Suggestion 53. Use dramatic pauses and repetition

IF YOU WANT TO:

• Identify what you think is important

• Vary the speed and tone of your voice

• Have a more interesting style of presentation

Using dramatic pauses and repetition to draw students' attention to the main ideas.

Several teachers stress the need for repetition (using different language or examples) to communicate the most important points in their lectures.

Dramatic pauses are another way to highlight important ideas. A history professor says that she used to tell students, "The main point is..." but in a matter-of-fact manner, almost as an aside. "I discovered that many students did not get the message," she explains. "Now I indicate a main point by pausing to get students' full attention and then saying emphatically, 'This is the really important consideration!' Then I pause again to be sure they are prepared to write it down. If not, I restate the importance of what is to follow.

A sociology professor also uses dramatic pauses and a sense of timing to stress the most important points in his lectures. "I structure each lecture to build up to the crucial point of the topic," he says. "Then I announce it in a sweeping manner, timed to occur at the end of the class period."

Limitations on Use of Suggestion

  Discipline:  None
Course Level:  None
 Course Size:  None
        Mode:  None

Copyright 1983 by the Regents of the University of California

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