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Planning the Lecture

Lectures are more appropriate than discussions or other activities in several cases, for example: 

• When print material on a topic is out of date. 

• When various sources of information are available on a subject. 

• When you are presenting your own ideas or a sample method of approaching a topic. 

• When the material is easily obtainable from students’ textbooks. 

• When the topic is basically factual. 

• When the material has little connection with the other lectures and discussions in the course. 

As you choose your material, keep in mind that people can process only a limited amount of material in a certain amount of time. Overloading students can be counterproductive, beginning lecturers should ask themselves, “If there is any one main point I want students to walk out of this class knowing, what is it?” 

Beginning the Lecture

The next step is to plan your beginning. No matter how confident you are about lecturing, it is a good idea to plan the beginning and the end very specifically, even to write the first and last few sentences out. The opening of a lecture is particularly important in engaging students’ attention. It can arouse their curiosity and provide a framework which will help them connect the ideas you will present. 

From a dynamic beginning, you can proceed to lay out the major points the lecture will cover. Let students know what your focus will be so they can comprehend what you are doing and understand why you are doing it that way. 

If you are concerned about remembering everything you want to say, use detailed notes, and write out those sections that are crucial to your point. Quotations should be written out in full, so that you can read them accurately. But writing out everything you will say will most likely result in a flat, dull reading. A combination of notes and written text should be enough even for beginning lecturers. 

Keeping Students' Attention

Studies have shown that students’ attentiveness to lectures begins to diminish after the first 10 minutes, so you are well advised to make the most of this initial period. But lecturers also need to keep students’ attention after the first few minutes are up. If your introduction is interesting and clear, the students will be able to observe and think ahead as you bring information to the problem at hand. They will also be able to follow you better if you give them a conceptual model that will give structure to the material presented. 

Some suggestions to keep students’ attention in class: 

• Signpost transitions and how they relate to the lecture. 

• Define your terms and don’t be afraid to repeat definitions. 

• Ask rhetorical questions. 

• Give examples. 

• Avoid monotone. 

• Use props and visual aids. 

Finishing Up

It is important that you leave enough time at the end of the period to summarize and to bring your audience to a conclusion you have written out ahead of time. If time is running short, it is preferable to omit a final example or anecdote and recap the things you were able to cover in full. Avoid going too fast at the end of the lecture, as you may lose your students’ attention in the drive to cover everything on your agenda. 

Outline for Constructing Your Lecture

Selection of the topic: 

• Make clear how the lecture fits into the context of the course and how it relates to readings. 

• Set goals; think in terms of what the students can learn. 

• Do not be overly ambitious in how much you can cover. 

• Have a contingency plan and keep your goals in mind in case you need to cut material. 

Organization of the material: 

• Focus attention at the beginning of the lecture. Some options include: 

• Present a set of incongruous facts. 

• Pose a complex question. 

• Tell an anecdote that illustrates the material. 

• Link the topic to common knowledge. 

• Illustrate the problem through props (using the blackboard, handouts, a newspaper clipping) or your actions. 

• Select a rhetorical strategy: 

• Find a structure and emphasize it (cause and effect, pro and con, concept and application; be clear when you are moving from one point to another). 

• Review the whole before moving on to the parts. 

• Make it easy to take notes (build in pauses, repetition; use conjunctions carefully because they indicate the relationships within the lecture). 

• Make it easy to map the lecture. 

• Select useful examples and anecdotes. Presentation strategy: 

• Decide whether to provide a brief handout. 

• Tell students your strategy. 

• Relate the lecture to recent lectures. 

• Make legible notes for yourself: 

• Make them easily readable. 

• Write out quotes and definitions. 

• Plan use of the blackboard and indicate it in your notes. 

Maximize students’ attentiveness. Some options include: 

• Using a variety of materials and teaching aids. 

• Changing the focus by posing problems or asking questions. 

• Varying pitch, pace, intensity of delivery. 

Establish a rapport with students: 

• Speak as though in a dialogue, not giving a speech. 

• Make eye contact. 

• Acknowledge the expertise of the audience.