[Unique Book Review] The Hook is Perfect

Don't you want to be told that your explanations are easy to understand?

Actually, I am often told that I am "good at explaining."
I received high praise from some middle school students.
Whether I was teaching math or kendo.
No matter what I did, I was a Perfect HumanPerfect Human.

In this world, things don't always go that smoothly.
Whether it's studying or kendo, if the skill levels are too far apart, it seems I can't convey things well.

They should be able to do at least this much...

That simplistic thinking was the source of my failure. It's like when a car is stuck on a pile of snow, and the wheels are just spinning in the air.

Vroom, vroom, vroom...

The wheels spin loudly, but they don't move forward at all.

I keep pressing the accelerator with all my might. But eventually, the wheels came off and flew away. I hadn't realized the wheels were spinning in the air. (I exaggerated a bit there.)

As a result of forcing the accelerator, I was told at the cram school that they wanted me to change instructors, and in kendo training, I was told that they "just couldn't open the gym entrance door."

I had completely gotten my communication method wrong. Each person has their own personality, and I must provide the optimal guidance for each one.

I sometimes teach large groups at once, so it is difficult to handle them individually, but I reflect that I should have been a bit more considerate.

After all, a child who can't do something even after being told repeatedly stands out, right? And when they stand out, you scold them again, right? It seems I had fallen into a negative spiral.

The reason that child couldn't do it was likely due to my poor communication. Come to think of it, I was never taught how to communicate at school.

Sho Morita of the Japan Hook Association says he hopes that one day, 'How to Communicate' will be added as a school subject, making the curriculum 'Japanese, Math, Science, and Hooking'.

What on earth is the 'Japan Hook Association'!?

If that's what you thought, first try reading the sample portion of the book from the 'Complete Guide to Hooks' link below.

Just by reading the sample, you should be able to understand well how important a 'hook' is. It is wishful thinking to try to communicate well without a 'hook'.

After reading the 'Complete Guide to Hooks', I thought about the parts I was missing. The points are the following three.

1. A hook requires 'surprise' and 'mystery'

2. Be conscious of the teacher position

3. Humans are creatures moved by emotion

Let's look at this in a little more detail.

Is it... about making them realize it themselves?

According to the 'Complete Guide to Hooks', it seems that 80% of what I say is not being heard. That is precisely why Morita suggests that a hook must have 'surprise' and 'mystery'.

\ I see /

So, what exactly are 'surprise' and 'mystery'?

• Surprise: The other person is 'mistaken'

• Mystery: The other person 'doesn't know'

On the other hand, you might not get a reaction with just simple 'surprise' and 'mystery'. In such cases, you need to prepare high-quality questions. Let's think of high-quality questions that make the other person realize their mistakes on their own.

That's difficult.

I might have misunderstood the teacher position

"The Complete Guide to Hooks" stated, "Take the teacher position and start your presentation with a question."

As expected, it comes down to asking questions here too.

It seems I had misunderstood the teacher position. One-sided imposition is meaningless. That is just a high-handed attitude, equivalent to power harassment.

Unless I use trial and error to understand how the other person is thinking and grasp "why they can't do it" or "what they don't understand," high-quality questioning will be difficult.

I still have a long way to go.
To those kids, I must have just been a power-harassing middle-aged guy.

Maybe my very existence was annoying...

No wonder they would say, "I want a different instructor" or "I won't participate in practice anymore."

I hate myself for having rested on my laurels, being told I was a "kind teacher" until now. I feel like jumping into a hole if I could find one, even at the risk of my life.

Logic alone isn't enough to get through?

Until now, I have strived for "easy-to-understand explanations." Especially in Kendo instruction, I intended to teach them to use their heads to move, rather than just training muscle-headed people who only move their bodies.

That might be why I ended up becoming too preoccupied with logic. In addition to being a power-harassing middle-aged guy...

The pedantic old man

has been added to the mix. It is now the ultimate title: "Power-harassing middle-aged pedantic old man." This is the worst possible situation. You wouldn't want to be taught by someone like that, would you?

The "Complete Guide to Hooks" states the following:

I was relying solely on logic. This is a state of having completely messed up. So, how can one appeal to emotions?

The answer is "storytelling." Mr. Morita writes this:

22 times? You're kidding, right?
Not 2.2 times???

I can't help but feel a bit skeptical, but it is certainly true that explaining things in a story format is more interesting. Isn't this something often heard in study and memorization techniques as well?

You might also have had the experience of information sticking in your memory because it was tied to a story.

I'll try it right away, but...

The student who left saying, "I want a different instructor" and "I won't be participating in practice anymore" is not coming back.

There is no point in fretting over failure, so I intend to put this failure to use next time. It is not a failure; I have simply found a way that does not work.

Let's learn how to communicate

Mr. Morita writes the following at the end.

Being good at explaining means being good at communicating. Always approach it with a learning mindset.

However, this book does not contain content that can be mastered just by reading it once. You need to work on it one step at a time and repeat the process.

When you do it well...

The hook is perfect!!

Try shouting that out loud.

- The End -

Acknowledgments

This book was kindly gifted to me by the author, Sho Morita, through the Tsunagu Library. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude.

I am waiting for work inquiries. Please contact me using the form below.

Recruitment that this article is participating in