Delivering Activities & Modeling
Actually working with others to help them learn new information and skills can be enjoyable and rewarding. It's great to see "the light bulb come on," when someone learns to do something new on their own. Both you and those you work with will be proud of the things you will accomplish together.
When you do start to work with your audience, consider some of the following strategies to organize your approach.
Start with general principles. Teach the concepts that are common across devices. For example, all touch-screen devices will have multi-touch gestures like tap, two-finger tap, swipe, pinch, stretch and others. Start with the basics. Make sure everyone is comfortable with those before digging into more specific skills.
Consider grouping people. It can be much easier to group people when you get to the hands-on portion of the learning. You could:
- Group people by device.
- Group people by ability.
- Have separate sessions for each device type.
- Divide the work up by team member expertise. You might have iPhone Digital Ambassadors work with iPhone users and Android Digital Ambassadors work with Android users.
- If a participant already knows how to perform a certain task on their device, let them help others in the group. Encourage peer teaching and sharing.
Encourage participants to be curious: The fear of doing something new or breaking something can hold people back. Reassure them that most settings and apps can easily be reset. They can't really break anything except their screens, but you're going to show them tips to keep those safe.
It might be nice to start by helping users clean their screens. You should touch your participants' screens as little as possible. Most screens can be cleaned with a microfiber cloth. Your team might be able to buy these in bulk or get them donated from a local optometrist. Be careful about using liquid cleaners. Review manufacturing websites to know the best way to clean different screens. Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer nearby for your hands, and be sure to wash your hands before you leave to go home.
Utilize online resources and videos: There are numerous tutorials and guides available online for virtually every device. Create a list of reputable support or tutorial websites that participants can visit before you leave for your session. It can also be a help to you if you encounter something you don't know how to do. You will be able to look it up quickly, find the answer, and model problem-solving to participants.
Bring a handout with basic tips: You know how to design a tutorial handout. A simple handout with tips and tricks and key resources can be an invaluable reference for participants after your session. Consider having handouts of the same skills differentiated for multiple operating systems.
Offer a follow-up session or support. Let the people you work with know the best way to reach out with further questions. That might be through another session, an email helpline, or scheduled one-on-one times. When working one-on-one, don't end the session without scheduling the next visit.