The way you communicate in your course is the key to your delivery as an instructor. An instructor who emits confidence and credibility can greatly enhance the learning experience of their students and influence their likelihood of enjoying the course.
What You Need to Know
How to speak:
-
Make sure to omit all uhms, pauses, and verbal mistakes.
-
You must be able to demonstrate genuine excitement and enthusiasm for the topic.
-
You should speak clearly and with a measured pace.
-
Always practice and script out what you want to say.
-
Use “I” and “you” instead of “we”.
What to say:
-
Make sure to use visual tools to reinforce what you are trying to say.
-
Avoid going off on tangents when explaining a concept.
-
Your students must be aware of the jargon that you use, hence, it is necessary to explain them all.
-
If you want to show empathy to your students, make sure to catch and explain potential misunderstandings.
Other recommendations:
-
Engage with students in the discussion forum by answering questions or starting new discussions and posting questions to your students.
-
Opt for closed captioning
Remember, we do check for this as part of our Quality Review Process.
In this article, we will discuss:
Best Practices
How to Speak
-
Make sure to omit all uhms, pauses, or verbal mistakes:
Make sure that your course or lecture videos are kept clean and free of any mistakes. Always edit out any verbal miscues, long pauses, or other mistakes that might distract students. These can be small “umms”, “ahhs”, and slight sniffles or they can be large blowing your nose, dropping a prop, or leaving the frame because this quite looks unprofessional. This is a one-time pain for long-term gain, so do not be afraid to do retakes when you are recording until you get it almost perfect! -
Demonstrate genuine excitement and enthusiasm for the topic:
May it be your first time explaining something or your twentieth, students highly appreciate instructors who can convince them that a topic is truly interesting and worth diving into. Do not be afraid to show your passion for the topic! And show that you have patience in what you do! -
Speak clearly with a measured pace:
By slowing down and enunciating your words with careful pronunciation, you will make it easy for students from around the world to hear what you say and understand you clearly. -
Practice and script out what you want to say:
Not everyone has the ability to just face a camera and start talking immediately without getting anxious. Do not worry because it is normal to get nervous once you face a camera. For the rest of us, we highly recommend that you make a script of what you want to say in order for you to stay confident and organized in front of the camera. Make sure that you have practiced the script once or twice before recording and then you will do great! -
Use “I” and “you” instead of “we”:
Utilize a language that refers directly to yourself, and to the student, rather than speaking generally. This small touch leads to a more personal experience for the students, and in turn, higher student engagement for your course.
What to Say
-
Use visual tools:
All the students appreciate it best when their instructors make it a point that they zoom in or visually highlight some important parts of the lecture on the screen that are basically most relevant to what the instructor is saying. In live-action videos, you should try superimposing keywords, freeze framing, or using a telestrator to help focus each student's attention. -
Avoid tangents:
Make sure that you avoid talking about related topics that are not immediately necessary or relevant to the topic of the lecture. -
Explain all jargon:
There may be new terms that you may introduce to your students, therefore, make sure that you explain and define the terms to them in the context of the concept you are explaining. -
Catch and explain potential misunderstandings:
Make sure that you spend some time addressing the concerns of your students. It is normal for them to make all the types of mistakes as an average student. What they need is your guidance.
Other Recommendations
-
Answer questions in the discussion forums:
Students report higher satisfaction with courses when instructors take time to answer their questions or spark conversation in the course discussion forum. -
Opt for closed captioning:
-
Some students really appreciate it best when they are able to read an instructor’s words while they are being delivered. While this is totally optional, it is something to consider when making your content more globally accessible. the good news is that the Thkee AI model will play a big role here by creating captions for your content in different languages.
Minimum Requirements to Pass our Quality Review Process
-
Practice not spitting “umms” and “ahhs” and get straight to the point. Students want an instructor who is clear, concise, and confident.
-
Make sure to deliver your content with an enthusiastic tone. The camera strips out some enthusiasm so you will have to give 110% while filming your lectures.
-
Pronounce your words clearly and emphasize important points.