Worksheets & References

Lesson Eleven:

Worksheets & References

In my end is my beginning.
– T.S. Eliot

Self-assessment

Look at the categories below and give yourself a score to show how good you consider your skills to be in each area. This exercise will allow you to reflect upon almost all the key areas of the presentation and then have a clear list of components to work on before your presentation.

Table 0.1

Self-assessment: structure of the presentation

	Good	Fair	Poor	Oh dear!
Organization
Logic
Interest to the audience
Presentation of benefits
Positive start
Powerful ending
Good, concrete examples
Length
Balance between theory and reality

Table 0.2

Self-assessment: stance and posture

	Good	Fair	Poor	Oh dear!
Confidence
Gestures
Eye contact with the audience
Personal appearance
Use of the presentation area

Table 0.3

Self-assessment: visual aids

	Good	Fair	Poor	Oh dear!
Clarity
Interest
Number of slides
Added value
Equipment handling

Worksheet 2: Paint a Picture

Background

At the Art Institute, the staff was impatient with an artist about the time, effort and cost to produce a finished painting. Your team was commissioned to perform a needs analysis. It defined a work task called “Paint a Picture”. A list of subtasks was documented as follows:

Select a subject
Select media; oil on canvas
Mount canvas
Prepare studio
Sketch subject on paper
Select sketch to be painted
Prepare canvas
Prepare palette
Mix paints
Decide on treatment and paint
Build up painting by layers
Allow painting to dry
Varnish canvas

Assignment

Group the tasks that fit together logically
Write headings for each group
Add opening and closing modules for the presentation.
Edit the headings and subtasks to provide some “zing”.

Possible Answer:

Initial planning
Select a subject
Select media; oil on canvas
Preparing workspace
Mount canvas
Prepare studio
Sketch subject on paper
Select sketch to be painted
Prepare canvas
Prepare palette
Mix paints
Painting process
Decide on treatment and paint
Build up painting by layers
Allow painting to dry

Finalizing
Varnish canvas
Frame

Edited to add some “zing” example:

Creativity brainstorm
Accessing the creative power
Matching the power with the media
Environment preparation
Creating a canvas
Preparing the creation area
The first touch of the canvas
Choose the creative blueprint
Preparing where the art will live
Choosing the right rainbow
Creating the brush alchemy
Canvas and paint manipulation
Begging the journey
Bring creation alive
Experiencing the end

Finishing the masterpiece

Seal the canvas for prosperity
Beyond the brush

Worksheet 3: Capitalizing on Case Studies

Part A: Generate solutions to solve a problem in this short case study.

Your vegetable processing plant has a job marked by extremely high turnover. Your two most recent hires, James and Sally only stayed a few weeks. Among slightly longer-term employees, absenteeism and tardiness are high.

The reason? The duties are repetitive, tedious, dirty, smelly, and generally low status. Typical tasks include wrapping the garbage for removal, sweeping and mopping floors, and scrubbing walls, cleaning several restaurants, and hosing down garbage cans. The volume of work is such that “free time” is generally available, ranging from 45 minutes to nearly 2 hours daily depending on the workload and the pace of the worker.

You are Bill, the human resources manager of this plant. What will you do to significantly extend the period of time in which the employee stays with the company?

Assignment 1: Analyse the case study and generate solutions.

With this type of issue, there is not going to be one solution, but a combination of them.

Offer incentives to stay longer. Shorter time between raises or time based bonuses. May need to be as short as weekly or daily.
Time worked based PTO (paid time off)
Break up tasks to remove some repetition. Make sure the work is spread out in a way that makes it less tedious or repetitive.
Extra pay for the dirtier jobs: “dirt pay”
Install or setup showers and/or a “dirt room” where workers can change, take a shower, and put on clean cloths.
Utilize the “free time” to play games, and relax in a way the workers choose. Generate ideas from employees on how they would like the free time utilized.
Analyse the work environment and see if better or different equipment can improve the work area. Better hoses, mops, gloves, even the smallest improvement can help.

Assignment 2: Create your own case study based on the principle provided. Use the chart below to gather your ideas to build the case.

Development Step	Case Information
Principle	Chronic lateness to work in the mail room
Situation
Symptoms
Characters
Case
Questions

Possible answers:

Assignment 1: Analyse the case study and generate solutions.

