When I read the assignment for this week the first person
that came to mind as a competent communicator is Randy Pausch. If the name is
not familiar to you, you may remember his story. If not, I invite you to learn
more about this highly effective communicator.
I first became aware of Randy Pausch when he appeared on the
Oprah show and reprised a much longer talk he had given at Carnegie Mellon
University where he was a professor. The talk was about reaching your childhood
dreams. It was part of an academic tradition where professors were given the opportunity
to give their “last lecture”, what would they say to their students if they
were hypothetically going to die. For Randy Pausch it was not hypothetical, he
had been informed by his doctors that he had months to live. Randy passed
July 25, 2008.
The reason I would like to model my communication after his
style is because he often uses humor to emphasize a point. He has great visuals
to go along with what he is saying. He shares just enough personal information
to make the story engaging, but not so much that you feel you had to be an
insider to understand his point. He credits others for information they have
shared with him. Overall he is a positive person. Lastly, like I so often do with
my young students when the real learning is hidden in our playful activity, the
lesson of his talk is not what it appears to be on the service. Pausch refers to this as a head fake, he includes several in the long version of his
talk.
Below are the links to his talk.
Randy Pausch on Oprah http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVl8tj3Wf58
Randy Pausch -Original Last Lecture http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
If you have to time this to view the original, it is very inspiring as an educator!
This man sounds like he was wonderful. it is sad that he passed, humor really is one of the best communication tools there is. I fully think that if one is losing their audience a quick quirp to make them chuckles will get them back. I however lack this ability, as I am not very comedic.....
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks for the links, Michelle! Because of your post, I am interested in finding out more about him. Yes, people who can use appropriate humor are very interesting and appealing.
ReplyDeleteDear Michelle,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the links, I enjoyed reading your post. I have never heard of Randy Pausch. He seemed like he was a powerful speaker. I just love people who can put a little humor in their speaking. I guess that's why I like to hear my Godfather when he preaches.