Who Takes Centre Stage?
Are you playing second fiddle to your Training Slides?
Visualise your training room. Where is the screen for your data projection? I don't need to be a mind reader to guess that it's probably placed front and centre in the room. Am I right? Well 99% of all training rooms I work in are set-up this way (initially) - so what's the problem, this must be the correct place for projection - isn't it?
Now imagine you are an actor on stage. Of course, you are playing the lead character. Where on stage are you most likely to deliver your lines? Centre stage; the prime position where everyone can see and hear you.
...Oh, but just a moment, isn't that where your data projection is positioned in your training room - centre stage? Are you sure you want to give your prime position to one of your training tools? Isn't that place reserved for you - the training facilitator?
If we look at a stage (or the front of a training room) and divide it into 6 locations, the hierarchy of positions are as follows:
Stage back:
- Left - 5th position
- Centre - 4th position
- Right - 6th position
Stage front:
- Left - 2nd position
- Centre -1st position
- Right - 3rd position
Centre Front - Position 1
Let's not give this prime location away. Take control again and keep the maximum power position for yourself and relegate the data projection to the weakest position - back right. After all, it's your experience and guidance your learners are there for not to look at slides all day.
I've been using this technique for the past 20 years and have found:
- I rely less on slides/PowerPoint. In fact, for our 3-days workshop I have 9 slides and one of those is for timekeeping.
- I seem to have more room for myself up-front.
- I can deviate from my original path for content to offer experience and examples without the restriction of what the next slide will be.
- It's easier for learners to see and hear me.
- There is no power-struggle taking place between me and my projector now when I take centre stage.
- Learners seem to be able to see the projector screen easier at an angle.
- It's different.
I can hear you saying, 'Yes, that's all very well, but our projection is fixed and cannot be moved'. This is the case in most training rooms now, but, you can always move the front of the room. Just rearrange the tables and chairs so that the front of the room is where you want it to be. For the few slides you'll now use, it doesn't seem to bother learners at all to turn their head occasionally to see a supporting slide.
Call To Action
Take control and notice the difference this makes for your learners when you give data projection a supporting role and center stage is reseved for you to share your techniques and experience.
