Lecturing/Making Presentations:
PREPARING A LECTURE OR PRESENTATION

• Who are your learners (age, educational level, culture, etc.)?
  
  
• What is your learners' current level of knowledge about and/or experience with the topic?
  
  
• How does your lecture/presentation relate to other learning activities for the day/week/unit?
  
  
• How much time do you have?
  
  
• What is the overall goal of this lecture/presentation?

Create Objectives (refer also to "Effective Use of Performance Objectives" for Learning and Assessment")

• What specific things do you want learners to be able to know, feel, do as a result of this lecture/presentation?
  
  
• What knowledge/skills related to your lecture/presentation will students be expected to demonstrate on an assessment?
  
  
• Create "SMART" objectives (specific, measurable/observable, attainable, relevant and results-oriented, targeted to learner and desired level) - Write each objective so that it completes the sentence, "After this lecture/presentation, you should be able to…"

Prepare the Lecture/Presentation

• For the introduction:
  • The introduction should get attention, set the mood, establish expectations and objectives, demonstrate relevance, tie to the larger context, create rapport, and motivate the learner.
    
    
  • Some example strategies for the introduction include a dramatic statistic, startling question or challenging statement, quotation, picture, anecdote, demonstration, case history.
    
    
• For the body:
  • Limit major learning points to a maximum of three to five per hour, corresponding to objectives.
  • Decide on an appropriate organizational structure (e.g., chronological, procedural, cause-effect, problem-solution, topical, general to specific, specific to general, etc.)
  • Develop an outline.
  • Plan time for questions and a conclusion (10 min/50 min).
  • Develop concrete examples to illustrate your main points.
    o Decide how to illustrate key points (e.g., story, demonstration, case, etc.).
  • Decide how to supplement key points (e.g., audio-visuals, props).
  • Build in transitions.
  • List questions you plan to ask.
    
    
• For the conclusion:
  • Develop a summary that relates to the objectives.
  • Plan a way to tie back into the introduction.