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Kansas State University

PREPARING AND PRESENTING YOUR LECTURES

from
Principles of College Teaching

 

Before preparing your next lecture, use the following guidelines as a brief overview of what you should consider when getting it ready. Once you have seriously considered these questions and answered them to your own satisfaction, you should be in a better position to deliver that lecture effectively.

THOUGHTFUL PREPARATION
  • What are my objectives? What do I want students to learn?
  • What does the class know already?
  • What attitudes are already established?
  • What features, concepts, or key ideas must be presented?
  • How should the lecture be organized?
  • What types of support will I use?
    • explanations to clarify
    • analogies to relate the new learning to the old
    • illustrations
    • statistics and/or research data
    • testimony from experts
  • How can I best demonstrate the importance of the topic?
  • Can the topic be related to the students' experiences?
  • How can the topic be related to their needs and interests?
  • How can the students be involved?
  • Do I need to motivate the students?
  • How will I deal with student diversity?
  • How much can I contribute from my own experience?
  • Am I up-to-date? Have I added what has occurred lately in the field?
  • What supplementary material will be needed -- handouts, models, transparencies, A-V equipment, etc.?
  • What can be left out, changed, or added if things don't go as planned?
    • EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION
    • Which mode of delivery will I use?
      • read it
      • memorize it and recite it
      • impromptu
      • extemporaneous (researched, outlined, adapted to mood)
    • What pace shall I use?
    • How will I read the verbal and nonverbal feedback from the students?
    • How will I highlight important points?
    • How will I maintain student attention and interest?
    • Do I maintain eye contact?
    • Do I vary my voice tone, use gestures, and move about?
    • Will I ask and answer questions?
    • How will I give the students a break during the session?
      • change of pace
      • variety in method, content, or activity
      • a stretch break
      • group activity
    • Can I incorporate some humor?
    • What can I do to encourage curiosity, interest, and need-to-know?
    • Do I know how to run the audio-visual equipment? Is the equipment in good working order? Have I made arrangements for it?