A fundamental (often neglected) lecture skill: presenting with credibility

来源期刊： Annals of Eye Science | 2017年7月第2卷第7期： - 发布时间： 04 July 2017.阅读量：864

作者：: Ana Gabriela Palis,

关键词：: Lectures health communication teaching; Lectures health communication teaching

DOI：: 10.21037/aes.2017.05.06

Abstract: Being credible as medical speakers is a fundamental quality to achieve. Although there are many factors that determine the credibility of a medical presenter, the way presentations are delivered (the lecture’s structure, visual aids, and the lecturer’s communication skills and engagement with the audience) will influence the effect speakers have on their audience and how credible people consider the lecturer, which will ultimately affect students’ learning. This perspective provides recommendations to increase speakers’ credibility through applying common presentation and communication principles in four domains: expertise and competence (e.g., know your audience, organize your presentation, introduce yourself, hold your arguments with evidence, avoid information overload, be prepared to answer questions), authenticity (be an accessible and honest speaker), personal presence (rehearse your presentation, get organized early, enjoy the moment), and dynamism (engage your audience, do not read your slides, explain the data, use images rather than text, avoid distracting your audience, ask and encourage questions).

Introduction

Authenticity, truthfulness, credibility—virtues that are considered fundamental not only in medicine or teaching but in every person of good. The public in general and our students in particular take it for granted (or, at least, wish to believe) that the information and knowledge we present to them are authentic and true. Our credibility as knowledge deliverers will influence the learning of our students: studies show that people accept the information provided by what they consider credible sources to a greater degree than when it is obtained from sources who they do not consider trustworthy (1,2).

Many factors determine the credibility of a medical speaker: his/her reputation or professional position, how he/she holds views about a topic, personal conflicts of interest, and other heuristics (simple rules about categories of people considered to be credible) (3-6). Unfortunately, when we deliver knowledge or provide information through our presentations we do not always “sound” authentic or credible. Slides read verbatim, paragraphs tediously recited, statements lacking citations, non-referenced images and even a monotonous or overacted speech undermine our credibility. Regardless of the excellence of the content of a presentation, if it is not properly presented, the chances of being accepted as valid by those listening to it will be remarkably lower.

In her book “Presenting with Credibility”, presentation expert Bruna Martinuzzi (7) defines “credibility” as the quality of being credible or trustworthy. It is not a virtue that we can claim for ourselves: it is our audience who will attribute it to us. Martinuzzi allocates the credibility of a speaker to four essential dimensions: expertise and competence, authenticity, personal presence, and dynamism.

The purpose of this perspective is to suggest some recommendations to enhance speakers’ credibility as communicators and presenters in each of these four domains.

The four domains of a credible presenter

Conclusions

“Credibility is the holy grail of presenters” (7). If we are experts in the content but are not able to present it adequately we have few possibilities that people pay attention to what we say, and disregard us as credible experts. Working through ways to improve in each of the four dimensions (our expertise and competence, authenticity, personal presence, and dynamism) will help us deliver the knowledge we have in a more interesting, dynamic, and passionate presentation.

1、Nelson C, Hartling L, Campbell S, et al. The effects of audience response systems on learning outcomes in health professions education. A BEME systematic review: BEME Guide No. 21. Med Teach 2012;34:e386-405.

2、Mayer RE, Stull A, DeLeeuw K, et al. Clickers in the classroom: Fostering learning with questioning methods in large lecture classes. Contemp Educ Psychol 2009;34:51-7.

3、Duarte N. slide:ology. The art and science of creating great presentations. Sebastopol (CA): O’Reilly, 2011.

4、Mayer RE. Multimedia learning. 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, 2009.

5、Price L. Lecturers’ vs. students’ perceptions of the accessibility of instructional materials. Instructional Sci 2007;35:317-41.

6、Chaudhury SR. The Lecture. In: Buskist W, Groccia JE. editors. Evidence-Based Teaching. San Francisco (CA): Jossey-Bass, Wiley, 2011.

7、Bliss M. Speaking for results: how to make presentations with confidence and credibility. Tenn Med 2009;102:35.

8、Knowles MS, Holton RA 3rd, Swanson RA. The Adult Learner. 7th ed. Burlington (MA): Elsevier, 2011:189-94.

9、Ambrose SA, Bridges MW, DiPietro M, et al. Chapter 1: How does students’ prior knowledge affect their learning? How learning woks. Seven research-based principles for smart teaching. John Willey & Sons, Inc., 2010.

10、Morgan N. How to become and authentic speaker. Harv Bus Rev 2008;86:115-9.

11、Smith RM. Conquering the content. A step-by-step guide to online course design. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2008:63-81.

12、Cook MP. Visual representations in Science education: The influence of prior knowledge and cognitive load theory on instructional design principles. Sci Educ 2006;90:1073-91.

13、Clark R, Nguyen F, Sweller J. Efficiency in learning. Evidence-based Guidelines to Manage Cognitive Load. San Francisco (CA): Pfeiffer, 2006.

14、Newble D, Cannon R. Chapter 2: Teaching in large groups. A Handbook for Medical Teachers. 4th edition. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001.

15、Harden RM, Laidlaw SL. Chapter 21: The lecture and teaching with large groups. Essential skills for a medical teacher. An introduction to teaching and learning in medicine. London: Elsevier, Churchill Livingstone, 2012.

16、Clark RC. Evidence-based Training Methods: A Guide for Training Professionals. Alexandria: The American Society for Training and Development, 2010:188.

17、Stahl SM, Davis RL. Best Practices in Medical Teaching. New York (NY): Cambridge University Press, 2011.

18、Brown G, Manogue M. AMEE Medical Education Guide No. 22: Refreshing lecturing: A guide for lecturers. Med Teach 2001;23:231-44.

19、Copeland HL, Longworth DL, Hewson MG, et al. Successful lecturing. A prospective study to validate attributes of the effective medical lecture. J Gen Intern Med 2000;15:366-71.

20、Cantillon P. Teaching large groups. BMJ 2003;326:437-40.

21、Lupia A. Communicating science in politicized environments. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013;110:14048-54.

22、Martinuzzi B. Presenting with credibility. Practical tools and techniques for effective presentations. San Francisco: Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Press, 2012.

23、Walker MJ, Rogers WA. Reasonableness, Credibility, and Clinical Disagreement. AMA J Ethics 2017;19:176-82.

24、Meffert JJ. Key opinion leaders: where they come from and how that affects the drugs you prescribe. Dermatol Ther 2009;22:262-8.

25、McGarry J, Hendrick C. Communicator credibility and persuasion. Mem Cognit 1974;2:82-6.

26、Fulton RB. The measurement of speaker credibility. J Commun 1970;20:270-9.

27、Petty RE, Wegener DT, Fabrigar LR. Attitudes and attitude change. Annu Rev Psychol 1997;48:609-47.

28、Hovland CI, Weiss W. The influence of source credibility on communication effectiveness. Public Opin Q 1951;15:635-50.

其他期刊

眼科学报

主管：中华人民共和国教育部
主办：中山大学
承办：中山大学中山眼科中心
主编：林浩添

主管：中华人民共和国教育部
主办：中山大学

浏览
Eye Science

主管：中华人民共和国教育部
主办：中山大学
承办：中山大学中山眼科中心
主编：林浩添

主管：中华人民共和国教育部
主办：中山大学

浏览

Notice