Hi

One of my favorite YouTube creators is a guitar teacher in North Carolina named Eric Haugen. I was watching his most recent video this morning over a cup of coffee (see above). What stood out to me in this video is how accessible he makes the content. 

In this video, Eric demonstrates a particular line of notes (for reasons unbeknownst to me, guitar players have always called these passages licks), shows how those notes can be played in different positions, and how those notes relate to music theory (i.e., he explains why these particular phrases make musical sense, and wind up sounding great in the process). 

During this lesson, he also intersperses pauses for the viewer to reflect, asks rhetorical questions to cue the viewer to fill in the blanks, and of course, provides repetition. 

Even cooler, he provides almost Mr. Rogers-like encouragement. Watch about 10-seconds of this, starting around 9:57:

These observations caused me to reflect on how I talk about behavior with parents, staff, consumers, and other stakeholders. The everyday genius of Eric's video results in a piece of information that is accessible and informative, almost regardless of how much content knowledge one has in a particular subject. 

As a Behavior Analyst, what I find even more impressive is that even when Eric is discussing the very basics of this lick, he has his eyes set squarely on the music theory that underpins the passage, and weaves that into the discussion. Basically, he's inviting - but not forcing - the viewer to go a bit deeper in their understanding. 

So when we're working with stakeholders, what can we take from Eric's example? Can we strike the right balance between giving people what they need to know and explaining the concepts and principles that relate to why we're asking them to do X, Y, or Z?

If you're not a guitar player or musician and you've made it this far, thanks for indulging me. I suppose this might be a good time to inform you of some interesting new CEUs that have just gone up for sale, and there are good deals to be had if you want to buy more than a few. 

Lastly, let me know if there are some YouTube instructors - regardless of genre - whom I should check out who also excel in this area.

Thanks for reading, and please consider sharing with friends and colleagues.

All the best,

Matt