medical presentation structure

Overview and General Information about Oral Presentation

• Daily Presentations During Work Rounds
• The New Patient Presentation
• The Holdover Admission Presentation
• Outpatient Clinic Presentations
• The structure of presentations varies from service to service (e.g. medicine vs. surgery), amongst subspecialties, and between environments (inpatient vs. outpatient). Applying the correct style to the right setting requires that the presenter seek guidance from the listeners at the outset.
• Time available for presenting is rather short, which makes the experience more stressful.
• Individual supervisors (residents, faculty) often have their own (sometimes quirky) preferences regarding presentation styles, adding another layer of variability that the presenter has to manage.
• Students are evaluated/judged on the way in which they present, with faculty using this as one way of gauging a student’s clinical knowledge.
• Done well, presentations promote efficient, excellent care. Done poorly, they promote tedium, low morale, and inefficiency.

General Tips:

• Practice, Practice, Practice! Do this on your own, with colleagues, and/or with anyone who will listen (and offer helpful commentary) before you actually present in front of other clinicians. Speaking "on-the-fly" is difficult, as rapidly organizing and delivering information in a clear and concise fashion is not a naturally occurring skill.
• Immediately following your presentations, seek feedback from your listeners. Ask for specifics about what was done well and what could have been done better – always with an eye towards gaining information that you can apply to improve your performance the next time.
• Listen to presentations that are done well – ask yourself, “Why was it good?” Then try to incorporate those elements into your own presentations.
• Listen to presentations that go poorly – identify the specific things that made it ineffective and avoid those pitfalls when you present.
• Effective presentations require that you have thought through the case beforehand and understand the rationale for your conclusions and plan. This, in turn, requires that you have a good grasp of physiology, pathology, clinical reasoning and decision-making - pushing you to read, pay attention, and in general acquire more knowledge.
• Think about the clinical situation in which you are presenting so that you can provide a summary that is consistent with the expectations of your audience. Work rounds, for example, are clearly different from conferences and therefore mandate a different style of presentation.
• Presentations are the way in which we tell medical stories to one another. When you present, ask yourself if you’ve described the story in an accurate way. Will the listener be able to “see” the patient the same way that you do? Can they come to the correct conclusions? If not, re-calibrate.
• It's O.K. to use notes, though the oral presentation should not simply be reduced to reading the admission note – rather, it requires appropriate editing/shortening.
• In general, try to give your presentations on a particular service using the same order and style for each patient, every day. Following a specific format makes it easier for the listener to follow, as they know what’s coming and when they can expect to hear particular information. Additionally, following a standardized approach makes it easier for you to stay organized, develop a rhythm, and lessens the chance that you’ll omit elements.

Specific types of presentations

There are a number of common presentation-types, each with its own goals and formats. These include:

• Daily presentations during work rounds for patients known to a service.
• Newly admitted patients, where you were the clinician that performed the H&P.
• Newly admitted patients that were “handed off” to the team in the morning, such that the H&P was performed by others.
• Outpatient clinic presentations, covering several common situations.

Key elements of each presentation type are described below. Examples of how these would be applied to most situations are provided in italics. The formats are typical of presentations done for internal medicine services and clinics.

Note that there is an acceptable range of how oral presentations can be delivered. Ultimately, your goal is to tell the correct story, in a reasonable amount of time, so that the right care can be delivered. Nuances in the order of presentation, what to include, what to omit, etc. are relatively small points. Don’t let the pursuit of these elements distract you or create undue anxiety.

Daily presentations during work rounds of patients that you’re following:

• Organize the presenter (forces you to think things through)
• Inform the listener(s) of 24 hour events and plan moving forward
• Promote focused discussion amongst your listeners and supervisors
• Opportunity to reassess plan, adjust as indicated
• Demonstrate your knowledge and engagement in the care of the patient
• Rapid (5 min) presentation of the key facts

Key features of presentation:

• Opening one liner: Describe who the patient is, number of days in hospital, and their main clinical issue(s).
• 24-hour events: Highlighting changes in clinical status, procedures, consults, etc.
• Subjective sense from the patient about how they’re feeling, vital signs (ranges), and key physical exam findings (highlighting changes)
• Relevant labs (highlighting changes) and imaging
• Assessment and Plan : Presented by problem or organ systems(s), using as many or few as are relevant. Early on, it’s helpful to go through the main categories in your head as a way of making sure that you’re not missing any relevant areas. The broad organ system categories include (presented here head-to-toe): Neurological; Psychiatric; Cardiovascular; Pulmonary; Gastrointestinal; Renal/Genitourinary; Hematologic/Oncologic; Endocrine/Metabolic; Infectious; Tubes/lines/drains; Disposition.

Example of a daily presentation for a patient known to a team:

• Opening one liner: This is Mr. Smith, a 65 year old man, Hospital Day #3, being treated for right leg cellulitis
• MRI of the leg, negative for osteomyelitis
• Evaluation by Orthopedics, who I&D’d a superficial abscess in the calf, draining a moderate amount of pus
• Patient appears well, states leg is feeling better, less painful
• T Max 101 yesterday, T Current 98; Pulse range 60-80; BP 140s-160s/70-80s; O2 sat 98% Room Air
• Ins/Outs: 3L in (2 L NS, 1 L po)/Out 4L urine
• Right lower extremity redness now limited to calf, well within inked lines – improved compared with yesterday; bandage removed from the I&D site, and base had small amount of purulence; No evidence of fluctuance or undrained infection.
• Creatinine .8, down from 1.5 yesterday
• WBC 8.7, down from 14
• Blood cultures from admission still negative
• Gram stain of pus from yesterday’s I&D: + PMNS and GPCs; Culture pending
• MRI lower extremity as noted above – negative for osteomyelitis
• Continue Vancomycin for today
• Ortho to reassess I&D site, though looks good
• Follow-up on cultures: if MRSA, will transition to PO Doxycycline; if MSSA, will use PO Dicloxacillin
• Given AKI, will continue to hold ace-inhibitor; will likely wait until outpatient follow-up to restart
• Add back amlodipine 5mg/d today
• Hep lock IV as no need for more IVF
• Continue to hold ace-I as above
• Wound care teaching with RNs today – wife capable and willing to assist. She’ll be in this afternoon.
• Set up follow-up with PMD to reassess wound and cellulitis within 1 week

The Brand New Patient (admitted by you)

• Provide enough information so that the listeners can understand the presentation and generate an appropriate differential diagnosis.
• Present a thoughtful assessment
• Present diagnostic and therapeutic plans
• Provide opportunities for senior listeners to intervene and offer input
• Chief concern: Reason why patient presented to hospital (symptom/event and key past history in one sentence). It often includes a limited listing of their other medical conditions (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, etc.) if these elements might contribute to the reason for admission.
• The history is presented highlighting the relevant events in chronological order.
• 7 days ago, the patient began to notice vague shortness of breath.
• 5 days ago, the breathlessness worsened and they developed a cough productive of green sputum.
• 3 days ago his short of breath worsened to the point where he was winded after walking up a flight of stairs, accompanied by a vague right sided chest pain that was more pronounced with inspiration.
• Enough historical information has to be provided so that the listener can understand the reasons that lead to admission and be able to draw appropriate clinical conclusions.
• Past history that helps to shed light on the current presentation are included towards the end of the HPI and not presented later as “PMH.” This is because knowing this “past” history is actually critical to understanding the current complaint. For example, past cardiac catheterization findings and/or interventions should be presented during the HPI for a patient presenting with chest pain.
• Where relevant, the patient's baseline functional status is described, allowing the listener to understand the degree of impairment caused by the acute medical problem(s).
• It should be explicitly stated if a patient is a poor historian, confused or simply unaware of all the details related to their illness. Historical information obtained from family, friends, etc. should be described as such.
• Review of Systems (ROS): Pertinent positive and negative findings discovered during a review of systems are generally incorporated at the end of the HPI. The listener needs this information to help them put the story in appropriate perspective. Any positive responses to a more inclusive ROS that covers all of the other various organ systems are then noted. If the ROS is completely negative, it is generally acceptable to simply state, "ROS negative.”
• Other Past Medical and Surgical History (PMH/PSH): Past history that relates to the issues that lead to admission are typically mentioned in the HPI and do not have to be repeated here. That said, selective redundancy (i.e. if it’s really important) is OK. Other PMH/PSH are presented here if relevant to the current issues and/or likely to affect the patient’s hospitalization in some way. Unrelated PMH and PSH can be omitted (e.g. if the patient had their gall bladder removed 10y ago and this has no bearing on the admission, then it would be appropriate to leave it out). If the listener really wants to know peripheral details, they can read the admission note, ask the patient themselves, or inquire at the end of the presentation.
• Medications and Allergies: Typically all meds are described, as there’s high potential for adverse reactions or drug-drug interactions.
• Family History: Emphasis is placed on the identification of illnesses within the family (particularly among first degree relatives) that are known to be genetically based and therefore potentially heritable by the patient. This would include: coronary artery disease, diabetes, certain cancers and autoimmune disorders, etc. If the family history is non-contributory, it’s fine to say so.
• Social History, Habits, other → as relates to/informs the presentation or hospitalization. Includes education, work, exposures, hobbies, smoking, alcohol or other substance use/abuse.
• Sexual history if it relates to the active problems.
• Vital signs and relevant findings (or their absence) are provided. As your team develops trust in your ability to identify and report on key problems, it may become acceptable to say “Vital signs stable.”
• Note: Some listeners expect students (and other junior clinicians) to describe what they find in every organ system and will not allow the presenter to say “normal.” The only way to know what to include or omit is to ask beforehand.
• Key labs and imaging: Abnormal findings are highlighted as well as changes from baseline.
• Summary, assessment & plan(s) Presented by problem or organ systems(s), using as many or few as are relevant. Early on, it’s helpful to go through the main categories in your head as a way of making sure that you’re not missing any relevant areas. The broad organ system categories include (presented here head-to-toe): Neurological; Psychiatric; Cardiovascular; Pulmonary; Gastrointestinal; Renal/Genitourinary; Hematologic/Oncologic; Endocrine/Metabolic; Infectious; Tubes/lines/drains; Disposition.
• The assessment and plan typically concludes by mentioning appropriate prophylactic considerations (e.g. DVT prevention), code status and disposition.
• Chief Concern: Mr. H is a 50 year old male with AIDS, on HAART, with preserved CD4 count and undetectable viral load, who presents for the evaluation of fever, chills and a cough over the past 7 days.
• Until 1 week ago, he had been quite active, walking up to 2 miles a day without feeling short of breath.
• Approximately 1 week ago, he began to feel dyspneic with moderate activity.
• 3 days ago, he began to develop subjective fevers and chills along with a cough productive of red-green sputum.
• 1 day ago, he was breathless after walking up a single flight of stairs and spent most of the last 24 hours in bed.
• Diagnosed with HIV in 2000, done as a screening test when found to have gonococcal urethritis
• Was not treated with HAART at that time due to concomitant alcohol abuse and non-adherence.
• Diagnosed and treated for PJP pneumonia 2006
• Diagnosed and treated for CMV retinitis 2007
• Became sober in 2008, at which time interested in HAART. Started on Atripla, a combination pill containing: Efavirenz, Tonofovir, and Emtricitabine. He’s taken it ever since, with no adverse effects or issues with adherence. Receives care thru Dr. Smiley at the University HIV clinic.
• CD4 count 3 months ago was 400 and viral load was undetectable.
• He is homosexual though he is currently not sexually active. He has never used intravenous drugs.
• He has no history of asthma, COPD or chronic cardiac or pulmonary condition. No known liver disease. Hepatitis B and C negative. His current problem seems different to him then his past episode of PJP.
• Review of systems: negative for headache, photophobia, stiff neck, focal weakness, chest pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, urinary symptoms, leg swelling, or other complaints.
• Hypertension x 5 years, no other known vascular disease
• Gonorrhea as above
• Alcohol abuse above and now sober – no known liver disease
• No relevant surgeries
• Atripla, 1 po qd
• Omeprazole 20 mg, 1 PO, qd
• Lisinopril 20mg, qd
• Naprosyn 250 mg, 1-2, PO, BID PRN
• No allergies
• Both of the patient's parents are alive and well (his mother is 78 and father 80). He has 2 brothers, one 45 and the other 55, who are also healthy. There is no family history of heart disease or cancer.
• Patient works as an accountant for a large firm in San Diego. He lives alone in an apartment in the city.
• Smokes 1 pack of cigarettes per day and has done so for 20 years.
• No current alcohol use. Denies any drug use.
• Sexual History as noted above; has sex exclusively with men, last partner 6 months ago.
• Seated on a gurney in the ER, breathing through a face-mask oxygen delivery system. Breathing was labored and accessory muscles were in use. Able to speak in brief sentences, limited by shortness of breath
• Vital signs: Temp 102 F, Pulse 90, BP 150/90, Respiratory Rate 26, O2 Sat (on 40% Face Mask) 95%
• HEENT: No thrush, No adenopathy
• Lungs: Crackles and Bronchial breath sounds noted at right base. E to A changes present. No wheezing or other abnormal sounds noted over any other area of the lung. Dullness to percussion was also appreciated at the right base.
• Cardiac: JVP less than 5 cm; Rhythm was regular. Normal S1 and S2. No murmurs or extra heart sounds noted.
• Abdomen and Genital exams: normal
• Extremities: No clubbing, cyanosis or edema; distal pulses 2+ and equal bilaterally.
• Skin: no eruptions noted.
• Neurological exam: normal
• WBC 18 thousand with 10% bands;
• Normal Chem 7 and LFTs.
• Room air blood gas: pH of 7.47/ PO2 of 55/PCO2 of 30.
• Sputum gram stain remarkable for an abundance of polys along with gram positive diplococci.
• CXR remarkable for dense right lower lobe infiltrate without effusion.
• Monitored care unit, with vigilance for clinical deterioration.
• Hypertension: given significant pneumonia and unclear clinical direction, will hold lisinopril. If BP > 180 and or if clear not developing sepsis, will consider restarting.
• Low molecular weight heparin
• Code Status: Wishes to be full code full care, including intubation and ICU stay if necessary. Has good quality of life and hopes to return to that functional level. Wishes to reconsider if situation ever becomes hopeless. Older brother Tom is surrogate decision maker if the patient can’t speak for himself. Tom lives in San Diego and we have his contact info. He is aware that patient is in the hospital and plans on visiting later today or tomorrow.
• Expected duration of hospitalization unclear – will know more based on response to treatment over next 24 hours.

The holdover admission (presenting data that was generated by other physicians)

• Handoff admissions are very common and present unique challenges
• Understand the reasons why the patient was admitted
• Review key history, exam, imaging and labs to assure that they support the working diagnostic and therapeutic plans
• Does the data support the working diagnosis?
• Do the planned tests and consults make sense?
• What else should be considered (both diagnostically and therapeutically)?
• This process requires that the accepting team thoughtfully review their colleagues efforts with a critical eye – which is not disrespectful but rather constitutes one of the main jobs of the accepting team and is a cornerstone of good care *Note: At some point during the day (likely not during rounds), the team will need to verify all of the data directly with the patient.
• 8-10 minutes
• Chief concern: Reason for admission (symptom and/or event)
• Temporally presented bullets of events leading up to the admission
• Review of systems
• Relevant PMH/PSH – historical information that might affect the patient during their hospitalization.
• Meds and Allergies
• Family and Social History – focusing on information that helps to inform the current presentation.
• Habits and exposures
• Physical exam, imaging and labs that were obtained in the Emergency Department
• Assessment and plan that were generated in the Emergency Department.
• Overnight events (i.e. what happened in the Emergency Dept. and after the patient went to their hospital room)? Responses to treatments, changes in symptoms?
• How does the patient feel this morning? Key exam findings this morning (if seen)? Morning labs (if available)?
• Assessment and Plan , with attention as to whether there needs to be any changes in the working differential or treatment plan. The broad organ system categories include (presented here head-to-toe): Neurological; Psychiatric; Cardiovascular; Pulmonary; Gastrointestinal; Renal/Genitourinary; Hematologic/Oncologic; Endocrine/Metabolic; Infectious; Tubes/lines/drains; Disposition.
• Chief concern: 70 yo male who presented with 10 days of progressive shoulder pain, followed by confusion. He was brought in by his daughter, who felt that her father was no longer able to safely take care for himself.
• 10 days ago, Mr. X developed left shoulder pain, first noted a few days after lifting heavy boxes. He denies falls or direct injury to the shoulder.
• 1 week ago, presented to outside hospital ER for evaluation of left shoulder pain. Records from there were notable for his being afebrile with stable vitals. Exam notable for focal pain anteriorly on palpation, but no obvious deformity. Right shoulder had normal range of motion. Left shoulder reported as diminished range of motion but not otherwise quantified. X-ray negative. Labs remarkable for wbc 8, creat 2.2 (stable). Impression was that the pain was of musculoskeletal origin. Patient was provided with Percocet and told to see PMD in f/u
• Brought to our ER last night by his daughter. Pain in shoulder worse. Also noted to be confused and unable to care for self. Lives alone in the country, home in disarray, no food.
• ROS: negative for falls, prior joint or musculoskeletal problems, fevers, chills, cough, sob, chest pain, head ache, abdominal pain, urinary or bowel symptoms, substance abuse
• Hypertension
• Coronary artery disease, s/p LAD stent for angina 3 y ago, no symptoms since. Normal EF by echo 2 y ago
• Chronic kidney disease stage 3 with creatinine 1.8; felt to be secondary to atherosclerosis and hypertension
• aspirin 81mg qd, atorvastatin 80mg po qd, amlodipine 10 po qd, Prozac 20
• Allergies: none
• Family and Social: lives alone in a rural area of the county, in contact with children every month or so. Retired several years ago from work as truck driver. Otherwise non-contributory.
• Habits: denies alcohol or other drug use.
• Temp 98 Pulse 110 BP 100/70
• Drowsy though arousable; oriented to year but not day or date; knows he’s at a hospital for evaluation of shoulder pain, but doesn’t know the name of the hospital or city
• CV: regular rate and rhythm; normal s1 and s2; no murmurs or extra heart sounds.
• Left shoulder with generalized swelling, warmth and darker coloration compared with Right; generalized pain on palpation, very limited passive or active range of motion in all directions due to pain. Right shoulder appearance and exam normal.
• CXR: normal
• EKG: sr 100; nl intervals, no acute changes
• WBC 13; hemoglobin 14
• Na 134, k 4.6; creat 2.8 (1.8 baseline 4 m ago); bicarb 24
• LFTs and UA normal
• Vancomycin and Zosyn for now
• Orthopedics to see asap to aspirate shoulder for definitive diagnosis
• If aspiration is consistent with infection, will need to go to Operating Room for wash out.
• Urine electrolytes
• Follow-up on creatinine and obtain renal ultrasound if not improved
• Renal dosing of meds
• Strict Ins and Outs.
• follow exam
• obtain additional input from family to assure baseline is, in fact, normal
• Since admission (6 hours) no change in shoulder pain
• This morning, pleasant, easily distracted; knows he’s in the hospital, but not date or year
• T Current 101F Pulse 100 BP 140/80
• Ins and Outs: IVF Normal Saline 3L/Urine output 1.5 liters
• L shoulder with obvious swelling and warmth compared with right; no skin breaks; pain limits any active or passive range of motion to less than 10 degrees in all directions
• Labs this morning remarkable for WBC 10 (from 13), creatinine 2 (down from 2.8)
• Continue with Vancomycin and Zosyn for now
• I already paged Orthopedics this morning, who are en route for aspiration of shoulder, fluid for gram stain, cell count, culture
• If aspirate consistent with infection, then likely to the OR
• Continue IVF at 125/h, follow I/O
• Repeat creatinine later today
• Not on any nephrotoxins, meds renaly dosed
• Continue antibiotics, evaluation for primary source as above
• Discuss with family this morning to establish baseline; possible may have underlying dementia as well
• SC Heparin for DVT prophylaxis
• Code status: full code/full care.

