Evaluation tool 4 – Open palm on chest
What is this tool?
“Open palm on chest” is a simple, low-tech approach to gauge audience responses to multiple-choice questions during a lecture.
It also has the added advantage of keeping respondents’ answers relatively private (compared to more standard “hands up” techniques), and being applicable to audiences of all ages.
What can I use it for?
“Open palm on chest” is particularly effective for use in lecture/presentations with interested adults or the general public.
Open palm on chest at a glance…
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When should I use it?
This tool is best suited to use during an event.
What do I need?
Nothing but your audience and a clear view of them – presenting at the front of a lecture theatre is perfect.
Let’s get started…
Ask your audience members to each hold one hand close to their chest in response to a question you pose. An open hand means “yes” and a closed hand means “no” (or true/false if you prefer).
Alternatively, you could just ask people who agree with a statement to hold one hand open on their chest.
For example, you could ask:
Does the Sun orbit the Earth?
Looking around the room you can quickly see (roughly) what proportion of people have open palms compared to closed palms, and there- fore better understand your audience members’ knowledge. Holding their hands close to their chests also “feels less like school” and avoids the problem of influencing neighbours’ responses.
Download worksheet
Download the “Open palm on chest” tool worksheet
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