Difficult to Reach Audiences

[Brenda Brandon <bbrandon@ross1.cc.haskell.edu>]

Sometimes the only way to reach people and provide the needed outreach is through postive one-on-one interaction.  Though it may be time-consuming, the word of mouth will travel, though not as quickly and often not as accurately.  

Clearly there are a number of communities that will have alternative means of communicating that will become useful, such as the newspaper and the public radio station.  However, face to face communication is proven to be more powerful.  

Community meetings are the most productive means of providing face to face interation.  If the audience does not respond well to the typical classroom setting, try using posters and having the audience view the posters and ask questions.  Giving a short presentation of each poster is a beneficial way of gaining interest and inticing questions.  Providing one-on-one assistance to the audience can be as simple as sitting down with a friend and a cup of coffee and chatting about something technical for a change.  Those providing the assistance may spend more time in a social setting, but less time preparing lengthy or technical presentations.  Often it is best to keep your credentials in your hat and let the expertise do the work, casually. Being humble can go a long way in a lot of cases.