Outpatient-based presentations

There are 4 main types of visits that commonly occur in an outpatient continuity clinic environment, each of which has its own presentation style and purpose. These include the following, each described in detail below.

• The patient who is presenting for their first visit to a primary care clinic and is entirely new to the physician.
• The patient who is returning to primary care for a scheduled follow-up visit.
• The patient who is presenting with an acute problem to a primary care clinic
• The specialty clinic evaluation (new or follow-up)

It’s worth noting that Primary care clinics (Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and Pediatrics) typically take responsibility for covering all of the patient’s issues, though the amount of energy focused on any one topic will depend on the time available, acuity, symptoms, and whether that issue is also followed by a specialty clinic.

The Brand New Primary Care Patient

Purpose of the presentation

• Accurately review all of the patient’s history as well as any new concerns that they might have.
• Identify health related problems that need additional evaluation and/or treatment
• Provide an opportunity for senior listeners to intervene and offer input

Key features of the presentation

• If this is truly their first visit, then one of the main reasons is typically to "establish care" with a new doctor.
• It might well include continuation of therapies and/or evaluations started elsewhere.
• If the patient has other specific goals (medications, referrals, etc.), then this should be stated as well. Note: There may well not be a "chief complaint."
• For a new patient, this is an opportunity to highlight the main issues that might be troubling/bothering them.
• This can include chronic disorders (e.g. diabetes, congestive heart failure, etc.) which cause ongoing symptoms (shortness of breath) and/or generate daily data (finger stick glucoses) that should be discussed.
• Sometimes, there are no specific areas that the patient wishes to discuss up-front.
• Review of systems (ROS): This is typically comprehensive, covering all organ systems. If the patient is known to have certain illnesses (e.g. diabetes), then the ROS should include the search for disorders with high prevalence (e.g. vascular disease). There should also be some consideration for including questions that are epidemiologically appropriate (e.g. based on age and sex).
• Past Medical History (PMH): All known medical conditions (in particular those requiring ongoing treatment) are listed, noting their duration and time of onset. If a condition is followed by a specialist or co-managed with other clinicians, this should be noted as well. If a problem was described in detail during the “acute” history, it doesn’t have to be re-stated here.
• Past Surgical History (PSH): All surgeries, along with the year when they were performed
• Medications and allergies: All meds, including dosage, frequency and over-the-counter preparations. Allergies (and the type of reaction) should be described.
• Social: Work, hobbies, exposures.
• Sexual activity – may include type of activity, number and sex of partner(s), partner’s health.
• Smoking, Alcohol, other drug use: including quantification of consumption, duration of use.
• Family history: Focus on heritable illness amongst first degree relatives. May also include whether patient married, in a relationship, children (and their ages).
• Physical Exam: Vital signs and relevant findings (or their absence).
• Key labs and imaging if they’re available. Also when and where they were obtained.
• Summary, assessment & plan(s) presented by organ system and/or problems. As many systems/problems as is necessary to cover all of the active issues that are relevant to that clinic. This typically concludes with a “health care maintenance” section, which covers age, sex and risk factor appropriate vaccinations and screening tests.

The Follow-up Visit to a Primary Care Clinic

• Organize the presenter (forces you to think things through).
• Accurately review any relevant interval health care events that might have occurred since the last visit.
• Identification of new symptoms or health related issues that might need additional evaluation and/or treatment
• If the patient has no concerns, then verification that health status is stable
• Review of medications
• Provide an opportunity for listeners to intervene and offer input
• Reason for the visit: Follow-up for whatever the patient’s main issues are, as well as stating when the last visit occurred *Note: There may well not be a “chief complaint,” as patients followed in continuity at any clinic may simply be returning for a visit as directed by their doctor.
• Events since the last visit: This might include emergency room visits, input from other clinicians/specialists, changes in medications, new symptoms, etc.
• Review of Systems (ROS): Depth depends on patient’s risk factors and known illnesses. If the patient has diabetes, then a vascular ROS would be done. On the other hand, if the patient is young and healthy, the ROS could be rather cursory.
• PMH, PSH, Social, Family, Habits are all OMITTED. This is because these facts are already known to the listener and actionable aspects have presumably been added to the problem list (presented at the end). That said, these elements can be restated if the patient has a new symptom or issue related to a historical problem has emerged.
• MEDS : A good idea to review these at every visit.
• Physical exam: Vital signs and pertinent findings (or absence there of) are mentioned.
• Lab and Imaging: The reason why these were done should be mentioned and any key findings mentioned, highlighting changes from baseline.
• Assessment and Plan: This is most clearly done by individually stating all of the conditions/problems that are being addressed (e.g. hypertension, hypothyroidism, depression, etc.) followed by their specific plan(s). If a new or acute issue was identified during the visit, the diagnostic and therapeutic plan for that concern should be described.

The Focused Visit to a Primary Care Clinic

• Accurately review the historical events that lead the patient to make the appointment.
• Identification of risk factors and/or other underlying medical conditions that might affect the diagnostic or therapeutic approach to the new symptom or concern.
• Generate an appropriate assessment and plan
• Allow the listener to comment

Key features of the presentation:

• Reason for the visit
• History of Present illness: Description of the sequence of symptoms and/or events that lead to the patient’s current condition.
• Review of Systems: To an appropriate depth that will allow the listener to grasp the full range of diagnostic possibilities that relate to the presenting problem.
• PMH and PSH: Stating only those elements that might relate to the presenting symptoms/issues.
• PE: Vital signs and key findings (or lack thereof)
• Labs and imaging (if done)
• Assessment and Plan: This is usually very focused and relates directly to the main presenting symptom(s) or issues.

The Specialty Clinic Visit

Specialty clinic visits focus on the health care domains covered by those physicians. For example, Cardiology clinics are interested in cardiovascular disease related symptoms, events, labs, imaging and procedures. Orthopedics clinics will focus on musculoskeletal symptoms, events, imaging and procedures. Information that is unrelated to these disciples will typically be omitted. It’s always a good idea to ask the supervising physician for guidance as to what’s expected to be covered in a particular clinic environment.

• Highlight the reason(s) for the visit
• Review key data
• Provide an opportunity for the listener(s) to comment
• 5-7 minutes
• If it’s a consult, state the main reason(s) that the patient was referred as well as who referred them.
• If it’s a return visit, state the reasons why the patient is being followed in the clinic and when the last visit took place
• If it’s for an acute issue, state up front what the issue is Note: There may well not be a “chief complaint,” as patients followed in continuity in any clinic may simply be returning for a return visit as directed
• For a new patient, this highlights the main things that might be troubling/bothering the patient.
• For a specialty clinic, the history presented typically relates to the symptoms and/or events that are pertinent to that area of care.
• Review of systems , focusing on those elements relevant to that clinic. For a cardiology patient, this will highlight a vascular ROS.
• PMH/PSH that helps to inform the current presentation (e.g. past cardiac catheterization findings/interventions for a patient with chest pain) and/or is otherwise felt to be relevant to that clinic environment.
• Meds and allergies: Typically all meds are described, as there is always the potential for adverse drug interactions.
• Social/Habits/other: as relates to/informs the presentation and/or is relevant to that clinic
• Family history: Focus is on heritable illness amongst first degree relatives
• Physical Exam: VS and relevant findings (or their absence)
• Key labs, imaging: For a cardiology clinic patient, this would include echos, catheterizations, coronary interventions, etc.
• Summary, assessment & plan(s) by organ system and/or problems. As many systems/problems as is necessary to cover all of the active issues that are relevant to that clinic.
• Reason for visit: Patient is a 67 year old male presenting for first office visit after admission for STEMI. He was referred by Dr. Goins, his PMD.
• The patient initially presented to the ER 4 weeks ago with acute CP that started 1 hour prior to his coming in. He was found to be in the midst of a STEMI with ST elevations across the precordial leads.
• Taken urgently to cath, where 95% proximal LAD lesion was stented
• EF preserved by Echo; Peak troponin 10
• In-hospital labs were remarkable for normal cbc, chem; LDL 170, hdl 42, nl lfts
• Uncomplicated hospital course, sent home after 3 days.
• Since home, he states that he feels great.
• Denies chest pain, sob, doe, pnd, edema, or other symptoms.
• No symptoms of stroke or TIA.
• No history of leg or calf pain with ambulation.
• Prior to this admission, he had a history of hypertension which was treated with lisinopril
• 40 pk yr smoking history, quit during hospitalization
• No known prior CAD or vascular disease elsewhere. No known diabetes, no family history of vascular disease; He thinks his cholesterol was always “a little high” but doesn’t know the numbers and was never treated with meds.
• History of depression, well treated with prozac
• Discharge meds included: aspirin, metoprolol 50 bid, lisinopril 10, atorvastatin 80, Plavix; in addition he takes Prozac for depression
• Taking all of them as directed.
• Patient lives with his wife; they have 2 grown children who are no longer at home
• Works as a computer programmer
• Smoking as above
• ETOH: 1 glass of wine w/dinner
• No drug use
• No known history of cardiovascular disease among 2 siblings or parents.
• Well appearing; BP 130/80, Pulse 80 regular, 97% sat on Room Air, weight 175lbs, BMI 32
• Lungs: clear to auscultation
• CV: s1 s2 no s3 s4 murmur
• No carotid bruits
• ABD: no masses
• Ext; no edema; distal pulses 2+
• Cath from 4 weeks ago: R dominant; 95% proximal LAD; 40% Cx.
• EF by TTE 1 day post PCI with mild Anterior Hypokinesis, EF 55%, no valvular disease, moderate LVH
• Labs of note from the hospital following cath: hgb 14, plt 240; creat 1, k 4.2, lfts normal, glucose 100, LDL 170, HDL 42.
• EKG today: SR at 78; nl intervals; nl axis; normal r wave progression, no q waves
• Plan: aspirin 81 indefinitely, Plavix x 1y
• Given nitroglycerine sublingual to have at home.
• Reviewed symptoms that would indicate another MI and what to do if occurred
• Plan: continue with current dosages of meds
• Chem 7 today to check k, creatinine
• Plan: Continue atorvastatin 80mg for life
• Smoking cessation: Doing well since discharge without adjuvant treatments, aware of supports.
• Plan: AAA screening ultrasound

Presentation Skills Toolkit for Medical Students

New section.

The ability to design and deliver an effective presentation is an important skill for all learners to develop. The Undergraduate Medical Education Section of the Group on Educational Affairs developed this toolkit as a resource for medical students and health professions trainees as you learn to create and give effective presentations in the classroom, in the clinical setting, and at academic meetings and conferences. In this toolkit, you’ll find helpful resources on developing and delivering formal lectures and presentations, poster and oral abstract presentations, patient presentations, and leading small group sessions.

Please note: Availability of resources may change over time. To suggest edits or updates, email  [email protected] .

On this page:

Formal lectures and presentations, posters and abstracts, patient presentations.

• Leading Small Groups

Traditional academic presentations in medicine and the biomedical sciences are necessarily dense with complex content. Thus, slides tend to be wordy, and presenters may use their slides as cue cards for themselves rather than as tools to facilitate learning for their audience. With the necessary resources, medical students (and presenters at all levels) can better identify appropriate learning objectives and develop presentations that help learners meet those objectives. Organization of content, clarity of slide design, and professional delivery are all essential components to designing and giving effective formal presentations.

Achieving all of these elements can make creating and delivering a formal presentation challenging. The strategies and resources below can help you develop a successful formal presentation.

View long description of infographic .

Strategies for success

• Define the objectives of the presentation. Always define learning objectives for each of your lectures to make it clear what knowledge or skills the audience should acquire from your presentation. The best learning objectives define specific, measurable, or observable knowledge or skill gains. Furthermore, consider how to communicate the importance of the topic to your audience and how information should be arranged to best communicate your key points.
• Design an effective slide set. You should begin creating your slides only after defining your objectives and key points. The slides should support your talk but not be your talk. Keep slides simple. The audience should be able to review a slide and grasp key points quickly. Avoid lengthy text and distracting decorative fonts, clip art, graphs, and pictures. If additional wording or images are necessary, consider handouts or alternative methods of sharing this information. Lastly, design your slide deck to emphasize the key points, revisiting your outline as necessary, and summarize concepts at regular intervals throughout your presentation to strengthen knowledge gains.  
• Practice your performance. Effective public speaking starts with preparation and practice. Ensure there is enough time to create your lecture and a supporting slide deck. Know your lecture material and slides without prompts! Understand the audience and learning climate (the size and knowledge level of your audience) and be prepared for the venue (virtual, in-person, or both, lecture hall or classroom). Think about what effective audience engagement may look like and how to incorporate audience response systems, polling, etc., into the lecture.
• Create a positive learning environment. Anticipate questions and allocate sufficient time to answer them. Always repeat the questions being asked for the audience’s benefit and to ensure your understanding. Some questions may be challenging, so be prepared and answer honestly. It is acceptable not to know an answer.
• Demonstrate professionalism in presenting. Exhibit professionalism by being punctual and having appropriate time management. Remember that mistakes happen; be kind to yourself and remain calm and collected. Be enthusiastic: If you can enjoy the experience, so will your audience. Finally, be open to feedback following your presentation. 

Additional resources

Below is a collection of resources that further address the elements of creating and delivering a formal presentation. Each resource addresses a specific presentation skill or set of skills listed above and can be used to develop your understanding further. 

• Healthy Presentations: How to Craft Exceptional Lectures in Medicine, the Health Professions, and the Biomedical Sciences (requires purchase, book). This illustrated book is a practical guide for improving scientific presentations. It includes specific, practical guidance on crafting a talk, tips on incorporating interactive elements to facilitate active learning, and before-and-after examples of improved slide design. (Skills addressed: 1-3)
• American College of Physicians: Giving the Podium Presentation (freely available, website). This guide includes recommendations related to presentation delivery, including tips on what to wear, how to prepare, answering questions, and anticipating the unexpected. (Skills addressed: 3-5)
• The 4 Ps of Giving a Good Presentation (freely available, PDF). This simple guide on public speaking from the University of Hull covers such topics as positive thinking, preparing, practice, and performing. (Skills addressed: 3-5)
• Zoom Guides (freely available, website). This website from the University of California, San Francisco is one of many great resources created by universities for presenting on a virtual platform, specifically Zoom. (Skills addressed: 3-5)
• Writing Learning Objectives (freely available, PDF). This excellent resource from the AAMC defines Bloom’s Taxonomy and provides verbiage for creating learning objectives. (Skill addressed: 1)
• Adult learning theories: Implications for learning and teaching in medical education: AMEE Guide No. 83 (freely available, article). This AMEE Guide explains and explores the more commonly used adult learning theories and how they can be used to enhance learning. It presents a model that combines many of the theories into a flow diagram that can be followed by those planning a presentation. (Skill addressed: 1)
• Assertion-Evidence Approach (freely available, website). This approach to slide design incorporates clear messaging and the strategic combination of text and images. (Skill addressed: 2)
• Multimedia Learning (requires purchase, book). This book outlines the learning theories that should guide all good slide design. It is an accessible resource that will help presenters of all levels create slide decks that best facilitate learning. (Skill addressed: 2)
• Collaborative Learning and Integrated Mentoring in the Biosciences (CLIMB) (freely available, website). This website from Northwestern University shares slide design tips for scientific presentations. Specific tips include simplifying messages and annotating images and tables to facilitate learning. (Skill addressed: 2)
• Clear and to the Point (freely available, online book). This book describes 8 psychological principles for constructing compelling PowerPoint presentations. (Skill addressed: 2)

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Presenting the results of the research projects, innovations, and other work you have invested in at regional and national meetings is a tremendous opportunity to advance heath care, gain exposure to thought leaders in your field, and put your evidence-based medicine and communication skills into practice in a different arena. Effective scientific presentations at meetings also provide a chance for you to interact with an engaged audience, receive valuable feedback, be exposed to others’ projects, and expand your professional network. Preparation and practice are integral to getting the most out of these experiences.  

