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Instructional presentations can be richly substantive or vacuous. They also can be clear or obscure, captivating or stultifying. Application of the following “Rules” will help make the substance more clear and interesting.

These “Rules” apply to mediated instruction, as well as to traditional classroom lectures and discussions.

The Rule of 3

Good instructional presentations have three parts, no more, no less. These are (1) an introduction, (2) a discussion, and (3) a conclusion.

Implications: Whatever else a presentation should do, it should (1) start somewhere, (2) go somewhere, and (3) end somewhere. A simple but effective strategy is “tell them what you’re going to tell ‘me, tell them, and tell ‘me what you told them.” Oral signposts and clocks can help your audience know where and when you are in this sequence

The Rule of 6

Clarity of structure is the key to clarity of content. Whatever the substantive parts (content) of an instructional presentation, there is a limited number of ways to organize that content. Six structures or patterns that work well are

1. Chronological (”in the beginning. . . .”)
2. Spatial (left-to-right, outside-to-inside, bottom-to-top)
3. Problem-solution
4. Cause-effect
5. Question and answer

Topical (anything other than the first five Implications: Announce the structure of your presentation at the beginning of your talk and refer to that structure during the presentation. Make ideas more clear by indicating how they relate to each other (major, minor; subordination).

  The Rule of 7

The great experimental psychologist George Miller summarized thirty years of research on human memory and attention in a celebrated paper entitled, “The Magic Number 7, Plus or Minus 2.” Miller found that this number described the maximum quantity of ideas, facts, or issues that people are able to actively attend to at any one time.

Implications: Limit the number of main points in a presentation to 7 or less. Less is better. This suggestion also applies to lists of ideas used in visual aids and handouts. Methods such as progressive disclosure of elements in a list can help focus attention

  The Rule of 20

Research on human attention suggests that the attention span of a normal motivated adult is about 20 minutes. In practice, attention span is probably less. Other research indicates that the key to attention is variety.

Implications: Change what you are doing (or how you are doing it) at least every 20 minutes. Use variety in language, voice, motion, rate, color, and interaction with the audience to maintain attention. Remember, in order to emphasize an idea, it is necessary to de-emphasize other ideas.

  The Rule of 10

here are 10 common mistakes to avoid in instructional presentations. Any one can lead to frustration.

Two or more can produce really spectacular failure.

1. Start with an inappropriate joke.
2. Go on. And on. And on.
3. Use poor visual aids or auditory aids.
4. Overload your audience with “too much” or “too fast”.
5. Ignore audience interests.
6. Talk at an audience, instead of with them.
7. Look at your notes instead of the audience.
8. Try to be something you’re not.
9. Don’t bother to practice out loud.

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