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Teaching YahooGroups to older people
Rogue Six | Aug 5 2006
I wasn't sure where to put this, so I figured here was as good as any... I'm a new Advisor for my local Writers' Guild, and happened to build a YahooGroups site for the Guild. I figured this would be a good way to speed up the distributing of information, would allow members to post pieces they'd written for review by fellow members, and also allow us to reach out to other Guilds in the state and the country as well...heck, even the world! But like the saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished... There's about a quarter to a third of the Guild -- older people -- who have been constantly badgering me with questions like "I can't post a file that I wrote -- what's wrong with the site?" or "It won't let me post photos -- what's going on?" As if I'd rigged the site so they couldn't use it. I went and found some tutorials as well as the various Help sections and made some "tutorial disks" to pass out at meetings. Now I'm scheduled to hold a workshop on YahooGroups in November to teach how to use the various functions -- and explain just why this site is a good thing to boot! Can anyone offer me any suggestions as to how best to teach older people to use YahooGroups? I could use some help. 8 Comments
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 I'm going to borrow some...Submitted by Paul on August 11, 2006 - 9:09am.
I'm going to borrow some of those tips for use with my in-laws' general PC usage (I'm not going anywhere near Yahoo Groups with them!). 2 general tips that I've had good luck with when explaining complex stuff to an audience with mixed experience: 1. State up front that you don't know everyone's knowledge/experience level. Let them know you're starting with the basics and ask them to let you know if you're covering stuff they already know, or if you're moving too fast. (Some folks need 'right-click' explained, some don't). 2. There may be some (short) sections that work better when questions are held until the end - when they see the result they may "get it" and those early questions are answered. Don't be afraid to do this - just announce it ahead of time, "Now I'm going to show you how to do X. It looks tricky at first but once I take you thru it, I think you'll see how it works. Watch me do the process and then I'll cover any questions." 3. A grad school professor of mine would explain something and say, "Clear as mud?" This makes for a lighter, no-risk environment for your 'students' to ask for clarification. It's a lot easier to raise your hand and ask a question after "Clear as mud?" than "Does anyone have a question?" Make plans to have a drink with a techy friend after your session so you can decompress! » POSTED IN:
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