Mastering the Classroom Presentation for Your IDC/IE

During your PADI Instructor Development Course (IDC) and the subsequent Instructor Examination (IE), you will be required to deliver a Classroom Presentation. Successfully passing this presentation is a crucial step in becoming a PADI Instructor. This blog provides tips on how to prepare for and excel in the IDC Classroom Presentation.

At the start of your PADI Instructor Examination, you’ll be given a topic for your presentation. This topic will be based on a knowledge review question that a student answered incorrectly. Most of these questions come from the PADI Open Water, Rescue, and Divemaster courses, though they can also be drawn from the Advanced Open Water Course, Project AWARE courses, or the Peak Performance Buoyancy course.

Overall, the presentation is not overly difficult. Once you grasp the format, it becomes relatively straightforward. What often makes it challenging for candidates is the unique format used by PADI, which may differ significantly from the presentation styles you’ve encountered in academic settings or elsewhere.

The first key point to understand is that you are not teaching the entire topic. The assumption is that the main teaching has already been covered in the classroom. Your task is to correct a specific incorrect answer. This means your presentation should be concise and focused, rather than an extensive overview of the entire subject.

A basic tip for the IDC classroom presentation is to focus solely on answering the specific question. For example, if a student answered one out of five equalizing-related questions incorrectly in the PADI Open Water Course, there’s no need to give a full lecture on equalizing. Just address the specific question they got wrong.

PADI structures the presentation into three main parts: What You’re Going to Teach, Teaching the Concept, and Reinforcing What You’ve Taught.

Personally, I’m not a fan of formal introductions like “Hi, my name is Derek, and I’m your PADI Instructor. Today, I’m going to help you with this question….” If you’re addressing a specific question, such as Question 15 from the Open Water Knowledge Review 3, the students likely already know who you are. A more direct approach, such as “Let’s revisit Question 15,” tends to be more effective.

Let’s break down each section and provide some tips on how to approach your IDC classroom presentation.

Introduction

Contact

This is your initial engagement with the student regarding the question they got wrong. The goal here is to use an analogy or present the concept in a way that makes it easier for the student to understand.

• If the question is from the PADI Open Water Course, use a non-diving-related analogy since the student may have never dived before. For example, you could use analogies like flying and equalizing, shivering while snow skiing, or comparing bubbles from a soda to decompression bubbles.
• For questions from other courses, such as the PADI Rescue Course, you can use diving-related analogies. For instance, if the question is about hypothermia, you might start with, “Have you ever been ice diving?” and relate it to that experience.

Tip: Don’t get too caught up on the contact story. It’s just one mark out of 25. If you nail it, great; if not, focus on making the rest of your presentation strong.

Value

This is a brief explanation of why it’s important for the student to understand the correct answer. For example, you might say, “If you have good buoyancy, you won’t damage coral,” or “If you can equalize properly, you’ll avoid damaging your ears.”

Tip: Keep this brief and to the point, focusing on a single reason. Relate it to the course, such as “This will be important during your pool session today” or “This will be crucial for your open water dives.”

Overview

Provide a concise overview of the question. This is simpler than candidates often think—it’s just a few key words from the question. For example, if the question is, “How do I equalize when descending?” your overview could be, “We’re going to discuss equalizing techniques.”

Tip: Keep it short and focused. You’re simply letting the students know what the discussion will be about.

Conduct

Reference the method the student used to learn the material and guide them to the appropriate resource. For example, you might say, “Turn to page [X] in your manual,” or “Refer to the eLearning module.”

Also, remind them to take notes and feel free to ask questions.

Tip: Have the relevant PADI manual or eLearning material ready and easily accessible.

Interaction Ideas

You must interact with the students throughout your presentation. Use open-ended questions that encourage discussion, rather than closed questions that only require a yes or no answer. Involving the students, especially at the beginning, is crucial.

