When is a lecture not a lecture?

Other notes/reactions from this lecture series ⇐click

I was very impressed with this "lecture," which was very interactive. Our speaker gave us a lot of information as well as engaging us in some very spirited discussion. He was encouraging and affirming; I was so impressed that I wrote down some of his responses to what people said:

• Well said.
• Thank you.
• Hear, hear.
• Yes.
• I think you're exactly right.
• Totally.
• Exactly!
• Melissa, you're laughing...
  (then she explained what memory was triggered)
• Lovely.
• Thank you for that word.
• Tom, that's great!
• Nicely done.

These remarks came across as genuine, and they got me to think about how I engage people -- or don't.

(I taught a group of new engineers for about 45 minutes today, and I wasn't nearly as engaging. Well, to be fair, my job was to pile on a bunch of information; I had maybe 50-60 people, rather than the 2 dozen or so at Menucha. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it....)

I think that for a group with fewer than, say, a couple dozen, where the objective is to help people change the way they look at and think about things -- vs merely conveying information or technical skills -- enthusiastic affirmation of the participants seems like a very good thing. Have I seen something like this before? Maybe, but this time it really impressed me.

And if I ever go to seminary (yeah right), you can be sure I'll consider going where Dr. Nishioka teaches.