0–15 minutes. A short session means you are likely to focus on communicating key points to your audience, rather than focusing on audience interaction. It is important not to overwhelm your audience with too much information and to finish by summarising the key ‘take away’ points you want your audience to remember. You should also try and leave several minutes at the end for any questions. 16–30 minutes. A short session means you are likely to focus on communicating key points to your audience, rather than focusing on audience interaction. However, you could begin with a short interactive activity (for example, asking a simple question) to engage your audience. It is important not to overwhelm your audience with too much information and to finish by summarising the key ‘take away’ points you want your audience to remember You should also try and leave several minutes at the end for any questions. 31–60 minutes. A longer session can feel quite intense for both the presenter and the audience if it is delivered in a lengthy ‘lecture’ style. It is better practice to intersperse your speaking with some more interactive elements, for example, asking the audience some questions, asking them to ‘vote’ on a topic or setting a short activity for the audience to do in small groups. Ideas for small group activities could include giving each group a topic or proposition to discuss/debate, asking the audience to watch a short video or podcast and discuss their responses, or providing ‘problem style’ questions for groups to tackle, relating the law to their everyday lives. 1–2 hours. A long session can feel quite intense for both the presenter and the audience if it is delivered in a lengthy ‘lecture’ style. It is better practice to intersperse your speaking with some more interactive elements, for example, asking the students some questions, asking them to ‘vote’ on a topic or setting a short activity for the audience to do in small groups. Ideas for small group activities could include giving each group a topic or proposition to discuss/debate, asking the audience to watch a short video or podcast and discuss their responses, or providing ‘problem style’ questions for groups to tackle, relating the law to their everyday lives. For a two-hour session, you could also consider getting the groups to prepare a poster, write and perform a short role play or even take part in a ‘mini moot’. For a 2-hour session, remember to build in time for at least one ‘comfort break’ for everyone too! Over 2 hours. A long session can feel very intense for both the presenter and the audience if it is delivered in a lengthy ‘lecture’ style. It is better practice to intersperse your speaking with some more interactive elements, for example, asking the audience some questions, asking them to ‘vote’ on a topic or setting a short activity for the audience to do in small groups. Ideas for small group activities could include giving each group a topic or proposition to discuss/debate, asking the audience to watch a short video or podcast and discuss their responses, or providing ‘problem style’ questions for groups to tackle, relating the law to their everyday lives. You will have time to do some longer interactive activities too, such as getting the groups to prepare a poster, write and perform a short role play or even take part in a ‘mini moot’. Remember to build in time for at least one ‘comfort break’ for everyone too!
