Who hasn’t dealt with sweaty palms and a racing heart right before a public speaking event? This session aimed to give participants the confidence to tackle their next big presentation. The workshop started bright and early at 8 a.m. with an icebreaker. The key to memorable introductions? Tell a story, connect, and make it meaningful. As everyone knows, communication isn’t just what you say but also how you say it.
What you say
What’s the message? Make sure it’s clear and concise. You need to clearly understand why you are giving this presentation and what you want the audience to get out of the talk. Too many concepts, data, takeaways, or even too many words are going to detract from your core message, and you’ll lose your audience.
Practice: Know your presentation inside and out. Know what slides are coming up and what your main points are going to be, and practice. You don’t want to memorize a script, but you want to internalize that flow and really feel confident in your message.
Hook: Start with a compelling hook to draw the audience in. This might be a patient story, an alarming statistic, or a personal connection. You need to tell the audience why this presentation or topic is important to them and why they should pay attention.
Know your audience: Tailor the content to the audience. If you’re presenting to a group of non-clinical hospital administrators, make sure you explain any medical concepts in clear, approachable language. On the flip side, don’t over-explain concepts that may already be familiar to your audience and lose their interest.
How you say it
Visuals support context: Never show a wall of data. The audience should be spending time listening to you, not busy trying to decipher the screen.
Engage: Don’t read your slides. Think about how you position yourself in the audience or at the podium. Think about how you move and work the crowd. Be dynamic. Don’t be afraid to interact with your audience.
Roll with it: Expect that things will happen despite your best efforts. The audio won’t work, or there will be construction next door. Roll with it and have fun.
Seeing the presenters demonstrate the concepts in real time really brought the content to life, showing rather than just telling the audience how to give a great talk. Participants left feeling empowered and inspired to take control of their next big presentation. In the end, they made it simple. Giving a great talk is about connecting and communicating with your audience.
Dr. Shi is an academic hospitalist and assistant clinical professor at the University of California Davis School of Medicine in Davis, Calif.