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Teaching & Presentation Skills  

1. Choosing an Overall Organizational Pattern [1]

Time-tested, Logical Organizational Patterns

  • Chronological/Sequential - trace something historically, then project into the future; explain something in the exact order in which it occurs (trace history of conservation practices; how to operate a machine).
  • Cause/Effect - show both negative and positive effects of specific actions (review factors that effect water quality).
  • Question-Answer - think about all the major questions related to your topic and consolidate them into 2-4 key ones ("Today we will answer three basic questions").
  • Three Ideas - focus attention on key concepts, topics, issues, or themes that serve as advance organizers (three goals; the good, the bad and the ugly).
  • Spatial or Physical Order - describe the parts of an object that occupies space or things that occur at various locations (what happens where on a farm).
  • Topical Grouping - divide your topic into logical segments or subtopics (steps in planning and delivering an effective presentation).

Tools for Teaching

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Facilitation Skills

Teaching and Presentation Skills

Tips for Programs
  • Problem/Solution - state a problem and offer a solution (how to increase attendance at annual meeting).
  • Key phrases - use the same short or descriptive phrase to introduce each new idea ("Soil and Water Conservation Districts of the Future": The difference between SWCDs of the future and SWCDs today... Of the many changes shaping the SWCDs of the Future, four stand out...).
  • Extended metaphor or analogy - present your topic by comparing it to something well understood (how a presentation is like an airplane flight).

Using one of these organizational approaches gives your listener a road map with guideposts along the way. It is then easier for your listener to travel with you, staying on track.

[1] Adapted with permission from Soil and Water Conservation District Outreach: A Handbook for Program Development, Implementation and Evaluation . Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Soil and Water Conservation, 2003.