A 1996 strategy paper from John Hopkins University by Dr. Rick Sullivan and Dr. Noel McIntosh put it best by saying, "The primary purpose of the lecture is to transfer information." The first and most important obligation of a lecturer is to convey information to their audience. This information may be presented with intent to educate or to persuade the audience members to take action of some sort. It should be accurate, timely, topical, and presented in a fashion that will be easy to understand and retain.
Information is best understood when several factors are in play. Initially, the information should be structured and organized, as this leads to higher levels of comprehension and retention. Moreover, it should be presented as concisely as possible, as the average listener's attention span is only around 20 minutes.
A lecturer's presentation should always find a way to engage the listener. If an audience is being talked at instead of talked with, they have no stake in the presentation, making them less likely to pay attention or remember the information presented. It is important that a lecturer find a way to make the audience a part of the presentation.
There are a couple of ways this can be achieved. The first method is audience sampling. For example, a lecturer speaking on the subject of social networking sites might take a poll of the audience to see how frequently they log on to the social networking site of their own. A second method is audience participation. In this instance, a lecturer speaking on nonverbal communication might have a volunteer from the audience come up to portray certain stances in posture. A final method for engaging the audience is to personalize the subject matter. With this method, a lecturer giving a speech on the dangers of texting and driving might use statistics to indicate how many people in the room are at risk of being the victim of texting initiated car wreck.
The final duty of a lecturer is to compel their audience. If the lecture is intended to be informative, the lecturer may be trying to compel the listener to adopt the practice that she is speaking on, or to continue studying the topic after the lecture has been completed. If the lecture is intended to be persuasive, the lecturer may be trying to convince the audience to change their habits or explore other opportunities.
Compelling the audience is one of the most difficult tasks that a lecturer is faced with. There are a couple of ways that this goal can be accomplished. First, a lecturer can use inspirational rhetoric to encourage action. For example, a lecturer encouraging people to explore passive income opportunities might share a success story. Second, a lecturer can provide information that eases the path to action. For instance, a lecturer might provide a hand out that lists resources that will aid in quitting smoking.