Know Your Audience
As a college professor and lecturer/speaker, it’s important to know your audience, relate to them, and keep them engaged.
Otherwise your message is lost.
Those are some of the simple lessons (reminders, really) that I was taught while reading The Naked Presenter by Garr Reynolds over the weekend.
No matter what subject you teach, you can apply it to your students’ lives in some way. Making the subject more relevant will, consequently, increase learning.
If you teach math, tell your students how to handle their finances. If you teach English, have them submit a cover letter as an assignment for a job they’re interested in applying for.
If you teach communication/speech courses, like I do, remind them that the skills they’re learning will be needed in life whether they give a toast at a wedding, have to pitch an idea at work, ask for a promotion, or happen to be the PTA president when their kids are in school.
Know your audience and make your message relevant to their lives.
Happy teaching!