Becoming a Great Instructor –Review and Summary

Congratulations — now that you’ve completed the 7-part series, you’re ready to go out and be a Great Instructor! You’ve learned the basic skills and attitudes, and from this point on, it’s like anything else in life: practice makes perfect. The more presentations you give, the more comfortable and effective you’ll become, and the more your students will learn. Talented instructors have the power to capture an audience, sway opinions, and convert opponents to their cause. Practicing these time-tested ways will enable you to be the best, most prepared, and most professional instructor you can be.

Here — in no particular order — are a number of important presentation tips and techniques covered in this course. Use these until they become second nature, make them your own, and you’ll be well on your way to Becoming a Great Instructor:

• Make an honest effort to get all students involved. Answer questions graciously. Every question you get is an indication of interest. Welcome it! When questions arise, your body language comes into play. Listen with your eyes and make sure they stay fastened on the questioner every second.

• Project your voice and yourself forcefully with empathy.

• Put yourself in their shoes and get inside the mind of your student before you begin. Be sensitive to any references to age, gender, race, etc. Remember that you’re building a long-term relationship.

• Close your presentation strongly. Ask your student to do something significant and leave a message to remember.

• Don’t make it difficult for your students to follow you. Keep coming back to your point and be sure the point is clear. Instructions that are specific are always more successful than those that are open-ended. Keep looking for ways to crystallize issues, so that you can reach complete agreement. Have a good time and demonstrate that you really enjoy the subject. If you’ve got a sense of humor, it will blossom when you feel you really know your subject.

• Keep an eye on the audience and move around. Read the body language and don’t be afraid to call a break. If you’ve got a person who can’t seem to get comfortable, pick up the pace and move on to the next topic. If you’ve got a student that keeps looking up, gawking around, looking at their watch or clock, you’ve got a concentration problem. If you’ve got smiles and heads that nod in agreement, you’re on the right track.

• State your point early because people don’t want to be held in suspense for very long. Say it, show it and sum it up quickly. Make it clear to the students what’s expected of them. Brief them on what’s going to happen, how long it will take, and what’s expected of them. Take nothing for granted, and assume nothing. Make everything clear up front. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted off the topic, but stay within the scope of your presentation. 

• Localize your presentation; personalize it and relate it to your audience.

• Take control of the class and direct traffic. Don’t let the big talkers clobber the people who can’t get their thoughts out. Watch for “the barometer student.” There’s usually one person who reacts more quickly than the others. Let that person help you anticipate the overall relations of the class.

• You must always be for your students. You’re on their side - first, last, and always.

• When you make a mistake, admit it and apologize to the students.

Summary

The information in this workshop was presented in seven sections, each of which included several major points. Click on the links below to access any part that you might have missed, or would like to review:

Part 1 – The Relationship

• Getting students involved
• Building relationships with students is crucial

Part 2 – The Student

• Three major learning styles of adult students
• Five different decision-making styles of adult students

Part 3 – The Instructor

• Instructor responsibilities and attitudes
• Taking (and keeping) control of your class
• How students evaluate your performance

Part 4 – Your Presentation Skills

• How instructors talk
• How instructors move
• The importance of eye contact and student participation
• Accentuating the positive

Part 5 – The Classroom Setting

• The importance of preparation
• Physical arrangements (rooms, class materials, and audiovisual equipment)

Part 6 – The Presentation

• Structuring effective presentations
• Times, breaks, pacing
• Receiving feedback from students
• The importance of questions
• Handling disruptive students
• Survey/Evaluation forms

Part 7 – PowerPoint

• Tips for PowerPoint presentations

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