The strategies and resources below will help you successfully present both posters and abstracts at scientific meetings. 

Strategies for success  

• Identify a poster’s/abstract’s purpose and key points . Determine the purpose of sharing your work (feedback vs. sharing a new methodology vs. disseminating a novel finding) and tailor the information in your poster or abstract to meet that objective. Identify one to three key points. Keep in mind the knowledge and expertise of the intended audience; the amount of detail that you need to provide at a general vs. specialized meeting may vary. 
• Design an effective poster . Design your poster to follow a logical flow and keep it uncluttered. The methods and data should support your conclusions without extraneous information; every chart or image should serve a purpose. Explicitly outline the key takeaways at the beginning or end.  
• Present in a conversational, informal style . Imagine you are explaining your project to a colleague. The purpose of your work and key points should guide your presentation, and your explanation of the methods and data should link to your conclusions. Be prepared to discuss the limitations of your project, outline directions for future research, and receive feedback from your audience. Treat feedback as an opportunity to improve your project prior to producing a manuscript.  

Additional resources  

These resources support the development of the skills mentioned above, guiding you through the steps of developing a poster that frames your research in a clear and concise manner. The videos provide examples that can serve as models of effective poster and abstract presentations. 

• How to design an outstanding poster (freely available, article). This article outlines key items for laying out an effective poster, structuring it with the audience in mind, practicing your presentation, and maximizing your work’s impact at meetings. (Skills addressed: 1-3) 
• Giving an Effective Poster Presentation (freely available, video). This video shows medical students in action presenting their work and shares strategies for presenting your poster in a conversational style, preparing for questions, and engaging viewers. (Skills addressed: 2,3) 
• Better Scientific Poster (freely available, toolkit). This toolkit includes strategies and templates for creating an effective and visually interesting scientific poster. Virtual and social media templates are also available. (Skill addressed: 2)

As with all presentations, it can be very helpful to practice with colleagues and/or mentors before the meeting. This will allow you to get feedback on your project, style, and poster design prior to sharing it with others outside of your institution. It can also help you prepare for the questions you may get from the audience.  

Patient presentation skills are valuable for medical students in the classroom and in the care of patients during clinical rotations. Patient presentations are an integral part of medical training because they combine communication skills with knowledge of disease manifestations and therapeutic strategies in a clinical scenario. They are used during active learning in both the preclinical and clinical phases of education and as students advance in training and interact with diverse patients.  

Below are strategies for delivering effective patient presentations. 

• Structure the presentation appropriately . The structure of your narrative is important; a concise, logical presentation of the relevant information will create the most impact. In the clinical setting, preferences for presentation length and style can vary between specialties and attendings, so understanding expectations is vital. 
• Synthesize information from the patient encounter . Synthesis of information is integral for effective and accurate delivery that highlights relevant points. Being able to select pertinent information and present it in an efficient manner takes organization and practice, but it is a skill that can be learned.  
• Deliver an accurate, engaging, and fluent oral presentation . In delivering a patient presentation, time is of the essence. The overall format for the presentation is like a written note but usually more concise. Succinctly convey the most essential patient information in a way that tells the patient’s story. Engage your listeners by delivering your presentation in an organized, clear, and professional manner with good eye contact. Presentations will go more smoothly with careful crafting and practice. 
• Adjust presentations to meet team, patient, and setting needs . Adaptability is often required in the clinical setting depending on attending preferences, patient needs, and location, making it imperative that you are mindful of your audience.  

The resources below provide samples of different types of patient presentations and practical guides for structuring and delivering them. They include tips and tricks for framing a case discussion to deliver a compelling story. Resources that help with adjusting patient presentations based on the setting, such as bedside and outpatient presentations, are also included. 

• A Guide to Case Presentations (freely available, document). This practical guide from the Ohio State University discusses basic principles of presentations, differences between written and oral communication of patient information, organization, and common pitfalls to avoid. (Skills addressed: 1-3) 
• Verbal Case Presentations: A Practical Guide for Medical Students (freely available, PDFs). This resource from the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership provides a practical guide to crafting effective case presentations with an explanation of the goals of each section and additional tips for framing the oral discussion. It also provides a full sample initial history and physical examination presentation. (Skills addressed: 1-4) 
• Patient Presentations in Emergency Medicine (freely available, video). This training video for medical students from the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine demonstrates how to tell a compelling story when presenting a patient’s case. The brief video offers handy dos and don'ts that will help medical students understand how best to communicate in the emergency department efficiently and effectively. These skills can also be applied to patient presentations in other specialties. (Skills addressed: 1-4) 

Additional information and support on effectively constructing and delivering a case presentation can be found through various affinity support and mentorship groups, such as the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), and Building the Next Generation of Academic Physicians (BNGAP). 

Leading Small Groups

For physicians, working within and leading small groups is an everyday practice. Undergraduate medical education often includes small group communication as well, in the form of problem-based learning groups, journal clubs, and study groups. Having the skills to form, maintain, and help small groups thrive is an important tool for medical students.   

Below are strategies to provide effective small group leadership. 

• Outline goals/outcomes . Delineating the goals of a meeting ensures that everyone understands the outcome of the gathering and can help keep conversations on track. Listing goals in the agenda will help all participants understand what is to be accomplished. 
• Establish ground rules . Establishing explicit procedural and behavioral expectations serves to solidify the framework in which the conversation will take place. These include items such as attendance and how people are recognized as well as the way group members should treat each other.   
• Create an inclusive environment . In addition to setting expectations, group leaders can take steps to help all participants feel that their perspectives are valuable. Setting up the room so that everyone sits around a table can facilitate conversations. Having individuals introduce themselves can let the group understand everyone’s background and expertise. In addition, running discussions in a “round-robin style” (when possible) may help every person have an opportunity to express themselves. 
• Keep discussions constructive, positive, and on task . As meetings evolve, it can be easy for conversations to drift. Reminding the group of goals and frequently summarizing the discussion in the context of the planned outcomes can help redirect meetings when needed. 
• Manage virtual meetings . Online meetings present their own challenges. Adequate preparation is key, particularly working through technological considerations in advance. Explicitly discussing goals and ground rules is even more important in the virtual environment. Group leaders should be more patient with members’ response times and be especially diligent that all participants have an opportunity to be heard.   

The resources listed below outline additional helpful points, expanding on the skills described above and providing additional perspectives on managing small group meetings of different types. 

• Communication in the Real World: Small Group Communication (freely available, online module). This chapter includes an overview of managing small groups, including understanding the types and characteristics, group development, and interpersonal dynamics. (Skills addressed: 3,4) 
• Conversational Leadership (freely available, online book chapter). This short online resource provides guidance for determining group size and seating to best facilitate participation by all group members. (Skill addressed: 4) 
• Tips on Facilitating Effective Group Discussion (freely available, PDF). This resource from Brown University provides tips for effective group facilitation, creating an environment conducive for discussions, keeping conversations positive, and managing common problems. Also included is a valuable list of references for further exploration. (Skills addressed: 1-4) 
• Facilitating Effective Discussions: Self-Checklist (freely available, online checklist). This checklist from Brown University provides an easy-to-use, practical framework for preparing for, performing, and reflecting on small group facilitation. (Skills addressed: 1-4) 
• Sample Guidelines for Classroom Discussion Agreements (freely available, PDF). These guidelines from Brown University give useful tips for managing classroom discussions, including when disagreements occur among group participants. (Skill addressed: 2) 
• Fostering and assessing equitable classroom participation (freely available, online article). This online resource from Brown University includes methods to maximize group members’ participation in discussions and to communicate expectations. Also included is a valuable list of references for further exploration. (Skill addressed: 3) 
• Facilitating small group learning in the health professions (freely available, online article). The aim of this paper published in BMC Medical Education is to provide students involved in peer/near peer teaching with an overview of practical approaches and tips to improve learner engagement when facilitating small groups. It includes a discussion of the roles of facilitators, strategies for fostering interactions among the group, and methods for resolving common problems. (Skills addressed: 1-4) 
• Facilitating a Virtual Meeting (freely available, PDF). This infographic from the University of Nebraska Medical Center includes key points to consider when facilitating an online meeting, including technical considerations, preparation, and follow-up. (Skill addressed: 5) 
• Most universities have a communication department with faculty who specialize in small group communication. You may also find that these individuals are a valuable resource. 

This toolkit was created by a working group of the Undergraduate Medical Education (UME) Section of the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA). 

Working Group Members

• Geoffrey Talmon, MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center
• Jason Kemnitz, EdD, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine 
• Lisa Coplit, MD, Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University 
• Rikki Ovitsh, MD, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
• Susan Nofziger, MD, Northeast Ohio Medical University  
• Amy Moore, MEd, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine 
• Melissa Cellini, MD, New York Medical College 
• Richard Haspel, MD, Harvard Medical School 
• Christine Phillips, MD, Boston University School of Medicine 
• Arvind Suresh, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth 
• Emily Green, PhD, MA, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University 
• Holly Meyer, PhD, MS, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences 
• Karina Clemmons, EdD, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
• Shane Puckett, EdD, University of South Florida 
• Angela Hairrell, PhD, Burnett School of Medicine at Texas Christian University 
• Arkene Levy Johnston, PhD, Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine
• Sarah Collins, PhD, UT Southwestern Medical Center 
• Patrick Fadden, MD, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine 
• Lia Bruner, MD, Augusta University - University of Georgia Medical Partnership 
• Jasna Vuk, MD, PhD, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences 
• Pearl Sutter, University of Connecticut School of Medicine 
• Kelly Park, Baylor University Medical Center

How to Give an Excellent Medical Presentation

• By Sulaiman Ahmad
• July 22, 2019
• Medical Student , Pre-med
• Self-improvement

In medicine, we are constantly learning from each other. Professors stand in front of lecture halls to teach the fundamental knowledge needed to pass board exams and to treat our patients. Outside of the classroom, medical students, researchers, and physicians attend conferences to communicate ideas and update their colleagues with oral and poster presentations. In the clinic, students and resident physicians relay pertinent patient information to the physician in charge. Eventually, you will find yourself in front of an audience listening to your talk or an attending grading your clinical presentation. First, I will discuss what it takes to make an excellent presentation.  I will then finish this topic by providing guidelines for perfecting different types of presentations.

Critical Elements of an Excellent Presentation

 do some research.

Your audience will consider you an expert on the information you deliver. It is your job to achieve the expected level of comprehension of the topic. After choosing a topic, gather enough background information from diverse but appropriate sources (e.g., journals articles, relevant chapters in textbooks, personal discussion with subject matter experts, online videos).  Your research should provide you with a thorough understanding of the topic and a list of the important facts supporting your take-home message . Any gaps in your knowledge will become evident during your presentation. The goal is to develop confidence in your understanding of the topic and ability to share what you know.

Know Your Audience

Before putting your presentation together, take a moment to assess the baseline understanding of your expected audience . Ultimately your audience should walk away having learned something new. Try to figure out their collective interest, reasons for attending, and prior experience with the topic. Knowing your audience will allow you to focus on information that will keep them engaged and interested. For example, premed students have a different understanding of medical topics than medical students.  A presentation on the same subject should be different for both groups. If your listeners have different levels of expertise, take a moment to explain the fundamental concept, then build up the language and complexity to allow everyone to benefit from the information shared. Your audience is the reason why you are presenting.

Tell a Story

The human brain is wired to remember stories , especially if presented logically. A presentation is about the information shared, but it should also include the presenters’ passion, excitement, and personal style. All topics can be formatted to include characters, a description of the setting, plot, conflict, and a resolution. The story should allow the audience to take a journey with you. The hardest part is identifying the start and endpoint of your story and which details are needed. Make every word count by checking if it adds value to your narrative. Consider using metaphors, real examples, and descriptions that give life to your words .

Practicing your presentation is a vital step in developing an excellent presentation. You can memorize a script. However, memorization can reduce your connection with the audience. But in certain situations, scripts are quick and effective means of communicating important facts. Another approach is drafting bullet points of the main ideas and practicing the natural flow of information . This method allows your personality to shine on stage. To become comfortable speaking, start by practicing on your own . You can also record yourself with a cellphone or tablet and review the recording to evaluate your performance. Next, find a small group to present in front of and ask for their honest assessment . Eventually, your presentation will feel natural, and your stage presence will aid in communicating your main idea.

Q&A Session

Usually, your presentation does not end until after a question and answer session. Most presentations should include approximately five minutes in the end for the audience to ask questions . This part of the presentation allows you to clarify or further explain any part of your presentation. A question can also lead to expanding your presentation beyond what you originally planned to discuss . It is important for you to understand what is being asked and address the specific question directly. And if you do not have an answer, it is okay to admit that you do not know . Questions will force you to be creative and truly test your knowledge of the topic.

Different Types of Presentations

Presentations have many different forms, each with different goals; thus, each form requires a unique approach. In medicine, professors and clinician often provide students with lecture objectives and PowerPoint presentations that guide the students in their hour-long lecture. Conferences are a researcher’s platform to share their lab’s progress and conclusions. The last presentation I will go into is the clinical presentation a student typically performs for the physician in charge.

The main purpose of the lecture is to educate the attendees. We all have had great professors captivate our attention and other experiences that were a complete waste of time. But what makes some lectures better than others? The lecturer’s knowledge on the topic becomes obvious, and their stage presence confirms how comfortable they are with the topic.  If you are tasked with lecturing on a topic or a series, ensure that you have a solid understanding and address your learning objectives in the time allotted . The main concepts should be repeated multiple times throughout the lecture, followed by examples . Your PowerPoint slides should be limited to only main points and images that support your talking points. After difficult concepts are covered, ask questions to gauge your audience’s understanding . It is better to reemphasize a concept before building up to more complex learning objectives.

Research Presentation

Attending a conference is exciting, especially if you are representing your lab with an oral presentation.  It is an opportunity to share your research story, from the point of identifying a question to the process of reaching a conclusion. Realize your audience will include Primary Investigators, post-docs, and Ph.D. students that are also experts in the field . Attempt to grab the audience’s attention from the beginning by providing them with a reason to care. Then continue to explain how your study relates to the published work . After building up the background, address how you arrived at your research question. The most exciting part of your presentation should be explaining your conclusions and the path you took to get there. Finish up strong by discussing the implications of your findings and how they will have an impact in the field . The natural flow of information will come with practice and a deep understanding of your research topic. Presenting as a student usually leads to networking with professors and clinicians that can help you progress in your career.

Patient Presentation

Medical students learn how to take a patient’s history and perform a physical exam, but it is more challenging to reason through your clinical findings and subsequently present to an attending . Your clinical presentation style will change depending on the environment, medical department, and supervising physician . Upon joining a medical team, discuss the expectations and preference with each physician . It may be a good idea to draft a script that can get you started on organizing your patient presentation. The success of your presentation is correlated to your knowledge of the basic sciences and ability to critically assess the patient’s history and physical exam; the more you learn and read, the easier decision making and producing a plan becomes. Another important element is practicing your presentation style until it comes out naturally . Take the time to listen to your peers and experienced colleagues; learn from their mistakes and strengths . After concluding your presentation, ask for feedback and practice implementing the suggestions. You will be the eyes and ears for the physicians in charge, perfecting your patient presentation will help get the care the patients need while making everyone’s job a little easier.

Final remarks

There are some basic steps to achieving an excellent presentation: know the topic well, understand who you’re presenting to, develop a memorable story, and practice until it comes out naturally. A career in medicine is very versatile; you can be at the forefront of the next generation of physicians sharing your experiences or updating the science community with your research conclusions. At the minimum, you will be presenting the patient in the clinic. Thus, presenting is a skill every physician must master.

Sulaiman Ahmad

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Ultimate Guide to Medical Presentations: Templates, Tutorials, Tips and Resources

About medical presentations.

Medical presentations are fundamentally different from other presentation types. In fact, they are one of the toughest type of presentations to design.

Medical slides have research facts, data charts, diagrams and illustrations that demand a totally different approach to design. You need a slide creation method that considers the unique problems you face as a medical presenter. In this guide, you will Tips, Tutorials and resources to get your started with making over your Medical slides.

We will start with some general tips and tricks on creating medical slides and then proceed to step by step tutorials. 

Quick Navigation

Tips to create Medical Presentations

PowerPoint Tutorials for Medical Slides

How to Present Lists & Text

How To Showcase Pictures Creatively

How to use animations effectively, creative morph transition ideas, making medical slides easy to understand, powerpoint delivery tips, powerpoint tips & tricks, issue with typical medical slides, medical slides makeover examples, medical powerpoint templates, free medical & healthcare icons, free medical presentation images, more resources for medical presentations, tips to create medical presentations, how to avoid overwhelming audience in technical presentations.

Do you want to improve how you explain concepts in a technical presentation? In this article, you will find a powerful technique called ‘Telescopic explanation’ to make your technical presentations much clearer and more memorable for your audience. To know more, read this post over on PrezoTraining.com

Tips to present Scientific Information

There are two major facets to a presentation: the content and how you present it. Let’s face it, no matter how great the content, no one will get it if they stop paying attention.

Here are some pointers on how to create clear, concise content for scientific presentations – and how to deliver your message in a dynamic way.   Find the tips over on Elsevier connect .

Preparing a Research Presentation

If you have never presented a paper at a scientific meeting,  or would like to polish your research presentations, this post contains information that will improve your presentation.

This article contains a set of guides and checklists to help you in the preparation of your presentation.   Read this post on ACP .

10 Tips for Medical Presentations

Whether you are presenting an audit or a case report at a local meeting, presenting a paper at a conference, presenting a business case to your Trust, or even presenting on a hot topic at your medical interview, you will need to know how to prepare medical slides which attract your audience rather than distract it. This post on ISC Medical provides 10 tips for Medical presentations.

