what i learned presenting to third graders

Brand Twenty-Seven M a x R u c k m a n

1 Brand Twenty-Seven

The Visit

03

So, I’m at my daughters elementary school reading a story for her 3rd grade

class, the kids love it and it helps me

improve my storytelling skills.

You will never find a more creaFve

audience.

They seemed

excited to

see me!

Asked & Answered

As I’m leaving, the teacher was showing me the class fossil project. That’s when the conversaFon took a darker turn.

The next thing I know I had commiIed to come back the following week and give a Geology presentaFon for the class.

04

I may have mention

ed my

undergraduate degree in Geology.

Kids can be brutally

honest! I‘d much rather

present to adults.

What Have I

done?

05

Know When to Stop Talking You just agreed to the toughest

audience of your life.

Lesson 1

06

Dear Mr. Ruckman,

I loved when you visited us and showed us all your

rocks and fossils. Especially, when you showed us your

favorite one. My favorite part was when you told us

about the fossils of plants, animals, and other

creatures. And I think I would like to have a rock

collection too. I hope you have a GREAT CHRISTMAS!!!

Thank you for coming!!!

Me Saying: Y

ay, I got

some rocks

for

Christmas

07

Within a few days I received an email asking if all of the third grade classes could come. I guess word travels fast. So now we’re talking about 200 kids watching my every move, checking for authenFcity, trying to determine if I was worth

listening to. Is he entertaining? Does he know anything about Dinosaurs?

09

What was I thinkin

g!, I said yes!

It’s been many ye

ars since I studied Geology

.

KidsAreBrutallyHonest!Kids have a way of quickly leUng you

know how well you’re doing. They’re

like one of those poliFcal meters used to

determine how people react to what a

poliFcian says, only they do it with their

expressions and engagement level.

Lesson 2

010

Only two

kinds

of peopl

e

Are hones

t,

kids and

drunk p

eople.

Dear Mr. Ruckman,

Thank you for coming Mr. Ruckman. I really

enjoyed the shark tooth! One day I want to

discover things too. I thought everything

was awesome! I hope you come back later!

P.S. Merry Christmas!

011

As I thought about my upcoming gig, I started to remember just how complicated this subject can be.

You won’t find most of the terms in Webster's DicFonary. Only the geoscience dicFonary will do here.

Anyway, the goal is to simplify, no need for the special dicFonary, it’s 3rd graders aXer all.

013

Must Channel My Inner Geologist

Now, how do I tackle the Fmescale? It’s big, really big! Really, really big!!!

I mean, we’re talking about 4.5 billion years!

That’s tough for an adult to comprehend, much less 3rd graders.

Challenges

014

015 Just looking at the

Grand Canyon and

trying to fathom that

one river could carve

the enFre canyon is sFll

mind boggling to me.

015

Challenges

AdultsOverComplicateThings!The challenge to simplify a complex

subject and present it to 7 and 8 year

olds can be daunFng. Employers

should require every adult to do this

and they would soon realize just how

we over complicate things and how much simpler it should be.

Lesson 3

016

Dear Mr. Ruckman,

This is James. The boy who said I want to be

a scientist. My favorite part is the volcanic

glass. It was awesome!!! Did you want to be

a geologist? You taught me a lot of stuff

Mr. Ruckman.

017

Simple is Good!

So I started simplifying.

How do I talk about geology in a way that kids will

understand and actually learn? How will I teach?

Step 2

How will I combine Step 1 & 2 and

simplify to a third grade level?

Step 3

What will I teach?

Step 1

019

One Part Easy,

One Part Difficult

The easy part was the props (rocks, fossils tape measure, pictures)

AXer all, I have some very cool rocks and

fossils! If you’re into that kind of thing!

The difficult part was creaFng something

they would pay aIenFon too.

Found the b

oring

rocks, wher

e’s

the cool stu

ff?

020

It’sNottheProps,It’stheEngagementAll of the cool props in the world will

not make up for a boring, overly

complex presentaFon that puts people

to sleep. Adults, just like kids need to

be engaged; without engaging,

interesFng content the rest is just a monkey trying to dance.

Lesson 4

021

“Shut

your

pie hole

and

dance,

monkey!”

Dear Mr. Ruckman,

My favorite things that you have collected

was the shark tooth, crystal, millipede,

centipede and fools gold/pyrite. Is it fun

going places like Oklahoma, Texas and Florida

to look for fossils and other things?

P.S. Have a happy Christmas.

022

My insFncts told me the best approach

was to focus on a few key subjects,

rather than jump around.

I felt using pictures combined with

props and quesFon & answer would be

more interacFve and engaging.

But honestly, you just never know for

sure, especially with kids.

Creating Engaging Content

Have You Ever Been Experienced?

024

The key to success was geUng the kids

involved, tesFng their knowledge and

using pictures to help explain how the

earth changes over Fme.

