"The rules of engagement, enlightenment and entertainment: using business presentation models and techniques in an academic teaching environment "

This paper draws on the authors' experiences from different teaching contexts in the academic, business and specialist information environment. It seeks to identify innovative methods of engaging with users taken from these contexts, and looks to apply them to academic teaching environments. Key to our approach is to explore how methodologies that are used most frequently in, for example, a business setting, can have merit in engaging learners in an academic environment. The paper looks at areas such as the importance of setting the context for learning, identifying appropriate 'points of need' to allow for more meaningful interactions, how to 'capture' and engage an audience, and responding interactively to learner needs as articulated during the teaching session. The central premise that the methodology and practices of engaging audiences in a business environment can be applied to an academic teaching setting, to aid student involvement and learning, has been taken from the authors' experience in presenting, teaching and training in different contexts. In the business environment there is often an explicit need to 'make the case' and engage the audience successfully in order to proceed with the teaching or instruction. We ask whether, in an academic environment, there is an assumption that the audience is captive, to an extent, and teaching focuses on presenting material, rather than engaging and learning about the audience as a starting point. We propose that taking business-led approaches offers opportunities to enhance student engagement and participation, and while modification of approach is required in an academic context, such approaches can lead to a more dynamic and interesting approach to academic teaching. The presentation is envisaged as being lively, practical and involving demonstration of approaches and will be co-presented by Niamh and Áine.