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# TIPS FOR INSTRUCTORS

## Voice

-   Strive for variety in your voice.

-   Change volume from forceful to soft.

-   Change speed and tempo of speech.

-   Pause to breathe. This allows you to project your voice.

-   Use a lively and firm voice so you come across as authoritative and
    interesting.

-   Avoid filler words such as \"um,\" \"ah,\" \"OK,\" etc.

-   Put emphasis on the words you wish to stress.

-   Enunciate your words for clarity of pronunciation.

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### Gestures

-   Use movement. Don\'t stand in one place. Walk but avoid pacing.

-   Stand and move toward the learners.

-   Don\'t use a podium or be riveted to the spot where your lesson plan
    is located.

-   Move hands and arms when you speak.

-   Avoid distracting the learners by jiggling change, clicking on a
    pen, waving a pointer, constant throat-clearing, pet phrases,
    swaying, etc.

-   Use gestures to hold attention (e.g. tap on the board or flip chart,
    snap fingers, slap the table, etc.).

-   Sit on the edge of a table, or on a stool to come across as more
    relaxed.

-   Use your personal mannerisms when speaking. Be yourself.

-   Stand when you wish to command attention. Sit when you want to leave
    the limelight.

#### Eye Contact

-   Use eye contact. Look at the learners rather than your lesson plan.

-   Scan the group and look at everyone, not just the supportive faces.

-   As a prerequisite to good eye contact, you must know your material
    thoroughly.

-   When beginning to speak, use the following patterns:

    -   Make eye contact with someone who looks friendly.

    -   Lock in your eye contact for 3-4 seconds.

    -   Smile or nod.

    -   Keep eye contact until you feel acknowledgement from that
        person.

    -   Scan the entire group briefly.

    -   Begin the pattern again for everyone in your audience.

-   If the group is too large for individual eye contact, look at one
    location as you would at one individual. No one knows precisely who
    you are looking at. Most people will think you are looking at them.

-   Speak only when you can hold the eye contact of the learners
    completely.

-   Don\'t speak while learners are reading or looking at audio-visuals.

-   When answering a question, look at the entire group, not just the
    questioner. End by looking at the questioner for a sign that the
    answer was sufficient.

### Structure

-   Start with an interesting statement, observation, quotation, or
    question.

-   Use cartoons, overheads, and other audio-visuals to enliven a
    presentation.

-   Use interesting examples, anecdotes, analogues, and statistics.

-   Ask frequent questions.

-   Use frequent buzz groups, neighbor discussions, and brief
    assignments. If giving a long presentation, show the outline on a
    handout or overhead to provide structure.

-   Build in reviews.

-   Try to minimize your own talking time as much as possible.

-   Don\'t use lengthy notes. To be more spontaneous. Free yourself of
    notes as much as possible.

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