobs is even better.
Susan
Yes i agree i have let my students know about funny mishaps i have done in the field. I also remind them to learn from my mistake.
I absolutely agree! Students respond with great attention to almost all "stories from the trenches" in the industry, but when they hear an incident from the instructor's past where she/he messed up, they realize that even the most accomplished person has made lots of mistakes. I sometimes tell the class when I am demonstrating a difficult culinary procedure about how long it took me to get it right when I was first learning it--I can convince them that it looks easy when I do it because I made every mistake I could make while perfecting it!
Showing the students that you make mistakes and that mistakes are o.k. as log as you learn from them, it shows the student that things happen,even to the instructor.