For a 5-Part series on how to make your Medical Slides Clear and Visual , sign up for our Free E-course.

In the following sections, you'll find step by step PowerPoint tutorials & Makeover Ideas to help you makeover different parts of your presentation. 

How To Present Lists and Text

Information presentations use a lot of text and bullet list. In this section, you will find some creative ways to design these type of slides.

PowerPoint Tip: How to Present Long Lists on One Slide

If you have a Long Lists of items on One Slide here is a one-click trick on how to do this. Watch the video below to know more.

PowerPoint Trick to Convert Text to Graphics

Find a useful PowerPoint SmartArt Trick to convert Bullet Point Text to Graphics quickly and easily. Learn how to take the graphics to the next level with some creative ideas from Ramgopal.

For a 5-Part series on how to make your Medical Slides Clear and Visual , sign up for our Free e-course.

Get access to exclusive members-only e-courses & downloads.

Medical presentations usually have a lot of pictures. Especially the training and informational slides. Here are some ways in which you can present the pictures in your presentations in a creative way. 

Right Way to Showcase Pictures

Learn the benefit of showcasing pictures using SmartArt tool in PowerPoint. In the video below we start with a typical picture Showcase slide used by presenters. Though the slide looks quite attractive in the first glance, there are some issues that makes the slide ineffective. Watch the video below to know more:

Cropping Pictures in PowerPoint

Learn a super easy trick to crop a picture in PowerPoint in a step by step way. This trick will help you crop a picture in the shape you want, in a single click.

A PowerPoint slide with too much content can be overwhelming for the audience. If you learn to sequence the way you present your information, you make it easy for your audience to understand your presentation.

Here are different ways you can use Custom Animations and Morph Transition effects to sequence information.

Animation for Process with Pictures

In this tutorial, you will find how to create a useful and practical slide with pictures and text to show a process or a timeline diagram. Learn how to create and present it to make an impact.

Animation for Highlighting Pictures

Learn to create an Animated Picture Reveal Effect in PowerPoint. Present your important picture with this effect. Watch the video to preview the effect and learn how to create it:

Sequential Fading technique in PowerPoint

This trick is super useful for medical presentations where you need to present an image step by step. Since it is an image you cannot break it up and present it in parts. However with this useful technique you can highlight one part of an image at a time with animation. 

For a 5-Part series on how to make your Medical Slides Clear and Visual , sign up for our Free e-course. Get access to exclusive members-only e-courses & downloads.

In PowerPoint for Office 365, Microsoft introduced the Morph Transition. It is an effective way to create animations fast. Here are some ideas on how you can use this feature to create your slides.

Pros & Cons with Morph Transition

Learn how to create an easy animated scales diagram with Morph Transition Effect. This effect is available in PowerPoint for Office 365. You can also sign up & download the original PowerPoint file over at our website .

Morph Transition To Present Pictures

In this video you will find how to use PowerPoint Morph Transition to replace Custom Animations. See how this can be done with this example of a slide with multiple pictures with text.

Convert your boring text-based slides, blog articles or research papers into clear & beautiful visual slides - even if you have zero Design skills, zero PowerPoint skills & very little time - using our ‘4-step Neuro Slide Design System for Medical Presentations’

Watch the video below to learn more:

Ideas to Present Data

Medical presentations also usually contain a component of data. This could be related to statistics or research. In this section, you will find some easy ways to makeover your slides with numbers.

Creating Pie & Donut Charts 

Learn how to create a Pie chart in PowerPoint with this step by step tutorial. This video also covers how to adjust the Pie chart settings and also how to add Donut charts.

How to Animate a PowerPoint Table

Learn a trick to Animate a PowerPoint Table. PowerPoint does not have the feature of animating parts of a table.

[Advanced] Conditional Formatting for Charts

Learn to create a PowerPoint conditional formatting chart that changes color and direction of bar chart automatically for negative values. The positive values are displayed in green color and the negative values in red color. 

Here are some tips for when you are actually delivering your presentation. Present confidently with these ideas!

Use Presenter View in PowerPoint like a PRO

How to use Presenter View in PowerPoint to present your slides like a PRO (Presentation Delivery Tips). This view is for the presenter only - when the slideshow This requires 2 monitors (your laptop and the projector screen). Even if you want to use Presenter View in 1 monitor it is possible.  Learn how with this video.

Use Hidden Slides to Present Confidently

In this video, you will find a PowerPoint Tip on how to use Hidden slides to present confidently. This feature is especially useful when creating business presentations.

PowerPoint Slideshow Shortcuts

Here are some useful PowerPoint Slideshow Shortcuts you can use when delivering your next presentation. Hope you find these PowerPoint tips useful.

If you wish to improve the quality of your medical slides in a reliable way, take a look at the first  video over on this page .

Here are some tips and tricks to reduce time taken to create your slides. 

Setting Up Quick Access Toolbar

In this PowerPoint tips tutorial, you will find how to set up the Quick Access Toolbar. It is a great time-saving tool for any version of PowerPoint.

Autocorrect Trick to Save Time

Learn this trick to use PowerPoint Auto-correct option to save time and effort in creating your presentations. Write complex medical terminology accurately & easily in PowerPoint!

Get access to exclusive members-only e-courses & offers.

Many of the medical slides you may see may look like this:

These slides are taken from various sources online like Slideshare and YouTube and represent various types of presentations. The common issues with such slides include:

• Issue with readability - due to poor color choices and font sizes
• Unprofessional design - with overlapping content, hard to read diagrams etc.
• Too much content - that overwhelms  the audience

It is quite common to see well researched medical content being totally ignored by the audience - because the presentation slides look busy and boring. And… You can’t blame your audience for tuning out of your presentation. 

The quality of your slides makes or breaks your medical presentations.

In this section, we'll makeover usual text filled PowerPoint slides into a visual and interesting slides. 

The original slides are taken from various sources online like Slideshare and YouTube and represent various types of presentations. 

Medical Title Slide

Original title slide:

Title slide after makeover:

Medical Training Presentation Slide

Original training slide:

Training slide after makeover:

Medical Slide With Quote

Original slide with quote:

Quote slide after makeover:

Health and Safety Training Slide

Slide after makeover:

In the  Medical Presentations Bundle with Neuro Slide Design Training, you can watch me make over Text-based slides, a Blog article, a Wikipedia article and a 11-page Research paper. I go through each of the 4 steps to transform these text-based documents to clear and beautiful visual slides.

The Bundle includes 900 Fully Editable PowerPoint Templates. Go over and checkout the bundle .

One of the ways to quickly improve the quality of your slides is to use good quality templates create with the needs of medical presenters in mind. Here are some resources...

Free Medical Title Templates

Leawo website provides free medical title templates for download. These templates are suitable for different type of medical presentations. You can preview and download them here .

FPPT website provides similar free title templates for use as well. You can find title templates related to medical and health fields over here on FPPT .

Premium Medical PowerPoint Templates

While free medical PowerPoint Templates are good enough for student or non-critical presentations, if you are consultant or specialist, you may prefer to use high-quality PowerPoint Templates. 

Preview Medical PowerPoint Templates Bundle

Create Medical Slides You Feel Proud to Present Using the Breakthrough Slide Design System created using proven Brain research principles. You can preview templates from our Medical Templates Bundle below:

Browse more templates and know more about the Medical PowerPoint Templates Bundle here .

Icons are useful to represent ideas on slides. Here are some useful links for downloading Healthcare and Medical Icons online. 

ICONFINDER : This website has a good collection of vector icons without too many ads or links to other websites.. You can search iconfinder by keyword and specifically look for free to use icons. You can also search by types of icons like glyphs, outline, flat, filled outline, 3D and more.

VECTEEZY : This website provides both free and premium icons. The license may require you to provide attribution to the author.  There are lot of popups and ads, and the focus in on their premium icons.

POWERPOINT : If you are using Office 365, you can find a lot of free icons right in PowerPoint. There are icons for people, technology and electronics, communication, business, analytics, commerce, education, signs and symbols, arrows, medical and much more.  You can edit the fill colors of these icons to customize them. 

Make your own icons in PowerPoint

Make your slides look professional and visual with these icons. Icons make it easy for your audience to remember the information you are presenting. Learn the secret to finding icons for free right within PowerPoint.

300+ Editable Icons for PowerPoint

The   Medical Presentations Bundle includes 300+ Medical Icons for PowerPoint. You can break these icons into individual components, mix and match them to create custom icons that meet your specific needs. As one of the doctors using this Bundle said, it is a “ ONE STOP SHOP” for every busy medical practitioner.

Medical presentations can be made more interesting and engaging by the addition of relevant images. If you are looking for high-quality free images, here are some suggestions:

FREEIMAGES.COM :  Images on this website are free for use for personal and commercial purposes. You can find a range of generic medical and healthcare images here.

PICJUMBO.COM :  This site provides free and interesting images for backgrounds. 

WIKIPEDIA is a great source for free images and illustrations. However, there are a couple of things to keep in mind when you use images from Wikipedia.

1) Please check the copyright terms for each image. You may need to provide attribution as per their terms.

2) Images may be of different formats, sizes, color schemes and quality. 

Here is a collection of images from Wikipedia related to Brain:

150+ Medical Illustrations | 170+ Medical Photos | 150+ Silhouettes

In the   Medical Presentations Bundle     we have already done the hard work of putting together a large collection of high quality Medical, Pharma and Science photos & editable illustrations to use in your presentations. 

Remember, these are not the usual photos of smiling Doctors and pretty handshakes. These are practical medical photos you can use in your medical slides to illustrate your ideas.  As one of the doctors using this Bundle said, it is a “ONE STOP SHOP” for every busy medical practitioner.

For a  5-Part series on how to make your Medical Slides Clear and Visual , sign up for our Free e-course. Get access to exclusive members-only e-courses & downloads.

PowerPoint Skills for Medical Professionals Learn the 14 essential PowerPoint techniques that every medical professional needs to know to design clear medical slides. This training is part of Medical Presentations Bundle .

Advanced PowerPoint Video Tutorials Enhance your presentations with these ideas. In this section you will find extensive video tutorials for 2D and 3D Diagrams, Models, Picture Effects, Animations and More… Click here to browse

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How to make an oral case presentation to healthcare colleagues

The content and delivery of a patient case for education and evidence-based care discussions in clinical practice.

BSIP SA / Alamy Stock Photo

A case presentation is a detailed narrative describing a specific problem experienced by one or more patients. Pharmacists usually focus on the medicines aspect , for example, where there is potential harm to a patient or proven benefit to the patient from medication, or where a medication error has occurred. Case presentations can be used as a pedagogical tool, as a method of appraising the presenter’s knowledge and as an opportunity for presenters to reflect on their clinical practice [1] .

The aim of an oral presentation is to disseminate information about a patient for the purpose of education, to update other members of the healthcare team on a patient’s progress, and to ensure the best, evidence-based care is being considered for their management.

Within a hospital, pharmacists are likely to present patients on a teaching or daily ward round or to a senior pharmacist or colleague for the purpose of asking advice on, for example, treatment options or complex drug-drug interactions, or for referral.

Content of a case presentation

As a general structure, an oral case presentation may be divided into three phases [2] :

• Reporting important patient information and clinical data;
• Analysing and synthesising identified issues (this is likely to include producing a list of these issues, generally termed a problem list);
• Managing the case by developing a therapeutic plan.

Specifically, the following information should be included [3] :

Patient and complaint details

Patient details: name, sex, age, ethnicity.

Presenting complaint: the reason the patient presented to the hospital (symptom/event).

History of presenting complaint: highlighting relevant events in chronological order, often presented as how many days ago they occurred. This should include prior admission to hospital for the same complaint.

Review of organ systems: listing positive or negative findings found from the doctor’s assessment that are relevant to the presenting complaint.

Past medical and surgical history

Social history: including occupation, exposures, smoking and alcohol history, and any recreational drug use.

Medication history, including any drug allergies: this should include any prescribed medicines, medicines purchased over-the-counter, any topical preparations used (including eye drops, nose drops, inhalers and nasal sprays) and any herbal or traditional remedies taken.

Sexual history: if this is relevant to the presenting complaint.

Details from a physical examination: this includes any relevant findings to the presenting complaint and should include relevant observations.

Laboratory investigation and imaging results: abnormal findings are presented.

Assessment: including differential diagnosis.

Plan: including any pharmaceutical care issues raised and how these should be resolved, ongoing management and discharge planning.

Any discrepancies between the current management of the patient’s conditions and evidence-based recommendations should be highlighted and reasons given for not adhering to evidence-based medicine ( see ‘Locating the evidence’ ).

Locating the evidence

The evidence base for the therapeutic options available should always be considered. There may be local guidance available within the hospital trust directing the management of the patient’s presenting condition. Pharmacists often contribute to the development of such guidelines, especially if medication is involved. If no local guidelines are available, the next step is to refer to national guidance. This is developed by a steering group of experts, for example, the British HIV Association or the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence . If the presenting condition is unusual or rare, for example, acute porphyria, and there are no local or national guidelines available, a literature search may help locate articles or case studies similar to the case.

Giving a case presentation

Currently, there are no available acknowledged guidelines or systematic descriptions of the structure, language and function of the oral case presentation [4] and therefore there is no standard on how the skills required to prepare or present a case are taught. Most individuals are introduced to this concept at undergraduate level and then build on their skills through practice-based learning.

A case presentation is a narrative of a patient’s care, so it is vital the presenter has familiarity with the patient, the case and its progression. The preparation for the presentation will depend on what information is to be included.

Generally, oral case presentations are brief and should be limited to 5–10 minutes. This may be extended if the case is being presented as part of an assessment compared with routine everyday working ( see ‘Case-based discussion’ ). The audience should be interested in what is being said so the presenter should maintain this engagement through eye contact, clear speech and enthusiasm for the case.

It is important to stick to the facts by presenting the case as a factual timeline and not describing how things should have happened instead. Importantly, the case should always be concluded and should include an outcome of the patient’s care [5] .

An example of an oral case presentation, given by a pharmacist to a doctor,  is available here .

A successful oral case presentation allows the audience to garner the right amount of patient information in the most efficient way, enabling a clinically appropriate plan to be developed. The challenge lies with the fact that the content and delivery of this will vary depending on the service, and clinical and audience setting [3] . A practitioner with less experience may find understanding the balance between sufficient information and efficiency of communication difficult, but regular use of the oral case presentation tool will improve this skill.

Tailoring case presentations to your audience

Most case presentations are not tailored to a specific audience because the same type of information will usually need to be conveyed in each case.

However, case presentations can be adapted to meet the identified learning needs of the target audience, if required for training purposes. This method involves varying the content of the presentation or choosing specific cases to present that will help achieve a set of objectives [6] . For example, if a requirement to learn about the management of acute myocardial infarction has been identified by the target audience, then the presenter may identify a case from the cardiology ward to present to the group, as opposed to presenting a patient reviewed by that person during their normal working practice.

Alternatively, a presenter could focus on a particular condition within a case, which will dictate what information is included. For example, if a case on asthma is being presented, the focus may be on recent use of bronchodilator therapy, respiratory function tests (including peak expiratory flow rate), symptoms related to exacerbation of airways disease, anxiety levels, ability to talk in full sentences, triggers to worsening of symptoms, and recent exposure to allergens. These may not be considered relevant if presenting the case on an unrelated condition that the same patient has, for example, if this patient was admitted with a hip fracture and their asthma was well controlled.

Case-based discussion

The oral case presentation may also act as the basis of workplace-based assessment in the form of a case-based discussion. In the UK, this forms part of many healthcare professional bodies’ assessment of clinical practice, for example, medical professional colleges.

For pharmacists, a case-based discussion forms part of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Foundation and Advanced Practice assessments . Mastery of the oral case presentation skill could provide useful preparation for this assessment process.

A case-based discussion would include a pharmaceutical needs assessment, which involves identifying and prioritising pharmaceutical problems for a particular patient. Evidence-based guidelines relevant to the specific medical condition should be used to make treatment recommendations, and a plan to monitor the patient once therapy has started should be developed. Professionalism is an important aspect of case-based discussion — issues must be prioritised appropriately and ethical and legal frameworks must be referred to [7] . A case-based discussion would include broadly similar content to the oral case presentation, but would involve further questioning of the presenter by the assessor to determine the extent of the presenter’s knowledge of the specific case, condition and therapeutic strategies. The criteria used for assessment would depend on the level of practice of the presenter but, for pharmacists, this may include assessment against the RPS  Foundation or Pharmacy Frameworks .

Acknowledgement

With thanks to Aamer Safdar for providing the script for the audio case presentation.

Reading this article counts towards your CPD

You can use the following forms to record your learning and action points from this article from Pharmaceutical Journal Publications.

Your CPD module results are stored against your account here at The Pharmaceutical Journal . You must be registered and logged into the site to do this. To review your module results, go to the ‘My Account’ tab and then ‘My CPD’.

Any training, learning or development activities that you undertake for CPD can also be recorded as evidence as part of your RPS Faculty practice-based portfolio when preparing for Faculty membership. To start your RPS Faculty journey today, access the portfolio and tools at www.rpharms.com/Faculty

If your learning was planned in advance, please click:

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[1] Onishi H. The role of case presentation for teaching and learning activities. Kaohsiung J Med Sci 2008;24:356–360. doi: 10.1016/s1607-551x(08)70132–3

[2] Edwards JC, Brannan JR, Burgess L et al . Case presentation format and clinical reasoning: a strategy for teaching medical students. Medical Teacher 1987;9:285–292. doi: 10.3109/01421598709034790

[3] Goldberg C. A practical guide to clinical medicine: overview and general information about oral presentation. 2009. University of California, San Diego. Available from: https://meded.ecsd.edu/clinicalmed.oral.htm (accessed 5 December 2015)

[4] Chan MY. The oral case presentation: toward a performance-based rhetorical model for teaching and learning. Medical Education Online 2015;20. doi: 10.3402/meo.v20.28565

[5] McGee S. Medicine student programs: oral presentation guidelines. Learning & Scholarly Technologies, University of Washington. Available from: https://catalyst.uw.edu/workspace/medsp/30311/202905 (accessed 7 December 2015)

[6] Hays R. Teaching and Learning in Clinical Settings. 2006;425. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing Ltd.

