A little help please

[pondlady]

  I have been asked to do a class for the home depot on wednesday on water gardens! I am not the greatest teacher. So please give me you take on the things that will help newbys do it right the first time. Al help here will be appreciated!

[Bullfrog]

I'll never forget teaching my first EMS class. I felt really wooden standing behind the podium. I knew my material and had all of my notes but still it was a bit unnerving. We took a break every hour for the smokers and to stretch our legs, go potty and such. In the ambulance bay my words just flowed, as soon as I stepped back behind that podium, I once again changed into the "instructor" role.

I learned quickly to get out from behind the podium and walk around, amoung them as I taught. Also it is a fact that people remember a lot more of what they see than what they hear. Visual aids help a lot. They didn't have laptops back then and I spent hours on Microsoft Paint making overhead slides for the old projector. The store should have a lot of the equipment that they will need, I'd arrange it so that they had a lot to look at, it will help them absorb the subject more. Pictures help a lot also.

[Otter]

Will the focus be on plant-only water gardens of fish ponds?  Perhaps the most important thing you can tell your students is that these two types of ponds are very different.  Maybe you could give them a basic setup for each.  And be sure to go over the common newbie mistakes -- no slack in the liner, overtightening things, unsupported deep walls, no plan for leaves in the fall, no air hole in the winter, thinking too small, etc.  But do it in a positive way so as not to scare them off.

If you're at all nervous about presentation, just focus on your students and what you're teaching them.  It's really hard to be nervous about something like this if you're not focused on yourself.