By passing around pictures rather than

using PowerPoint it made it more

interacFve and interesFng for the kids.

Creating Engaging Content Not Actual

ly me,

I just like L

egos

025

It Must

Be A Lea

rning Exp

erience

026

You brought the questions, I brought the answers and it was beautiful, I almost cried.

Doesn’tHavetobeHigh-TechorPerfecttoBeEngagingI could have gone in with a slick

PowerPoint presentaFon, with videos

and animaFon, but this would have

killed the spirit of the kids and quite

honestly put them to sleep.

Lesson 5

027

Dear Mr. Ruckman,

My favorite part was when you showed us the

rock that looked like a face. I also liked the

shark tooth. How big was that shark anyways?

I think it is very cool to be a geologist and study

geology. When you showed the volcano lava rock.

Where did you get it? I would like to know what

is your favorite rock? Thank you for coming and

showing us the rocks that you found.

028

I asked for volunteers to help pass around

the rocks and fossils so everyone would

have a chance to see them up close and

feel their weight and texture.

This kicked the discussion into overdrive

and other than the level of noise created,

was very exciFng.

Excitement + Noise = Learning

Involvement Overdrive

030

No PowerPoint, TV or Computer was used or harmed in the making of the presentaFon. Relying to much on electronics can dull the senses and reduce acFve engagement. This was the best way to keep the kids from zoning out.

031

Just Say No To Electronics

To create perspecFve while showing a giant fossilized Megalodon sharks tooth, a few

volunteers stretched out a giant tape measure to show the sharks length and mouth size.

Show Don’t Tell

032

Using something relatable for size comparison was

key to helping the kids

understand the size of the

Megalodon.

033

A school bus was perfect.

It was something in their

everyday life, making it

easy to relate to and grasp.

034

InvolvementCreatesEngagementInvolving the kids in the presentaFon

was key to a successful learning

experience. The more someone is

acFvely involved, the more they will

learn, the more excited they will be

about the subject and the beIer they will understand. CommunicaFon is

improved and the odds of success

increases.

Lesson 6

035

Dear Mr. Ruckman,

I loved the pyrite best because it was gold and

gold is my favorite color. The shark you talked

about was long. It was the longest shark I’ve

ever seen. Looking at those rocks was so cool.

The rocks were fun to touch. I want to be a

geologist when I grow up. Rocks are cool and fun

to look at. The lava rock was my second favorite.

036

Now, contrast this with the many meeFngs

and presentaFons you have sat through in

your life and it’s easy to see why interacFve

engagement and simplificaFon is so

important, regardless of the subject.

038

The most important goal is for the audience,

be it customers, your team, execuFves or

professional peers; to walk away with a

complete understanding and excitement

about why they were there and what they

learned.

039

Don’tBeaSmartass!No maIer how smart someone is

about some subjects, they will also be

dumb about others. You will do

yourself a big favor by making it simple

and easy for the audience.

Lesson 7

040

Don’t Be a

Smartass!

Dear Mr. Ruckman,

I like what you talked about. I am not a big fan

of rocks, but I like fossils. I have made one with

a leaf, a fake one. That face is just bones. It’s

incredible. Oh that shark tooth was sweet too.

How does a volcano make glass? The millipede

picture was great. The stuff that you talked

about made me feel like being just like you.

041

Hey when I’m in a room full of markeFng

people, we go crazy; we let the acronyms

and lingo fly, because we’re with our own

kind. Same goes for when I’m in a room full

of guitar players or geologists.

043

Don’tShowOff!Using language, words or acronyms

that the audience may not know or

understand does not make you look

smart, it makes you look arrogant and

defeats the reason you are presenFng

in the first place.

Lesson 8

044

his new black rimmed glasses immediately made him 80% more quotable

Dear Mr. Ruckman,

My favorite part is when you came and you

showed us the shark tooth. The dinosaur that you

measured was very long! The funny rock that I

liked was like a cow’s face. The rock that looked

like it was heavy; it was really not. It was like a

ball that has air in it. I know your son Ryan, he

is in my brothers class. You went to Oklahoma,

Texas and Florida. That’s a lot of place. I had a

great time.

045

I Challenge

You!

Pick a c

omplicat

ed subje

ct and p

resent it

to a roo

m full o

f third

grader

s, it will

be

a great

experienc

e and yo

u will im

prove yo

ur

approac

h to fut

ure pres

entations

.

It’s

both goo

d and g

ood for

you!

046

The following year, I presented Geology for my son’s 2nd grade class. I also presented Honduras Marine Environments for his 4th grade class and the Galapagos Islands for my daughters 5th grade class. The difference in how you present, changes considerably with each grade level.

[email protected] www.maxruckman.com twi%er.com/maxruckman

Max Ruckman - Brand Coach

what i learned presenting to third graders

Presentations & Public Speaking