Good lecturers can engage the audience, ignite passions and deliver thought-provoking ideas and theories in an understandable, concise manner. It is a difficult skill, one that often requires a monumental wealth of experience to ever truly master.
This is not always the case, however, especially for educators who are truly passionate about their chosen topic.
If this is starting to ring any bells, and you would like to brush up on your own public speaking ability while helping to inform the next generation of academically attuned individuals, here are some points you might want to consider.
Record and Transcribe
While some lecturers are able to control the ebb and flow of an entire hall without so much as a single note to refer back to, this often mainly comes out of practice. Until you can get to that stage, recording your lectures and analyzing them in order to identify areas of improvement may be a great help.
Plus, if you can utilize media production companies that offer quick turnaround interview transcription services, you can not only increase the effectiveness of your self-assessment, but you can make your lecturers far more accessible to everyone in the first place. This piece of software will be incredibly useful for those who regularly carry out interviews for new students applying to your school.
This is a wonderful way to be an inclusive educator, one that ensures their lectures are understood by everyone, regardless of their personal situation.
Watch Example Lectures
Watching the elites of the world on YouTube can be a good way of figuring out what works for them and whether or not it will end up working for you. The great Kurt Vonnegut delivers some exceptionally insightful, funny, and provocative lectures, so they are well worth checking out online.
Encourage Questions
To break up the potential monotony of a particularly difficult topic and to keep your audience engaged, encouraging questions is a must. This can allow your points to expand and enable their value to cement itself in the minds of the audience.
More interactivity can lead to a greater level of commitment from the listener, while at the same time, it can help develop an environment that thrives on academic curiosity. You might even find that you learn from your audience and begin to see subjects from a new perspective.
While the traditional lecture form may appear to be a one-way street, this does not necessarily need to be the case, so keeping an open mind and adopting a willingness to learn can be a superb way to create a more welcoming educational setting.
Use Visual and Audio Aids
Concentrating on the speech of a single individual can be tough at times, especially if there is nothing else to occupy the mind. Utilizing relevant visual and audio aids can assist you in maintaining the concentration levels in the room, as it adds a new dynamic to the lecture.
Plus, in doing this, you are technically no longer on your own when it comes down to delivering the information to the audience, which in itself can be a huge relief, particularly if the subject matter is incredibly dense.
