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How To Give Powerful Lectures Using The Multiple Intelligences
Branton Shearer, Ph.D.
I was talking recently with a group of young people and I asked them who their
best teacher was. They immediately began by saying that they liked one teacher because
she was nice and another teacher they didn’t like because she hated them and gave them a
low grade when they deserved a higher one. I interrupted this litany of likes and dislikes
by saying, “No, I want to know who is your best teacher because you learn the most and
can do your best in that classroom.” They paused for a long moment as if they had never
before given it any thought. The most common first response was that the best teachers
explain things clearly so the students can understand and the teacher holds the students
attention and varies the sound of his or her voice.
Teaching is such a mysterious art form. I’m sure if I continued interviewing these
young people that I would have learned many more things that good teachers do. But this
article will focus on the qualities of a lecture (or explanation) that make it a powerful
learning experience. We will use the multiple intelligences as a framework to build our
model of the “powerful lecture/explanation.” Of course, every lecture will not be your
best example of this model, but this will provide you with a set of guidelines that may
inspire you to give your students the best that you have to offer on any given day.
Interpersonal
The first intelligence for consideration is the Interpersonal because we must
remember that a lecture is not a monologue, but rather a dialogue with the mind of the
listeners who are responding and asking questions to themselves as we speak. Of course,
we are not mind readers, but we must do our best to give full and careful consideration to
what’s going on inside the minds of our listeners just before and during our talk. We need
to gauge what they already know about this topic and what they want or need to know. In
other words, what is the news that we are delivering on the doorstep of their lives? What
will we say or do that will encourage them to open their front door and admit us into their
living room with our news? Then we must know what it is that we want them to do with
this news after they have received it. What will encourage them to process this
information so that the mind will file it the proper place in memory and, more
importantly, they will have understanding of how to use it for solving future problems or
concerns especially regarding how your idea will be useful to other people.
It will activate the Interpersonal intelligence when you give an example of how
your idea has been used in your family, community or by people in the past. If you use
examples from other cultures that illustrate the meaningfulness of your new ideas / skills /
knowledge then your impact will be amplified. Provide time for your listener to
contemplate how s/he can apply the new information to a situation involving someone
important in her life. In this way, you can give permission to your listener to
imaginatively and perhaps creatively use your ideas to provide a valued service to other
people.
We must always remember that teaching is never devoid from emotion and
feelings. Even the seemingly dry bit of information, abstract concept and mundane skill
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has a feeling attached to it by the student. Thus, as we lecture, we must be alert to the
emotional responses that are evident in the raised eyebrows, slight grin, head tilt,
shoulder slump, hand movement, foot scuffle and butt wiggle. Don’t let your lecture be
tuned out by F. B. S. After 20 minutes of sitting and listening I figure that at least 20% of
the brain of my listeners has begun to grow numb due to Flat Bottom Syndrome. And
after 40 minutes, nearly half of the brain has taken a leave of absence and is off on an
interesting vacation or perhaps on a date with some very fascinating and stimulating
young man or woman. The mind is a curious and hungry animal that will take off hunting
other more tasty prey when we fail to provide it with satisfying game (see Naturalist
intelligence below).
Logical-mathematical
The desire to have our questions answered, incomplete knowledge satisfied, and
to hear the conclusion of an engaging tale is the second element of a satisfying lecture
experience. The mind of the brain seeks coherence and closure. Once our curiosity is
piqued, our mental detective engaged, an enticing set of clues provided, then we wish to
either discover the exciting conclusion for ourselves (this is the best) or for the lecturer to
provide the conclusion or affirmation for our own answers. The magician must always
remember that his audience is trying their best to learn the secrets of how the tricks are
performed. The detective-novelist maintains the readers attention by providing clues so
that the reader must decide if they are relevant or not through logical reasoning.
