Today’s twip on twitter is:

#prestip: Giving the same presentation repeatedly? Remember you always have to sell it not just tell it. http://digg.com/u173rk

What is the difference between telling it and selling it?

Telling it, is when you stand up and say the words. It most often happens when you have done the same or similar presentations many time before. You know the material backwards and so you just stand up and say it. The problem is you tend to lose all the emotion from your voice. It isn’t new and exciting to your mind, so it is said in a way which isn’t new and exciting to your audience.

Whenever you give a presentation you have to perform it. You have to show that you care about what you are saying and put the emotion in to your voice.

For more hints and tips visit my presentation training site.

The following presentations from Day 1 of the conference are available for download:

Introduction to Conference and What is ReSAKSS? Babatunde Omilola, ReSAKSS-Africa Wide

Theme 1: Taking Stock: Agricultural Performance, Public Spending, Growth and Poverty Reduction Trends

• Growth and Investment Options for Achieving Agricultural Growth in Africa, Keynote Presentation, Shenggen Fan, IFPRI
• Agriculture Sector Performance in Southern Africa, Pius Chilonda, ReSAKSS-Southern Africa
• Informing Agricultural Trends and Livelihoods in West Africa, Mbaye Yade, ReSAKSS-West Africa
• Trends of Selected Agriculture & Rural Development Indicators in the COMESA Region, Joseph Karugia, ReSAKSS-Eastern and Central Africa

Theme 2: Strategies and Options for Improving Agricultural Performance

• Promotion of growth, poverty reduction and climate change adaptation through Land and Water Management, Elijah Phiri, CAADP Pillar 1/University of Zambia
• Promotion of Smallholder market access and the modernisation of regional marketing systems, Baba Dioum, CMA/AOC

Earlier this year the Beyond Distance team had an ‘away day’, during which we all gathered in Leicester’s leafy Victoria Park and carried out several activities to help us give better presentations – much to the amusement of passers-by. Activities included giving a presentation to an imaginary audience located way above us on the 18th floor of the nearby Attenborough Tower, and experimenting with different kinds of body language while talking to the flowers. (Good for improving our voice projection and stage presence, as you can imagine, not to mention addressing any inhibitions about public speaking!)

With presentations coming up at two major conferences in the next two months – one face-to-face (Online Educa Berlin) and one online (Beyond Distance’s Learning Futures Festival), I appreciate these strategies. However, I am also aware of the need to learn to use the so-called ‘back channel’ (twitter in live events, and the instant messaging chat box in online events) as a positive force.

For a great summary of the lively discussion taking place in the blogosphere about the use of twitter in face-to-face presentations, see this piece by Olivia Mitchell. Perhaps the most important point she makes is that one cannot ignore the back channel. Whether you choose to have the twitterstream projected on a large screen while you are presenting, or to specifically ask the conference organisers not to do so (both of which are legitimate choices), your audience will be interacting with one another – and the outside world – while you are speaking. Mitchell recommends asking a colleague, or a member of the audience if necessary, to play the role of twitter monitor, and stopping your presentation to respond to questions or comments from time to time. She also suggests telling the audience at the start of your presentation how and when you will respond to their tweets.

If you want to be more proactive about the use of twitter, you can integrate the twitterstream into your presentation, as described in an earlier blog posting by Terese. A further option is to actually schedule your own tweets that will be sent when you click on a particular slide.

If you are presenting online (for example in Elluminate or Adobe Connect), your audience is more likely to use the internal instant messaging tool than twitter, and it’s worth having a strategy for keeping up with the comments here too. In the ELKS seminars coordinated by Palitha Edirisingha at Beyond Distance, we have found it essential to have one person dedicated to monitoring the back channel, and summarising the questions and issues for the presenter at regular intervals.

Finally, don’t forget to archive the twitter stream (e.g. using Twapper Keeper) or to keep a recording of the online event for future reference.

