How do you deal with common lecturing problems, such as distractions, interruptions, or technical issues?

If they are disrupting by interrupting with too many questions which are on issues not yet addressed (or not relevant), I tell students I will not be taking questions until I finish a part of the lecture. If they are disrupting by chatting to someone loudly, I tend to pause the lecture and ask them if they have something to share with the rest. If they are chatting quietly, I tend to look at them and smile. They usually get it after that!

First of all, as lecturers we must understand that there are limits in terms of attention span (scientifically proved), therefore, breaks, diverse activities as well as casual conversations about daily topics are needed. I have found very good results when I start talking about things that are interesting for students, travel experiences, last football match results, etc. With that strategy I can catch my students' attention again and link converstions back to the initial lecture's topic.

Context is the determining factor in virtually every learning environment. If one wishes to become an effective educator, one must concede that no two students are alike, and one must be willing take a sufficiently nuanced approach to the business of grading assignments. Academic integrity is paramount, of course, but many students are dealing with learning challenges and/or language barriers, and some students are visual learners. Hence, an aspiring educator must be willing to take these contextual issues into consideration.

I always say the show must go on. The speaker or teacher must take back control of the presentation. You need to prepare for interruptions, technology hiccups and even having your time cut short. Be adaptable. I would pause with an extended silence with my hands held high, I may crack a joke to lighten the moment. Then once the audience is re-focused. It's time for the show to go on

Adapting to the necessities and requirements of students would be first preference to me for effective delivery of contents. The topics of lecture may be the same, but the way they are put across has to change keeping in mind the background of listeners and their understanding capabilities. When I go ahead lecturing the things in my mind without worrying about its effectiveness amongst the listeners, I'm bound to encounter disturbances and interruptions in my flow since listeners are not connected with the flow of thoughts and words. Understanding the pulse of listeners before dwelling deep into lecture and adapting to suit their level would be the better way of overcoming disturbances and interruptions.

Have eye contact with students when you are delivering lecture and try to analyse students' reactions and understand if they are Ok with the pace, tone and content of the lecture. Accordingly you can adjust the pace and make extempore changes in the delivery of the lecture. You can add more examples to explain the topic.

Know your audience, rarely will two lectures be the same. Pace is important; don’t rush through a topic but at the same time don’t labour one area for too long as distractions will be more likely within the audience. Using varied examples & anecdotes can break topics up and make the content more relatable

One thing I've found helpful is to move around, and stop by the obviously distracted student, employ a very common event in the news and use such to rephrase my point. This most times rejig the students' attention. In the social science,a lot has to do with aligning lecture with contemporary events. The Lecturer must be well informed to get a high percentage of attention.

In my experience, managing internal and external distractions can be successfully done if educators incorporate some experiential learning into their course outlines. Examples of these include interactive case study videos, infographics, role play, 10 minutes group activities on trending topics, role play and gamification. Application of the above strategies will depend on the particular course and available technical tools. I also set some ground rules at the start of every semester especially regarding distractions from buzzing phones. I remind them that i also have phones which i have kept silent out of mutual respect for them, and make them envisage how they would feel if I pause the class at intervals to take a call. That sets the tone

Being both lecturer and performing artist, theater skills are very helpful. How to use your voice, how to use body posture, how to interact with the audience, how to tell a story, understanding the build up, etc. It is not only about the content, neither only about the performance, it is also isnt about magic. It is a complex situation where being able to connect with the audience and being able to act in an instance. Just like live jamming with a band, or improvising during a play. Of course you have rehearsed it many times. Being on stage is still different than rehearsal. Some traits like enjoying yourself, being genuine are elements that develop over the years for many and also not. Try to find the joy and look for inner development.

It's a given in any lecture, that there will be some sort of distraction, either chatty students, or technology freezing or even sometimes a question takes the lecture in a completely different turn. In all of this, be natural. If technology freezes, let your audience know. Always save the number of IT help in advance so that you can reach out to them if needed. If it's chatty students, politely let them know that one conversation at a time can happen. Take a deep breath and continue. In summary, be natural and communicate what the distraction is and move forward with a deep exhale and smile.

Asking, "Does anyone have any questions?" often results in crickets, especially with undergrads. Adult students are much more likely to stop me if they don't understand something. After introducing new info, I allow students to ask questions anonymously through Mentimeter. If I am teaching online, I have a special discussion board for questions on the content. I always tell my students that if they need help understanding something, there is a high chance that other students need help too. This also gives them the opportunity to help each other. I position my classroom as a learning community, telling them that by posting a question in the public forum, you're not just helping yourself, you're helping the entire learning community.

