Often times I see instructors that are monotone and boring that can't understand why the students are not retaining the information that the instructor is putting out. One of the ways that I combat this and try to help instructors combat this problem is to design demonstrations and stories that have props that can trigger a line of thought for the students. The use of the stories along with a good funny situation may not trigger the information but it gives them a reference to look in their notes or in the text. It makes lectures more interesting and engaging for the students and for me.