Keeping little folks actively engaged with learning

Keeping little folks actively engaged with learning is the primary goal of any teacher while in the classroom. That same goal should be applied when running a business. Even famous comedian Dave Chappelle and his wife have shown concern that children aren't really allowed to have a crack at learning actively.
Th ere is a basic Lesson Cycle that teachers implement daily. Of course, running a business does not require maintaining the attention of third graders, but if you apply the same logic (steps) to running your business, your intended audience (the parents of third graders), should become actively engaged and willing to learn from what you got to say or buy what your sellin’
Daily, teachers spin a little something like this:
1. ”Bell Ringer” Activity-This is done at top of the morning! Often involves students performing a quick learning task. 10-20 minutes is optimal. Get the brain going.
For your business try: Spend 15 minutes creating your POWER To Do LIST for the day OR jot down 5 missed business opportunities from the week before and map out a plan to tackle them this week.
2. “Hook” Activity- This is to truly get students engaged and sets up for the meat and potatoes of the daily lesson. It may be in the form of sharing a shocking statistic or posing a controversial question to students on the subject matter at hand.
For your business try: Ask your network a burning question you want the answer to that relates to business. This is when being active in social media for business can really prove fruitful. Twitter and Linkedin folks really take to being a part of a community and you would be surprised how quickly answers to your question will come in. Hence, leading to further brand awareness of YOU and your business.
3. “Presentation” Activity-This is when the full lesson for the day is presented in scope. It is the primary time that teachers often share and inform.
For your business try: This is “prime time” for you to share with your target audience what you can do for them. It could be writing a “Best of” blog post for your readers, sending out a promotional newsletter, giving a speech on your subject area, or sending a press release to a journalist you want to connect with. Just go with your moxie and “expert” yourself to the world.
4. “Guided Practice” Activity- This involves a teacher doing just that, guiding her students through an assignment. Typically, during this time, teachers also field questions from their students regarding the subject matter and lesson at hand to offer clarity.
For your business try: Partnering with another industry professional or one that offers a complimentary service to yours, and host a Twitter chat, or podcast, or attend a meetup. Be a teacher and a student.
5. “Independent Practice” Activity- Students go at it alone during this stage of the lesson cycle. Yes, they will still have a million questions, but teachers enforce and encourage them to persevere and complete the assignment on their own.
For your business: This is often the hardest (or maybe the easiest) part of what you do as an entrepreneur, and that is performing the work that you were hired or contracted to do for a client. Yes, it may be arduous or time-consuming, but providing your “expertise” to clients is why you went into business for your self in the first place. So “woman/man up” and kick tail and take names.
Of course starting your business following a “lesson cycle” used by teachers across the nation is a little unorthodox, but as a former teacher, I can attest, that if you can wrap your brain around the logic, and apply it daily, you will gain that captive audience that just can’t stop talking and asking you a million questions :)