Emotional Ramblings VS Practical Tips - Part 3

How the problem arises

The problem starts when the teacher either tells TOO MANY stories about himself, or he tells stories at the WRONG TIME.

All trainers or public speakers know this. When the audience wants you to shut up or stop talking about a certain subject, you'd be doing them a favor by jamming the brakes. When people don't want to hear about something anymore, they start ignoring the person talking.

So it's important for trainers or teachers to know when to start talking and when to stop talking. Unfortunately, not everyone knows this. Some people just find it kind of hard to know when to start talking or when to stop talking. I'm sure you know people like that. They just keep going on and on about something, even if the people around them are losing attention.

In other words, these people are talking for the wrong reasons. When seasoned trainers talk, their almost always have some specific objectives in mind. They may want to get your attention, arouse your interest, etc. But the ultimate goal is always to make sure that you pay full attention so that YOU LEARN.

People who go on and on when nobody else is paying attention are talking because THEY themselves want to talk. These people say they enjoy teaching, but they are teaching for the wrong reasons. Their primary objecting is not to make sure that the students learn. They just want people to listen to them.

The other reason why stories don't work is because they are used AT THE WRONG TIME. So when is the right time? Let's take a look at some examples.

Sometimes, an art class can start to feel lethargic when conducted in a lazy afternoon. Now's the time to spice things up by telling a joke, or some interesting stories. The teachers who can do this score some points!

How about the time when the student needs some stimulation for drawing inspiration? Now's the time to share stories! Tell stories to motivate, and tell stories to inspire!

The best teachers always have many motivational stories up their sleeves. And they should know when is the best time to use these stories to make their lessons more interesting and ultimately, more effective.

What happens when a teacher gets this wrong?

When students go to an art class expecting to hear some solid practical drawing tips, and the teacher is in la-la land, happily telling his own stories, the students will eventually start complaining. Bad timing, bad teacher!

On the surface, it appears that the teacher has more fluff than substance. But now we know the REAL underlying reasons, right?

These reasons are enough to separate the BETTER teachers, from the good teachers. The next time you walk into the drawing studio for your art lesson, observe the teacher. Is he just a good teacher? Or is he one of the better ones? If he's one of the better ones, don't skip classes!