Presentation Skills

1. Presentation Skills Jim Tysinger, PhD Department of Family and Community Medicine The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio

2. Objective • Plan and present educational sessions using the principles discussed in the workshop.

3. Key Elements of a Presentation • Communication - information exchanged between two people • Communication for Teachers and Learners: • Goal: Achieve desired learning outcomes, not impress • Shared Feedback: Is everyone “with it”?

4. Thoughts about Presentations • Many methods facilitate learning • You should expertly use many methods • Involve learners • Approach teaching as scholarly work • Obtain feedback to improve and document your teaching expertise

5. Lectures--Uses • Present info to groups • Inspire, motivate, and stimulate thinking • Explain difficult concepts • Review/integrate knowledge

6. Lectures--Misuses • Transmit too many facts • Teach skills or change attitudes • Present pet interests to impress the audience

7. Prepare for Your Presentation Plan your session to address the audience’s needs (Bransford, et al, 2000) • Expert –vs– novice levels • Learning styles and preferences • Background • Degree of fatigue (Chap 3,

8. Prepare for Your Presentation • Know and limit the topic • Research the topic • Focus on what learners need to know

9. Organize Your Presentation • Define goals/objectives • Specify what learners must know • Stress 3-4 major points/hour • Hint: Reduce content!!!

10. Organize Your Presentation • Limit “teacher-talk” to 15-20 minute blocks with meaningful learning activities between blocks • Assess learning as you go • Summarize your talk

11. Organize Your Presentation 3 parts of a talk • Opening/ Introduction • Body • Spend most time here • Conclusion

12. Opening/Introduction • Get audience’s attention • Emphasize importance of the topic • Other techniques? • State the talk’s intent/goal • Set ground rules • Audience participation • Questions

13. Body • Specify 3-4 main points • Focus on what you want them to know • Organize those main points to give the learners a mental framework • Known to the unknown • General to specific • Other ways?

14. Conclusion • Briefly summarize main points • Describe what will happen next • What audience will do • End the talk

15. Prepare Materials • Handouts • Semi-filled outline works well (include contact info) • Use paper of different colors to save time • Visuals: Match visuals with handout • Flip-charts • Cases, simulations, videos

16. Prepare Materials • Audiovisuals • Schedule the equipment you need • Practice with equipment • Have a back-up plan for emergencies • Prepare/review audiovisuals in advance

17. Prepare Audiovisuals • Use PowerPoint (PP) when lecturing (1) • Lectures with PP increased student performance on exams as compared to lectures with OH transparencies (Lowry, 1999) • Limits distraction of changing transparencies • Allows for animations • Improves the quality of the presentation

18. Prepare Audiovisuals • Use PowerPoint (PP) when lecturing (2) • Using PowerPoint in lectures makes the presenter appear more organized and makes it easier for learners to take notes (Frey & Birnbaum, 2002)

19. Prepare Audiovisuals • Use PowerPoint, but… • Avoid too many slides • Don’t distract with too many features

20. Prepare Audiovisuals • Integrate learning strategy instruction within a lecture • Showing learners how to organize and think about content aids learning (Svinicki, 1991) • Learning strategies: Ways people use to learn concepts • Here’s one such strategy...

21. Prepare Audiovisuals • Organizational Strategy: Arranging content to enhance retention, critical thinking, and application • Consider a lecture on “Acute Abdominal Pain” • Prepare a matrix that helps learners compare the causes

22. Prepare Audiovisuals • Use graphics (diagrams, graphs, charts) to aid learning • Graphics contribute to learning (Vekiri, 2002) • Explain graphics verbally • Make target information salient

23. Prepare Audiovisuals Percentage of Adults Who Reported Eating Fewer Than 5 Servings of Fruits and Vegetables a Day, by Sex, 2002 Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

24. Prepare Audiovisuals • Use pictures to enhance learning • But remember pictures or drawings are open to interpretation (Vekiri, 2002) Seborrheic Dermatitis involving the chest and armpits

25. Prepare Audiovisuals • Visuals: Make text readable • Use large type (24 pt or higher) • Employ sans serif typefaces • Use capitals and lower case • Insure text/background contrast • Limit words to 9 per line; lines to 8 or 9 • Avoid poor visuals • What’s wrong with these?

26. BIOCHEM REVIEW FOR FPs • THE KREB’S CYCLE • Required for life • Memorize the entire cycle • Wjat I really want you to know!

27. Preparation and Organization • Know and limit your topic • Read and research • Identify what learners need to know • Research topics you don’t know and understand • Include all the information you know • Dazzle the learners with your expertise • Put in lots of statistics • Throw in a few citations for credibility • State some irrelevant research findings • Run a bew “zebras” by the learners just for fun! • You can’t read this, but….

28. Rehearse! • Use an audience, if possible • Pace yourself to fit content into time • Practice with equipment • Get accustomed to the room

29. Presentation Skills Seminar Presenting your Lecture

30. Key Points • Considerations for the lecturer • Verbal and non-verbal skills • Preparing/using audiovisuals • Presentation pitfalls and how to deal with them

31. Considerations • Be yourself • Dress appropriately • Get audience support • Respect the audience • Obtain feedback for educator’s portfolio • Learners, peers, supervisors, outcomes

32. Non-Verbal Techniques • Smile to relax you & the audience • Show enthusiasm • Look at audience when speaking • Move with a purpose • Gesture naturally • Treat audience with respect

33. Verbal Techniques • Monitor volume: Avoid loudness • Vary pace (watch audience) • Repeat questions • Avoid verbalized pauses

34. Verbal Techniques • Use spoken cues to identify important points • Spoken cues aid note-taking and increase test scores (Titsworth & Kiewra, 2004) • State a brief overview at the beginning of a lecture (e.g., “Today’s lecture is about…”) • Use spoken cues (e.g., “First, we will discuss the diagnosis of hypertension.”)

35. Verbal Techniques • Pause 5 seconds after asking a question • Waiting 5 seconds to call on a learner after asking a question increases the quantity and quality of words in the response (Rowe, 1987) • “Wait time” lets learners process the question, retrieve relevant information from memory, and frame a response • Repeat questions

36. Verbal Techniques • Speak at a slower rate when lecturing • Speaking slowly (i.e., 100 wpm) produces better comprehension than a moderate (150 wpm) or fast (200 wpm) rate (Robinson, et. al., 1997) • Slow down when presenting complex material • Speed up when learners stop writing notes

37. Presentation Pitfalls • Lack of practice • Anxiety • Unanticipated challenges • Blocking visuals • Questions you can’t answer • Manage “sharpshooters”

38. Closure • Be yourself • Share experience • Practice • Get feedback • Strengthen 1-2 areas/presentation