Choreographing the Start of a Session

I’ve had the misfortune of sitting through many uninspiring webinars, professional learning sessions, and meetings. (Unfortunately, I’m certain I’ve led some of those sessions, too.)

As educators, we often grow into content experts. But when it comes to designing learning experiences (and then actually presenting them to other humans) we sometimes overlook the nuances of adult learning, environment design, and nonverbal presence. Teaching students is one skill set; teaching adults requires another.

Over the past few years, I’ve been working to refine the design side of my professional learning practice. (Shoutout to my Learning Forward Academy problem of practice!) But I’ve had much less training with the delivery side, including how to use voice, presence, and space. And I know I’m not alone.

Like many facilitators, I’ve read Robert Garmston’s 1992 classic How to Make Presentations That Teach and Transform. But when I attended Dr. Kendall Zoller’s “Choreography of Presenting” session at the 2024 Learning Forward Conference, I discovered a new layer of learning. I started to better understand how delivery choices such as crafting impact statements, using voice deliberately, and positioning yourself in the room can strengthen credibility and connection.

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker is one of my go-to playbooks for designing meaningful learning experiences. Zoller’s work is now helping me deliver that learning with greater presence, intention, and care.

The Choreography of Presenting

Zoller’s book, The Choreography of Presenting, helps facilitators become “more conscious, purposeful, intentional, and present in the moment” by focusing on nonverbal patterns—what he calls choreography. He compares effective facilitation to dance: a flow of intentional steps and movements that invite participants into shared rhythm and presence.

He writes: “The presenter must be an expert both in the field and in presenting. The first few minutes of any presentation are crucial to actuate credibility as well as to increase the probability that a group will be receptive to the message.”

Chapter Spotlight: The First Five Minutes

In Chapter 9, “The First Five Minutes,” Zoller breaks down what needs to happen early in a session to establish momentum, credibility, and trust. His guidance aligns with The Art of Gathering and how to launch the gathering. Priya Parker reminds us: “The opening, whether intentionally designed or not, signals to guests what to expect from the experience.”

Zoller outlines five intentional moves to make right at the start:

1. Get the attention of the group

2. Establish group rapport

3. Clarify your role(s)

4. Identify a clear purpose

5. Connect the topic to the attendees

These moves are more than logistics. They help create conditions for psychological safety, relevance, and community-building. Zoller also encourages presenters to consider what they want participants to think, feel, say, and do. The first five minutes are the chance to choreograph all of that into motion.

Designing for Synchronicity

Zoller outlines several possible moves to establish group rapport (the second key move from his “first five minutes” framework). These simple interactions signal to participants: We’re in this together. It’s safe to participate. When a group is well formed, its members are more receptive to the message and more likely to engage.

One move that’s fairly common in both presentations and classrooms is greeting participants as they enter. This simple act allows attendees to feel seen and heard and helps build individual rapport before the session even begins.

A new-to-me idea is Zoller’s emphasis on moments of synchronicity, which for facilitators means intentionally getting everyone to do the same thing at the same time. These shared moments help form the group and create a sense of collective energy in the room.

For example, when a presenter pauses and points to the screen (what Zoller calls a “third point”), and everyone follows their gaze to look at it together, that's synchronicity.

Here are a few more choreography moves that can bring a group into sync:

• Sharing a moment of laughter

• An invitation to turn-and-talk with your neighbor

• Holding up a hand for a fist-to-five self-assessment

• Typing into a collaborative Doc or Zoom chat

• Holding up phones to scan a QR code

These aren’t new techniques, but what is new for me is seeing them as purposeful ways to form a group on the spot. There are probably moments of synchronicity already happening in many sessions, but now I know I can design them more intentionally.

This idea of designing shared moments aligns closely with another concept I’ve explored before: strategy priming. In an earlier blog post about activating learning, I referenced Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath’s work in Stop Talking, Start Influencing. He explains that “the first strategy we activate can influence how others interpret and tackle future tasks.”

When we invite participants to write, collaborate, or connect right away, we aren’t just filling time—we’re signaling what kind of learning environment this will be. That first move shapes what comes next.

By linking strategy priming with moments of synchronicity, I now see how these early choices do more than warm up the group. They help form it. They build rapport, spark engagement, and establish an active, collaborative tone within the first few minutes.

Identifying a Clear Purpose

I also want to dig into another one of Zoller’s five opening strategies: Identify a Clear Purpose.

Last year, I conducted a survey about “uninspiring PD,” and the top complaint was clear: participants were frustrated by the lack of purpose and the absence of clearly communicated goals or outcomes. That feedback pushed me to be even more intentional about articulating purpose in my own sessions.

Zoller offers several specific moves to make this moment tighter and more effective. One strategy is the simple act of posting an agenda, which I’ve written about before in the Activating Learning blog post and have seen modeled in the Learning Forward Texas Tips courses.

Another strategy he recommends is stating learning outcomes in a what and why format. This approach becomes more meaningful when participants take time to process the purpose of the session for themselves.

Zoller suggests a three-part process:

1. Have participants read the outcomes,

2. Choose the ones that feel most important or relevant, and

3. Turn and share with a neighbor.

This may not be a brand-new strategy, but what stands out is the why behind it. Asking participants to read outcomes on their own models a culture of self-directed learning. It gives each person space to make meaning based on their own context, which builds relevance and ownership.

There’s a second layer of impact here too. This process connects back to earlier ideas about synchronicity and strategy priming. When everyone turns to a partner at the same time, it reinforces group cohesion. And when they begin speaking to each other early in the session, it sets the expectation that participation and collaboration will continue throughout the day.

What’s Your Opening Choreography?

These early choreographed techniques, whether establishing group rapport, identifying the purpose (or other first five-minute moves) are more than instructional strategies. They are intentional design and delivery choices that can frame what participants are thinking, feeling, seeing, and doing. 

Openings don’t have to be flashy, but they do need to be thoughtful. By applying strategies from Kendall Zoller’s The Choreography of Presenting, we can shape learning experiences that are more inclusive, welcoming, and effective from the very first five minutes. In doing so, you’re creating an optimal learning environment and setting the stage for conditions for success.

Have you read the book? What’s your biggest takeaway when it comes to delivery? And what do you have planned for the first five minutes of your next session?

If you’re looking for more support in designing or delivering professional learning, be sure to check out Learning Forward Texas’ Tips and Tools.

Resource:

Zoller, Kendall. The Choreography of Presenting: The 7 Essential Abilities of Effective Presenters. 2nd ed., Corwin, 2024.

Additional References:

Garmston, Robert J. Presentations That Teach and Transform. ASCD, 1992.

Horvath, Jared Cooney. Stop Talking, Start Influencing: 12 Insights from Brain Science to Make Your Message Stick. Exisle Publishing, 2019.

Parker, Priya. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters. Riverhead Books, 2018.

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Kathryn Laster brings over 30 years of education expertise as a math teacher, instructional coach, and digital learning consultant. Now, as an independent consultant, Kathryn creates and facilitates transformative learning experiences through intentional, human-centered, tech-infused design. Connect with Kathryn here and at Refined Learning Design.