Communication & learning cmg

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The art and science of communication

Cormac McGrath

Director of Unit for Medical Education

Cormac McGrath

© Erik G Svensson

§ Remember You’re Awesome, A superstar!

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Entry Points


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Do’s and dont’s

In pairs Think about a lecturer/presentation you have seen in action.

Present one/a few things you thought were good Present one/a few things you thought were less good

What did s/he do? Create two lists– do’s and dont’s

What should one do as a presenter? What should one avoid?

List the three most important points in each

Quick summary

What?

Why? Who?

How


How would you target these audiences with your project?

§  Basic researchers §  Clinicians §  Patient organisations

Adapt your message to the audience (discuss two and two, 5 minutes)


Take my laundry time again and I will burn your clothes


§ Part one § Communication, perception and learning

§ Part two

§ Presentation technique

§  To communicate a message


Common Communication myths

§ Good communication has taken place

§ More communication is better

§ Communication ability is innate

§  To communicate a hidden problem exacerbates the problem

§  The message sent is the message received

§  Intellectual intelligence is the same as good communication

§ Communication is unidirectional

§  Learning communication theory makes you a better communicator

§ Communication solves everything

§ Effective communication is about presenting the blunt truth


Communication: What has changed from 350 BC to 2011?


Classical ways to convince an audience

§ Ethos § Logos § Pathos


Different communicative contexts •  Scientific contexts

–  Conferences

–  Seminars

–  Thesis defence

•  Popular scientific contexts –  Media

–  Funding organisations

–  Society and patient organisations

–  Practitioners

§ Not to mention the laundry §  Take my laundry time again and I will

burn your clothes


How do I get/compete with the audience’s thoughts?

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You need to be more interesting than the audiences’ own thoughts.

§  What am I going to make for dinner?

§  What time do I have practice this afternoon?

§  I wonder what’s bothering my boyfriend/girlfriend?

http://www.hemlin.pp.se/

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Lecturing and attention

“Some people talk in their sleep. Lecturers talk while other people sleep”

Albert Camus


Attention curve (Bligh 1971)

Start End 20-30 min

Where to introduce extra emphasis?

Attention curve (Bligh 1971)

Level of attention

Lecture time


Attention

Level of attention

Effect of rest or change in activity on learning (Biggs, 2003 from Bligh 1971)

Start End Lecture time

Short brake

Our sensory system adapts to the humming of the air-conditioner when it is consistent. We notice the changes


Information overload

§ Information overload § Too much information makes understanding difficult

§ Cognitive load (Sweller, Merrienboer 2009)

§  Our working memory is limited, overloading impairs understanding

§  Allow time to process new terminology, new concepts and complexity

§  Reduce extraneous load: make it easy for your audience to get and interpret the message


Biological limitations of cognitive capacity

• Multi modal information encodes more information/time and we remember the content better

• Dual coding theory. Visual and verbal channels, where information are processed in different processes. (Paivio)

•  Which sense (channel) is dominant for our perceptions?

Ø Use both images and speech in conjunction and coherence



So far

•  Good communication takes place when the presenter’sintended message has been internalised by the listener

•  Too much information, inhibits learning and understanding •  Too much one-way talking could be taxing for the audience

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Your presentation

•  What is the basic information you wish to convey? •  What is the right amount of information?

•  Be specific, share with your partner! •  Critique each other

Part two! § People are lazy!

§ Never underestimate the ignorance of your audience!

§ People create meaning out of nothing!

§  The availability Heuristic: the bat and the ball!


Non-verbal communication, signals

§ Body language § Gestures

§ Appearance

§ Requires less cognitive resources to process § Can be practiced, but difficult to perform deliberately when presenting


Chunking enhances memory of information

§ 52483612 § 524 836 12 vs. 5 2 4 8 3 6 1 2

§ G.A. Miller (1956) found the optimal number of chunks to be 7 when processing information §  ”The Magical Number Seven,

Plus or Minus Two”


Interpretation – search for meaning


Meaning making

§ Biological limitations are nessesary to consider, but not sufficient to ensure understanding and remembering § How do you facilitate meaning making? § Relate to previous experience § Relate to our needs §  Who’s your audience? §  Why should your audience care?


Interpretation

We

§ Relate to previous knowledge

§  Fill in the gaps

§ Disregard information that is perceived as redundant

We want to understand and make sense of the world!

Create meaning

This is an old house! Don’t flush tampons down the toilet.


What reaches the consciuos level?

§ We perceive 11 million information bits/second from our senses

§ Only 40 information bits reach the conscious level

§  The conscious experience is delayed with half a second §  Perceptions reach Cortex after 10-20msek

§  Consciuos experience after 0.5 second

§ Help your audience to sort out impressions to get the core of your message


Paris in the

the spring

Are you familiar with the saying:


How do we focus our audience’s attention?