With this type of issue, there is not going to be one solution, but a combination of them.

Offer incentives to stay longer. Shorter time between raises or time based bonuses. May need to be as short as weekly or daily.
Time worked based PTO (paid time off)
Break up tasks to remove some repetition. Make sure the work is spread out in a way that makes it less tedious or repetitive.
Extra pay for the dirtier jobs: “dirt pay”
Install or setup showers and/or a “dirt room” where workers can change, take a shower, and put on clean cloths.
Utilize the “free time” to play games, and relax in a way the workers choose. Generate ideas from employees on how they would like the free time utilized.
Analyse the work environment and see if better or different equipment can improve the work area. Better hoses, mops, gloves, even the smallest improvement can help.

Assignment 2: Create your own case study based on the principle provided. Use the chart below to gather your ideas to build the case.

Development Step	Case Information
Principle	Chronic lateness to work in the mail room
Situation	Employees are generally late arriving at work and coming back from breaks and lunches.
Symptoms	Some mail is arriving a day or two late through the office
Characters	Unionized workers
Case	Management is finding it difficult to manage its mail room workforce in better time management skills. A number of them arrive late for work, and take, longer breaks and lunches than are allowed.
Questions	How can management and the union work together to find a solution? What type of penalty is management allowed to do?

Worksheet 4: Why Question It?

Once upon a time, a lion was wandering through a forest and spied a bull. He got very close, undetected, and pounced on the bull. After a tussle, the lion killed the bull and had a fabulous feast for a week. After his last bite, he licked his lips, and settled in for a long, deep sleep. When the lion awoke, he stretched slowly and was so proud of himself that he roared and roared. A hunter heard him, followed the sound until he found him, centered him in the sight of his gun, and killed him with one shot. The moral of the story? When you are full of bull, keep your mouth shut!

Decide whether the first two questions below are open or closed. Then improve the third question.

Question	Open or Closed?
a)Where was the lion wandering?
b)Why did the lion have a fabulous feast for a week?
c) Is there a moral to this story?	1. Open or closed? 2. Rewrite this question for a better result.

Rewrite the questions below to improve the phrasing, thereby encouraging a better answer and learning response.

Original Phrasing	Improved Phrasing
a) What did the lion do after he slept?
b) Describe the fight.

List two reasons for the presenter to direct questions to a group.

To an individual?

Decide whether the first two questions below are open or closed. Then improve the third question.

Question	Open or Closed?
a)Where was the lion wandering?	Closed
b)Why did the lion have a fabulous feast for a week?	Closed
c) Is there a moral to this story?	1. Closed 2. Is there a moral to this story that you have experienced in real life?

Rewrite the questions below to improve the phrasing, thereby encouraging a better answer and learning response.

Original Phrasing	Improved Phrasing
a)What did the lion do after he slept?	What events occurred after the lion slept?
b)Describe the fight.	Describe the fight along with the location, and the events that led up to it.

List two reasons for the presenter to direct questions to a group.

Stimulate the thinking of all participants
Provide participants the opportunity to respond voluntarily
Avoid putting any one person on the spot.

To an individual?

Stimulate one participant to think and respond
Tap the known resources of an “expert” in the room

Bibliography

Brandt, R.(1986) Flip Charts: How to Draw them, and How to Use Them

Davis, M., Eshelman, E., and McKay, M. (1988) The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook

Eitington, Julius E. (1996) The Winning Trainer

Hoff, R. (1996) Say it in Six: How to say exactly what you mean in six minutes or less

Kalish, K. (1997) How to Give a Terrific Presentation

Mager, R. (1962)Preparing Instructional Objectives

Monkhouse, B. (1991) Just Say a Few Words: The Complete Speaker’s Handbook

Laborde, G. (1987) Influencing with Integrity

Silberman, M. (1995) 101 Ways to Make Training Active

Snell, F. (1974) How to Stand Up & Speak Well in Business

Walters, L. (1995) What to Say When You’re Dying on the Platform

Zemke, R. and Kramlinger, T. (1986) Figuring Things Out: A Trainer’s Guide to Needs and Task Analysis

Worksheets & References