Constructing a Structured Medical Presentation

Abstract

Introduction: Giving presentation is an essential part in the medical practice. Physicians, in general are not expert in giving presentations, as it is not their daily practice. The weakness in conducting presentations comes from lack of the guidelines of making presentations and poor practice. Criticism is often directed to the facts emphasized in the presentations rather than the method of conduction. Therefore physician’s skills in making presentations have to be improved. The objective of this article is to provide the physicians or medical students with guidelines on how to prepare and deliver a structured and effective presentation in the medical practice. Discussion: The structure of making effective presentation is based on 3 pillars (3Ps) Plan, Preparation and Performance (delivery of presentations). Plan starts with selecting an interesting topic for the audience, then to plot down the ideas and objectives with pen and paper. Sketch a script with logical flow of ideas and suggest related images or illustrations. Preparation of presentation passes through 3 steps:- Extensive reading, selective writing /typing before making interesting slides, the latter needs attractive foreground and comfortable background. Performance means the delivery process of the prepared presentation. The speech looks like telling a story, it should have a clear introduction, provocative engaging context and a logical conclusion. The needed skills and the difficulties of conducting speech, in addition to some important tips of giving presentation are fully explained in this article. Conclusion: Presentation of teaching or research material has an important role in the work of health care professionals. The structure of medical presentation is based on three pillars: Plan, preparation and performance. Physicians should attain some skills in making effective presentation which are not sufficiently taught in the medical school.