The lecturer, however, should not provide “red herrings” and misdirection as they
are confusing and annoying to a listener. But it can be very powerful to give a set of facts
and wonder aloud about the possible explanation or relationship among those facts. This
usually raises in the listener’s mind the most common and expected answer. If you then
counter this “conventional wisdom” with your news of difference you will truly make an
impact. O. Henry made his fame on the surprise ending and you can engage and convince
your listener of the power of your thesis by a logical contrast between their normal
assumptions and the surprising good sense of your ideas.
The more sharply that you are able to logically describe the distinct differences
between your thesis and that which is commonly assumed then the more satisfying will
be your presentation to the mind of the listener. This, then, brings us to the third (and
most obvious) intelligence bearing on the success of your lecture, the Linguistic
intelligence.
Linguistic
It is perhaps too obvious to say that the words of your lecture should be
interesting, evocative and well aimed. The highest form of lecture will display an easy
and naturally flowing quality of “voice” that is an authentic personal expression. This
takes a level of expertise that produces prose that is knowledgeable yet uncluttered with
jargon. However, the use of a few unique and uncommon words can serve like an
unusually shaped key found in the street as the listener accompanies you on this lecture
journey. But, like any good guide, you will want to be sure that your listener comes to
know what the key opens and how what is inside the door will be useful in the future.
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You may do this in a prosaic way through logical explanations or with poetic devices or
an intriguing narrative. Remember that words convey concepts, but they also embody
musical sounds and evoke pictures in the palate of the mind’s eye.
When you are contrasting your thesis with another idea then you will want to use
words that paint a visual distinction between the two ideas (see Visual-Spatial
intelligence). The wisdom of your logic will then be clearly etched in the mind’s eye of
your listener. This may be what my young student interviewees were referring to when
they said that their best teachers gave them clear explanations.
The other important thing to remember is that your lecture really is a story that
you are telling. Even if are not telling a story with the usual elements (A beginning that
sets the scene, a middle that provides characters, plot and conflict that is following by a
conclusion that resolves the conflict in a satisfying way so that “They lived happily ever
after. “) you can be sure that your listeners are creating a story out of it in their mind in
their own way. The question for you is, how much of the plot, setting, characters and
conclusion will you want them to create for themselves and how much will you provide
for them? If you allow your listener the liberty of drawing their own (inaccurate?)
conclusions or embellishing elements that you leave out then you must be aware of the
risks of doing this.
Of course, you certainly should use to your advantage the innate storytelling
capacity of your audience to engage their attention and guide their application of your
ideas. This can be coupled effectively with the Interpersonal intelligence by guiding your
audience to create a story about how they will use your new ideas to help others in some
important way. You may want to invoke their inner-storyteller and introduce a bit of
playfulness by using that ancient incantation, "Once upon a time…" or any other
appropriate story starter technique. You can also use the five journalistic devises to guide
your audience in writing a news article or press release-who, what, when, where and how.
If you are concerned about the degree of your listeners' acceptance of your ideas then
suggest that she engage in a brief point-counter point debate or write several reasons
behind two conflicting viewpoints.
Of course, verbal note-taking is the classic, standard classroom learning technique
to enhance memorization of information. Your topic will be more easily organized,
recognized and truly understood by the brain if the verbal notes are arranged and
augmented diagrammatically on the page using visual tricks and cues. The more
personalized these visual cues and linguistic elaborations then the better, too, will the
listener's mind process and integrate your new information.
You never know what kind of past personal stories and images will be evoked in
the mind of your audience as you speak. This truly is one of the great mysteries of
lecturing (not to mention life beyond the lecture hall). To rewrite an old saying, “A word
is worth a thousand pictures.” So, this brings us to the fourth, Visual-Spatial intelligence.
Visual-Spatial
Do you see what I mean? On the one hand, you may clearly grasp my idea, but on
the other hand….you are left holding the bag. Do my words leave an empty feeling in the
pit of your stomach? Or do you have a gut sense that what I have said is quite right?
