[Doriana] Talk to me, baby

[Doriana]

At my work, we're organizing a (virtual) series of three lectures that people can sign up for. My colleague (H/A/F) semi-jokingly said that she expects a higher rate of no-shows for the final lecture than for the other two sessions. Why?

[AlbatrossLover]

Is it relevant what the lectures are about? The fact that they're virtual? Is the date/time of the final lecture relevant? Does your colleague expect the content of the first two lectures to affect the attendance in the final one? Does she expect a specific group of people to not show up for the final lecture?

[Doriana]

Is it relevant what the lectures are about? Yes The fact that they're virtual? No (or maybe insofar as people are more likely to just not show up for virtual events than they are for in-person events, in my experience) Is the date/time of the final lecture relevant? Yes to both Does your colleague expect the content of the first two lectures to affect the attendance in the final one? No Does she expect a specific group of people to not show up for the final lecture? Yes

[AlbatrossLover]

Does the final lecture take place at the same time as another event? If so, is it related to sports? A TV/Movie/videogame release? An anniversary? Something related to the theme of the lectures?

Are the lectures related to science? Technology? Art? Specific workplace rules/protocols?

[Doriana]

Does the final lecture take place at the same time as another event? Yes If so, is it related to sports? This A TV/Movie/videogame release? An anniversary? Something related to the theme of the lectures? Laterally

Are the lectures related to science? This Technology? Art? No to these Specific workplace rules/protocols? No and potential FA

[Sundowner]

Is the event related to football (soccer)? The upcoming EURO championship?
Is the lecture about mathematics? Is the topic of the lecture (maybe laterally) related to the event?

[AlbatrossLover]

Is the lecture about physics? Anatomy? Biology?

College sports relevant? Is the FA that the lectures are about something specific to your workplace?

[Doriana]

Is the event related to football (soccer)? The upcoming EURO championship? Yes to both
Is the lecture about mathematics? No Is the topic of the lecture (maybe laterally) related to the event? Yes, laterally

Is the lecture about physics? Anatomy? Biology? No to all

College sports relevant? No Is the FA that the lectures are about something specific to your workplace? No, it's about the target group of the lecture

[GalFisk]

Does she think people will no-show because they're watching sports? Because they quit work? Because they don't see the point?

[Doriana]

Does she think people will no-show because they're watching sports? Yes Because they quit work? No, potential FA Because they don't see the point? No

[Sundowner]

Do you expect the participants would value watching the soccer match higher than the lecture? but only for the last lecture?
Is the last lecture the only one that coincides with a match? is it an important match? the final? a semifinal? a quarter final? a match of a particular team?
Would the participant's decision to drop the last lecture grow during the first two lectures? Would it depend on some outside event? (like on whether the Netherlands make it to the final)
Speaking of the puzzle's title: is baby talk relevant?
Are the lectures about a parenting-related topic? about practical parenting skills?
Would these people consider watching the soccer match a practical exercise of sorts of what they learned in the first two lectures?
Is the target group young parents? or going-to-be parents? (or planning-to-be parents?)

[Doriana]

Do you expect the participants would value watching the soccer match higher than the lecture? Yes but only for the last lecture? Yes, see next question
Is the last lecture the only one that coincides with a match? Yes is it an important match? the final? a semifinal? a quarter final? a match of a particular team? This
Would the participant's decision to drop the last lecture grow during the first two lectures? No (and FAish: People could sign up for individual lectures or all three, meaning that the people who attend the last lecture are not necessarily the same people who attended the first two lectures) Would it depend on some outside event? (like on whether the Netherlands make it to the final We'll see how that goes...) No
Speaking of the puzzle's title: is baby talk relevant? No, but children's language development is relevant
Are the lectures about a parenting-related topic? Yes about practical parenting skills? Yes
Would these people consider watching the soccer match a practical exercise of sorts of what they learned in the first two lectures? No
Is the target group young parents? or going-to-be parents? (or planning-to-be parents?) All of these

[Sundowner]

Is the lecture series scientific in its nature? aimed primarily at researchers and students? but also parents (without scientific background) could benefit from it?
Would it help to identify which team is playing during the third lecture? does this team has some quality which is related to the topic of the lecture?
WAG: raising children in a foreign country relevant? and we're looking for a soccer team rich in players who grew up not in the home country of their parents? (so: Germany?)

[Doriana]

Is the lecture series scientific in its nature? Yes aimed primarily at researchers and students? No but also parents (without scientific background) could benefit from it? No, (grand)parents are the primary target group
Would it help to identify which team is playing during the third lecture? It might does this team has some quality which is related to the topic of the lecture? Noish
WAG: raising children in a foreign country relevant? Yesish and we're looking for a soccer team rich in players who grew up not in the home country of their parents? No (so: Germany? But Germany is indeed one of the teams playing that day)

[Sundowner]

Is the team one of the ones Germany is playing against: so, France? Portugal? Hungary?
Or a team that is playing on the same day as Germany; so: Sweden? Poland? Spain? Slovakia?
Do you think the people who would drop out for the last lecture were mainly supporters of that team? people from that country? Would you expect them to watch the match at home? with friends? in a pub? on a public screen?
Is your lecture online? face to face? if face to face: is it going to take place in the city where the match is going to be?
Is the lecture basically about how parents and grandparents should talk to babies in order to help them develop language skills? like: talk in simple but natural language, no baby talk? keep eye contact? show empathy? talk while doing activities together? engange the child in conversation?
Bilingual raising of children relevant? Bilingual (multilingual) communication at home at general (i.e. there need not to be a dominant language in the family)?

[Doriana]

Is the team one of the ones Germany is playing against: so, France? Portugal? Hungary? The Germany-France is the match in question, and both teams are relevant
Or a team that is playing on the same day as Germany; so: Sweden? Poland? Spain? Slovakia? So, no to these
Do you think the people who would drop out for the last lecture were mainly supporters of that team? Yes people from that country? Yes Would you expect them to watch the match at home? with friends? in a pub? on a public screen? Irrel
Is your lecture online? Yes face to face? if face to face: is it going to take place in the city where the match is going to be?
Is the lecture basically about how parents and grandparents should talk to babies in order to help them develop language skills? like: talk in simple but natural language, no baby talk? keep eye contact? show empathy? talk while doing activities together? engange the child in conversation? All of these might come up in the lecture, but see next question
Bilingual raising of children relevant? YES Bilingual (multilingual) communication at home at general (i.e. there need not to be a dominant language in the family)?

I think we have everything we need for the

********SPOILER********

The last lecture of our three-part lecture series is about bilingual language development. The lecture coincides with the Germany-France football/soccer match, so my colleague joked that families raising their children with German or French as their second language will drop out and watch the game instead, leaving us with an increased number of no-shows.