EASE FEAR OF MACROS WITH THIS COMPARISON. Macro programming is one of the most handy but least used features in most applications. Many folks feel intimidated — they assume that macros are too complicated for them to understand.

To overcome their fear, I compare macros to a tape recording. This analogy usually puts people at ease, since everyone knows how to record and play back from a tape recorder.

Steve Many
Goffstown, NH

THIS DATABASE ANALOGY WILL PUT YOU IN A FESTIVE MOOD. 
I teach database classes, and have found a successful technique for helping people grasp the difference between primary and secondary keys. I tell students:

“The database is like the street you live on and the tables are like houses on that street. You have a key to your own house: let’s call that the primary key. 

“Suppose you have a big party, and the only way for someone to get into your house is if you give them a copy of the key to your house. Let’s call that copy a secondary key.

“So now, your guests use their secondary keys to get into your house. Once they are inside, they can party and eat food and have fun, and see all your stuff. They have access to your party treats because they had a secondary key.

“With a database, you need a primary key for your table, so you can make copies and hand it out. Then you give other tables a copy of that primary key, called a secondary key, so they can read the data. Without that secondary key, they can’t get to the data in your table.”

Sue Molyneaux

HELP STUDENTS LEARN TO JUGGLE OUTLOOK TASKS WITH THE HELP OF A FEW BALLS.  I’ve had great results using about five juggling balls to teach Outlook task management concepts.

I begin by throwing a ball to each of five different learners, and then I ask the group to imagine that each ball is a task, such as “complete a report,” “approve leave,” “mow the lawn,” or “finish homework.” 

I then ask each person holding a ball whether he/she will accept that task.
If a person says “Yes,” then he keeps the ball.  I explain that, just as with Outlook, the task would remain on his Task List, and he would now “own” that task. 

If a participant says “No,” she throws the ball back to me, and I point out that in Outlook, she would no longer have the task in her email or Task List. 

The task and ownership of that task is returned to me to complete.  
I like this demonstration because a lot of people using Outlook are concerned that meeting appointments and tasks will go straight into the relevant file without them acknowledging it. 

This exercise clearly demonstrates how much control they have over managing the incoming requests. It also gives everyone a bit of fun.

Melanie Mawdsley
IT Technical Trainer
The Automobile Association, UK

The above Tips are reprinted from the book "Quick Training Tips! How to teach computing skills to practically anyone" edited by Loretta Weiss-Morris, copyright 2001-2004 Systems Literacy Inc.