Inductive Learning: Effective Media Training that Isn’t Boring

Found at: http://www.mindspace.net/about_us/in_the_news/PRNews-06162009.pdf

Inductive Learning: Effective Media Training that Isn’t Boring
By: Brent Diggins
PR Account Executive | Mindspace


Inductive learning, the process of learning through first-hand experience, is essential to producing an ingrained media training session that is fun for participants. Compared with deductive learning,learning through instructor “telling,” inductive learning has been proven in many academic studies to be a more effective teaching method, and is especially effective in short-term learning situations.Perhaps the best attribute of inductive learning is that the participation can be astoundingly fun,and everyone will appreciate that.

Benefits:

1) Practical—Today’s fast paced people
don’t want to be lectured to. They want to
actively participate and be hands-on. As
people are participating in a variety of simulated
exercises, they will be able to walk out
of the room and right into an interview.

2) Shared Learning—Unlike deductive
learning, an inductive media relations
program gives participants the opportunity
to learn from watching, critiquing and
analyzing others. Watching video of good,
bad and mixed-bag interviews under the
tutelage of a media trainer gives participants
the perspective of an interview they would
not have otherwise.

3) Fun—Actively participating in inductive
learning options like role playing, mock press
conferences and journalist roles makes media
training fun for participants. Further, putting
together an inductive program is creative,
fun and without boundaries.

Weaknesses:

1.)Can be time consuming
2.)Can potentially lead the audience astray from the topic if not properly monitored by an administrator.

Inductive Learning Techniques:
The best way to showcase a solid inductive learning-based
media training program is to combine your end-goals and media training rule-of-thumbs with your creativity. Here are three great inductive learning techniques and methods:

1) Role Play and Scenarios
2) Watch Video and Critique
3) Hold a Mock Pres Conference




Comments:
This article was written by a Public Relations Account Executive with a teacher or manager in mind. It gave techniques that one could use if there was an audience that needed to be kept engaged in the subject they were being presented, so that the audience could learn more effectively.