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Use a picture or diagram instead of (or in addition to) words.
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Avoid pronouns and use nouns instead.
Don't say "it" -- say "mRNA" or "gene" or whatever. You should be careful not to use too many pronouns yourself and you shouldn't let the students do it either. For example, suppose a student says "The gene is transcribed and then it goes to the cytoplasm and is translated which uses tRNA and mRNA." Now the student may or may not understand how genes are expressed, but you can't tell whether s/he knows or not, because "it" could mean gene or mRNA and "which" could mean transcription or translation. In this example, the student may know the correct answer and just be using poor English by accident, or the student may not know and be using unclear language on purpose to hide his or her confusion. Alternatively, the student may not even realize that s/he is unclear in his or her own mind. So if you want to express yourself clearly, and you want to be sure that your students have everything straight, use as many nouns and as few pronouns as possible, even if it sounds a little repetitious. And make the students talk in nouns too.
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Before you start to explain a topic or problem, find out where the student is stuck. This will save you from wasting time and energy explaining things that are clear and allow you to zero in on the real problem.
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Explain a short piece of a problem at a time, and then don't go on until (a) you are sure that everyone understands what you explained and (b) you are sure that you need to explain the rest.
For part (a) asking "Does everyone understand?" doesn't usually get a satisfactory answer. You have to look at the students' faces or ask a question about what you have just said in order to find out if they understand.
For part (b) you may discover that you don't have to explain the whole thing because the part you just explained was the only hard part and the student has now come "unstuck." (See point 3 above.)
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If you don't know the answer, go look it up for next time, or look it up right on the spot if you have the right book and can figure it out right away. You aren't expected to know everything, but you are expected to be able to figure everything out eventually. (See preparation section.)
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When a student asks a specific question, try to answer it without going over a lot of background material. If a student asks you to explain hydrophobic bonds, don't start with atomic structure. Assume s/he knows what electrons and covalent bonds are, and proceed from there. If there is any question about where to start explaining, ask the student. (See point 3 above.)
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