Your "Practice Lecture" for FS629

Everyone in this class has already given many presentations to groups of colleagues or students. This is not new for any of you.

The purpose of this exercise is for you to develop and implement a short lecture that consciously addresses the style of delivery rather than the content. By viewing and critiquing your own performance, and receiving critiques from your classmates and the instructor, you will develop a set of skills that you can continue to work to improve in your future lectures and presentations.

Obviously, in the ten short minutes allotted to you for this exercise, you can't practice or demonstrate ALL of the characteristics of good lectures. For example, you will not need to incorporate activities that would break up the monotony of a much longer lecture. And you will not need to demonstrate continuity between the lecture and other assignments. Instead, your focus should be on good style of delivery. Remember that everything you do should be appropriate for your intended audience (the students in the classes you are developing), not necessarily your fellow graduate students. Here are some specific attributes to work on:

1. Body language and appearance:

a. Posture and dress should convey professionalism (within the context of your intended course)

b. Facial expressions should be pleasant, engaging. Aim for eye contact with your audience (a good strategy for large audiences is to scan over their heads. HINTS FOR THE FUTURE: if you are lecturing to a group that includes a few individuals with poor behavior, it is often a good idea to look directly into the eyes of one or more of these people as you lecture. With shy students, a steady stare can be intimidating but it helps to smile briefly in their direction from time to time).

c. It is usually a good idea not to station yourself behind a podium. Depending on the media you use, it can be helpful to walk around the class or down the aisles as you lecture. Remember that you are lecturing to the audience, not a board or a screen. Point to important ideas on the visuals you share, but keep your a body faced primarily to the students. Be sure to set up your visuals so that you can face your audience as you use the visuals. For example, don't stand behind the class to use a slide projector. Either use a remote control, or position the slide projector in the middle or front of the class. (Obviously this doesn't pertain to a situation where you're showing a movie or video -- we're talking here about LECTURES).

d. Strive for physical motions that are controlled, easy and deliberate. You don't want to stand stiffly in front of everyone, neither should you wave arms around wildly.

e. Do not stand between the students and your visuals. If this is unavoidable, try moving to different positions so you block different views. HINT FOR THE FUTURE: If you have a problem with this (I do), you should invite your students to let you know if you are blocking their view.

f. Try to strike a good balance to appear calm and relaxed yet enthusiastic. HINTS: If you tend to be nervous in front of a group, it can be really helpful to tell a short anecdote at the beginning of the lecture. Smile as you're sharing this. This can help you calm down and also help them warm up to you. If you tend to seem TOO calm and unenthusiastic, try starting your lecture with at least one idea or point that you feel passionately about. (See McKeachie for other ideas about displaying enthusiasm).

g. HINT: if your class or audience tends to sit to the back, away from you, before you begin talking, invite them to move closer.

2. Style of speech.

a. Speak loudly enough so people at the back of the room can hear you. If you are using a projector with a fan, be sure to speak loudly enough so people can hear you over the fan. Hardly anything is more distracting to a student than not being able to hear the instructor. (HINTS: When in doubt, speak more loudly than you think is necessary. When you practice, try to speak from your diaphragm).

b. Enunciate clearly. Women especially should try to keep the pitch of their voice low. Speak at a moderate pace, neither very fast nor very slow. It REALLY helps to record your voice and listen to it.

c. If you have a strong accent, be aware that your audience may have difficulty understanding you. Speak carefully, and you might also want to use more notes or visual aids that will help convey your meanings.

3. Visual aids.

a. Possibilities to consider: overhead transparencies, slides, powerpoint presentations, other computer projections, flip charts, dry erase board, chalk board, handouts (or combinations of above).

b. Everything you share should be easily read from the position of any member of your audience. NEVER, NEVER use a visual and say, "I know you can't see this very well, but ..."

c. If you use visuals that students cannot easily copy to their own notes, either give a reference for where they can find this information (e.g., in their text book) or provide copies as handouts that they can use for taking additional notes while you're lecturing (this is more important for a classroom than for a professional presentation).

d. HINTS: If you use electric or electronic devices MAKE SURE you know how to deal with common problems (e.g., slides stuck in projector, bulb goes out on overhead projector. And if you give a powerpoint presentation you should practice over and over how to put the hardware together and to start up and run your program.

e. If you find you have difficulty writing and speaking at the same time (I do), it is best to use "pre-made" visuals, such as overheads or slides.