Gabi Witthaus

REGISTER NOW FOR THE LEARNING FUTURES FESTIVAL
Learning Futures Festival Online 2010
Positively Disruptive
7–14 January 2010
More networking, more keynotes, more workshops, for less cost, less effort…
www.le.ac.uk/beyonddistance/festival

I can’t say much more except that yes, for sure, we are going to do Podcamp Halifax in 2010.   Once we confirm the location, we will be updating the wiki where people will be invited to offer their presentation on whatever topic interests them.    Then, we’ll open up the Eventbrite site like we did last year.   Also, if you have Google Wave, you can find a Wave that discusses possible presentation topics.  Just do a search for ‘with:public podcamp’ and you’ll find us!   The twitter tag is podcamphfx, just like last year.

Last year we sold out all 200 available tickets and put 50 more in a waiting list.   That means you probably want to book yourself in early!   The event will still be free, and yes, we will be looking for sponsors.

First term at the new job is wrapping up: I’ve finished the requisite chapters in the book I’ve been teaching from in each class, and that gives me leave to “play” a little in the last classes. We’re still doing the boring-as-water-boiling review session (and they’ve got final presentations), but I do want to pause a moment from my earlier frustrations and give you a peek into the classroom.

For mid-term presentations, the students had to present on either their most difficult day or an emergency (that’s what the book says, boss). I’ve really been digging this autopilot thing, it’s quite nice, even though we often go off on tangents as I try to update the colloquial sections and inform them of new idioms. Anyhow, presentations:

Wael, a man of about fifty, presented on how a man high on hash T-boned the taxi that he, his pregnant wife, and his daughter were in somewhere outside of Green Plaza Mall, and how he couldn’t tell his wife that their daughter needed an 80 grand-surgery to fix her hips.

Mohamad Hafiz, who works for Al-Salaama Hospital in Azarita, told us how, when he was living in the middle of nowhere in Saudi Arabia with his parents at the tender, impressionable age of 10, saw a family of ghosts living downstairs and couldn’t sleep or eat for two weeks. Apparently, while watching television late one night, Mr. Hafiz saw one of the doors open and the lights flick on; in drifted a man in a white galabiyya and his children. They stood their and watched him watching TV. Then, they drifted out, the doors closed behind them, and the lights shut off. Years later, he said, his father and mother said they had a similar encounter. Spooky.

Hassan told us how, when he was sixteen, he got drunk and flipped his motorcycle over a car when he was riding with his gang — his MOTORCYCLE GANG. On the Corniche. His friend riding behind him apparently had to get a metal plate in his head.

Reem, who has three children (and looks fantastic, I might add), told us of how her last son was born prematurely due to her pregnancy too soon after her caesarean section, and had a kind of birth defect that shut off oxygen to his brain when he was breastfed. A month of struggles in the hospital, and he was okay afterwards. She said it was one of the happiest days of her life when she could take him home.

Mina apparently has a kind of nasal polyp fungus in her lungs that has prevented her from breathing properly as a child. When she underwent surgery, the doctor discovered it was much more widespread than initially anticipated, and that she might have to undergo a disfiguring surgery to remove more polyps from her sinus passages. He closed her up and prayed. When he had finished praying, he brought her out of anesthesia and sent to a specialist in Cairo, where she underwent fiber-optic surgery instead. No disfigurement — but gosh, the girl kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time she was telling the story.

At the end of the class, I was drained. So many stories. And the entire time, everyone was laughing! It was as if the dragon had been defeated (it had), and that the valley had been cross (it was), and there was nothing more to fear from the story itself. And while I my heart was breaking for them, they kept saying, “Why are you saying you are sorry? You didn’t do anything!” I suppose it is an odd expression.

Last night, same class: I decided (since so many of them are asking me anyway) to give them a musical education. I played them a sample of country music, punk, some jazz, some metal…and let them assess the state of Western music beyond Celine Dion.

The biggest hit? Andrew Bird.

No, I’m not kidding. Half the class was begging me, “What is this? This is beautiful! What is the song called? Do you know the lyrics? Who is he?”

I nearly cried with joy.

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I do believe it’s officially that time of the semester where everyone gets cranky, we’re all tired, and we all feel like we’re just … stuck.  I certainly do.  It’s a time when there are loads of assignments due, gobs of exams to study for, and presentations to give.  We’re all feeling the stress and it’s showing.

Time to take a deep breath and settle in for the next 3 weeks.

