Presentation Skills

Jim Tysinger, PhDDepartment of Family

and Community Medicine

The UT Health Science Center at

San Antonio

Objective

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

Key Elements of a Presentation

Communication - information exchanged between two people

Communication for Teachers and Learners:Goal: Achieve desired learning outcomes, not

impressShared Feedback: Is everyone “with it”?

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

Lectures--Uses

Present info to groups

Inspire, motivate, and stimulate thinking

Explain difficult concepts

Review/integrate knowledge

Lectures--Misuses

Transmit too many facts

Teach skills or change attitudes

Present pet interests to impress the audience

Prepare for Your Presentation

Plan your session to addressthe audience’s needs(Bransford, et al, 2000) Expert –vs– novice levels Learning styles and

preferences Background Degree of fatigue

(Chap 3,

Prepare for Your Presentation

Know and limit the topicResearch the topicFocus on what

learners need to know

Organize Your Presentation

Define goals/objectivesSpecify what learners

must knowStress 3-4 major

points/hourHint: Reduce content!!!

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

Organize Your Presentation

3 parts of a talkOpening/ Introduction

BodySpend most

time here

Conclusion

Opening/Introduction

Get audience’s attentionEmphasize importance of the

topicOther techniques?

State the talk’s intent/goal Set ground rules

Audience participationQuestions

Body

Specify 3-4 main pointsFocus on what you want them to

know Organize those main points to give

the learners a mental frameworkKnown to the unknownGeneral to specificOther ways?

Conclusion

Briefly summarize main points Describe what will happen next

What audience will do End the talk

Prepare Materials

HandoutsSemi-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

Prepare Materials

AudiovisualsSchedule the equipment you needPractice with equipmentHave a back-up plan for

emergenciesPrepare/review audiovisuals in

advance

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 transparenciesAllows for animationsImproves the quality of the presentation

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)

Prepare Audiovisuals

Use PowerPoint, but…Avoid too many slides Don’t distract with too many

features

Prepare Audiovisuals

• Integrate learning strategy instruction within a lectureShowing learners how to organize and think

about content aids learning (Svinicki, 1991)Learning strategies: Ways people use to

learn conceptsHere’s one such strategy...

Prepare Audiovisuals

• Organizational Strategy: Arranging content to enhance retention, critical thinking, and applicationConsider a lecture on “Acute Abdominal Pain”Prepare a matrix that helps learners compare

the causes

Prepare Audiovisuals

• Use graphics (diagrams, graphs, charts) to aid learning Graphics contribute to learning (Vekiri,

2002)Explain graphics verballyMake target information salient

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.

Prepare Audiovisuals

• Use pictures to enhance learningBut remember pictures

or drawings are open to interpretation (Vekiri, 2002) Seborrheic Dermatitis

involving the chest and armpits

Prepare Audiovisuals

Visuals: Make text readableUse large type (24 pt or higher)Employ sans serif typefacesUse capitals and lower caseInsure text/background contrastLimit words to 9 per line; lines to 8 or 9

Avoid poor visualsWhat’s wrong with these?

BIOCHEM REVIEW FOR FPs

THE KREB’S CYCLE– Required for life– Memorize the

entire cycle– Wjat I really want

you to know!

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….

Rehearse!

Use an audience, if possible Pace yourself to fit content into

time Practice with equipment Get accustomed to the room

Presentation Skills Seminar

Presenting your Lecture

Key Points

Considerations for the lecturer Verbal and non-verbal skills Preparing/using audiovisuals Presentation pitfalls and how

to deal with them

Considerations

Be yourself Dress appropriately Get audience support Respect the audience Obtain feedback for

educator’s portfolioLearners, peers,

supervisors, outcomes

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

Verbal Techniques

Monitor volume: Avoid loudness

Vary pace (watch audience)

Repeat questions Avoid verbalized

pauses

Verbal Techniques

• Use spoken cues to identify important pointsSpoken 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.”)

Verbal Techniques

• Pause 5 seconds after asking a questionWaiting 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

Verbal Techniques

• Speak at a slower rate when lecturingSpeaking 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 materialSpeed up when learners stop writing notes

Presentation Pitfalls

Lack of practice Anxiety Unanticipated challenges Blocking visuals Questions you can’t answer

Manage “sharpshooters”

Closure

Be yourself Share experience Practice Get feedback Strengthen 1-2

areas/presentation