I think it may involve people skills, but more specifically an ability to facilitate a discussion or a debate, which is very tactical, as Keith and Lauren were mentioning. The ideas Aaron brings up with the gunners are interesting to me. I find that professors vary in their respective abilities to carry on a focused class session, while still including student perspectives which often add to the quality of the class. Indeed, learning from each other is a big part of our education here. However, we’ve all known that often much is said that is superfluous and distracting, sometimes derailing the discussion. The quality of the class suffers when the professor cannot maintain control over the class.

More broadly, though, I think that setting up more “radical” ideas to fly and not fall flat takes a certain amount of skill in facilitation. There are choices of media involved, initial audience, target audience, and styles of communication that all contribute to getting across the intended idea. Whether or not to be stealth is a tactic too. Furthermore, I think there is an element of creating a persona – call it a mask if you will – such that those who hear the message will absorb it. Each of us has a persona now, and what we do with it over the next few years may have a big impact on what we can do with it in the future. I don't know what I want my persona to be, but I'm in this class to start to figure that out.

-- CarolineElkin - 10 Mar 2009