STRONG VOICE

I have observed in my years of teaching that some teachers have IT. They enter a classroom and are easily in command. Students who moments before seemed beyond the appeal of reason suddenly take their seats to await instructions from teachers that have IT. It’s hard to say what IT is and why some teachers have it and most don’t.  The IT factor seem to have nothing to do with your academic qualification. There are five concrete things that ‘IT’ teachers constantly use to signal their authority. These techniques can be summed up in one word, STRONG VOICE. Before you get it twisted, strong voice isn’t about shouting at the top of your voice and it isn’t something that belongs to the male teachers. Strong voice is broken into five basic techniques that any teacher can and must learn to develop the IT factor. I am only going to share with you just one of these techniques. I encourage you to apply it in your next class.

Ø  Economy of Language

Fewer words are stronger than more. When you need your direction followed, use the words that best focus students on what is most important, and no more. Don’t dilute urgent issues with things that can wait. Avoid initiating distractions and excess words. When you need to be all business, be clear and crisp. And then stop talking. Say what you want done with the minimum amount of words. Don’t say much and don’t say more until your directive is followed. Teachers that have it regularly rely on this technique and guess what, I do too and it works always.