[7] Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Tips for assessors for completing case-based discussions. 2015. Available from: http://www.rpharms.com/help/case_based_discussion.htm (accessed 30 December 2015)

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3 types of medical presentations (and how to give them)

Here are some tips for presenting the top three types of medical presentations: lectures, research presentations, and case reports.

Derek Murray

Building presentations

With your long to-do list as a medical professional, giving presentations is probably not a high priority. Yet, medical presentations are inevitable. Are you ready to give them when your job requires it? If so, where do you even start?

We want to make it a little easier for you to present data-heavy medical topics in an easy-to-understand way.

So, let’s dive right in with the top three types of medical presentations.

Key Takeaways:

• Structure your medical presentation into a story to make it memorable.
• Medical presentations can be lectures, research, or case presentations.
• Customize the presentation based on the type and goal.

1. Lectures

Medical lectures educate an audience about a medical topic. They’re one of the most challenging presentations. According to the Learning Pyramid , lectures are the most passive learning techniques, which is also why they have the lowest retention rates.

There are several settings for educational lectures, including:

• Conferences
• University or school lectures

Medical lectures help students or an audience comprehend complex medical information and then turn what they learned into actionable strategies.

For example, you may teach students with little medical knowledge about a new medical concept. But they must understand the topic and be able to recall it for examinations.

Tips for giving medical lectures

How can you turn one of the most challenging presentations into an engaging, memorable lecture? Here are a few tips to ace your educational medical lectures:

• Be interactive : Use Q&As, activities, and open discussions.
• Hand out resources: Give physical booklets students can review after the presentation.
• Use multimedia: Add audio-visual elements like images, video, and audio clips.
• Use simple language: Your audience is learning, so they need simple language and plenty of definitions to understand the topic.
• Make it entertaining: Keep your audience’s attention with a more engaging and entertaining presentation.

UnitedHealth Group incorporated imagery and movement to show rather than tell about mental health in 2022 to boost their engagement on the topic.

2. Research presentations

The most information-heavy medical presentation is the research presentation. Research presentations share findings with experienced medical professionals, usually in conference settings. Some of the audience includes:

• Investigators
• Ph.D. students
• Medical professionals and experienced doctors

Research presentations can also be part of healthcare marketing . You may have to introduce a new process, pharmaceutical, or device to encourage other healthcare professionals to adopt it in their practices.

Tips for giving research presentations

Use these tips to improve your research presentations :

• Speak on a higher level: You’re talking to a knowledgeable audience, so they expect a higher level of research.
• Back all facts with data: Use statistics and research to back all claims.
• Use power poses: Build authority with a confident presentation.
• Grab the audience’s attention: Start your presentation by giving your audience a reason to care, like a problem you want to solve.
• Build up the conclusion: Structure the research in a natural, progressive order that builds up to your conclusion.
• Look at the future: Conclude with how the research findings will impact the future of medicine.
• Visualize data : Simplify findings and data with visuals and charts.

Cardinal Health transformed the complex research for Smart Compression into understandable slides using a mix of graphics and storytelling in their medical presentation.

3. Case reports

Medical professionals must give oral case reports when transferring information between providers or a team. These presentations are very brief and often don’t require visuals.

Sometimes a case is especially unique and offers educational value to others. In that case, presenters should transform their quick oral case reports into a longer presentation that incorporates data and visuals.

Tips for giving case reports

Case reports use a similar structure to oral patient presentations, except with more details about each point. You’ll still want to pack as much information in a short presentation as possible.

• Begin the presentation with a patient overview: Start by introducing the patient, including all relevant demographic details in summarized graphics and lists.
• Present the history of the patient: Describe the patient’s history, why they sought care, and the symptoms they presented in charts and visuals.
• Explore medical information: Dive into the medical details, like treatment and history, using a storytelling structure to connect the information.
• Offer a plan: Outline a treatment plan alongside proof.

Summarize details in charts: You’ll pack a large amount of information in a concise presentation, so use plenty of charts and diagrams to summarize data and simplify outcomes.

Tips for preparing engaging medical presentations

Your medical presentations have highly complex topics rich with data. These topics can easily feel overwhelming or even boring if they don’t have the right structure and appearance.

Here are three medical presentation tips we’ve learned to help you prepare and present high-quality medical presentations that engage AND inform.

Know your audience’s knowledge level

Before building and presenting a medical topic, you must know your audience’s knowledge level. A lecture to a class of first-year college students will sound far different from a presentation to doctors with 10+ years of industry experience.

Build a presentation around your audience’s knowledge, so it’s understandable yet challenging. By taking this extra step, you’ll know what points need more explanation and what topics you can dig deeper into based on your audience’s experience.

Build a structured story

A complex topic becomes easy to understand and follow if you use a storytelling structure . You might ask, “How can a lecture on a new treatment be a story?”

Any time you communicate, it’s a story: You have the challenge to solve, potential solutions to try, and a final winner (like when presenting medical research). You can structure that story in a progressive order or by announcing one primary outcome and providing a list of proofs (like with patient case studies).

Focus on a goal

The goal of medical presentations can be educating, training, or persuading the audience, depending on the type of medical presentation. Knowing your goal guides which data is most relevant to bring your desired outcome.

Communicate at the speed of healthcare with Prezent

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Medical Presentations: How to Present Effectively on Urgent Topics

In the face of the pandemic that consumed 2020, we saw an uptick in medical presentations. And rightfully so. The world was in a state of panic over the unknown of a new virus, people were craving information, and organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) were scrambling to provide data and resources to help address questions and concerns. Whether it was news stories, or medical research, the world needed to understand what we were up against with COVID-19. Naturally, presentations helped to deliver that information. But this isn’t the first time a virus or disease has rattled communities, and it’s certainly not the first time professionals have used medical presentations to educate the masses. Medical presentations are a helpful tool for medical professionals, research clinics, and organizations to help inform and educate their communities on a wide variety of urgent topics. This can include patient treatment, clinical trial research and results, training for medical staff, general education, medical research, or important data regarding diseases. 

While medical presentations tend to be fundamentally different from normal presentations in that they include critical and sensitive information, there are still design best practices just like any other deck. That said, what works for a sales pitch might not resonate well with a medical presentation.

Keep these five things in mind when you want to present effectively on urgent medical presentation topics. 

Consider your audience

You may be presenting to a group of doctors within your organization to get the team up to speed on new practices, sharing treatment plans with a patient, or educating the community on new health threats. How you structure your medical presentation is not a one-size-fits-all situation. How you talk to internal staff, versus how you would deliver information to a scared patient is not the same. When you’re crafting your message, consider your audience, and tailor the narrative to their overarching concerns and needs. 

Keep things straightforward

Unless you’re presenting to third year residents, your audience probably won’t be able to digest complicated medical terminology. It’s important to avoid medical jargon, complex definitions, or overcomplicated explanations that will confuse your audience. Instead, break things down in layman's terms and relate the information back to your audience and how it will affect them. Keeping things straightforward, and clear, will help your audience digest and process the information quicker. The end goal is that your audience leaves with clarity, feeling more educated on the topic and its urgency. 

Use icons to reflect the urgency of the situation

The use of visual aids, such as compelling images or meaningful icons, can help paint the picture of urgency in any presentation. Things like clocks, alarms, lightning bolts, or exclamation points can depict emergencies and symbolize something significant in your presentation. The use of impactful visuals will help engage your audience and let them know what they absolutely need to pay attention to. It helps you control the narrative, and highlight any pertinent information or key takeaways. 

Beautiful.ai’s free library of hundreds of thousands of images and icons can help take your presentation to the next level. Our custom icons were thoughtfully created by one of our in-house designers, and are a great way to compliment your data and add urgency to your slide . 

Hit them with the facts

In most medical presentations, factual data carries the slides. Whether it’s a survey, research results, or statistics about a particular disease, numerical data will help people understand the urgency or severity of the topic. For example, it was common for nearly every COVID-19 presentation or article to include statistics of the percentage of the population infected, which regions were seeing the greatest spikes in cases, death tolls by county, and data relevant to high-risk individuals. While the numbers may not always be fun— especially as they pertain to a pandemic— they paint a clear picture of what the audience needs to understand. Seeing scary statistics can put into perspective just how real the situation is. 

Using the proper charts, graphs , or infographics allows you to dictate exactly what information the audience is consuming. Data visualization with infographics can also help the audience understand and retain otherwise complicated data. However, even with the best charts, you can still overwhelm the audience with information. Opt to include only the most relevant info and useful data.

Allow time to process

Regardless of what you’re presenting— big or small— you should leave time at the end for questions. Medical presentations can be paralyzing, and your audience will likely be seeking more answers. Give your audience a minute or two following the presentation to process what they learned, and then give them a chance to ask questions. You may need to elaborate on specific slides, or revisit a piece of data, to help provide clarification. When it comes to urgent topics, you want your audience to leave feeling more knowledgeable and at ease than they were prior to tuning in. 

Jordan Turner

Jordan is a Bay Area writer, social media manager, and content strategist.

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How to Skillfully Present Patients in Medical School

Get 100+ free tips i wish i got on my first day of med school.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means I may get a commission if you make a purchase through my link at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

How do you present patients in medical school? Presenting in front of attendings often makes medical students tense up. It’s very uncomfortable to attempt to sound competent, concise, and thoughtful to a likely evaluator.

But what if I told you that the whole process could be stress-free and easy?

In this post, I’ll break down, step-by-step, exactly how to present patients in medical school to your attendings/residents. This will include the dos and the do not’s of presenting!

If you prefer a video format, check out the following video and more on my YouTube channel!

Tell a Story When Presenting Your Patient:

This is how I learned to present, and I believe it’s the best way to present patients.

Tell a story.

You know how easily we mentally check out during a boring lecture. They often just read off their slides. It becomes a bullet point presentation – just fact after fact.

Medical students are often the boring lecturer when they present. We become so worried about telling all the facts. But we suck at tying it all together.

Think about it; we don’t talk about patient experiences with our peers the way we present. We’re much more casual and hit the high points, Now no I’m not arguing that you should be too casual but learn how to tell a story without hitting unnecessary info.

I’ll break down exactly how I tell my patient’s medical story. Just remember that you want to be interesting and concise.

What Would I Want To Hear?

Imagine yourself as the attending. What would you want to hear?

You certainly wouldn’t want to hear your medical students telling you about lung sounds in a patient with a broken finger.

Ask yourself if a piece of info is important for your patient. You get better over time on identifying what’s important. I discuss some things you should always mention later in the post.

Write Out Your Presentation in Bullet Format

Too often I see my peers reading their typed notes word for word. They rarely look up and don’t even pretend like they’re not just regurgitating their progress note.

I get that it’s hard to memorize a presentation. It’s as scary as actually having to do one.

So use a bullet point outline.

Here’s what I do.

On the first bullet, I’ll often write a shrunk version of my one-liner. I’ll talk about mastering this later in the post.

The next few bullets I’ll break down symptoms, timeline, important features, etc. that I want to discuss when I’m telling my patient’s story.

In the next bullet points, I’ll write the vital ranges and underline anything I want to mention. I’ll also include physical exam findings and labs which are pertinent.

Finally, I’ll include a list of problems with Ddx and suggestions for the plan.

Here’s an example of what this would look like.

Honestly, this is probably more than I’d write down. I have created my abbreviations which tends to cut my bullet point to half what’s shown above.

Unless I’m lost,I don’t have to look down. Thus I’m always making eye contact with my attending – demanding attention.. This makes the presentation seem much more natural. You’re having a discussion with your attending.

Don’t read your note that they can read on their own.

S tep-By-Step Approach To Presenting Patients in Medical School  Master the One-Liner.

Your one-liner will tell the resident if they should take your presentation seriously or not. The same way a great singer grabs your attention with their first note, you have to impress with a solid one-liner.

Here’s how to do it.

Table Of Contents

Who are they?

Include their name, age, and demographics.

Why predisposes them to these symptoms/disease?

What comorbidities do they have? Which are important for their current chief complaint?

Provide some insight into severity here. Do they have HF? If so what’s their ejection fraction?

Do they have diabetes? What’s their A1C?

I discuss other examples later in the post.

Why are they here?

Their chief complaint is the most important part of your one-liner. Here are things you must include.

What caused them to come into the hospital/clinic?

Patients usually come in with symptoms, not diagnoses . So your patient comes in with a chief complaint of chest pain, not a heart attack.

Sometimes a patient may come in for one thing but are getting worked up for a different symptom altogether. You can state, “patient is being evaluated for (insert symptom) that was identified in the emergency room/clinic”. You can include in your HPI what the patient originally came in for to paint the full picture.

Master Your PHI (Present History of Illness)

I remember presenting once in the pediatric emergency room to an attending. My patient was a 6-year old girl with a cat scratch to her eye. It was my first rotation, and I had no idea what I was doing (Maybe I should have looked for such a post back then).

I began with a killer one-liner. But then, instead of talking about her eye, I began to talk about her flu-like symptoms. The attending immediately stopped me and said, “I don’t care! Tell me about her eye!”.

So learn from my mistake. Don’t talk about the flu on a patient with a scratched eye.

Keep your story to the point.

After you understand this important lesson, the next step is to begin to form the order of your story. Often this begins with how the long the symptoms are going and how they first presented. Then provide a chronological order of how the symptoms worsened/improved over time.

Make sure to include why the patient finally came to see a doctor. Why now instead of two days ago when the symptoms first started?

This is also where you include the rest of your PHI. There are several acronyms people use that I haven’t cared to remember. But here are the important details to discuss (if applicable).

How long have the symptoms lasted? How does the patient describe their symptoms/pain? (sharp, dull, throbbing, etc.) Where is it? Does it radiate? How severe on a scale of 1-10 is it? Has this number gotten worse or better over time? What makes it better and what makes it worse? Do they have any other associated symptoms? (Fevers, weakness, headaches, chest pain, etc.)

Remember not everything is important:

Let’s go back to our bullet point outline of our presentation. When you practice it in your head, ask if that fact you plan on saying is important to the person’s story.

Ever watch a movie and wonder why a scene was even needed? Don’t include extra scenes.

The attending should understand who the patient is, why they’re here, and the important events that led them to this point.

What is considered abnormal?

If something is abnormal to a patient, explain how it differs from normal for them. If a patient can’t walk without being SOB, you must explain how far could they walk before.

If they have a headache but also have a history of migraines, then you must include how this headache is different or similar to their condition.

Indicate Pertinent Positive and Negatives on

If a patient comes in with concerns of a heart attack, including the symptoms that they have which make you worried.

It’s equally as important to include symptoms of an MI that they don’t have.

But don’t go through the whole list and indicate random symptoms that don’t matter.

Become Efficient in Telling The Past Medical

Students love to list everything the patient has. But let’s be real, I don’t care if a patient has GERD and they’re coming in for osteomyelitis.

In your PMH include big comorbidities such as diabetes, asthma/COPD, heart failure, liver disease, and kidney issues.

If they do have the above comorbidities here are some things you should include.

For diabetes always include their most recent A1C. State when this was done. Also include what form of treatment they’re on (insulin, metformin, etc.), their dose, and their compliance with their medications. Also ask about their typical blood sugars, how often the measure them, and what time of the day these readings are taken.

For heart failure include their last ejection fraction and date. Indicate what medications they’re currently taking and how compliant they are. Ask the patient how many pillows they sleep with under their head as paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea is a common symptom. Also, ask about their baseline weight (will go up in a heart failure exacerbation) and what their diet/fluid intake is like.

For asthma , you want to identify what severity they have. Are they severe persistent, moderate intermittent, or something else? How often do they use their rescue inhaler? How many times a week do they wake up at night. Also, ask if they’ve ever had to be intubated before.

Similar to asthma, for your COPD patient also include what GOLD stage they are. You’ll learn about this on your internal medicine rotation if you haven’t already.

These are some classic examples you want to hit every time.

Physical Exam

Start with their vitals.

Do you need to say everything? No.

Some attendings will want ranges for the heart rate and blood pressures. Others are fine if you say, “patient is afebrile, normotensive, and has a regular heart rate” or “vital signs are within normal limits”.

Regarding your physical – only say what you did. Again does everything matter? Nope.

Get away from sounding robotic. “Lungs clear to auscultation bilaterally” can just be “lungs clear bilaterally”.

If you don’t read your notes, you’ll seem more natural when presenting the physical.

What about labs?  Don’t present all labs obviously. No one cares about the WBC for a patient with a broken arm.

State labs of importance such as “lytes were stable; hemoglobin was decreased to (insert value) from (insert value) yesterday. Remaining labs of patients were within normal limits”.

If, however, you did a specific lab/test to confirm/rule out a disease then make sure you state the results. A common example is a urinalysis. If a patient has suspected UTI, make sure you state their UA came back without indications for an infection.

Certains labs are important to trend. This includes Creatinine, BNP, hemoglobin/hematocrit, WBC, Platelets, Lactate, and important electrolytes.

Assessment and

So you finished with the easy part. You knew the story and told it. Now you get to show you know how to doctor and not just interview.

Here’s my format to present my assessment and plan.

“This is Ms. who has (insert pertinent conditions and PMH) who came in for (symptoms). Given her symptoms and (physical exam/lab evidence A, B, C) I think she could have (differential A) given that she has (x,y, and z), she could also have (differential B) because of (x,y,z) and differential C (x,y,z).

To work her up I would do test/treatment (a,b,c) and reevaluate her (insert time frame).

I expect discharge for her pending treatment/workup and hopeful discharge (give a guess if possible).”

Boom! You just rocked that patient presentation!

