This newsletter launches a new series that will walk you through a five-step progression that can enhance your work with youth. The first phase is Introduction.

Take care not to overlook the importance of a good introduction. A great piece of literature depends on a well-crafted introduction. I remember reading the highly descriptive opening of Steinbeck’s “East of Eden.” I couldn’t put it down. It had all the qualities of a great presentation.

Your introduction is like a boat dock. By the end of the introduction you want to have everyone in the boat. Before shoving off you want to build a sense of expectation. This allows you to enter the process phase with full engagement.

Coherence is one of the chief goals of the introduction. Our brains crave coherence. Studies on the brain and learning demonstrate that when we detect dissonance our brains flush much of what we’ve learned. Eliminate dissonance and you encourage youth to retain and build upon what they’ve learned.

Build a solid introduction by answering the following four questions. If possible, ask students to help answer the second two:

1. What are we talking about?

[Insert topic here.] This is your theme. State in the simplest terms the topic you’d like to discuss. It may be teen alcohol use, suicide, the media, or relationships. Make sure everyone knows with absolute clarity what you plan to discuss. If you use demonstrations, insert them here.

Note: Your demonstrations work best during the introduction. But beware. If you use demonstrations, don’t confuse them with process (the topic of our next newsletter). A demonstration is merely a mode of communication. State the theme verbally. If you wish, restate the theme through a demonstration.

2. What do you expect from youth during your time together?

Let youth know how you hope they’ll collaborate with you and with each other to gain a deeper understanding of the topic. Will you be doing an activity? Will they be in small groups? Will they be sharing ideas? Let them know so they can prepare and know what to expect.

3. How does this topic relate to the topic you just discussed?

For the sake of coherence and continuity connect the present topic to past topics. We separate topics in order to examine them. But we understand topics best in their broader context. So, for example, explore how the media is related to refusal skills, how alcohol use might relate to relationships, and how life goals might connect to character goals.

4. Why is it important to discuss this topic?

Youth will engage in the process phase only if they see the topic as relevant to them. Before you transition to the next step, give them the opportunity to orient themselves to the topic and its import to their lives.

So now you’ve set the stage. You’ve piqued the curiosity of those with whom you’re speaking. You and your compadres are ready to move into the most important phase: process. We’ll look at this more closely in October’s newsletter.

It’s great to be working with you to promote positive change in the lives of young people.

Best,

Andrew

Tags: adolescent health, adolescents, connecting with youth, education, effective programs, engaging youth, positive change, student engagement

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In the last few newsletters I’ve addressed how to slim down and optimize your content to maximize process and meaningful connection with adolescents. Now I’d like to put these key elements into a workable structure for you. In the next five newsletters I’ll explore in more depth the five phases I believe are crucial to the effectiveness and efficiency of your presentations: Introduction, Process, Synthesis, Motor, and Transition.

1. Introduction

The first phase is introduction. Your goal here is to have each teen “in the boat.” Simply put, you want to enter the next phase–process–with every teen operating at maximum engagement. We must answer the following key questions during this phase:

> What are we talking about?

> What’s expected of the teens?

> What are the ground rules?

> Why are we talking about this?

> How does this topic relate to the previous topics?

A good introduction will channel adolescents into the second and most important step–process.

2. Process

Process is to learning what digestion is to eating. It’s healthier to present adolescents with a light healthy snack of content–then allow time and freedom to interact with and take ownership of it. Only then will the content be relevant and actionable.

3. Synthesis

The third phase, synthesis, offers adolescents opportunity to make meaning of the process. The presenter or educator can facilitate synthesis by bundling together comments into likenesses, then reframing the main message after integrating the input from participants. This is a far cry from traditional approaches wherein we state our message in our terms, irrespective of the input adolescents give.

4. Motor

In the motor phase we address the all-important, oft-overlooked question: So what? How are the conclusions reached during synthesis supposed to influence teens’ decisions in the next twenty-four hours, seven days, six months? Help adolescents identify specific actions they will take based on their conclusions.

5. Transition

The fifth and final stage is the transition. Think of this as the pre-introduction to your next topic. Provide a sweeping summary of the conversation, highlighting the main points you and the teens identified. With this summary in place, you are ready to introduce the next topic.

I’m looking forward to discussing how to apply these five steps to boost the engagement and process in your work.

It’s great to be working with you to promote positive change in the lives of young people.

Best,

Andrew

Tags: adolescent health, adolescents, connecting with youth, education, effective learning, effective programs, positive change, process, student engagement

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I love good coffee. Every morning I brew up a couple cups of my home roasted beans. Amazing things happen. I form sentences. I’m engaged with the day!

Good questions are caffeine for curiosity, an essential component for engaging teens. Curiosity is an appetite to see and understand. It’s constructive confusion. Too often we provide answers. There is no confusion and therefore no curiosity. By asking good questions–questions that spring forth from our own curiosity–we cultivate fertile ground for learning and positive change.

But all questions are not alike. Basic communication classes teach that a good question is an open-ended question: one beginning with what, how, when, why, and where. Those questions one can answer with yes or no are not good questions, or so goes the rule.

But here’s a conundrum: Open-ended questions are not always good questions and close-ended questions can be brilliant. “What are the three most common sexually transmitted diseases?” These kinds of questions drive students to a prepared, static answer. Now consider how a close-ended (yes/no) question can open conversation: “Do you have a safety plan if you ever feel like your life is threatened?” Imagine the kinds of great questions that might flow from this close-ended question.

Divergent questions that encourage exploration, not a pat answer, are most likely to increase student curiosity. Synthesis and understanding are important. But answers are most meaningful when preceded by divergent exploration. Divergence allows us to explore the context that surrounds our topic, leading to deeper understanding. Too often we bypass this crucial process.

Before signing off I want to underscore that convergent questions are not implicitly bad. “Is everyone understanding what we’re talking about?” is an example of a very helpful convergent question. But divergent questions are caffeine for our curiosity. My hope is that we will be more aware of the types of questions we ask and how we use them in the course of learning. We’re always moving with students from abstract to concrete and back again. Questions are trusted guides for this process.

The next time you observe your staff (or yourself) working with teens, I encourage you to try the following:

On a blank piece of paper create a column for divergent questions and a column for convergent questions.

1) Tally how many questions the educator asks in each category.

2) Note how the educator uses convergent and divergent questions.

3) Note how students responded to the questions.

Push yourself to ask better questions and you will see student curiosity increased. It’s better than Red Bull!

It’s great to be working with you to promote positive change in the lives of young people.

Best,

Andrew

Tags: adolescent health, adolescents, communicating with youth, connecting with youth, curiosity, divergent questions, education, effective programs, good questions, positive change, student engagement

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