Scrum Master Choices – Professionalising the Teacher Stance, Part 5.
Prior to reading this blog, please read the introduction to this series here.
By now we’ve covered three competencies of the teaching stance for a Scrum Master: Intention, Evaluation, Continued Development, and now, Variety of Delivery. This one hits close to home for anyone who has ever designed a workshop or coaching session, only to watch half the room switch off ten minutes in. It's uncomfortable and I hate it because it makes me lose energy...it's a downwards spiral from there.
So why is the topic of Variety of Delivery important?
Because not every team and organisation learns the same way.
In this post I’ll explore Variety of Delivery - the fourth competency. This is the moment where the theory meets the actual people. It’s where the Professional Teacher moves beyond good content and starts adapting how that content is delivered to match the diverse needs of those in front of them. You know that as consultants and practitioners you need to change your mode of delivery depending on who is standing in front of you.
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."
One Size Fits None
I've often fallen into the trap of designing sessions based on what I would want to experience. And while it’s useful to draw on my personal preferences, it can lead to a dangerously narrow delivery style (I'm a 'get up and get involved' kind of teacher). We all have our defaults. Slide decks, whiteboards, post-it notes on walls, a favourite Liberating Structure. But real teaching asks a lot more of us. It demands that we meet learners where they are.
Within a single team you might have:
A deep technical expert who wants workshops to be short and to the point.
A new joiner who wants slow scaffolding and reassurance through connection with the wider team.
A stakeholder who doesn't know what Scrum is and is too nervous to say so.
A cynic who’s seen ten Scrum Masters come and go and is waiting to be proven right.
Now imagine delivering the same content, in the same format, to all of them.
Differentiation: It’s Not Just a Classroom Word
In education, differentiation means tailoring methods to support the needs, readiness, and learning styles of each individual. For the Professional Teacher as a Scrum Master, it means selecting exercises, adjusting the depth of explanation, and using varied interaction formats, all within the same session. This doesn’t mean dumbing things down or creating a new plan for every person. It means designing sessions with flexibility built-in. It means having a toolkit of delivery methods ready to go (if you don't know where to start, reach out to me and I'm happy to offer advice beyond Training from the Back of the Room and Liberating Structures), and being able to switch them in the moment.
From Tools to Theory
A Professional Teacher doesn’t just have techniques. They know why the techniques work. That understanding often comes from learning theory.
I mentioned a few theories in the previous blog:
Constructivism: Learners build new knowledge based on prior understanding. Start where they are.
Cognitivism: Emphasises mental processes. Great for structuring complex ideas into digestible chunks.
Behaviourism: Learning is shaped by practice and feedback. Useful in repetition-heavy contexts.
Humanism: Focuses on the whole person. Motivation, self-direction, purpose.
Connectivism: Recognises that learning happens through networks and shared experience, not just the "teacher".
There is no need to adopt a single philosophy (and I mean that literally… because it’s the entire point of this blog) but knowing the broad approaches helps you to select better methods and respond more effectively in the moment.
Toolkit Thinking
Here are a few delivery formats that can be rotated, layered, and adapted:
Concept Teaching (high structure). Ideal for introducing new frameworks or models.
Scenario-Based Practice (medium structure). Puts learners in realistic situations to test understanding.
Peer Review or Teaching (low structure). Great for surfacing depth and supporting transfer of knowledge.
Silent Reflection and Debrief. Slows the pace and allows introverts to thrive.
Gamified Challenges. Engages emotional learning pathways, even in adults.
Live Demonstration. Sometimes, showing is more effective than telling.
The Professional Teacher knows when to use each, how to transition between them, and how to read the room to decide which to drop.
Responding In-Flight
Planning is important. But just as important is your ability to adapt delivery in the moment (that’s the third time I’ve mentioned this point so far because it’s so important). That’s why this competency relies heavily on evaluation (see here). When you’re continually checking for understanding through observation, questioning, and learner reflection, you start to see the signals early.
That team looks bored? Try an energiser or breaking them into groups.
That participant hasn’t spoken all session? Invite a small-pair discussion to give them a safer space to contribute.
That silence after your explanation? Don’t fear it. Ask a different question, offer a metaphor, or pause for reflection. People need time to process your question, form an answer and then start speaking, all before you give them the answer. Try the old technique of Seven Seconds of Silence (you just count to seven in your head before speaking...it will feel like a really long time!).
Professional Teaching is about precision. Not performance.
Variety of Delivery Is About Inclusion
When you vary your delivery style, you aren’t just helping individuals to pick up new skills or grow as a product team. You’re creating an inclusive environment. One where everyone feels seen and supported, not just the confident talkers or the quick learners. Teams that feel safe to learn will also feel safer to experiment, to take risks, and to grow.
Evaluation Criteria
As the Scrum Master:
I design sessions with varied activities and learning formats.
I observe learner responses and adapt delivery in real-time.
I can explain why I chose specific approaches based on need and theory.
I stretch, support, and challenge learners appropriately.
As the Scrum Team:
We experience engaging and varied ways of learning.
We feel included, even if our learning style differs from others.
We see our Scrum Master tailoring teaching to suit us.
As the Organisation:
There is recognition that teaching is not a one-size-fits-all exercise.
Scrum Masters are supported in developing diverse coaching and delivery skills.
We value inclusive, responsive learning as part of our culture.
Actionable Ideas
Design with Layers – Create sessions where tasks can be tackled at different levels of difficulty. Offer extension tasks for experienced learners and supportive scaffolds for others.
Session Debriefing – Ask learners to reflect not just on what they learned, but how they learned it best. Use this to plan future sessions.
Method Swap – Teach the same concept using two different delivery styles, such as a diagram and a story. Let learners compare which landed better.
Observation Challenge – In your next session, track who speaks, who stays quiet, and who shows visible confusion. Reflect. Did your delivery reach them all?
Teaching is not about showing what you know (this is where the majority of trainers fall down) - you need to teach to their level, not your own. It’s about helping others grow. And that growth depends on how you show up, not just what you show.
In the next and final post in this series, we’ll explore Professional Standards. This is where ethics, inclusivity, and principled practice become central to the teaching stance. Because when you step into the teacher role, you’re not just sharing knowledge.
You’re shaping environments.