If your patient has multiple problems, you can break your A/P by problem. For example, you can state, “For her back pain I think she could have (X,Y, or Z). I think we should give her treatment (A or B).” Keep going down her problem list. Some attendings like a system based but the method is the same.

So there you have it. Now you can present patients in medical school like a pro!

Here are other posts you may enjoy as well.

How to Build Strong Relationships with Your Patients Dealing With Death in Medical School Regaining Motivation in Medical School Top Resources to Honor Your Pediatrics Rotation

If there is something specific, you’d like me to address in a future blog post, comment below or email me at  [email protected] .

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• v.31(2); 2021 Apr

Effective Medical Lecturing: Practice Becomes Theory

Robert c. lowe.

Department of Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, Evans Biomedical Research Center, 650 Albany St, Room 546, Boston, MA 02118 USA

Steven C. Borkan

Effective lecturing stimulates learning, creates a verbal history for our profession, and is a central basis for evaluating academic promotion. Unfortunately, few resources exist in the medical literature to guide the academician toward success as an effective lecturer. Using evidence-based principles, this review fosters adult learning in academic venues by incorporating the latest innovations in educational theory for both online and traditional teaching. The novice or advanced academic teacher will be guided toward critical self-evaluation of current teaching practices and encouraged to replace ineffective methods with ones more likely to be both rewarding and rewarded. By introducing literature-based learning techniques, emphasizing audience targeting, truncating content to an appropriate level of detail, effectively linking images and text, and accepting the brevity of learners’ attentiveness, we show that the audience, not the speaker, is the primary educational focus.

The Challenge

Public speaking is the “ancient pillar” of academic medicine. “Talks” to groups of students and colleagues are a measurable milestone for academic advancement and achievement. This pressure, combined with increasing demands to “educate our students,” has led to the common but paradoxical practice of “ineffective lecturing.” Producing an ineffective lecture is actually quite simple. “Step One” requires creating a PowerPoint presentation with heavily bulleted slides replete with large quantities of information. “Step Two” involves presenting the talk by systematically reading each slide to the audience while reflexively facing the screen to reduce speaker anxiety. Listeners seek refuge from this burdensome endeavor by addressing e-mails, texting colleagues, and often disengaging toward unconsciousness. As the talk ends, the audience politely applauds as is the custom, and then forgets the talk within the hour. The speaker “safely” escapes, ready to “teach” another day. This cycle is repeated in countless centers of academic learning and, just as often, our trainees complain about unengaging lectures. There is no rationale sufficient to justify poorly designed and delivered talks. With focused instruction and practice, virtually any academician can deliver a more engaging and memorable presentation. This transition to effective teaching is wholly compatible with current theories of adult education as well as current research in human cognition.

The Great Lecture

The components of the “great lecture” were first outlined in the fourth century B.C.E. by Aristotle in his Rhetorics . In Book One of this treatise, Aristotle described 3 components of an effective presentation: an appeal to reason ( logos ) and to emotion ( pathos ), as well as the speaker’s personal characteristics ( ethos ) [ 26 ]. These are equally applicable to our current educational mission: an effective talk presents information in a logical fashion that stimulates the listener and induces an emotional response that allows the information to be embedded in memory. This purposeful reaction occurs in response to an engaging presentation style that includes enthusiasm and the “speaker’s fluidity”.

When the subject of the “speaker’s personality” is raised, a common defensive retort is that charismatic speakers are clearly charlatans using “smoke and mirrors” to hide their lack of content expertise or are mere entertainers rather than educators. The naysayers posit that a good presentation is simply a straightforward presentation of most up to date and factual material and that, beyond this, all else is a “popularity contest” irrelevant to effective education. This commonly held belief supports countless ineffective lectures in academic, business, and governmental settings. More importantly, it serves as the excuse to avoid engaging, memorable presentations.

The “Dr. Fox Experiment” seemed to support this preeminent attitude. In 1973, a psychological experiment was conducted wherein a “Dr. Myron Fox” presented a talk to a group of educators entitled “Applying Mathematical Game Theory to Medical Education.” Dr. Fox was in fact an actor who provided a warm, funny, and engaging style lecture, the content of which was gibberish. As might be expected, the audience favorably responded to Dr. Fox. This contributed to the “charlatan” theory of engaging lectures by concluding that a “good” lecturer fools an audience into appreciating a false narrative [ 20 ]. However, a subsequent experiment conducted in 1975 confronted this conclusion. In this scenario, several lectures were given with a variable amount of educational content. Each talk was delivered by two speakers: one with an engaging style and another with a straightforward but unengaging style. For both speakers, the engaging style resulted in greater content retention by the audience after high- and low-content lectures. This observation suggests that content is more effectively transmitted to an audience by a “good speaker” and translates to significant educational benefit [ 28 ], a finding subsequently replicated by others [ 18 ]. The key to engaging the audience mandates attracting and holding their attention. Unfortunately for educators, the adult attention span is limited to 10 min [ 5 , 15 ], complicating the speaker’s task of sustaining engagement for the classic 50-min lecture. Moreover, the studies that demonstrated this “10-min” attention span were conducted before the era of smartphones and social media, and it is believed that today’s listeners have an even shorter attention span. Fortunately, audience attention span can be periodically “re-set” by varying format, adding interactive features discussed below, and re-iterating key teaching points throughout the lecture.

Lecture Time Management

“Time” itself is the vital ingredient for preparing an effective presentation but, unfortunately, is least available. Multiple stimuli, including competing academic priorities, vacuum away the time for selecting lecture content appropriate content for the audience, identifying learning objectives, drafting and refining an effective slide set, and adding a pinch of reflective or active learning breaks, leaving inadequate practice time to deliver the lecture in an easy, conversational style. This daunting grocery list of “lecture to-dos” causes even well-intentioned educators to travel the “path of least lecture resistance” by piling information into each slide and then reading them aloud to the audience, effectively guaranteeing that our audience ignores our lecture efforts.

Academic reality, a tradition of unengaging talks, and the view that effective lecturing cannot be mastered all sustain our lecturing status quo and inevitably lead to the creation of “bad talks.” Since time cannot be created de novo, it is quite tempting to open PowerPoint with a sense of urgency, skip educational goals, pile factual information onto enough slide to fill 50 min, ignore slide design, forego learning-enhancing images, omit audience invitations to actively reflect or participate, and then, for the “sake of time,” exclude a lecture summary. Admittedly, a “bad talk” can be prepared in a remarkably short time but with predictable results.

Our challenge is to change behavior despite the palpable historical pressures that sustain it. We propose that in following a simple set of lecture preparation guidelines, lecturers will instantaneously change the preparation process by replacing it with intentional concepts, organization, and design. Suggestions for improving lecture effectiveness and also minimizing the time required to create an effective lecture are summarized (Table ​ (Table1). 1 ). Remarkably, this strategy creates a “bite-sized” and disciplined approach to lecture preparation by using a framework based on effective educational principles for adult learners, and with practice eases the preparatory burden such that successful lectures become virtually formulaic and even routine.

Time-saving tips for effective lecturing

Remote Internet teaching, complete with physical distance between students and teachers, raises unique challenges and requires novel solutions to sustain effective teaching. While remote teaching and lecture preparation continue to provide the expected challenges, teaching from a distance complicates feedback and resonance with students, permits listeners to invisibly “check out,” and affords teachers the opportunity to admit defeat, retreating to ineffective teaching methodologies that pre-date Zoom, Teams, and other surrogate Internet media. Since the adult learners and teachers are themselves identical, strategies for engaging remote listeners and transmitting information that challenges and engages them in a manner that stimulates learning remain a central goal. Based on experiences to date and input from the latest educational literature [ 4 , 7 , 21 , 22 ], modest adjustments by the lecturer substantially improve the remote learner’s and lecturer’s experience (Table ​ (Table2 2 ).

Effective strategies for remote teaching

How to Plan Lecture Content

Using principles of adult learning to plan a lecture increases its impact. These principles, articulated by Malcolm Knowles, are a valuable conceptual framework for teaching adult learners. Despite some controversy [ 19 ], these principles remain useful for designing effective teaching sessions [ 14 ]. An ineffective (Fig. ​ (Fig.1a) 1a ) vs. effective (Fig. ​ (Fig.1b) 1b ) slide listing Knowles Principles of Andragogy is shown.

Creating effective bullet points a An ineffective presentation of Knowles Principles of Andragogy with full phrases shown. The slide is intentionally designed to be read, allowing the audience of rapid readers to ignore the presenter. b Similar information is presented in effective bullet points that allow the presenter to embellish key teaching points while maintaining audience focus

Two adult learning principles are most relevant to creating effective presentations. First, adults request learning that is relevant to their lives and work practices, making it critical that each talk be relevant to the audience [ 15 ]. This may seem obvious but also at odds with being “authoritative” by providing as much factual information as time permits. A typical disease-specific academic talk is structured to include (in historical order) disease epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, prognosis, and current therapy. Under each topic heading, a wealth of information is presented as bulleted slides with full sentences or typed paragraphs. Although this approach has a modicum of educational merit, the true question of relevance refers to what the audience will do with the presented information in their daily practice. For example, when speaking to a public health audience, emphasis on screening and epidemiology is appropriate, whereas embellishing diagnosis and treatment resonates with primary care physicians. Medical students rarely benefit from an exhaustive discussion of the latest research on a topic. In contrast, this approach is highly effective for topic experts.

De-emphasizing the Teacher

In an effective talk, it is not the teacher and the topic that are important but rather, the topic and audience that require emphasis. With this focus, the speaker provides less information but in a more targeted way, avoiding information overload that accompanies ineffective lectures [ 15 ]. Setting audience goals is the second critical factor in preparing a large group lecture. Goals or “learning objectives” can be either explicitly or implicitly reflected by presentation structure. The third key focus of preparation (and most challenging) is to limit each presentation to the 3 to 5 primary teaching points that can be effectively transmitted in a 1-h format. The remaining body of the lecture is simply designed to support these key points. This intentional exercise is a major component of effective teaching as it focuses the audience on key concepts and ideally serves as an intellectual “warm up” to inspire subsequent investigation and learning.

Audience as the Educational Target

An effectively structured lecture benefits from a discussion of concepts rather than facts . With immediate access to the world’s database using smartphones, portable tablets, and laptop computers, learners instantaneously locate specific facts and online topic summaries. The speaker’s challenge is to present a conceptual framework that enables the listener to organize and use information being presented rather than provide an updated list of facts. Cognitive science research shows that learning is not the commitment of facts to memory but the organization of information in memory using schemas. Effective teachers create new schemas to structure their learners’ knowledge base and facilitate knowledge retrieval in order to solve a problem or complete a task [ 22 ].

Once conceptualized and organized, the listeners can link the content of the lecture to their existing medical knowledge. The speaker’s goal is to remind the audience of what they know and then extend and deepen this baseline knowledge [ 10 , 11 ]. Presenting an unfamiliar topic to a novice audience in a lecture format is challenging. For example, the content of a “hepatitis C” lecture will widely vary depending on the audience composition and diversity: experts in the field, primary care physicians, allied health professionals, trainees, general public, or a diverse mixture. Handouts allow the learner to preemptively review new information before the lecture begins and creates educational value by showing learners that the speaker “knows the audience . ”

Stories and metaphors that illustrate the targeted concepts, rather than a straightforward presentation of information, facilitate knowledge encapsulation of into long-term memory [ 30 ]. Specifically, the inclusion of stories, case examples, and metaphors allows listeners to restructure their knowledge in a novel way. Well-designed lectures enhance this organizational component of knowledge generation and retention to effectively transmit 3–5 primary teaching points. Enthusiasm and emotion make teaching points more memorable [ 16 ]. Regardless of the inherent topic novelty, monotony rarely engenders audience interest. Practicing the talk permits the lecturer to present the material using natural flow and in a conversational style in which enthusiasm and emotion are the key ingredients that fuel information retention.

Nuts and Bolts of Preparing PowerPoint Slides

A well-designed PowerPoint slideshow is a critical component of an effective presentation that incorporates two key learning theories. The first concept is that learners simultaneously process visual and auditory information via two channels: the visual channel processes images including the written word, whereas the auditory channel processes speech. When these two channels are complementary, understanding and retention are enhanced [ 17 , 25 ]. In contrast, discordant channels that result from reading words aloud to an audience cause the listener to ignore the speaker in deference to the more dominant visual channel. Since the audience member typically reads faster than a presenter speaks, reading slides aloud virtually guarantees speaker irrelevance. In contrast, using complementary auditory and visual information channels promotes effective learning [ 1 ].

Effective slide design is a predictable and reproducible science . First, minimize the number of words on each slide while maximizing the use of images. Images stimulate the visual channel while the auditory channel incorporates the speaker’s words. “Beyond Bullet Points” (circa 2010) operationalizes this strategy. For example, a slide title that uses a complete phrase sets the stage for complementary visual and auditory processing of the speaker’s point. An image that reflects the slide title provides complementary visual stimulation for the auditory component without reading aloud [ 27 ]. An example of a poorly designed slide is shown wherein a two-word title accompanies a long diagnostic list illustrating ineffective slide making (Fig. ​ (Fig.2a). 2a ). The second panel (Fig. ​ (Fig.2b) 2b ) illustrates an effective title that “tells” the audience in words what the speaker will address above an “image of interest” that stimulates the speaker to discuss the associated diagnostic list. Dual-channel theory engages the audience without forcing the speaker to read aloud and avoids the first cardinal teaching sin. Text-heavy slides are occasionally appropriate but pared down text minimizes distractions, fosters topic understanding, and focuses audience attention on the speaker [ 2 ].

Effective imagery for teaching refractory heartburn ( a ): A simple differential diagnostic list for refractory heartburn cannot be easily learned in lecture setting in the absence of imagery, or contextual stories. Endoscopy for alternative diagnoses ( b ): In contrast, an image of an inflamed esophagus invites the learners on a journey into the GI tract that serves as platform for subsequent clinical stories that include the differential diagnosis and the rationale for performing endoscopy in patients with refractory heartburn

Effective text slide features are derived from business, education, and medical education literature (Fig. ​ (Fig.3) 3 ) [ 1 , 5 , 25 , 27 ]. Font selection affects communication and using fonts > 28 point size serves two functions; first, it allows the audience to recognize screen words irrespective of the venue size; and second, it places an intentional “brake” on information overload by forcing the speaker to limit the words on each slide [ 17 ]. Effective slides contain images and only a few words organized as follows: a maximum of six lines per slide with no more than six words per line. Notably, some educators suggest a simpler “4 × 4” format that further limits visual information [ 23 ]. The net effect of visual modesty is that the speaker, not the slide, remains the primary audience focus.

Features of an effective slide. Simple guidelines effectively convey visual information and enhance educational impact on learners. Consistency between slides allows the learners to focus on content

The next design principle is to use a single format, font type, and a consistent arrangement between slides. Complex PowerPoint animation or animation coupled to sound effects unintentionally distracts audiences [ 17 ], especially when a variety of animation options compromises slide consistency. The optimal slide design minimizes text and adds an informational image while the speaker provides content [ 16 ]. On the other hand, “building” a slide by sequentially introducing short text lines is also effective [ 8 ]. The later strategy limits words on the screen that could distract the audience. The final recommendation for generating effective slides is derived from design literature regarding “serifs”: small points on the ends of letters that are incorporated into select fonts. Popular fonts including Times New Roman contain serifs, whereas Arial is a “sans serif font.” Sans serif fonts are easier to read, especially in a large lecture hall, and are strongly preferred for slides [ 16 ].

Background slide color is critical for conveying visual information. Surprisingly, optics studies confirm that black text on a white background (“book style”) provides the greatest visual contrast and is therefore easiest to read. However, the standard format of a dark background with white or yellow text is readable and is also an excellent choice for large lecture halls [ 8 , 17 ]. If slide color is important, then avoiding clashing colors such as red text on a blue or green background minimizes distraction and enhances readability. Specific avoidance of red and green fonts respects the significant fraction of color-blind men in any audience [ 25 ]. In contrast to schemes that use a dark background, a bright background causes pupillary constriction and compromises both image visualization and text readability. Plain, unadorned backgrounds rather than complex ones encourage focus on the speaker. Images superimposed on a dark background or that fill the entire screen with no outside border are equally effective.

Point by Point

Bullet points are a ubiquitous thread in most PowerPoint presentations and a key organizational tool. The improper (Fig. ​ (Fig.4a) 4a ) and proper (Fig. ​ (Fig.4b) 4b ) use of bullet points is also illustrated. The first shows bullets that are poorly designed, with each one displaying a mistake described in the text. In contrast, the alternative slide is both compact and effective. When text lines are sequentially “built,” the audience focuses on each point in an uncluttered slide as the speaker creates a story that links the text. To summarize, bullets are not full sentences but “headlines” with a parallel grammatical structure. To optimize structure, the first word of the bullet is capitalized and without punctuation. Multiple sub-bullets require smaller fonts, are often hard to read, and can violate the “6 × 6 rule.”

Ineffective vs. effective slide texting. Ineffective bullets ( a ): Examples of bullets that with less audience impact resemble a textbook and are visually distracting. Effective bullets ( b ): Effective bullet points create organization and “prompts” for the presenter and invite explanations or add a story that provides context

Presentation errors are easily categorized. For example, a complex data table is often accompanied by the phrase “I apologize for this slide” (Fig. ​ (Fig.5a). 5a ). In reality, even a sincere apology is rarely forgiven. Instead, abstraction of key data points from the larger table followed by the creation of a simple graph or chart (facilitated by PowerPoint tools) is preferred (Fig. ​ (Fig.5b). 5b ). Data slides should be straightforward, uncluttered, and without ornamentation.

