Lectures can be improved through preparation and practice.

The basic components of a lecture include the subject, the presenter and the tools:

• what you are going to say
• how you are going to say it
• visual aids you will use to help you say it

1. SUBJECT

So much to say, so little time!  Condensing a topic into a given time period is one of the most difficult aspects of lecturing and one that requires planning and practice. You will never say less than you planned, usually more.

• Some material is essential and other material is nice but not necessary for the audience to know – think "Need to know"
  
  
• Avoid saturating the audience with too much information that they will not be able to absorb. Less is more
  
  
• If you are running out of time – do not speed up – this causes anxiety in you, and the audience tunes out. Plan beforehand what material you can skip altogether if this situation arises.
  
  
• Interactive techniques such as problem solving exercise and questions increase understanding and attention but they do take more time than a straight didactic lecture - plan ahead for interactive time and practice with real time scenarios.
  
  
• Allocate at least 25 % at the end of your presentation time for questions. (This is also a CME accreditation requirement)

TIPS

• Plan the lecture for  one half  of your allotted time
  
  
• One slide - one minute
  
  
• Practice the lecture with all audiovisuals beforehand
  
  
• Plan to finish early

2.  PRESENTER

The lecturer’s behaviour has the most influence on the learner. Your enthusiasm is the key motivating factor to the audience, and is transmitted by both body language and speech patterns.

TIP

As a speaker, your effectiveness (and what the audience will remember) is determined by:

• 60 % what your body says
• 30 % what you sound like
• 10 % what words you speak

• Body posture should be relaxed but alert. Face the audience. Avoid leaning on podium, table etc. as it transmits a message of boredom. 
  
  
• Appropriate hand and body gestures are alright but don’t move more than you have to.

• Avoid distracting mannerisms such as pacing, playing with pocket coins, pointer, buttons, jewelry etc. 
  
  
• Speak in a conversational tone and vary the pitch, speed and volume of your voice to avoid sounding monotonous. 
  
  
• Avoid speaking too fast or too slow-listeners tune out.  Pause to let strong ideas sink in.
  
  
• Talk to your audience - do not talk to the ceiling, walls, floor, your notes, or the screen - they are not listening!
  
  
• Well placed humour or a story can help drive a presentation forward.
  
  
• Eye contact is important!  Sweep your eyes over all the audience at irregular intervals but avoid looking at any one person for more that 5 seconds - it will make them uncomfortable.
  
  
• Mirror teaching/videotaping your lecture is an excellent way to discover mannerisms, speech habits that you would like to avoid.

3.  AUDIOVISUAL TOOLS

Visual aids must be used with skill and good timing otherwise they will become distractors.

• Avoid using too many slides that are flashed on and off the screen giving the audience too little time to assimilate the contents.
  
  
• Busy animation or background distracts the audience from the message.
  
  
• If you question whether a slide is necessary - it isn’t
  
  
• If you have to apologize for the quality of a slide - don’t use it
  
  
• Remove visuals as soon as the point has been
  made.

TIPS

• Legibility - follow the PowerPoint (PPT) default settings and guidelines - it’s the easiest way. 
  
  
• Maximize visual impact:
    -  maximum 6 lines per slide
    -  maximum 4 columns per slide
  
  
• Accuracy - proofread material to catch spelling/context errors
  
  
• Use colour effectively - some colours, e.g. red, do not project well in text in PPT. Projectors may alter colour. Sometimes best to stick to PPT template schemes.
  
  
• Avoid reversing slides during presentation - if you wish to show a slide more than once, duplicate.