Teaching Skills: goals and objectives

Tools for Teaching Navigation

Tools for Teaching: Introduction

Facilitation Skills: The art of group facilitation

Teaching and Presentation Skills: Keep these techniques in mind

Tips for Programs: practical examples and resources

Create Effective Presentations 

Goals and Objectives 

bullseye_image002_004_teachingskills_goals-and-objectivesOnce you have a good understanding of your topic and your audience, you can begin to write your goals and objectives. This first step in planning a presentation is perhaps the most important. We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to have well written goals and objectives—if you do not know what you want to shoot at, you may completely miss your target.

When you begin, the first and most important question to ask is:

Why am I making this presentation?

rather than

What am I going to say?

Goals describe in broad, general terms what you hope to accomplish.

Objectives explain specifically what participants should know, be able to do, and be like as a result of the presentation.

For short presentations

  • You need 1 major goal that summarizes your overall purpose.
  • You need 2-4 specific objectives that identify what will be accomplished.

For long programs

  • You need 1-2 major goals to help frame the overall program.
  • You need 2-5 more specific objectives that identify what will be accomplished.
  • If the program has multiple parts, it can be helpful to identify 1-3 specific objectives for each session.

Four Types of Objectives: Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes and Behavior

When planning a presentation, you need to identify what you want your audience to know (knowledge), do (skills and behavior), and be like (attitudes) as a result of your session.

  • Knowledge: Refers to facts and terms, concepts, generalizations and theories. Example Action verbs:
    • List, Identify Select, Give example, Describe, Name, Tell, Outline, Explain, State, Summarize,    Distinguish
  • Skills: Refers to a wide range of cognitive (mental), physical and emotional skills including science processes, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, communication, research, mathematical, psychomotor and interpersonal relations. Example Action verbs:
    • Compare, Observe, Apply, Solve, Contrast, Draw, Show, Operate, Infer, Practice, Construct, Prepare, Analyze, Illustrate, Modify, Demonstrate, Categorize, Manipulate, Predict, Model
  • Attitudes: Refers to feelings, beliefs, dispositions, opinions, and values. Example Action verbs:
    • Express, Clarify, Support, Interpret, Evaluate, Appraise, Conclude, Criticize, Judge, Debate, Justify,  Feel
  • Behavior: Refers to applying knowledge and skills, solving a problem, acting based upon a decision. Example Action Verbs (usually reflects a specific action):
    • Reduce, Dispose, Teach, Install, Exercise, Present

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.