Presentation skills for the reluctant speaker

Presentation skills are vital to clinical systems managers. This article covers four steps to successful presentations: 1) tailoring for an audience, 2) organizing a presentation, 3) mastering presentation techniques, and 4) creating effective visual aids. Tailoring for the audience entails learning about the audience and matching the presentation to their knowledge, educational level, and interests. Techniques to curry favor with an audience include: establishing common ground, relating through universal experiences, and pushing "hot buttons." Tasks involved in organizing the presentation for maximum audience interest begin with arranging the key points in a transparent organizational scheme. Audience attention is sustained using "hooks," such as graphics, anecdotes, humor, and quotations. Basic presentation techniques include appropriate rehearsal, effective eye contact with an audience, and anxiety-reducing strategies. Visual aids include flip charts, slides, transparencies, and computer presentations. Criteria for selecting the type of visual aids are delineated based on audience size and type of presentation, along with respective advantages and disadvantages. The golden rule for presentations is "Never show a slide for which you have to apologize." Rules to maximize visibility and effectiveness, including use of standard templates, sans serif fonts, dark backgrounds with light letters, mixed cases, and effective graphics, ensure that slides or projected computer images are clear and professional. Taken together, these strategies will enhance the delivery of the presentation and decrease the speaker's anxiety.