This is one of my FAVOURITE tools I use in any situation where I’m teaching or presenting to a group.
What is it?
Pacing and leading is a method of influencing a group of people to a desired type of behaviour or level of engagement. In most cases for me, I want the kids I’m working with to be listening attentively and feeling playfully present.
How does it work?
STEP 1: Desired end state. Start by figuring out what desired state you want the group to be in. For example, I want my group to be listening attentively and ready to learn. To take them there, you have to figure out where they are…
STEP 2: Read the room. Listen closely with all your senses to get a feel for the vibe of the room. Yes I said vibe, I know thats not the most technical term, but I’m hoping you know what I mean. What is their body language telling you? What does the quality of their gaze tell you? What is the general feeling of the room? Often for me, I’m starting with a group of kids who are quite scattered, disinterested or unfocussed. I find it helpful to broadly categorise the vibe as either energised or unenergised. Funnily enough a noisy room that is energised is easier to work with that an unenergised room.
Tune it tomorrow for the next steps …