Selective Attention Awareness

(Simon & Chabris, 1999)


Set the context for interpretation

§ Our expectations or model of the world determines what we see


The curse of knowledge

§ Your everyday knowledge of your topic and scientific field is acquired since many years. Eventually it becomes transparent to ourselves

§ What does it take for your audience to understand your message?


Can your listener guess the song?

§  Think of a well known song

§  Tap the melody with your finger while someone is listening

§ What are the chances of a correct answer from the listener?


What’s in your mind doesn’t automatically transfer to the audience

§ Elisabeth Newton had subjects tap out the melodies of a familiar song with their finger and predict what fraction of those songs will be recognized by a listener.

§  “Tappers” estimation was that 50% would be recognized

§  the result was 3% recognized songs.

Tappers estimation and listeners correct guess

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

estimation outcome

perc

enta

ge

Ref: L. Newton, “Overconfidence in the Communication of Intent: Heard and Unheard Melodies,” Ph.D. dissertation, (Stanford University, 1990)


Summary

§ What is the most important things you picked up so far?



Elevator Pitch

Key Points •  Identify your goal. •  Explain what you do. •  Communicate your USP. •  Engage with a question. •  Put it all together. •  Practice. Try to keep a business card or other take-away item with you, which helps the other person remember you and your message. And cut out any information that doesn't absolutely need to be there.

Part three: Communication and learning Creating meaning



Supports memory and learning § Meaningsfulness

§  Organisation/structure

§  Practice/execution

§  Repetition

§  Feedback

Ref: Bligh ur Bolander, Good Practice in Lecturing

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Obstructs memory § Being passive, inactive

§  Too much information

§  Irrelevance

§  Too fast too furious

Ref: Bligh ur Bolander, Good Practice in Lecturing

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Preparation Preparation– what will I talk about –

gather and filter material

§  To whom will I speak?

§  What will I speak about?

§  Why?

§  Where?

§  When?


Who?

What? Why?

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Model for planning your speech Who?

What? Why?

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Target group- Who?

§ Age? Gender?

§ Occupation?

§ Knowledge?

§ Experience?

§ Expectations?

§ Cultural context?

§ Number?

§ Needs?

§  Interest?

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What?

§ Context?

§ Time?

§ Content?

§ How much information?

§ What level?

§ Language (specialist-general)?

§ Take home message?

§ Media? Take home message

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How to plan my presentation?

1.  Jot down some questions

2.  First things first; what is most interesting 1.  You 2.  Target group

3.  Make sure you answer your questions

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Main message A new filter for measuring air pollution has shown high reliability Target group: Engineers Storgatan will be closed for traffic after 15.00 on Friday Target group: Shop owners Air pollution in the central areas of Stockholm is a serious health concern Target Group: Politicans

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§  Introduce?

§  Inform?

§  Inspire?

§ Convince?

Why?

§ To learn?

§ Remember?

§ Understand?

§ Be inspired?

You Them

Purpose

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Execution

§  Body language, eye-contact, voice

§  Variation during the presentation

§  Time & Attitude

§  Script, introduction and conclusion

§  Questions & flexibility


In summary § Preparation (who, what, why, how)

§ Structure

§ Practice with an audience

§ Start or finish with main message -

”Take home message”


Modes of persuasion

§ Ethos: § Credibility

§ Logos: § Logical arguments, reasoning

§ Pathos: § Emotional aspects


Consider your presentation § Ethos: who are you? What has

been done in the field previously?

§ Logos: How do you present a coherent argument from what you have said?

§ Pathos: What is the human aspect of your presentation? Why should I care?

§ Ethos

§ Pathos

§  Logos


§ Ethos: It can be used to gain credibility: "The 1990 consensus reports that fifty percent of all marriages will end in divorce.”

§ Pathos: Awakens a sense of involvement "Turn and look at the person sitting next to you. One of the two of you will get a divorce.”

§  Logos: Present the hard facts "Because one out of every two marriages here in the United States ends in divorce, it is imperative we reform the court system to have a more fair resolve in settlements for both women and men."


§ And they can be blended together:

§  "The 1990 census report has found that 50% of all marriages end in divorce. That means that one out of every two marriages are not successful. It could be yours; it could be the person's sitting next to you. And if you are a woman, your chances of a fair settlement are far lower than if you are a man. We must reform our court system."


Critical analysis § How would you introduce your topic? Catch people’s attention?

§ How would you change/tweak the presentation to different audiences? §  What does grandma need to know?

§  How would you pitch the idea to the HR manager at a local firm?

§  Why should KI fund your research?

§ Considering Ethos/Pathos/Logos, how would you adapt the presentation to incorporate those aspects of public speaking?


Wrapping things up § Make sure what you want to say

§ Plan it carefully!

§  Lighten up on the details!

§  Focus on a clear Take home message

§ Adopts different modes of persuasion §  Ethocs

§  Logos

§  Pathos


Resources §  http://www.ted.com/talks

§  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/588/04/

§  http://rhetoric.byu.edu/

§  http://www.toastmasters.org/tips.asp

§  http://www.hemlin.pp.se/


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Communication & learning cmg