Hopefully, my words are not over your head and I am not scattering pearls before swine.
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Or maybe my ideas are so poorly articulated that you are struggling to make a silk purse
out of a sow’s ear. Well, if beauty is in the eye of the beholder then there is no
accounting for taste so whenever you receive criticism or praise for your lectures always
remember to consider the source.
The point of this cluster of fractured sayings and clichés is that while there is
nothing new under the sun, it is powerful medicine to evoke both familiar and unique
images in the mind’s eye of the listener. Truly, a powerful image can unleash a thousand
words for the perceiver, so it is your job to use those images carefully by drawing the
listener into the bull’s eye of your targeted idea. An unusual, exaggerated or humorous
image can act like superglue on the listener’s attention and memory system.
One of the first rules of memory is that you must be paying attention in order to
activate the neural pathways that will create an impression on the mind. If teachers had a
dollar for every time they requested the class’s attention, there would be no need for a
public retirement fund for teachers. There is no doubt that powerful images can get the
attention of your audience. This is especially important for children today who are awash
in a virtual flood of dynamic images nearly from birth. Tella-Tubies cavort across the
screen and a big yellow bird teaches children their numbers and letters on Sesame Street.
Teenagers inhale over100 hormonally charged images per minute watching MTV. We
shouldn’t underestimate the influence of video games and spectacular movies that every
child is exposed to regularly from a very early age.
Powerful, engaging lectures are needed if you are to compete with last night’s
movie where the child fought incredible aliens on distant planets without having to lift
more than a finger from the comfort of his living room sofa. For images to be most
effective the listener should actively create them. Your common, off-the-shelf images are
good, but for deep learning and memorization the listener should be an active creator of
his own unique and personally designed images that are associated with the topic.
Passively received images like those from television are OK for gaining attention, but
they need to be acted upon and processed by the listener in order to shift the idea into
long-term memory. This process will be facilitated when the images evoke powerful
emotions and feelings.
Do you get the picture?
Musical
Speaking of feelings, music has long been known for its ability to evoke intense
emotions and durable memories. You can harness this potential when you remember to
modulate the sounds of your voice like a sensitive singer. The sounds of new and unique
words will also trigger in the listener’s ear a string of associations and evaluations that
can either gain or repel attention.
The use of music during your lecture is a technique worth exploring by the
experienced speaker. The ill-conceived use of music can be a distraction and annoyance,
but the well-placed song lyric or tune that conveys your meaning can leave a profound
and lasting impression.
Your new information will be warmly welcomed by your audience if it "rings a
familiar bell." Is there a catchy phrase or song lyric that sums up and is easily associated
with your key point? In song lyrics this is called the "hook" and in advertising it is the
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jingle or in politics an emphatic slogan that can rally the multitude. If your idea can be
associated with an already familiar catchy tune or lyric then you are half way to winning
over the hearts of your listeners. The use of such meaningful musical mnemonics opens
inner doors in the mind of listener's home so that what was previously "strange and
suspect" is now "almost family" so to speak. It is no wonder that children in every
country around the world are taught their nation's anthem so that in times of war (or at
sporting events) you can have people feeling "at home" and in sync with 100,000
strangers.
Does that sound reasonable to you?
Naturalist
There are at least three ways for using the Naturalist intelligence to enrich your
lectures that are known to many of the most effective presenters. The first, at the
beginning of your lecture, is to bark loudly like a dog or make jungle sounds and monkey
noises. No, just kidding! I got your attention, didn’t I? Just when your mind had just
about enough of this dry written essay, it suddenly woke up. But, seriously, it is quite
helpful to think of your lecture as a growing tree or vine that needs the care of an
attentive gardener. You need a solid root structure to establish rapport before your ideas
can branch out and blossom in the mind of your listener. This is known as preparing the
seed bed for planting. Remember, then, to prune your branches so that all of your and
your audience’s energy will be directed toward producing large and succulent pieces of
fruit during the harvest of your conclusions. Also, each listener should leave with a
basket full of nourishing ideas, action plans and seeds, which he may plant for future
harvests.