Ineffective vs. effective image selection. Poorly designed data slide ( a ): This classic “busy” slide invites speaker apology, is of limited value in a lecture forum, and distances learners. Effective image use ( b ): A simple image with few words illustrates the dichotomy of “good” and “evil” members of the BCL2 protein family focus attentions, and highlights contrast between inextricably linked pro-survival and death proteins

The central goal of an effective lecture is well articulated by Ronald Harden, a noted Scottish medical educator, in a provocative article entitled “Death by PowerPoint.” He argues that slides should never stand alone without the speaker. Otherwise, a handout, not a lecture, is the most appropriate educational format. The speaker’s ability to communicate ideas is an ideal focus of a talk and provides an active forum for conveying information. The slides are, in a sense, incidental. This fact is inadvertently tested during technical failures in which the speaker delivers a presentation sans slides. Educational accidents are evidence that the audience is the most important component of the talk, followed by the message , and only third by the slides [ 12 ]. The story, the case, and the metaphor are used by audiences to understand content and initiate behavioral change.

Plot Unfolds

Plot the structure in advance before incorporating specific text and images and before ordering individual slides. A presentation can be outlined using a storyboard format. This approach avoids a key pitfall of organizing primarily with an attractive list of potential bullet points. Left unembellished, and in the presence of too little practice time, bullet points read aloud become the Achilles’ heel for the speaker. PowerPoint editing capabilities and practicing allow the presentation to be progressively truncated until only keywords and supportive images survive the finished product. In contrast, the text-heavy versions can be saved as PowerPoint “notes to the speaker” or in an audience handout. At first, this approach seems time intensive but it actively utilizes practice time to serially truncate the text, creating space for the speaker. Although “space” might promote speaker anxiety, the “presenter view” function in PowerPoint versions after 2013 allows only the speaker to see these notes. This feature stimulates the speaker’s memory, provides an organized series of “silent” speaker prompts, and maintains a seamless flow of text and images for the audience (Fig. ​ (Fig.6 6 ).

PowerPoint presenter view: Presenter-friendly PowerPoint Presenter Mode allows the educators to see beyond the current slide and rapidly transition between slides in both directions as needed to match the lecture or address audience questions

Stage Presence and Delivery

Once designed, organized, and practiced, delivery takes center stage. Whenever feasible, “checking out” the venue, lighting, screen, and accompanying devices including laser pointers, microphones, and wireless slide advancers facilitates effective teaching. This preemptive approach minimizes venue surprises and ensures optimal connection between the computer and projection system as well as between the devices and the speaker. Rapid projection ensures the correct version of each slide and confirms that inter-platform and software conversions have not surreptitiously altered the format or truncated key images.

An effective speaker privately warms the voice (e.g., by reciting the alphabet aloud) and maintains a conversational tone while studiously avoiding memorizing the text. The presenter should be sufficiently familiar with each slide to be both energetic and confident. A slide that fails to resemble an “old friend” immediately signals to the speaker that additional practice is required. An initial story, especially one with key facts and emotional content, immediately creates audience rapport and spikes interest in the presentation. The speaker can either “hook” the audience or inadvertently issue an invitation to daydream or facilitate distraction by their personal devices. Brief clinical vignettes, spaced throughout the talk or delivered as an extension of the initial case, ground the talk and create an effective scenario for incorporating facts that systematically guide education by the speaker. Facing the audience rather than the slides sustains this connection. A well-lit venue allows the audience to see the speaker and also facilitates eye contact with audience members.

A wearable microphone allows the speaker to move across the stage, enhances audience interaction, and creates a vibrancy that cannot be reproduced in other educational forums. For many speakers, especially novices, maintaining eye contact may be daunting. By focusing one’s gaze on a single audience member in a large lecture hall not only does the individual become more engaged, but a “cone” of approximately 10–15 listeners behind the “target” also experience direct eye contact [ 6 ]. Thus, if a speaker selects only a few specific members over the course of the talk, a substantially larger fraction of the group perceives “direct” eye contact. For anxious speakers, making eye contact with the venue’s rear wall virtually replicates eye contact for the audience. Avoidance of the podium as the sole visual pivot point also causes the audience to follow the speaker and further engages them.

Voice is the speaker’s primary communication tool. Electing not to memorize the presentation allows voice volume and pitch to be varied, adding emphasis. For novices or nervous speakers, the podium can serve as a physical crutch to be “embraced” or leaned upon. This physical dependence creates an awkward physical relationship for the speaker and usually jeopardizes the audience’s level of engagement. In contrast, an effective speaker is liberated by a portable microphone and wireless, handheld devices. Podium liberation facilitates hand gestures that create emphasis and focus learners.

The average adult learner concentrates for only 10 min [ 3 , 9 ]. An effective speaker embraces this reality and repeatedly incorporates opportunities to state and re-state key points at the beginning (as learning goals ), at the middle (as interim summaries), and at the talk’s conclusion (final summary). Ideally, the speaker predicts inevitable lulls in audience alertness and maintains cognitive awareness of their attentiveness during the presentation. A combination of strategically placed stories, cases, and summaries recaptures the audience. Humor, images, animation, and marked voice variation also alert the audience to changes that unconsciously stimulate alertness and promote focus, a prerequisite to effective learning [ 9 ].

Even expert speakers benefit by using established teaching techniques to fully engage the audience (Fig. ​ (Fig.7). 7 ). The simplest way is to ask a rhetorical question that invites the audience to focus and commit without speaking aloud. Effective speakers promote attention by asking medical audiences to “think of a similar case” that parallels the discussion topic. The recently described technique of “Think-Pair-Share” is also effective for increasing audience learning [ 10 , 16 ]. The exercise begins with a question to be considered for 1–2 min by the audience then turning to an adjacent audience member to share their thoughts for 2–3 min, and finally reporting back to the group [ 10 , 16 ]. In larger audiences, groups of 4 to 6 individuals (“buzz groups”) serve a similar educational function [ 29 ]. This practice creates a comfortable atmosphere for passive audience members and a willingness to present group findings rather than answer a question on their own [ 13 ]. An audience response system (ARS) such as TurningPoint or PollEverywhere rapidly creates anonymous “question and answer break points” within the presentation. Together, these active mental exercises engage the audience, provide focus for critical evidenced-based thinking, encourage shared opinions, and inform the speaker about potential areas of misunderstanding(s) for clarification. Audience education is “paradoxically” enhanced as the speaker becomes less visible and instead becomes an expert guide during the presentation tour de force .

Increasing interactivity: Maneuvers known to increase audience interactivity with the lecturer. These behaviors facilitate the learners’ engagement and commitment to change

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to very rapid changes in the delivery of medical education, with the use of remote teaching strategies coming to dominate the current learning environment. Fortunately, the active learning strategies outlined in this paper are readily adaptable to the remote format, once the educator has familiarized him- or herself with the learning platforms. At our institution, Zoom has been the major mode of content delivery, and our medical school and hospital system continue to develop best practices for these learning spaces. Passive lecturing via Zoom is considered (by our students) to be even less interesting than our usual lectures, so it is even more important to use active learning methods in these large group sessions. It is actually easy to use the method of think-pair-share with Zoom—the session leader can create breakout rooms in which teams of learners can solve problems or work though cases. We have found that small breakout rooms (3–4 learners) lead to the most participation, as larger groups can lead to a few learners doing much of the work with others simply standing by. In addition, the duration of breakouts should be 3–5 min, as longer times tend to lead to more general conversation and less focus on the problem at hand. Once the learners reconvene in the large group, the leader can ask for a few groups to give their responses before continuing with the class; even in large classes (160 in our school), having 5–7 groups speak for a minute each appears to be effective. Having 2 breakout rooms in a 50-min session occupies about 20 min of class time. An ARS is built into Zoom through its polling function. The session leader can create multiple choice questions that can be launched any time within the session, and the aggregate responses are visible to the participants. For short answer questions, the Chat function is very effective, though it helps to have a second person to monitor the chat for the session leader. Thus, it is not difficult to add active learning elements to a remotely delivered large group teaching session.

A strong finish is crucial to an effective presentation. An effective conclusion simplifies and re-states the key message with a new example or story or completes an example case sustained throughout the talk. In an effective parting summary, a high-energy level and an inspiring “call to action” encourage the audience to remember and use key talking points to alter their behaviors after the session has concluded. The first presentation slide (i.e., the title slide) can also serve as the final one, avoiding the reprehensible black “end of slideshow – click to exit” screen. During the re-emergent title slide, the speaker can thank the audience and entertain questions relevant to the audience, further enhancing educational impact.

In summary, the audience, not speaker, is the primary presentation focus. Educational relevance requires purposeful audience targeting, content discretion (i.e., practiced, serial text truncation), acceptance of the cyclical nature of adult learners’ attentiveness, informative, evocative images, and techniques that invite the practiced presenter to speak rather than read text. An audience so engaged also recalls content. As humorist Stephen Leacock proffered, “Some people tire of a lecture in ten minutes. Clever people do it in five and sensible people never go to lectures at all.” By incorporating simple principles of effective adult learning into future medical presentations, we hope to report the last laugh heard in an educational forum.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Effective Presentations: Optimize the Learning Experience With Evidence-Based Multimedia Principles [Incl. Seminar]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is an effective presentation.

Professional education requires presentations, from a small discussion or a short video to speaking to a lecture hall with an audience of hundreds.  In fact, presentations are at the core of the educational process. With the effort to view all our educational efforts through an evidence-based lens, the construction of an effective presentation needs to undergo the same scrutiny. Whether a presenter intends to share plans, teach educational information, give updates on project progress, or convey the results of research, the extent to which the audience understands and remembers the presentation relies not only on the quality of the content but also the manner in which that content is presented. While the medium of the presentation may range from written content to graphics, videos, live presentations, or any combination of these and more, each of these mediums can be enhanced and made more effective by the use of evidence-based practices for presenting. Regardless of the medium, effective presentations have the same key features: they are appealing, engaging, informative, and concise. Effective presentations gain attention and captivate the audience, but most importantly, they convey information and ideas memorably.

With the integration of technology and online learning, educators have more opportunities than ever to present rich content that enhances and supports student learning. However, these opportunities can be intimidating to educators striving to engage students, as it can be daunting to create visually appealing and informative materials. Additionally, many educators feel pressured by the continued myth of learning styles: the widespread misconception that learning materials should match students’ visual, auditory, or kinesthetic “styles” to optimize learning (1). Despite being featured in many articles and discussions, there is no compelling evidence that matching educational content to learner’s style preferences increases educational outcomes. However, using multiple modes of delivery such as visuals, audio, and active learning has been shown to benefit all learners. In other words, no matter their stated preference, all learners benefit from a variety of media. Using evidence-based principles for multimedia content such as the principles found in Richard Mayer’s multimedia learning as well as the principles of graphic design and universal design supports learning and increases educational outcomes.

Why effective presentations work

What makes a presentation effective? Is an appealing and engaging presentation also an effective one? Research from cognitive science provides a foundation for understanding how verbal and pictorial information are processed by the learner’s mind during a presentation.

Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning

Based in cognitive science research, Mayer’s evidence-based approach to multimedia and cognition has greatly influenced both instructional design and the learning sciences. Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning comprises three learning principles: the dual channel principle, the limited capacity principle, and the active processing principle. Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning lays the theoretical foundation that underlies the practical applications to boost cognitive processes (2).

The dual channel principle proposes that learners process verbal and pictorial information via two separate channels (see figure below). Within each channel, learners can process limited amounts of information simultaneously due to limits in working memory, a phenomenon known as the limited capacity principle . In addition to these principles describing learning via the verbal and pictorial channels, the active processing principle proposes deeper learning occurs when learners are actively engaged in cognitive processing, such as attending to relevant information, creating mental schema to organize the material cognitively, and then relating to prior knowledge (3). These three principles work in tandem to describe the learning process that occurs when an audience of learners experiences a multimedia presentation.

Cognitive Load Theory, Adapted from Mayer (3) . Depicting how verbal and visual information is processed in dual channels through sensory, working, and long-term memory to create meaningful learning.

As learners listen to a lecture or watch a video, words and images are detected in the sensory memory and held for a very brief period of time. As the learners attend to relevant information, they are selecting words and images , which allows the selected information to move into the working memory where it may be held for a short period of time. However, working memory is limited to about 30 seconds and can only hold a few bits of information at a time. Organizing the words and images creates a coherent cognitive representation (schema) of these bits of information in the working memory. After the words and images are selected and then organized into schema, integrating these bits of information with prior knowledge from long term memory creates meaningful learning.

Cognitive Capacity . Three types of processing combine to determine cognitive capacity. To improve essential processing and generative processing, extraneous processing should be limited as much as possible .

No matter how important the content may be, the capacity of learners to retain ideas from a single presentation is limited. The amount of information a learner can process as they select, organize, and integrate the ideas in a presentation relates to the cognitive load, which includes Essential, Extraneous, and Generative cognitive processing. Essential cognitive processing is required for the learner to create a cognitive representation of necessary and relevant information. This is the desired part of processing but should be managed to not overload the cognitive process. Extraneous processing refers to cognitive processing that does not contribute to learning and is often caused by poor design. Extraneous processing should be eliminated whenever possible to free up cognitive resources. Generative cognitive processing gives meaning to the material and creates deep learning. Learners must be motivated to engage and understand the information for this type of processing to occur.

Foundations in neuroscience

What we know about cognition and learning has been supported and informed by research in neuroscience (4). Neuroscience advances have also allowed us to gain deeper understanding into cognitive science principles, including those on multimedia learning. Researchers have been increasingly tracking learner eye movements to study learners’ attention and interest as a method of validating the impact of multimedia principles, and the results have supported the benefits of proper multimedia design on learner performance (5). Another avenue of research with great potential includes functional MRI (fMRI) readings or electroencephalography (EEG) (6). It has long been established that verbal and pictorial data is processed in different parts of the brain. More recently however, by examining changes in blood flow in different regions of the brain, researchers in Sweden were able to demonstrate that increased extraneous load could impact the effectiveness of learning, in line with the dual channel principle (7).

Evidence for effective presentations

Mayer’s multimedia principles.

Mayer’s Multimedia Principles.

Mayer’s multimedia principles are a set of evidence-based guidelines for producing multimedia based on facilitating essential processing, reducing extraneous processing, and promoting generative processing (8). Mayer’s list of principles often includes fifteen principles, some of which have changed over time, and in a study conducted with medical students, the following nine principles were found to be particularly effective (3). The first three of these principles are used to reduce extraneous processing.

Principles for reducing extraneous processing:

• Coherence principle: eliminate extraneous material 
• Signaling principle: highlight essential material 
• Spatial contiguity principle: place printed words near corresponding graphics

To illustrate these principles, we will use a lesson about the kidneys. The instructor wants to make diagrams of the anatomy to use during discussion. The coherence principle says to only include the information necessary to the lesson. Graphics such as clip art, information that does not relate to anatomy, or unnecessary music reduces cognitive capacity. The signaling principle says to highlight essential material; this might include putting important content in bold or larger font. Or, if the kidney is shown in situ , the rest of the anatomy may be shown in grayscale or a much lighter color to de-emphasize it. The spatial contiguity principle says to place printed words, such as the labels, near the graphics.

Reduce extraneous processing .  Do : keep labels next to diagrams, use only essential material, highlight essential material such as titles.  Don’t: separate labels from diagrams, include extra facts, or have excessive text on a slide, especially with no indication of what is most important.

Principles for managing essential processing:

• Pre-training principle: provide pre-training in names and characteristics of key concepts
• Segmenting principle: break lessons into learner-controlled segments 
• Modality principle: present words in spoken form

The next three principles are used to manage essential processing. If the kidney lesson moves into diseased states or diagnostics, the pre-training principle says that learners should be given information on any unfamiliar terminology before the lesson begins. To satisfy the segmenting principle , the learner should be able to control each piece of the lesson. For example, a “next” button may allow them to progress from pre-training to anatomy to diseased states and then diagnostics. The modality principle says that words should be spoken when possible. Voice-over can be used and text can be limited to essential material such as key definitions or lists.

Manage essential processing.   Do: Present terms and key concepts first, break lessons into user-controlled segments, and present words in spoken form.  Don’t: Give long blocks of text for students to read without priming students for key concepts.

Principles for fostering generative processing: 

• Multimedia principle: present words and pictures rather than words alone 
• Personalization principle: present words in conversational or polite style 
• Voice principle: use a human voice rather than a machine voice

Mayer’s work also includes principles to increase generative processing. The multimedia principle is a direct result of the dual channel principle and limited capacity principle. Words and pictures together stimulate both channels and allow the memory to process more information than words alone. To adhere to the personalization principle to promote deeper learning, a case study is better presented as a story than a page of diagnostics and patient demographics. Finally, the voice principle says that a human voice is more desirable, so it is better to use the instructor’s voice when doing voice-overs rather than auto-generated readers.

Foster generative processing. Do: Present words and pictures, present words in conversational style, and use a human voice.  Don’t: Present text only, present words as a list of facts or overly technical language, or use a computer-generated voice.

Additional multimedia principles: 

• Temporal contiguity principle: present words and pictures simultaneously rather than successively
• Redundancy principle: for a fast paced lesson, people learn better from graphics and narration rather than graphics, narration, and text 
• Image principle: people do not learn better if a static image of the instructor is added to the presentation

Additional principles include the temporal contiguity principle , which states that words and pictures should be shown simultaneously rather than successively. This also includes narration and images or animation. For example, if an animation demonstrates normal cell division, the narration should be given during the animation, not after. The redundancy principle states that people do not necessarily learn better if text is added to graphics and narration. The duplication of information creates extraneous processing as learners try to process print and spoken text. The image principle states that learners do not learn better if a static image of the instructor is added to a presentation. For example, if students are watching an animation with normal cell division, they do not learn better if an image of their instructor is placed next to the animation.

