Creating Engaging Lectures

Lecturing Effectively in an LLI Class

Most LLI classes are too large for participants to sit around a seminar table and engage in face-to-face discussion. The following tips may help instructors of lecture-style courses create content that is both informative and highly engaging. Click on these links for additional tips on how to help older learners hear and see in a classroom setting.

Prepare in advance

• Visit your classroom in advance.  Decide where you will stand and how you will move from one place to another. Make sure that you know how to use the audio-visual equipment. (Contact Jerry Niles: jerryniles@comcast.net  to arrange for a classroom tour and technology walk-through before the first day of class.)

• Have a back-up plan.  Technology problems can negatively affect your credibility, even if they are beyond your control.

• Plan your lecture and visual aids beforehand. Outline how you will introduce, explain, and summarize the main ideas. 

• Prepare speaking notes. Avoid reading from a script, a computer screen, or overhead projector. 

• Include delivery reminders in your notes.

• Practice your lecture.  Resist the common error of including too much material in a lecture.  Students’ questions and learning activities can take up to 50% more time than you may first think.

• Bring a bottle of water.

Structure the lecture clearly

• Be transparent. Show your students “the big picture.” Explain how the lecture relates to previously-learned material and the course themes and goals in general. 

• Make explicit transitions between topics with mini-summaries.

• Cover only a few main points in each lecture.  Focus on presenting central points or general themes that tie together as many topics as possible.

• Avoid merely repeating the course readings. Elaborate on any readings using new examples.

• Be flexible when following your notes. Watch students’ level of interest and confusion and be ready to adapt your lecture accordingly. The lecture should arise out of your interaction with the students, not the notes themselves.

Strive to engage your whole class

• Ask first, then tell. For example, rather than telling students the findings from a study, ask them to predict what the study found based on what they know so far. 

• Allow breaks during long classes. As needed, create opportunities for students to move around, talk with one another, or just relax quietly. 

• Use questions to prompt students to think about how the material relates to their life experience. 

• Invite student questions and use them in class. Students could be invited to submit questions in person or by email. From time to time, incorporate the answers to students’ questions into your lecture.

• Ask students for feedback. An effective low-tech method is to circulate and then collect note cards, which students can use to record questions or comments. 

• Consider sharing with students your partial notes or slides before or immediately after class. 

• Use inclusive practices.  Be mindful of potential biases and stereotypes conveyed in the images, phrases, pronouns, examples, images, etc. that you use in class. 

Use effective presentation strategies

• Maintain regular eye contact with the entire class.

• Avoid turning away from students when you speak. It helps many students to be able to see your face and mouth while you speak.

• Use a microphone in large classes. Amplifying your voice will help all students — not just students with hearing impairments — and will also put less stress on your vocal cords. 

• Speak clearly, but use a conversational tone. Think of the lecture as an opportunity to speak with the students, not at them.

• Convey your enthusiasm for the material and the students. Vary your vocal speed and pitch, as well as your facial expressions. Smile often. Consider using humour when appropriate.

• Ask the students periodically if they can hear and see everything. Make changes to your volume and visual aids as necessary.

• If possible, move around the room, and use natural gestures.  Changes help to refocus students’ attention, but remember to move with purpose so you avoid distracting your students.

• Interact with your students to create positive rapport with them. Arrive at class early so that you can welcome students. Address them by name as much as possible, and plan to stay after class to chat with students and answer their questions.

Use effective visual aids

• Use relevant and well-chosen visual aids to stimulate and focus students’ attention.

• Avoid writing everything that you say on your slides. 

• Follow the guidelines on good slide design. If you are using overheads or PowerPoint, aim for twelve to twenty slides for a one hour lecture. Be conscious of speeding through the slides and/or overloading students with content—common problems with these types of media. 

• If you show a video in class, ensure that captions are turned on. 

• When using a projector, dim the lights appropriately. If the lights are not sufficiently dim, the projected image will not be visible. But if you are going to be verbally commenting on the projected images, ensure that students with hearing issues will still be able to see your face and lips.

Adapted from Lecturing Effectively. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo. Creative Commons License.