I grew up in an era when teaching was done through old-fashioned rote and exams. That’s why I found joy in using videos in my training. I know it’s pretty common now, but I also discovered a few things as I did this on different demographics.

I give workshops to the department heads and their supervisors in the two factories I used to lead as Plant Manager. To avoid monotonous lectures, I would run a two- to three-minute clip from a movie and ask the participants what they learned from the clip.

My perception is that the heads were more insightful and observant than the supervisors. Specifically, the heads were able to discern the moral or principles of the story within the clip, whereas the supervisors tended to re-tell the story itself (“this character did this and said that”) without digging what the story wanted to convey.

Was it because the heads were better educated? Had higher IQs? Were more articulate? I don’t want to judge without empirical data. But the gap in mental reflection got me to reconsider how I would use videos as learning tools.

Lessons:

1. Choose videos that tell stories than lectures. For example, when I gave a workshop about empathy, I used a short clip from Inside Out (see photo) rather than a talking head from Youtube. People tend to be more engaged when they see how something is done rather than process abstract concepts.

2. Don’t give the generic instruction “I’m going to show you a video. Then you share what you have just learned.” That’s vague. For certain people, how would they know what to look for, let alone learn? Instead, try “I’m going to show you a video. Observe what the characters did and said. Then tell us what you have seen and heard, and what lessons you have picked up from there.”

3. Don’t trust the participants’ memory. I made the mistake of letting them just watch the video without taking notes. The result was either vague feedback or worse, blank stares. Unless they have perfect recall, provide pen and paper. Ask them to jot down their observations and insights as they streamed into their consciousness.

4. Better, have slides ready that show the key words and body language you want to highlight from the video.

Going back to the Inside Out clip to teach empathy, instead of saying, “Do you recall what Sadness said to Bing Bong that made him feel better?”, flash a brief transcript such as what Sadness told Bing Bong, “I’m sorry they took your rocket. They took something that you loved. It’s gone… forever.”

When you read the words with the same pathos, the impact will be deeper. Then ask them to comment on what Sadness was doing.

Also, flash screenshots that show Sadness sitting next to Bing Bong (mirroring). Don’t miss that subtle gesture of her putting her hand gently on his leg.

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Boredom happens when we lose our appetite for things that used to energize us such as a job or a relationship. Strangely, we can be bored even while we are busy. 

 

Beating boredom is more of a process, a journey, an inner transformation. It is a golden opportunity to find out what we really value.

  

Most people suppose that the opposite of boredom is excitement. Personally, I have discovered that the opposite of boredom is meaning. There are people who don’t mind difficulties and drudgery as long as they know that they are making a difference in the world. 

 

Imagine two bakers. One complains, “I do the same thing day in and day out. Buying yeast, kneading dough, slaving in front of this hot oven. What’s the point of it all?” 

 

The other relishes each working day and says, “I get to feed the world. I get to help a child create memories of the delicious sandwiches only his mom can make. I get to bring family members to bond around a good breakfast.” 

 

The second baker sees meaning beyond the physical stuff of yeast, dough and oven. Because of that, he is hardly bored.

 

You may be doing something repetitious, perhaps even menial. But look for meaning in whatever you do. Happiness is a by-product of a meaningful life. Pursue happiness and it will elude you. But pursue meaning and boredom will give way to joy!

 

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