The second Naturalist strategy is to describe the characteristics of an animal that
somehow relates to your topic, even if it requires a long stretch of the imagination.
Actually, stretching your metaphor beyond common sense usually enhances
memorization and emotional impact. It is good to sometimes mention your pet dog or cat
(no, you shouldn’t bark or meow because you don’t want to get too cute and loose the
respect of your audience who will think you’re either a sap or a wacko). But, evoking the
characteristics of animals in your lecture will activate the humanity of your audience and
increase rapport by sending the message that you are members of the same herd, school
or flock. You just happen to be the goose in the lead position that is at that moment
honking the loudest (no actual honking recommended).
Notice how just the mere mention of animals brings out the barnyard humor in
even, I, your distinguished author, whose sage counsel you must value or you wouldn’t
still be reading these words? Of course, I suspect that your loyal attention is far less than
that of my chief morale officer, Molly, the ever patient Chocolate Labrador Retriever,
whose duties include prolonged afternoon napping and guarding against rogue squirrels
in the backyard. She also reminds me that it is quitting time exactly when her dinner bowl
needs to be refilled. Ah, there’s nothing like a loyal employee to calm the boss's nerves
during even the most stressful of workdays. She is a good reminder that it is important to
climb down from my ivory tower of grand ideas and tend to the needs of the living and
squirrel-invested world.
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The third way to activate the Naturalist intelligence is to respect that your
audience seeks to discover patterns and deviations from expected patterns. We all
respond involuntarily to having our “buttons pushed.” Like men and women in the bush,
we are constantly searching for plants that we recognize as being edible versus those that
are noxious. We follow our noses as we sniff out lies and false promises and will track
down promising ideas with the determination of bloodhounds when we catch the scent of
truth.
Existential Awareness
Speaking of truth, that is truly a fundamental reason why any of us are listening to
each other talk at all. We are seeking out the truth or the affirmation of truth as we know
it or suspect it. The Existential or philosophical aspect of our human nature wants to
know the ultimate answer to questions such as, “Why are we here?” and “Where are we
going?” and "How will I be remembered." To be most effective as a lecturer you should
address these implicit questions or if you are cagey enough, you may provoke your
listeners to acknowledge their own perhaps implicit answers. But, then, be prepared to
provide follow-up confirmation or news of a difference. It is not advisable to leave your
audience with a vague sense of confusion or uncertainly regarding the ultimate purpose
of your information / lecture.
If you are a teacher, remember that you serve as a gatekeeper for your discipline
or profession. When a student asks the ever-popular question, “Why do I have to learn
this boring junk?” rather than being annoyed at the distraction and negativity, it is your
golden opportunity to explain how your profession contributes vital goods, services or
information to the world / community. If you don’t have a ready-made spiel about this
then I suggest that you get one. Give your audience something solid to carry home and
plenty of philosophical cud to chew upon for a long time afterward. You will provide a
most memorable learning experience if you can deliver news that offers your listeners
more interesting, challenging and worthwhile life choices.
Kinesthetic
How will you know if and when you have made an impact on your audience?
Watch their bodies and feel your own. The body is like a fleshy living communication
antenna that not only records but also immediately responds to provocative information.
Use you Naturalist skills to carefully observe and note a pattern in the changes in facial
expressions, body posture, hand movements and the position of legs. You can then
correlate these with your own body movements and felt sensations. Where are you
tensing up? What is happening with your hand motions? What is your posture?
