Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Health care needs new presentation techniques

Stephen P. Wood, ACNP-BC
Tech
December 1, 2019
Share
Tweet
Share

“So, if you look at this table, you can see that group X had a small but statistically significant increase in mortality over group Y. What does that tell us? It suggests that maybe there is some signal that intervention A is better than intervention B.”

The slide has some table from some journal, and the speaker will then often circle some p-value and talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the study as a precursor to the next slide that will also contain a graph from some journal, some other study and some other p-values for you to consider.

This is the standard annual conference, continuing medical education, morbidity, and mortality rounds lecture that we have all had to sit through. The room is often silent. A few people appear to be comatose or are outright sleeping. The rest are flipping through their phones. Only the speaker is engaged, and sometimes even that is questionable. If you have had to sit through one of these lectures, you know they are boring. They don’t engage any critical thinking, and the content doesn’t always translate to any valuable lesson on the topic.

This teaching style is the time-tested, lights-dimmed, sage-on-the-stage style of disseminating information to the ever-eager student.

There is a problem with this format, though. It isn’t engaging people to think. It isn’t keeping their attention. It is challenging propofol to be the agent of choice for the induction of anesthesia.

There has been a paradigm shift in medical schools and other health professions to shift away from the podium lecturer and to engage new ways of learning. This includes the flipped classroom, case-based learning, among other techniques.

While “the lecture” will never be replaced, there is certainly room to improve on this age-old practice and bring some life into the classroom, rounds, and into conferences.

The standard medical conference has not kept up with this change. Most commonly, an expert in the field stands at a podium with a clicker and a pointer to discuss a topic that they are well known for or doing research about.

Graphs, charts, tables, and data in some format is the staple of the slide-makeup of these lectures. Yes, we need the data. But how about presenting it in a different way? Storytelling is one way to convey this information and keep people engaged. Sure, talking about a case is one way to do this, but it often turns into a “this is how smart I am” saga. “I was able to figure this out when no one else could.”

We all know you are smart; that’s why you are giving the talk. A story about an experience or something from history that really highlights your point can be even more engaging and really get people listening and engaged.

Using better graphics is a great way to liven up a lecture as well. Instead of putting up a slide with a graph that shows a 5 % increase in survival when using Drug Y with p-values and scatter plots, put up a graphic with one group of 20 people and one group of 21 (if I got that math right) to really demonstrate the effect you want to show. Or just a slide with a huge “5%” and tell the story of what that means from both a statistical and clinical standpoint.

Another method is the Pecha Kucha method. This is Japanese for “chatter.” The rules of Pecha Kucha are 20 slides, 20 seconds. That is 20 seconds per slide for 20 slides, which ends up being a 6 minute and 40-second presentation. I’m not suggesting that every presentation should be 6 minutes (or should they), but it is a great way to keep a presentation moving.

If you are spending more than 20 or 30 seconds on a slide, you are spending too much time per slide. Keep the program moving, and people will be engaged. Better yet, don’t use slides at all. One of the best talks I have attended was a trauma surgeon, no slides, and an interactive case. Everyone was paying attention.

ADVERTISEMENT

Which brings us to audience participation. It is important too. But asking, “Are there any questions?” just doesn’t work. No one wants to be wrong, and sometimes you get a statement rather than a question.

Integrating something like Poll Everywhere or a “choose-your-own-adventure” technique is a safer, more interactive way to get people to engage. They already have their cell phones out. Instead of flipping through email, they can participate in a poll or ask a question.

Lastly, make sure to pause. Humans, on average, will only listen to 15-20-minute segments of material before they zone out. That means they are missing half of a 30-minute lecture. Take a pause every 10 or 15 minutes. See where everyone is at. Have them stand up or do something interactive in your lecture to re-engage them.

There are a lot of resources out there on how to improve your presentation. If you are dusting off your old slides or cutting and pasting tables, graphs, and plots, you are doing yourself and your learners a disservice. Integrate some of these and the many other techniques available out there to liven up your presentation and keep people engaged and keep them learning.

Stephen P. Wood is a nurse practitioner and can be reached on Twitter @stephenpaulwoo4.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Doctors on TV: today vs. 20 years ago

November 30, 2019 Kevin 1
…
Next

9 hacks that will increase your clinical efficiency immediately

December 1, 2019 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: Practice Management

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Doctors on TV: today vs. 20 years ago
Next Post >
9 hacks that will increase your clinical efficiency immediately

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Stephen P. Wood, ACNP-BC

  • Being like squid is easy. Don’t be one.

    Stephen P. Wood, ACNP-BC
  • What this clinician learned from a whale watching tour

    Stephen P. Wood, ACNP-BC
  • Change the approach to triage to alleviate ER overcrowding

    Stephen P. Wood, ACNP-BC

Related Posts

  • How social media can help or hurt your health care career

    Health eCareers
  • Turn physicians into powerful health care influencers

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • America leads the world in high tech care and health care costs

    Mark Kelley, MD
  • Why health care replaced physician care

    Michael Weiss, MD
  • Health care is not a service commodity

    Peter Spence, MD, MBA
  • Why the health care industry must prioritize health equity

    George T. Mathew, MD, MBA

More in Tech

  • In medicine and law, professions that society relies upon for accuracy

    Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD
  • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Why fearing AI is really about fearing ourselves

    Bhargav Raman, MD, MBA
  • Health care’s data problem: the real obstacle to AI success

    Jay Anders, MD
  • What ChatGPT’s tone reveals about our cultural values

    Jenny Shields, PhD
  • Bridging the digital divide: Addressing health inequities through home-based AI solutions

    Dr. Sreeram Mullankandy
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Do Jewish students face rising bias in holistic admissions?

      Anonymous | Education
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?

      Jacob Murphy | Education
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • Why true listening is crucial for future health care professionals [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Love on life support: a powerful reminder from the ICU

      Syed Ahmad Moosa, MD | Physician
    • Surviving kidney disease and reforming patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Antimicrobial resistance: a public health crisis that needs your voice [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • “Think twice, heal once”: Why medical decision-making needs a second opinion from your slower brain (and AI)

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Do Jewish students face rising bias in holistic admissions?

      Anonymous | Education
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Internal Medicine 2025: inspiration at the annual meeting

      American College of Physicians | Physician
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • Residency as rehearsal: the new pediatric hospitalist fellowship requirement scam

      Anonymous | Physician
    • Are quotas a solution to physician shortages?

      Jacob Murphy | Education
    • The hidden bias in how we treat chronic pain

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
  • Recent Posts

    • Why true listening is crucial for future health care professionals [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Love on life support: a powerful reminder from the ICU

      Syed Ahmad Moosa, MD | Physician
    • Surviving kidney disease and reforming patient care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Antimicrobial resistance: a public health crisis that needs your voice [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...