Example: Instead of asking, “Did you fly to Phuket?” which only requires a yes or no response, ask, “How did you travel from your home to Phuket?” This opens up further questions like, “Where did you fly from? How long did it take? How many stops?”

Body

Objectives

The objective is straightforward: you are there to answer the specific question.

Tip: Simply state, “Our objective is to answer this question…,” and focus on that.

Relation to Other Components of the Course

This section links the question to the practical elements of the course, such as pool or open water sessions, and the local environment where the dives will take place.

For example, if the question is about equalization, you could say, “Tomorrow we’ll be diving at Racha Yai Island for dives 1 and 2. We’ll be descending to 12 meters using a descent line, where there will be significant pressure changes. Understanding how to equalize will be crucial to avoid damaging your ears.”

This section provides immediate relevance to the student, as they will need to apply this knowledge soon.

Tip: Be specific about the skill and its context, such as during the “five-point descent of dive one in the Open Water Course” rather than a general mention.

Course Activities in the Local Environment

Expand on the connection between the question and the dive site. For example, mention something about the dive site, like “Bay 1 at Racha Yai Island is a great place to dive, with lots of coral and the possibility of seeing turtles.”

Continuing Education Examples/Benefits

Use this opportunity to introduce the student to other PADI courses that relate to the topic. For instance, if you’re discussing equalization, you could mention the Deep Adventure dive in the PADI Advanced Open Water Course. For hypothermia in the PADI Rescue Course, you could upsell to the PADI Ice Diving or Dry Suit Specialty Courses.

Highlight 5-6 reasons why they should consider further education, such as additional dives, certification to greater depths, exploring new dive sites, or earning credits toward specialty courses.

Let the student know how many dives and days the course involves, and mention that you’ll be their instructor and can start immediately after this course.

Tip: Make it realistic, simple, and achievable.

Benefits of Dive Equipment Ownership

Now, relate the question to a relevant piece of dive equipment. For example, if the question is about buoyancy, you might recommend buying a BCD. If it’s about being cold underwater, suggest a wetsuit. For equalizing issues, suggest a mask with a soft nose pocket.

List 5-6 benefits of owning this equipment, and if possible, relate it to your personal experience, such as, “This is my BCD, and I like it because it has integrated weight pockets, spacious zippered pockets, plenty of D-rings, a padded backplate, and easy-to-use clips.”

Tip: A dive computer is often a great choice to recommend, as it’s relevant to most questions. Learn to sell your dive computer by highlighting its many features—it’s an essential piece of equipment for any diver.

Environmental Activities

If the topic has environmental benefits, mention them here. For example, “Both the Peak Performance Buoyancy Adventure dive and a good BCD will help you avoid damaging coral.”

Dive Travel to Gain Experience

If selling equipment isn’t your strength, consider promoting dive travel instead, such as a liveaboard trip or an overseas diving adventure. Make sure it’s something your dive shop offers.

Again, relate it to the question. If you’re discussing cold water diving, you might sell an ice diving trip to Sweden in June offered by your store.

Training Aids

There are many tools you can use to help explain the answer. For example, I often use a glass of Coke to demonstrate nitrogen bubbles.

A whiteboard can be effective, but it should show how the answer is derived, not just the question. The PADI App on your phone is another great tool to assist with this.

Interaction Ideas

Continue engaging with the students. Ask them if they own any of their own equipment or if they’re considering further courses or dive trips. Use open-ended questions, like “What equipment do you own?” rather than “Do you own any equipment?”

Teach

Play the relevant video and highlight the key information. Remember, the students have likely seen this video before, so you could start by asking, “Do you remember watching this earlier?”

If there’s no video, have the students read the information from the prescriptive lesson guide or directly from the PADI manual.

Summary

Reinforce Value with Application

Reiterate the original value and connect it to the upcoming dives in the course. For example, “Now that you understand equalization, the five-point descent on dive one tomorrow will be safer and easier.