Additional principles for fostering generative processing: 

• Embodiment principle: onscreen instructors should display high embodiment not low
• Immersion principle: 3D virtual reality is not necessarily better than 2D presentations 
• Generative activity principle: use generative learning activities during learning

In the newest edition of Mayer’s Multimedia Learning (8), three additional principles have been added. The embodiment principle states that onscreen instructors should display high embodiment rather than low embodiment, meaning they should use natural gestures, look at the camera as if making eye contact, and if drawing, show the image being drawn. If demonstrating something like a surgical procedure, a first-person perspective should be used so the learner sees the perspective of the person performing. Low embodiment would include standing still, lack of eye contact, and using a third-person perspective. The immersion principle states that 3D immersive virtual reality is not necessarily more effective than 2D presentations, such as on a computer screen. This is thought to be caused by the cognitive load on the learning involved in using 3D immersive technology but more studies are needed. Lastly, the generative activity principle states that learners should use generative learning activities while learning such as summarizing, mapping, drawing, imagining, self-testing, self-explaining, teaching, and enacting. These activities help learners cognitively select and organize new material and then integrate with prior knowledge.

Other Design Principles

Mayer’s design principles are functional but do not address aesthetics per se . Anyone can master the basic graphic design principles as discussed by Reynolds (9) to captivate and engage an audience. 

• Create graphics that are designed for the back of the room. Whatever the venue, the person in the back needs to be able to see and gather information from the graphics. Ensure font size is appropriate, image size and clarity is sufficient, and that font type and spacing allow words to be seen clearly from a distance. For online materials, this principle may mean designing for the person who will be viewing on the smallest screen (such as a phone) rather than assuming viewers will use a large monitor (10).
• Limit the types of fonts. Too many fonts or fonts that don’t coordinate well can make graphics seem jarring and unpleasant. Some programs will suggest font families that are appealing, and a safe guideline is to limit to two or three fonts maximum per graphic. 
• Use contrasting colors. Colors that are too similar or using type on top of images that lack contrast can make type difficult to read. Color family suggestions can be found online or in software such as Powerpoint.

Graphic design principles.  Do: Use coordinating fonts and color schemes with contrasting colors.  Don’t: use multiple fonts, excessive colors, and/or non-contrasting colors that may be difficult to distinguish.

In addition to singular graphics or presentations, online course presentation makes a difference in how learners perceive and utilize a course. When designing online learning experiences, consider using guidelines such as Quality Matters to assess the functionality. Quality Matters rubrics look at key components that have been proven to facilitate learning by making navigation and presentation of course elements explicit. Key components include providing information on how to get started, including learning objectives, allowing learners to track their progress, and using learning activities and technology tools that support active learning. Navigation among course components should facilitate access to materials.

In addition to all of these principles, accessibility must be considered in all forms of presentation. In education, designing for accessibility can be guided by universal design principles . Some schools may even require all courses and materials to be fully accessible. Providing accessible options has been shown to benefit all learners, not just those with a documented need for accommodations (11). Some basic accommodations that should be offered in any class include offering media in multiple modes. For example, videos should have the option of captioning and/or access to a transcript, and photos and graphics should have captions that describe the image. Many learning management systems and software programs now have options to check for accessibility. Additionally, most schools can provide assistance in assessing and developing accessible materials.

Practical Applications for Presentations in Health Professions Education

Implementation in the classroom.

When planning how to present materials in the classroom, first consider the most effective form of presentation for the given information. It may be a Powerpoint, a video, a graphic, or a handout. Consider using a variety of media appropriate for the intended outcomes. Creating high quality materials may seem daunting, but quality content can be reused, shared, and has been shown to enhance student learning.

Powerpoint has been much maligned for overuse and abuse, but well-designed presentations can be remarkably effective (12). When designing in Powerpoint, limit the amount of text per slide. One rule to remember is the 5/5/5 rule: Use no more than 5 lines of text with 5 words each or 5 text-heavy slides in a row and try to avoid bullets (13). Graphics are preferable to text or tables when representing data, but graphs and labels should be kept as simple as possible using 2D graphics and simplified labels that are easy for viewers to see (14). When presenting, refrain from reading from the slides. Slides should highlight important concepts and provide visual aids, not present everything. In addition, keep Powerpoint and video presentations short; most listeners will lose attention in 6–10 minutes (15,16). Whenever possible, engage the audience by interspersing active learning elements. Between sections or topics, transition slides can be used to indicate pauses for activity or reflection or to cue students to changes in topic (14).

When planning a presentation, consider presenting some of the information online before class for students to review. This flipped classroom technique allows for more class to be spent using active learning and facilitates the presentation of multiple forms of media and accessible options. 

Implementation online

Videos often become an integral part of the online learning experience. To facilitate learning, consider the following tips for your own video production (17,18): 

• Align the video with learning objectives and course outcomes. Focus on pertinent instructional points to reduce extraneous processing and thereby reduce cognitive load. 
• Limit the length of videos and use interactive elements to promote active learning. To help maintain student engagement and deepen learning, include interactive elements such as discussions, quizzes or embedded questions to maintain student attention. 
• Limit extraneous information, graphics, and sounds that do not pertain to the learning goals (19). Busy backgrounds, music, or animations that don’t contribute to understanding concepts unnecessarily add to a learner’s cognitive load.
• When using existing videos, ensure the source is reliable and the video is high quality. Video production can take time, so using professional videos can be beneficial if they come from credible sources that target the learning objectives with up-to-date and accurate information.

Additionally, Schooley et al. (18) have proposed a 25-item quality checklist that can help educators create and curate high-quality videos. Many of the items in the checklist have been discussed here such as length, captioning, using relevant graphics, and self-assessment opportunities, but also included are other points an educator should consider, such as the offering learners the ability to download files and adjust playback speed as well as providing them with recommendations for further reading.

For a course in any modality, creating and curating content online can save time and facilitate student learning. As you consider what material to create and use for your courses, assess existing material using the guidelines above to determine if it could be made more beneficial to learners. Does it follow Mayer’s principles? Does it follow graphic design principles and universal design principles? Consider using a Quality Matters rubric to check the course design for best practices.

Recommendations

Educator’s perspective.

• Use Mayer’s multimedia design principles to revise existing presentations and review new creations for simple changes that can make a big difference (12).
• When delivering a presentation, start by discussing an unusual case, presenting an interesting story or an unexpected statistic, or explain how the topic impacts the listeners. This personalization will help gain their attention from the start (13).
• When designing your own materials and graphics, “less is more” is often a good guideline: limit the amount of information on slides, limit the types of fonts, and limit the excessive use of colors (9,12).
• Videos should be limited to 5–6 minutes when possible and avoid exceeding 10 minutes. Break up longer videos and intersperse interactive elements to keep students engaged (15–17).
• When using technology and online delivery, universal design and accessibility considerations can be complicated. See if your school has an expert that can review your materials to ensure all students will benefit.

Student perspective

• When creating presentations, reports, and charts, follow Mayer’s multimedia design principles to ensure your audience gets the most from your presentation.
• Avoid copy/pasting but rather try and present concepts in an original way in order to augment your understanding of the material.
• When looking at materials online, look for options such as captioning, transcripts, or audio buttons for accessing additional media output.
• If a presentation is lengthy, pause and insert your own activities to help yourself stay focused. Taking notes, pausing for reflection, and self-quizzing can help deepen your learning and keep your mind from wandering.
• If a variety of media aren’t offered, consider finding your own to supplement your learning. Credible sources with learning objectives that align with your course can augment your learning experience.

(Please select all that apply) 

1. When creating a graphic about the current status of heart disease in the US, which of the following would align with best practices?

a. Gaining the audience’s attention with a picture of your dog.

b. Using 3 colors that coordinate well on a contrasting background.

c. A 2D graph with simple labels rather than a table of data.

d. An image on the left with labels listed separately on the right.

e. An image next to a paragraph of text that you will read for the audience.

2. Which of the following are true about educational videos?

a. They need to be created by professionals to be high-quality.

b. They should be less than 10 minutes.

c. There should be an option for closed captioning or a written transcript.

d. Longer videos may be used but should be broken up with active learning elements.

e. Videos don’t need to align to objectives as long as they’re well-made.

3. Which of the following would be examples of Mayer’s multimedia principles?

a. Using a human voice rather than a machine voice.

b. Using formal language instead of conversational language.

c. Playing soothing music in the background of a video.

d. Providing new words and definitions before the presentation begins.

e. Putting important words in bold for emphasis.

4. Which of these would follow best practices for online content?

a. Creating a module where all the material is on one page for easy access.

b. Adding buttons for next, back, and table of contents options for students to navigate.

c. Breaking material into 7-minute videos with practice questions between them.

d. Adding fun clip art and cool images to the pages even if it doesn’t directly relate to the content.

e. Having text only because images are distracting.

Answers: (1) b,c. (2) b,c,d. (3) a,d,e. (4) b,c.

Online Seminar

This online seminar and its accompanying article will focus on the topic of Effective Presentations, which have a set of key qualities: they are appealing, engaging, informative, and concise. Effective presentations gain attention and captivate the audience, but most importantly, they convey information and ideas memorably and efficiently. Using evidence-based principles in educational multimedia can ensure the development of high-quality learning experiences. Our host, Dr. Peter Horneffer will be sharing with us some key multimedia concepts that can help facilitate the development and implementation of effective multimedia into the educational process.

Watch the seminar recording:

Would you like to learn more? Explore the Pulse Seminar Library.

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Meredith Ratliff is a doctoral student in Instructional Design and Technology at the University of Central Florida. Her research interests include evidence-based medical education, branching scenarios, and faculty development. She has received her B.S. and M.A.T. in Mathematics at the University of Florida and her MA in Instructional Design and Technology from UCF. She has been an Associate Faculty member in the mathematics department at Valencia College in Kissimmee, Florida for the past nine years. As part of the Learning Science team at Lecturio, she serves as an educational consultant helping to design and develop materials for medical educators.

Satria Nur Sya’ban is a doctor from Indonesia who graduated from Universitas Airlangga. While a student, he served as the president of CIMSA, a national medical student NGO, working on a diverse range of issues that included medical education and curriculum advocacy by medical students. Before graduating, he took two gap years to serve as a Regional Director, and subsequently as Vice-President, of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA)*, working on and developing various initiatives to better empower medical student organizations to make a change at the national level. At Lecturio, he serves as a Medical Education Consultant, supporting Lecturio in developing and maintaining partnerships with student organizations and universities in Asia, as well as providing counsel on how Lecturio can fit in existing teaching models and benefit students’ learning experience.

*IFMSA has been one of the leading global health organizations worldwide since 1951, representing over 1.3 million medical students as members spanning over 123 countries.

Adonis is a doctor from Lebanon who graduated from the University of Balamand. He was a research fellow at the Department of Emergency Medicine at the American University of Beirut Medical Center and has worked with the World Health Organization Regional Office of the Eastern Mediterranean. During his studies, Adonis served as the president of the Lebanese Medical Students’ International Committee (LeMSIC), a national medical student organization in Lebanon, and moved on to serve as the Regional Director of the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the IFMSA*. Among his roles as Regional Director, he focused on medical education advocacy, oversaw collaborations with external partners, and undertook several medical education projects and initiatives around the region. As a Medical Education Consultant at Lecturio, he advises the Lecturio team on how the platform can fit in existing teaching models and benefit students’ learning experience, develops and maintains partnerships with student organizations and universities in the MENA region, and conducts research on learning science and evidence-based strategies.

Sarah Haidar is an educator and educational specialist from Lebanon who has graduated with a BA in English Linguistics and a Secondary Teaching Diploma (T.D.) from  Haigazian University in Beirut, Lebanon. She has received her M.Ed. in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL)  from the Lebanese International University. She has been teaching ESL classrooms at the Deutsche Internationale Schule for four years. As part of the administrative team at the All American Institute of Medical Sciences (AAIMS), she is working on the design and implementation of a set of academic and administrative reforms that can help both faculty and students in their professional and academic endeavors. She has joined Lecturio to support the Learning Science team in the writing and communication based tasks that might be needed to announce and market their services and events that are targeted at medical educators. She is also supporting the Learning Science team with her perspective on educational and pedagogical topics that will inform the general audience of educators.

Sara Keeth is a Ph.D. and certified PMP (Project Management Professional) who graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas. As an educator, she has worked as a Teaching Fellow at  the University of Texas at Dallas, as a full-time professor at Richland College (now Dallas College’s Richland Campus), and has also taught at Austin College. Dr. Keeth has also worked as a consultant for Parker University’s Research Center and has a decade of experience as an operations manager for an advertising agency. As Senior Learning Science and Research Project Manager at Lecturio, she manages the Learning Science department’s activities, shares her education expertise and best practices for medical educators, and develops evidence-based content for both students and faculty.

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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Discover USC

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Hit the highlights from Discover USC 2024

Discover USC grows in attendance and impact yearly. This year we are so excited to boast over 2,750 attendees and a variety of outstanding presentation award winners. Thanks to the participation and efforts of every volunteer, reviewer, mentor and visitor, the event generated awareness of the excellent research scholarship happening at USC and celebrated the hard work of undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral and medical scholars from across the entire USC system. 

Undergraduate Student Awards

There were 102 reviewed poster presentation sections for undergraduate student presenters at Discover USC 2024. Download the Undergraduate awardees list (pdf) to view the award recipients from all these competitive groups. Congratulations to all 2024 undergraduate awardees.

Graduate Student Awards

For graduate students, there were 26 poster sections at Discover USC 2024. Congratulations to all 2024 graduate student award recipients.

Medical Scholar Awards

There were 13 awards given to medical scholar presentations at Discover USC 2024. Congratulations to all 2024 medical scholar award recipients.

Postdoctoral Scholar Awards

For postdocs, there were two poster presentation competition sections at Discover USC 2024. Congratulations to all 2024 postdoctoral scholar award recipients.

26 April 2024

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

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What the New Overtime Rule Means for Workers

One of the basic principles of the American workplace is that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay. Simply put, every worker’s time has value. A cornerstone of that promise is the  Fair Labor Standards Act ’s (FLSA) requirement that when most workers work more than 40 hours in a week, they get paid more. The  Department of Labor ’s new overtime regulation is restoring and extending this promise for millions more lower-paid salaried workers in the U.S.

Overtime protections have been a critical part of the FLSA since 1938 and were established to protect workers from exploitation and to benefit workers, their families and our communities. Strong overtime protections help build America’s middle class and ensure that workers are not overworked and underpaid.

Some workers are specifically exempt from the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime protections, including bona fide executive, administrative or professional employees. This exemption, typically referred to as the “EAP” exemption, applies when: 

1. An employee is paid a salary,  

2. The salary is not less than a minimum salary threshold amount, and 

3. The employee primarily performs executive, administrative or professional duties.

While the department increased the minimum salary required for the EAP exemption from overtime pay every 5 to 9 years between 1938 and 1975, long periods between increases to the salary requirement after 1975 have caused an erosion of the real value of the salary threshold, lessening its effectiveness in helping to identify exempt EAP employees.

The department’s new overtime rule was developed based on almost 30 listening sessions across the country and the final rule was issued after reviewing over 33,000 written comments. We heard from a wide variety of members of the public who shared valuable insights to help us develop this Administration’s overtime rule, including from workers who told us: “I would love the opportunity to...be compensated for time worked beyond 40 hours, or alternately be given a raise,” and “I make around $40,000 a year and most week[s] work well over 40 hours (likely in the 45-50 range). This rule change would benefit me greatly and ensure that my time is paid for!” and “Please, I would love to be paid for the extra hours I work!”

The department’s final rule, which will go into effect on July 1, 2024, will increase the standard salary level that helps define and delimit which salaried workers are entitled to overtime pay protections under the FLSA. 

Starting July 1, most salaried workers who earn less than $844 per week will become eligible for overtime pay under the final rule. And on Jan. 1, 2025, most salaried workers who make less than $1,128 per week will become eligible for overtime pay. As these changes occur, job duties will continue to determine overtime exemption status for most salaried employees.

The rule will also increase the total annual compensation requirement for highly compensated employees (who are not entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA if certain requirements are met) from $107,432 per year to $132,964 per year on July 1, 2024, and then set it equal to $151,164 per year on Jan. 1, 2025.

Starting July 1, 2027, these earnings thresholds will be updated every three years so they keep pace with changes in worker salaries, ensuring that employers can adapt more easily because they’ll know when salary updates will happen and how they’ll be calculated.

The final rule will restore and extend the right to overtime pay to many salaried workers, including workers who historically were entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA because of their lower pay or the type of work they performed. 

We urge workers and employers to visit  our website to learn more about the final rule.

Jessica Looman is the administrator for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division. Follow the Wage and Hour Division on Twitter at  @WHD_DOL  and  LinkedIn .  Editor's note: This blog was edited to correct a typo (changing "administrator" to "administrative.")

• Wage and Hour Division (WHD)
• Fair Labor Standards Act
• overtime rule

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Fact Sheet on FTC’s Proposed Final Noncompete Rule

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The following outline provides a high-level overview of the FTC’s proposed final rule :

• Specifically, the final rule provides that it is an unfair method of competition—and therefore a violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act—for employers to enter into noncompetes with workers after the effective date.
• Fewer than 1% of workers are estimated to be senior executives under the final rule.
• Specifically, the final rule defines the term “senior executive” to refer to workers earning more than $151,164 annually who are in a “policy-making position.”
• Reduced health care costs: $74-$194 billion in reduced spending on physician services over the next decade.
• New business formation: 2.7% increase in the rate of new firm formation, resulting in over 8,500 additional new businesses created each year.
• This reflects an estimated increase of about 3,000 to 5,000 new patents in the first year noncompetes are banned, rising to about 30,000-53,000 in the tenth year.
• This represents an estimated increase of 11-19% annually over a ten-year period.
• The average worker’s earnings will rise an estimated extra $524 per year. 

The Federal Trade Commission develops policy initiatives on issues that affect competition, consumers, and the U.S. economy. The FTC will never demand money, make threats, tell you to transfer money, or promise you a prize. Follow the  FTC on social media , read  consumer alerts  and the  business blog , and  sign up to get the latest FTC news and alerts .

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