Think about what you hope to accomplish with your lecture. What would you expect the learner to be able to do after he or she has read through all of your slides? Sometimes it helps to complete this sentence, concentrating on a verb that indicates an observable behavior.

"The learner will..."

Establishing your objectives ahead of time helps you focus and plan the lecture, increasing the likelihood that your intended learning outcomes will be accomplished.

Compare the following introductions to a lecture:

1. Today, we are going to talk about the different approaches to treating chronic ear infections.

2. Given a case history involving chronic ear infections, you will compare and contrast treatment approaches to determine the likelihood of success.

Can you see how the second introduction, based on the objective to compare and contrast, is more specific in its expectations for the learner? This particular objective sets up an inherent framework for the body of your lecture by investigating similarities and differences of treatments within the context of a case.