“Giving a Talk” Talk
description
Transcript of “Giving a Talk” Talk
“Giving a Talk” Talk
Paul Sutton, PhD, MDAssociate Professor
General Internal MedicineUniversity of Washington
Overview
• Public speaking tips
• Tips for effective PowerPoint presentations
• Presentation of data
• The delivery
Public Speaking Tips
• Tell ‘em
• Tell them what you are going to tell them
• Tell them
• Tell them what you have told them
Overview
• Public speaking tips
• Tips for effective PowerPoint presentations
• Presentation of data
• The delivery
Public Speaking Tips• Know your subject
• Know your audience– What’s in it for me?
• Structure– Particularly crucial for shorter talks
• Your style– Find your own voice– But seek to entertain as well as educate
Your Style
• “Good teaching is one fourth preparation and three fourths theater.” Gail Godwin
• Use eye contact, voice modulation, and animation (yours, not PowerPoint’s)
• Take chances (but be tasteful)
Public Speaking Tips
• Limited recall– “The magical number seven, plus or
minus two”. Miller GA. Psychol Rev 1956. 63:81-97.
• Emphasize key points– Don’t attempt the Vulcan mind meld– “If you only remember one thing…”
Effective Habits
• Outline the talk before opening any presentation software
• Scientific Presentation– Background– Objective– Methods– Data– Discussion
Effective Habits: outlines
Topic-based Lecture• Intro• Epidemiology• Clinical Features• Diagnostics• Treatment• Areas of study• Review
Case-based Lecture• Intro• Case 1• Teaching point• Case 2• Teaching point• Lather, rinse, &
repeat• Review
Effective Habits• Prepare in advance!
– “It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” Mark Twain
• Practice– Particularly the introduction
• Peer review– Is the story coherent?– Is the presentation of data clear?– Eliminate ypographical errors
PowerPoint Tips
• Use PowerPoint– 95% market share– Presentation software options:
• PC/Mac/UNIX: OpenOffice by Sun• Mac: Keynote
– Can be difficult to share– Potential for formatting surprises
• Most conferences require .ppt (or .pptx)
Savvy Slides(K.I.S.S.)
• Dark background, light text• Consider using bold for all fonts• Shadowed text is more readable• Use font size 24 or greater
• Use easy to read fonts– Arial– Times New Roman– Comic Sans MS– English 111 Vivace BT
Savvy Slides (44 point)
• Arial 36• Arial 28• Arial 20
• Comic Sans MS 36• Comic Sans MS 28• Comic Sans MS 20
• Times New Roman 36• Times New Roman 28• Times New Roman 20
Backgrounds
• Readable, classic
• But, fatiguing over time
Backgrounds
• Annoying, pointless background• Poor contrast
• High contrast is minimally better
• Wow, what a great lecture
Slide Content
• About one minute per slide– This ratio increases as the length of the
talk increases
• 5-8 lines of text per slide
• Simplify information (on the slide!)– More Hemingway than Bulwer-Lytton– More haiku than Dante
Slide Content
• For goodness sakes, don’t read your slides!
• Avoid STDs– Speaker/text dissonance
• Use animations sparingly
“Death by PowerPoint”
http://norvig.com/Gettysburg/sld006.htm, accessed 4/14/09
http://canadiancpd.medscape.com/content/2002/00/43/71/437182/437182_fig.htmlAccessed 7/2/2009
PowerPoint Tips
• Don’t forget to stretch/change gears
• Attention span may be 10-15 minutes– Perhaps less in the age of Twitter
• Various techniques to re-engage the audience
Overview
• Lecture tips and effective habits
• Tips for effective PowerPoint presentations
• Presentation of data
• The delivery
So…Now I’m thinking about taking my
cousin downtown when she visits next
month…
Presentation of Data
• PowerPoint conveys data at relatively low bandwidth
Lindholm LH, et al. Lancet 2008. 366:1545-53
AFFIRM. NEJM 2002. 347:1825
Tables, Charts, and Graphs
• Avoid tables & figures from journals – they do not project well
• Tables & figures should be clearly labeled, and make sense at a glance
• Orient the audience & walk them through the data
Tables, Charts & Graphs
• You’ve failed if you have to begin with an apology
• Limit data to what is necessary to convey your point– But don’t deceive
• Highlight key points
Atenolol vs. OtherAnti-hypertensives: Stroke
Lindholm LH, et al. Lancet 2008. 366:1545-53
ELSA
ASCOT-BPLA
INVEST
LIFE
MRC Old
UKPDS
TOTAL EVENTS
1.29 (1.12-1.49)
1.58 (0.69-3.64)
1.14 (0.93-1.39)
1.34 (1.13-1.58)
1.22 (-.83-1.79)
0.90 (0.48-1.69)
1.26 (1.15-1.38)
1.00.5 0.7 1.5 2.0
Make another point with text box or highlighting
Placebo(n = 398)
Carvedilol(n = 696)
US Carvedilol Heart Failure Program:
Effect on Hospitalizations
*P <.05
Fowler MB et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001;37:1692–1699.
0
10
20
30
29%* 28%* 38%*
AllHospitalizations
CardiovascularHospitalization
Heart FailureHospitalizations
%Duration of therapy:6.5 months (median)
Take Care with Colors
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.” Einstein
The Delivery
• Redundancy– Computer, webmail, USB flash drive, CD– Include all files necessary for any animation
(e.g. video)
• Get there early, check out the room, controls, water
• Ask a friend/colleague for feedback– Learn something from every talk
Overview (“Tell ‘em”)
• Lecture tips and effective habits
• Tips for effective PowerPoint presentations
• Presentation of data
• The delivery
Take Home Points
• Be knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and animated
• Focus on a few take home points
• Legible slides (and don’t read them!)
• Pay particular attention to the presentation of data
“Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening.” Dorothy Sarnoff
Suggested Reading• Federman D. How do you give a great lecture? Parts I and II. SGIM
Forum, June and July 2009. Accessed at http://www.sgim.org/index.cfm?pageId=809– Very practical, expert opinion
• Tufte ER. The cognitive style of PowerPoint: pitching out corrupts within. 2nd edition. Graphics Press (Cheshire, CT). 2006.– An essay on the limitations and cognitive shackles of PowerPoint– Available at the bookstore for $7
• Keller J. Killing me microsoftly with PowerPoint. Chicago Tribune, January 5, 2003. Accessed at http://www.gbuwizards.com/files/chicago-tribune-julia-keller-05-january-2003.htm– Martin Luther King and Robert Frost à la PowerPoint
• Collins J. Giving a PowerPoint presentation: the art of communicating effectively. Radiographics 2004. 24:1185-92.