Speak up: the manager's guide to oral presentations

Public speaking is a skill that can prove to be of considerable value to health care managers, yet a great many managers have not been trained as speakers and thus tend to avoid speaking situations or approach them with fear and doubt. However, any working manager can become an effective speaker through conscious effort to do so. The keys to developing one's ability to deliver effective oral presentations are preparation and practice. Preparation includes knowing one's subject and one's audience, appropriately organizing the material, learning how to present information according to what one wishes to convey or accomplish, learning how to use visual aids, and working to improve one's manner of using language in a public setting. Beyond following the guidelines for appropriate preparation and delivery, success and a degree of comfort with public speaking comes with practice, practice, practice.