The Magic of Edutainment
In school, I hated the whole process of learning.
I used to have this boring-ass biology teacher who would literally plop her butt on her seat & read off the Powerpoints.
High school hurt my image of learning.
It made me think learning was supposed to be dry and stale.
Truth be told, I couldn’t imagine how anyone enjoyed learning if they didn’t need to.
I thought this around the same time I had a strong passion for basketball.
Your boy was learning a lot regarding the sport, I just wasn’t aware of it.
The irony simply passed my younger self.
Around college, students are given more freedom.
I heard this phrase that said ‘college is the place where you pay to teach yourself.’
Hilarious & somewhat true.
But still, in college, there is a curriculum.
Therefore, even though you have more control, you still have restrictions.
‘Why do you tell me this Armani?’
I tell you this because once we get into the real world, 2 groups will form.
The group who ACTIVELY likes learning & the group who still hates learning.
‘I’m assuming you still hate learning as you did in high school, right?’
Nope, the exact opposite.
‘What?! What changed?’
The delivery.
Education was never meant to be boring.
Heck, it was meant to be entertaining.
When education meets entertainment, you get edutainment.
To level up your storytelling, you need to be knowledgable AND fun.
Let’s take an in-depth look into the world of edutainment & see if you have what it takes to unlock your inner teacher.
Is Education an Internal or External Process?
Let’s go back to the high school example.
We are often taught in a very external format.
Meaning we sit in class, absorb a lot of information & then take a test.
This is cool & all.
But may not hit the true definition of education.
Education stems from the Latin word Educare.
And Educare means to ‘draw out.’
Have you ever had that moment when you REALLY learned something?
A part of you feels it in your chest.
It’s as though you knew the information all your life, but you’re just bringing awareness to it.
So if you were to ask me, education is a mix between external AND internal.
But internal is where the money is.
Memorizing stuff & not being able to apply it in the real world is not education.
It’s just memorizing bud.
What Constitutes as Entertainment?
I used to be a big fan of the comedian, Russell Peters.
In one of his bits, Russell’s dad points out his son is in the entertainment business & implies that everyone in the entertainment industry is flamboyant.
This got the audience laughing.
But why did the dad say ‘entertainment business?’
Why not say the Comedy business?
It’s because entertainment is an umbrella.
And comedy is simply one of the metal lines.
Entertainment is defined as:
An activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience.
There are multiple ways to hold that attention.
And typically, it can be done via the 5 human desires which are the desires to:
- Feel
- Learn
- Defend
- Acquire
- Bond
When we think of entertainment, we mainly think of Desire #1.
We consume entertainment to FEEL.
Whether it be a comedy show, a horror movie, reality tv, etc.
All those have components of feeling.
If you look closer at the list of human desires, you notice the Desire to Learn is also present.
Dope, isn’t it?
Humans have a DESIRE to learn.
We can feel a strong urge inside when we are curious about something.
Curiosity is primal.
Guess what happens when you combine the 2 human desires to LEARN & FEEL?
‘What?’
You get Edutainment.
Entering the World of Edutainment
Yep, edutainment speaks to 2 core human desires.
Which is why it is a booming industry.
And just like entertainment is an umbrella that has comedy as a field…
Edutainment is an umbrella that holds a lot of subsections as well.
When I was in high school, I used to be obsessed with the Food Network.
Strange, I know.
But I loved seeing the recipes & how dishes would be made.
One of my favorite shows was Emeril Live.
He was this pudgy dude with a bunch of charisma who was always creating something dope.
His personality was what carried the show.
Yet once you were done watching, you learned a ton about cooking.
Edutainment is not a new subject by any means.
It’s been around for ages.
However, with the information age & global technology, edutainment is taking up a new twist.
Edutainment has been very popular in the video game industry.
But as platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Instagram continue to grow, edutainment is going to continue to soar in the new media industry.
Edutainment, in a nutshell, is defined as:
The ability to educate in an entertaining fashion.
This is HUGE.
‘Why do you say that?’
This is big because the term teacher & storyteller are sort of blurring the lines at this point.
Humans have the storytelling gene engrained in them.
If you don’t believe me, watch how you tell a story of the guy who cut you off in traffic.
‘You won’t believe it! Here I was having a great day & this thug began tailgating me…(story begins).
We are telling stories all the time whether we are aware or not.
Heck, we even dream in stories!
Why not tell stories about your skillsets & knowledge rather than whining?
If you’re ready for that, then read on.
Participating in the Edutainment World
Here’s a creativity insight for you:
-If you lead with the skill & sprinkle in your personality, then it will feel like work.
-If you lead with your personality & sprinkle in the skill, then it will feel like fun.
That’s it.
If you can adopt this mindset, you’ll realize that the world of edutainment is not too far away from you.
What skill sets or knowledge do you have?
Think about something that holds your genuine interest.
Topics that you do research on without anyone telling you to.
The beauty is that there is a niche for everyone.
When I started ArmaniTalks, I didn’t know if there was much of a demand for communication skills.
I didn’t even view it like that.
Instead, I viewed it as sharing what I was learning via real-life experience.
As I was sharing my journey with public speaking, writing a book, telling stories, I discovered a niche from there.
Ask yourself what intrigues you.
And just create content with that.
Avoid being too technical. No one cares about the technicalities…yet.
K.I.S.S.
Keep it SUPER simple.
The more simple that you are able to explain your skillset, the more your authentic personality shows.
You will flow seamlessly with practice.
When you try to make something complex to show that you’re a ‘subject matter expert’, then you may be educating.
But you are not partaking in the entertaining portion.
That’s not edutainment.
And if you want to partake in edutainment with a group, then just remember the core fundamentals.
-The topic that you are teaching: Education.
-How you can make the audience feel: Entertainment.
This combo hits the brain & the heart.
When you hit the brain & the heart of the audience, you officially have won them over.
Influence will follow.
Make Learning Fun Again
Learning was always meant to be an enjoyable process.
Not one where you are dragging your feet.
When you get out there in the real world, you realize how important it is to learn.
The world is constantly changing.
Dragging your feet hoping for it to stay the same will have you taking L after L.
As Eric Hoffer said:
“In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
Find a way to make learning fun.
If you don’t see content around your area of interest with entertaining material, all good.
Find ways to learn that topic & make content yourself.
Stories create perceptions.
Stories make the world move forward.
Combine your stories with education & you’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
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– ArmaniTalks 🎙️🔥