To involve and direct your audience’s participation you may want to create
movements that will accentuate your point. It is quite a stretch for most lecturers to move
from the safe comfort of the verbal realm to the kinesthetic because this often means we
must perform in an area of weakness and discomfort. Who wants to be perceived as
incompetent in front of an audience? It may take some time to experiment with simple
hand or body movements before you really are comfortable incorporating movements
into your lectures. Over the years, I have added 5 or 6 possible movements for my
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audience to perform in conjunction with specific topics. For example, you may want to
teach children to make subtraction and addition signs when learning basic math. This
might be elaborated even further for more complicated algorithms.
Intrapersonal
Sharing personal antidotes, feelings and opinions can establish a rapport with your
audience that is unobtainable by other, more objective means. Of course, you don’t want
to overdo your self-disclosure, as it can be embarrassing to play upon the sympathies of
the listener. You need to ask yourself what the purpose of your self-disclosure is in the
context of your presentation. Are you revealing this personal information to better attain
an objective of the talk or more for your own personal benefit? You’ll need to be
perfectly frank with yourself about this or ask someone to give you objective feedback.
Perhaps the most important contribution of Intrapersonal intelligence is your
metacognitive inner dialogue that is “online” monitoring the effectiveness of your lecture.
This monitoring allows you to keep track of your progress towards your goals and to
make necessary mid-course corrections in response to an intuitive or logical sense that
you have missed the mark or you have gotten off track.
This metacognitive process can come in the form of an inner conversation,
images, felt bodily sense or a reaction to the sounds of your own voice (or the audible
reactions of your listeners). If you have pre-viewed your talk in your mind’s eye/ear
prior to giving it then you will already be primed for the expected kinds of reactions each
element will evoke from the listeners. As you talk then, your metacognitive co-pilot will
be monitoring for direct hits or misses as compared to your previously charted
expectations. A post-lecture re-viewing will allow you the opportunity to evaluate the
effectiveness of each element in the presentation in attaining your goals. A thorough review – with notes – will set the stage for your next lecture so that it will be an even more
sparkling experience for yourself as well as your listeners.
This article has delineated the specific strengths of each of the multiple
intelligences. Each intelligence provides an array of tools from which you may choose to
create an energized, active-learning lecture / presentation. These are the colors on your
palate and just like real colors there are a range of shades for each intelligence and most
of the world is made up of blended colors. I hope that you will be inspired to use the full
range of shades from this palate to enrich and engage the listener's mind, heart and body.
By bringing out the best in yourself you will likewise inspire to bring out the best in your
listener.
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MI Lecture Checklist
Interpersonal
____ What is listener’s key questions
____ What is listener’s knowledge level
____ What key ideas will listener take away
____ What will listener do with new knowledge to help others
____ other
Linguistic
____ New / unique terms or jargon
____ Quotable phrases
____ What is the main or memorable story you have to tell
____ other
Visual-spatial
____ Can you conjure a powerful image in the mind’s eye
____ What image: emotional, humorous, absurd
____ Can you use any visual props
____ Have you provided a means for graphic / pictorial note-taking
____ other
Kinesthetic
____ Can you use or engage listener to use gestures or body movements
____ Observe the message of listener’s “body language”
____ Give listeners a stretch-break energizer (after 20+ minutes)
____ other
Musical
____ Incorporate a piece of music in your talk
____ Teach a song lyric / rhyme / haiku that captures your point
____ Modulate your voice quality to engage listener
____ other
Naturalist
____ How your idea nurtures life
____ Is there an animal / plant metaphor appropriate to your topic
____ other
Logical-mathematical
____ Accentuate the logical progression of your ideas
____ Reveal cause and effect and relationships among ideas
____ Are there any pertinent statistics
____ other
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Intrapersonal
____ What personal story form your life reveals your feelings & meaning of the idea to
you
____ What previous life experience has your audience had that prepares them to
understand your point
____ How can your idea improve the quality of life for your listener
____ other
Existential Awareness
____ How does your idea fit into the “Big Questions” of a person’s life
____ How does your idea contribute to the ultimate quality of life for the community or
for future generations
____ How your idea connects to listener’s “life purpose”