A new article in the Harvard Business Review, The Science Of Pep Talks talks about…pep talks, but the three-step process it suggests can also apply to a teacher introducing a lesson to a class.

Here’s an excerpt that illustrates the process using some commentary from former Army General Stanley McChrystal:

It seems to me that those three elements (direction giving, expressions of empathy, and meaning making) make a lot of sense in the classroom.

Later in the article, the author makes another important point with relevance to teachers while talking about what a corporate boss does after giving her “pep talk”:

It’s important to note, however, that Alioto’s instruction, empathy, and meaning making don’t stop when the salespeople file back to their desks. After her speech, she walks the sales floor, talking individually with more than a hundred reps and continuing to employ the different elements from motivating language theory. In one conversation, she talks to a rep about how to more forcefully close an ambivalent prospect. With a salesperson about to call an automobile mechanic, she talks about the specifics of that category. In other conversations, she tries to boost reps’ confidence or emphasize the team’s goals.

Obviously, that’s the kind of follow-up work we teachers need to be doing all the time.

I’m adding this info to:

Best Posts On “Motivating” Students

The Best Resources For “Do Now” Activities To Begin A Class