What-Why-How Simple Descriptions

No doubt you’ve heard the phrase “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it”.

The combination of words used to describe techniques and tasks is crucial to create understanding. The information delivered will simply not help students to progress if it is not delivered well.

Too basic and the description can lack detail. Too complex and the key points can easily get lost or can lead to confusion.

Presented information should be clear, concise and well-organised. The students must understand WHAT it is they are trying, WHY they are trying it and HOW they are best to do it.

What

This is a single sentence that describes the activity or concept in a simple and concise way, for example; “Let’s try to link these C-shaped turns into a series of S-shapes.”

Why

This should describe the main benefit of the activity or concept to help get the students’ buy-in to the learning process, for example; “This S-shape will help us keep rhythm and flow down the run so we can begin exploring more of the mountain.”

How

This should describe the movements required to achieve the activity or concept. It will often include specific body parts and how the snowboard will likely perform as a result. For example; “Keep a little momentum at the end of your first C-turn, rather than coming to a stop, and look across the hill for a good place to make your next turn. If you turn your knee and hip progressively, the board will steer smoothly.”

New instructors often find themselves over-complicating descriptions. This can create confusion in students and sometimes a lack of trust. The What-Why-How method helps to avoid this and provides a recipe to deliver information in a simple and concise way, without missing the key elements. The simpler the information delivered, the easier it will be absorbed.

Presenting information is more than just the verbal delivery however. Verbal descriptions are often best followed up with physical demonstrations of the activity and the opportunity for students to feel the activity for themselves.