7 Ways to Feel Comfortable Giving Lectures Online
Academics in witnessing a major shift with the current pandemic situation and learner demands, with every passing day. Online learning is becoming a commonplace activity. In fact, last year, even academic seminars and global summits were held online by several organizations as travel was restricted and people were expected to maintain social distancing. However, life of a researcher got more difficult with this because those who became speakers in the conferences had to give a lecture online. If you publish your thesis, you know, you have to associate yourself with academic conferences and seminar where you might need to present your paper; while all this is happening online, speaking on a virtual conference is a skill that surely needs to be mastered. Not just in seminars, lecturing online is required if you are teaching other students, too.
Here are some of the effective ways which can make lecturing online more comfortable-
Focus on Active Learning– If you are a teacher or professor, it is never easy to conduct a class comprising of 50-55 minutes. Often within classroom, a teacher uses long lectures or blackboard presentations to fill up the time. However, in an online session, it is next to impossible to fill-up the entire time with presentation. Ask your students to share their experiences. Take up questions from them which you can solve together with them. Do not be under the pressure of knowing it all. To make an online-lecture effective, you have to make it fun; you have to engage students especially when they cannot physically see you.
Use Story Modes– Use real-life examples or story references to establish a point. Yes, that can mean a little more work than if you just prepared some notes on the basic theory. However, interactive learning can be made effective and comfortable for you and your students, only when what you are saying is relevant to them. By using real life experiences, you open the gate for their contribution too.
Change the Format– Long lectures are not even interesting in a face-to-face class, let alone online. Change the method of teaching or delivering a speech. Do not use read-through sessions from the text or paper. When you publish your thesis, you have a clear idea about what’s in the content. Do not read through or ask listeners to read through anything. Pick up the gist and compile it into a 10 minute presentation. That way, a 2 hour long book chapter or an hour long research paper can be shortened with focus on specific points that are important to your listeners. You can use PowerPoint slides, White board demonstrations or video presentations to explain the subjects.
Sit against a Good Background– When academic lessons or seminars have to be conducted online, there are a few things we need to take care of. For example the background against which we sit in our room. Your listeners and students will not only see you but also what is behind you in your room. To make yourself more comfortable while talking, make the background aesthetically relevant to your work. Like sit in front of a bookshelf or an academic cupboard or a globe etc. to make your presence more impactful. That will give you extra confidence while speaking.
Verify the Technicalities before Beginning– Learning with the technological support means, things can go wrong at times, but that should never happen in between your session. Any breakdown through your lecture can also break your confidence. Before you enter a group chat, be sure to check your computer, your camera, microphone, internet and other technical details so that there are no hickups to solve in the middle of a lecture.
Use Music– even though you need to be prepared and handy with things you need before a lecture, there can be times between your lecture, where you have to pause to reach out for something, like a textual reference or paper to read out from, or just a coffee. If the pause is more than 30 seconds, fill the void with music to keep your listeners focused on the screen. With this strategy, you won’t feel the pressure to be back in a rush; you will not fidget or end up making more mistakes. Music is soothing to everyone; it will help you keep calm, will enliven your listeners and keep the lesson fluid.
Limit Your Content– An online class or seminar session is usually shorter than face-to-face sessions. Just as word limits guide you when you publish your thesis, use the same sense to limit your content for a single session. Some of the time in the beginning will go in explaining how the session will be held online, and how people can participate. After that, there will be limited time for you to lecture, so do not attempt vast themes, or multiple ideas in your speech. Keep it short, crisp and to the point. Explain just a few topics with clarity so that the audience can grasp it within the short time. This will keep your lecture organized and appealing and you will feel more comfortable when you have to speak less, online.
Online learning and presentation is the future of academics. This is something new to many researchers, professors and students. But skills needed to master this technique can be learned and following some common strategies can always keep you ahead of others.
