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 Methods
of presentation are not limited to the boardroom or the classroom.
Many of them may be used outdoors or in social-type presentations,
says Gary Kroehnert
All presenters must realise that if the same
method of instruction is used all the time, it can build a barrier
to learning. For example, a presenter or trainer who uses games
and role-playing all the time might have little success with that
method when instructing a group in the use of a computer. Similarly,
the presenter or trainer who uses the lecture technique constantly
might find that it is sometimes inappropriate or that some variety
is needed.
The intention here is to list fifteen different
methods of instruction and then very briefly describe when or where
they can be used effectively. It’s important to remember that
these methods are not all limited to the boardroom or the classroom.
Many of them may be used outdoors or in social-type presentations.
The methods to be discussed here are:
- the lecture
- a modified lecture
- the demonstration
- student practice
- student reading
- group discussion
- a fishbowl
- role-playing
- simulation
- games
- videos/films
- brainstorming
- programmed instruction
- field trips
- question and answer.
The lecture
The lecture is often referred to as talking to
or talking at the group; it is simply addressing a passive audience.
To be effective, lecturers need to be on top of things at all times
and to be interesting or amusing to the audience. They also need
to use an appropriate number of analogies, the correct level of
language for the audience and a logical sequence of ideas in
the presentation. Many institutions in our educational
system still use the lecture, but with this method the students
cannot contribute to the learning experience. However, one significant
advantage of the lecture is that the presentation time can be judged
to the minute.
For a lecture to be effective, the presenter
needs to be aware of the audience at all times. The presenter’s
voice is particularly important, both in level and tone. Also, the
material must be made meaningful to the group so that they will
want to listen. It is also possible, and advisable, to use presentation
aids in a lecture presentation.
Unfortunately, the lecture does not generally
allow for any form of immediate evaluation, or for any two-way communication
between the presenter and the audience.
Modified lecture
A modified lecture is similar to a lecture except
that the lecturer encourages some group participation. The modified
lecture is now very common in adult training; the lecturer often
relies on participant experiences to generate some form of discussion.
The lecturer/presenter needs to make it clear
from the beginning that the session is not a straight lecture and
that, in fact, group discussion or participation is welcomed. Questions
should also be encouraged. This form of presentation should allow
for some form of evaluation at the end.
The modified lecture is an extremely efficient
method of instruction and is commonly used in private training programmes.
When preparing for this type of presentation you will need to allow
sufficient time for group participation.
The demonstration
The demonstration allows the participants or
students to observe what the presentation is about. Most demonstrations
are limited to situations requiring motor skills, such as using
a bundy machine or folding a serviette. But this need not be the
case. Demonstrations could also be used for showing students interpersonal
skills, such as interviewing and counselling.
A demonstration should follow a planned sequence—a
verbal explanation, showing the item or skill, demonstrating the
skill, student questioning and student practice.
Among the things to remember when using demonstrations
are that you should break the task into bite-size pieces so that
the student can progress through mini-goals rather than trying to
achieve everything at once. When demonstrating you must ensure that
all members of the group can see the demonstration. It is also a
good idea to check that all of your equipment is in working order
before the demonstration (to save embarrassment). Above all, make
sure that there is ample time for students to practise the skill.
Student practice
Student practice should be allowed for after
every method of instruction. It is pointless to teach someone a
new skill and not encourage them to use and perfect it. It is the
presenter’s and trainer’s responsibility to encourage
trainees to apply the skill. Under supervised practice students
find out whether they can use the new skill effectively or not.
The trainer also finds out whether he or she has reached the final
objective of the student being able to perform the skill when out
of the controlled atmosphere of the training room.
Audience or student practice on-the-job is where
we finally observe behavioural changes. This is the most effective
form of practice and ultimately the most important evaluation.
Positive feedback to students from this exercise
is also likely to encourage them to want to know more and may encourage
them to undertake further instruction in the area. They learn the
effectiveness of training.
Student reading
This can be used effectively or it may be a total
waste of everyone’s time and effort. Student reading before
or during a course can be extremely relevant to group discussions
and exercises. However, if there are one or two participants who
for some reason do not do the set reading, it may mean that they
don’t know what’s happening if the rest of the group decides
to carry on. Alternatively, the group may have to mark time while
the trainer brings these people up to date with a quick overview.
Students must be given an incentive to spend
their own time reading course, material. The presenter could perhaps
tell them that there will be a quiz for them to do.
Also, they should know that if they don’t
do the required reading they will be wasting not only their own
time but the time of the group as well.
A recent idea is to give the participants notepads
which have structured exercises for them to perform while reading.
An example of such exercises could be a series of statements with
missing words or phrases that the participant must fill in. If the
presenter uses a structured notepad, many other forms of assignment
can be designed for the student to undertake while reading.
Group discussion
Group discussion covers many methods of discussion
and we will look at three of them briefly.
Structured discussion is a discussion between
the participants to meet set objectives. It is usually better for
the group to have input to the topics to be covered to meet the
objective as this gives them more motivation. The motivation comes
from the fact that they are basically responsible for setting the
agenda.
Open forum discussion, an unstructured discussion,
is basically a free-for-all with the facilitator as a go-between
or referee. This type of discussion can be used to voice opinions
or vent frustrations. One problem that can arise from this unstructured
discussion is that the group may have one or two dominant people
who tend to do all the talking.
The facilitator should set ground rules before
the discussion starts (or during it if necessary). One solution
is to nominate an object in the room as the ‘microphone’.
Only the person holding the microphone may speak, and when it is
passed on to someone else the new holder takes a turn.
Panel discussions are almost like a lecture in
that they generally do not allow for a great deal of participant
input. The panel is usually made up of a group of topic experts
each with their own subtopic. The facilitator starts at a logical
point and each expert builds on top of the previous expert, all
of the topics being related.
Excerpt from ‘Basic Presentation Skills’
by Gary Kroehnert. Reproduced with permission © 2003, Tata
McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited
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