Opening Remarks and Ice Breaking

The first few minutes matter a lot.

For an effective class, what must be accomplished in the first hour?

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Breaking the Ice

• Set the stage. The first hour of the first day is important.
• First impression: confident, organized, well-dressed
• Establish authority:

  "I am your instructor." ¹

• Set the tone -- relaxed and interactive:

  "Would everyone who is here please raise your hand? Good, many of you are indeed here." ²

Opening Remarks

• Plan them! Here's a suggested checklist. Be fully present and not distracted during the first hour in particular.

• Get the students involved as early as possible. Establish the class style as not authoritarian lecture. A few simple questions establish rapport, e.g.

  "When do you usually break for lunch?"

• Intros:
  • Get acquainted with the students.
  • Go around the room, solicit information.
  • Pay attention to what they say. It will enable you to come up with relevant examples.

• Beware: All this warm-up activity may be perceived as delay.

1. Thanks for this invaluable opening line to Paul Hindes, former president of Concentric Associates.

2. This clever warm-up is borrowed from Bob Metcalfe, founder of 3Com, and a master of ice-breaking. He is also responsible for the TSR metric for evaluating technical conferences: the T-shirt to Suit Ratio.

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