All the above and if you don't know, don't BS. Tell them let me find out and I'll get back to you and get back to them. Either after lunch or obtain their email.

Dare I say it...get the university to upgrade the technology every few years,.and have enough IT support staff stationed near teaching venues to help resolve the "technical issues"? Daystar and Strathmore were spot on in this regard, as I recall. Other nameless universities would do well to take a leaf...

It is very important for students to have discussion by asking questions relevant to the topics discussed in the class. This will give more clarity to the topics discussed in the class. Sometimes students might have misunderstood something or might have some preconceived idea about the topics, which might be incorrect or incomplete. Unfortunately these days students have stopped asking questions. And hence I try to ask questions which in turn may help them clear their doubts which they hesitate to ask. And in case if students ask questions I try my best to answer them. If I am unable to answer any programming related question that I have not yet tested then I tell them that I will test and get back.

Make a Break: sometimes I will take a small break (1 min) and ask students to write down ONE question they want to ask. Each get one question. Gather in the questions (paper or electronic) and then you have control by going through the questions, clustering repeats, reading them out. In terms of distraction / disruption, you are creating new section (atmosphere) to be a distraction / disruption. You are asking all students to be active but also silent. I picked this idea up from online teaching experience and the ‘question’ limitations in some feedback k polls.

Nada como mantener una excelente actitud y agregarle a veces un toque de humor para distensionar el ambiente. 😊 ✅️ También es importante no sólo tener un plan A, sino un plan B o C, de ser necesario. Asi mismo como speaker no debes aferrarte sólo a lo previamente planeado. 😎 En alguna ocasión en una de mis conferencias se fue la luz por media hora y pues la hice sin micrófono, sin slides, pero logré sacarle adelante con actividades lúdicas y un buen manejo de storytelling, al punto que cuando se restableció la luz, los asistentes estaban felices con las historias que les estaba compartiendo y las dinamicas de grupo que estábamos realizando.

Along with a positive body language & body proximity, voice modulation plays a terrific role in eliminating class distractions. The voice pitch & the creative use of each word in a rhythmic style with an intention to stress the key words definitely helps in attracting the focus of the entire audience. The voice roller coaster keeps the class in motion and they seem to be more engaged and attentive during the session.

The use of body proximity and movement. You move into the class and between the seats as you teach. As you get closer, the students will pay attention .Again , body freezing could work. When it is time for the lesson, you just walk in and stand in front of the class without saying a word for at least two minutes. It is most likely that the class will see you and stop talking. This does not work all the time, just give it a trial. Another awkward method is to introduce your lesson in the midst of the noise, they may pay attention. I have used these approaches. They may not work all the time. Just give them a trial.

I almost always test a new activity at my online lectures (e.g. breakout rooms, a fun check in question, games). On the following session, I create a poll asking them to share how was their experience during the activity. I feel this is a quick way to test and learn what's working and not working. This leads to agile adaptation of tactics.

I always tell myself, ‘The show must go on.’ If the technology is not working, the class must still go on so we have to improvise on the spot. For example, instead of using PowerPoint slides, revert back to the white board or flip charts. Also, it might be useful to have filler activities that are productive and thought provoking to fill in the gaps if some time is needed to sort out the technology.

Using psychological insights, effective lecturers harness the power of "reflective practice," a concept popularized by Donald Schön. After the lecture, you self-assess, pondering successes and areas of growth. Simultaneously, you can employ the "360-degree feedback" model, gathering insights from learners, peers, and mentors, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of their performance. Furthermore, Carol Dweck's "growth mindset" theory encourages professional development opportunities. By viewing skills as adaptable, lecturers remain open to learning through courses, workshops, or coaching, continually elevating their lecturing techniques and strategies.

One simple approach that I have tried is a one-to-one talk with students on individual basis to understand if they are able to understand the subject in my class. I ask them the challenges they might be facing. Surprisingly, I had students who were comfortable speaking up in person individually rather than before their classmates. I modified certain aspects of my teaching as per their feedback and it really helped me grab those students attention in the following classes.

Student-faculty involvement is probably one of the best methods in my opinion which enable avoidance of any distraction. When students are themselves involved in the work/discussion during the class, the distractions will be minimum.

Read the room, if the pace is too quick or too slow, your student’s faces will tell you. Re-organize accordingly. Always adapt to their needs. If there’s tons of potential in the room and your pace is too soft, they will not only miss out on precious time but also begin to resent the material. Don’t be afraid to raise expectations. And don’t be afraid to lower expectations- sometimes back to basics is what they need to get a strong foundation and build up from there.