Guest Lectures and Invited Lectures

 These are different from regular teaching that might stretch over 30-45 sessions. Therefore, you can approach it differently.

Create interest by either asking a question or have a good first slide. I tried it with a dummy visiting card created with Canva in one of my invited sessions. I included two or three different photographs, chosen for their impact, to create the card.

I used it at the Calicut Management Association invited talk..

Know your audience, and what makes them tick. Most people don't want a long discourse with you giving gyaan. Instead, share interesting experiences and leave the lesson to be drawn out by the audience. 

Thank the people who invited you. But for them, you wouldn't be there.

Use the board, if there is one. It creates interest.. 

If you can ask questions, even if rhetorical, it breaks the monotony. It can be a poll, where people have to raise hands to agree..

If it's a class of students, give them a small group task. Usually works..

Stick to the time given.

Sharu Rangnekar-A Tribute

 One of India's early management conultants, Sharu passed away recently (late 2020/Jan. 2021). I first saw him and heard him in 1982 when he came down for a session during orientation for us doing MBA, at IIM Bangalore. Many years later, we invited him to speak at IMT Nagpur where I was Director at the time.

He was older, but had not lost his sense of humour and emphasis on the essentials. What he reiterated, and has said in his books (In the Wonderland of Indian Managers and others), is two things-

In teaching/learning, video or visuals work better than text or PPTs. Second, humour always works. He was the epitome of both. His lectures included screening some excerpts from his videos, which he had made many moons ago (ahead of his time there), and his humour was classy.

He also came to Pune in 2012, to release my autobiography at Crossword, courtesy Smita Dabholkar Singh, my colleague who organised the event. He was his usual self, and did not pull any punches. The event was a success, mainly due to him.

One of a kind!