This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Agile Buzz
by Keith Ray.
Original Post: Blind and Deaf
Feed Title: MemoRanda
Feed URL: http://homepage.mac.com/1/homepage404ErrorPage.html
Feed Description: Keith Ray's notes to be remembered on agile software development, project management, oo programming, and other topics.
There's a bible verse that says "he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf". Unfortunately, most humans don't have that capability. Here's a blog entry where Jon Kern, an agile expert, gives a talk for executives, and some of the executives storm out of the room because, as far as they are concerned, he's talking dangerous nonsense.
I saw nearly the same thing occur when Alan Shalloway gave a talk on agile methods at a former employer of mine. No one stormed out of the room, but there were questions whose unspoken assumption was "What you are saying is impossible." Probably few, if any, minds were changed in that presentation. (This inability to convince via words and slides is why the AYE conference doesn't give talks.)
It's an old story. Here's one example:
A Buddhist scholar has come to study with a Zen Master. The scholar is an expert on various Buddhist sutras and commentaries. When introducing himself to the Zen master, he began to talk about his studies, and his analyses, and so on.
The Zen master listens, says nothing, and starts making tea. When the tea was ready, he pours the tea into the scholar's cup until it spills over the edges, and he still keeps pouring the tea, spilling even more. The scholar cries "Stop! The cup is full; you can't pour more in."
The master stopped, saying: "You are like this cup; you are full of ideas about the Path. You come to me, and ask me to teach you, but your cup is full; I can't put anything in. Before I can teach you, you will have to empty your cup."
The modern equivalent is Stephen Covey's "5th" habit of successful people: "Seek first to understand, then to be understood."
If you can, involve the audience/students in a simulation (a.k.a. "games" a.k.a "experiential workshops"). This page at AYE mentions a a course that used a few simulations:
[an instructor writes:] The cycle of experiential workshops, working together on a single project [...], weekly reflections, and occasional guidance and coaching created an amazing learning experience. Students were yelling at each other. Teams were claiming their part was done, but the other teams parts weren't (though when I asked how they could say this if the product did not yet run, the class was silent). People were in tears over how others were treating them. I had to "fire" one of the leaders the week before the end of the project. [...] a month after the course finished, while I was meeting with the student I had "fired." [...] he said that the course has changed the way he views every interaction with people. It has even improved his relationship with his girlfriend. Now that's success.
Previous Topic
