Keepin it Real
Will the Real Juan Valdez Please Stand Up? - Branding - Authenticity
"Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)
Tactic: Create sumptuous cafés that sell a "coffee experience" along with $4 lattes.
Truth: Stores now use automatic espresso machines–something you’re not likely to find in Milan.
Risk: Starbucks is so mainstream, even its chairman worries it isn’t special anymore."
What does this have to do with the classroom? Lots actually. Like what happens to your teaching as more clients/students come on board? What happens to quality as your group numbers go up? What happens to quality as you get more busy?
Perhaps we pull a Starbucks: We go for automatic machine style teaching vs. personalized brews in our classes. We get so caught up in our own momentum that we fail to continue to do the things that created the momentum in the first place: provide personal, passionate service.
Getting bigger is great. But to paraphrase Seth Godin: no matter how big we get, we have to think and act like we’re small.
What do you do to keep it real in your classroom? Clients?
Photo Credit:
latta mosquito miss pupik
slick one man….a big nod of agreement from me on the starbucks analogy.
it is hard to maintain the specialty, botique flair of the place when you have a lineup out the door. I’ve read that starbucks saved about half a minute by changing to automated machines….which reduced wait time and got espresso into customer hands -
but quality>? speaking as a former cafe worker, you can’t beat the hand drawn shot….
but consistency happens with automation…??
Comment by James Matthew — May 9, 2007 @ 12:00 pm
James,
Thanks for the comments….you’ve got that right man: you can’t beat the hand drawn shot.
Consistency and automation: interesting spin. I wonder if teachers should strive for that in the classroom…consistency I mean. I know schools and administrators tend to love it…but I wonder if consistency, after a few doses, becomes something akin to monotony??? At least when you are talking about teaching anyway. Automation saves time, but I wonder if there are things that should not have time saved on…like learning experiences. What do you think?
Comment by Aaron Nelson — May 9, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
Ra-ra-ra! Go, personalized experience! Slogans can get anyone’s pulse racing, but the fact is, if you’re teaching 5, it’s easy to do the personalized stuff; if you’re teaching 50 (in one class), you have to change your methodology.
What would be useful here would be practical and tried suggestions for how to keep the personal touch and attention in large classes while maintaining clear standards and expectations.
You can’t beat the hand-drawn shot. Yes, you can, if your goal is long-term success and profits. If that ISN’T your goal, keep the hand-drawn shots, but expect to lose a lot of customers who aren’t prepared to wait. And really, did any customers notice the switch to automated machines?
Comment by Marco Polo — May 9, 2007 @ 10:56 pm
Well, I know what I experience when exposed to the same thing day in and day out: boredom.
Comment by Miss Profe — May 10, 2007 @ 5:14 pm
Man Marco Polo the tone of that comment screams frustration and burnout… understandable since you’re a committed teacher with classes of 50. I feel for ya.
Comment by Cleve — May 19, 2007 @ 8:13 am
Marco,
Thanks for your comments, and sorry for not getting back to you sooner.
I would really love to know how you do 50 man. How do you keep everyone interested in what you’re teaching?
And I sort of echo Cleve here….I wonder if you still enjoy teaching the 50?
You’ve asked a great question though: “What would be useful here would be practical and tried suggestions for how to keep the personal touch and attention in large classes while maintaining clear standards and expectations.”
So, that’s what I would like to find out. Are there ways to make big classes more personal? Maybe we can find out together.
Comment by Aaron Nelson — May 19, 2007 @ 12:50 pm