I’ve also decided not to blog about my recent patient — it’s just too difficult to try to explain what was going on without violating this person’s privacy.  In any event, it was a very educational 2 days of clinical on Wednesday and Thursday.  I learned a great deal about people.

One funny/disturbing/typical story:

It was near the end of our shift, and we had about 5 minutes until post-conference (where we all meet in the staff lounge and discuss our patients — we’re practicing presenting a patient in case the doctors making rounds need to know from us what’s been happening with our patient).  I should preface the rest of the story by saying that, on our floor, we each have one patient for the duration of our shift, and only one.  Not all of the patients have a student assigned to them.  Anyway, I was standing at the end of the hall doing some last-minute computer charting of my patient, and out of the corner of my eye I see a hard-charging person.  I glance up and it’s the mean, nasty, scowling nurse who gives off bad vibes.  She’s moving quickly, and she looks up to my right, and I notice that the room nearest me has its call bell (white light) blinking, but I don’t hear it ringing.  Normally, the student to whom this room was assigned should have been notified and gone to see what the call bell was.  Of course, it wasn’t a student — it was AngryNurse.

She looks at me and says, with a decided sneer at my uniform, “What … students don’t answer call bells anymore?”  I replied in an even voice, “I’m sorry, I was charting and didn’t even see or hear the call bell for that patient’s room.”  To which she huffed and puffed a bit, and said with disdain, “Well, when I went to nursing school we would go running for every call bell, and wouldn’t be caught dead not answering one.”

Well.  Excuuuuuuuse me (said in a haughty tone).  I really really really really wanted to respond to AngryNurse, but I bit my tongue.  I’ve discovered there are definitely 3 types of nurses on our floor when we’re there:

1. Awesome Wants to Teach Nurse:  he/she seems to enjoy us being there; doesn’t mind telling us why he/she does things a certain way; says “hello” and “goodbye” to us; is happy that we’re helping them at all with mundane tasks.
2. Indifferent to the World Nurse:  he/she seems to kind of drift along aside the students, and doesn’t seem to care either way what we do; teaches if it’s a last resort, but prefers to just do things on his/her own and not involve us; says “thanks” when we do something, but doesn’t talk to us otherwise.
3. AngryNurse:  seems to want to slaughter us and send our bones and tendons and organs to the farthest reaches of the globe and proudly bellows how bitter he/she is to the world and generally makes us want to throw up all over the nurses’ station.

Students are to use their class time today to prepare their presentations.  Remember to conduct research.  Refer to our ebook and to the internet.  Keep track of your sources so you can list them at the end of your presentation.

Students are also to continue to work through their keyboarding lessons.  Your goal is 30 wpm (words per minute) with accuracy of at least 97% on a five minute timed test.

We will have a timed test as a class as part of your final mark.

Use your time wisely today.

11th December 2009 Speaker  Nicola Gordon Bowes: Author of book on Harry Clark, Design/Art Historian and writer

• Nicola Gordon Bowe is an associate research fellow at NCAD and former director of the MA Course in the History of Design and the Applied Arts, NCAD, Dublin (National University of Ireland).She has held research fellowships at CASVA in Washington DC, at the Huntington Library, California and from the Guild of St. George (England) and served on academic, cultural advisory and examining committees in Ireland, England and Scotland. Represented Ireland on international UNESCO study group for Art Nouveau architecture. An Hon Fellow of the British Society of Master Glass Painters, she has written and lectured widely on late 19th and 20th century decorative arts, compiled exhibition catalogues and contributed to e.g. Country Life, Apollo, Journal of the Decorative and Propaganda Arts, Antiques, Journal of the British Society of Master Glass Painters, Craft Arts International, Journal of the Decorative Arts Society, Journal of the Stained Glass Association of America, Studies in the Decorative Arts, The Journal of Design History, Crafts, Irish Arts Review and the Irish Architectural and Decorative Studies, etc.

4th December  2009 Speaker John Duncan: Source Magazine Editor

• Link to interesting Ezine on Craft. Relates to topics discussed by John Duncan on Dec. 4 Journal of Modern Craft  http://journalofmoderncraft.com/

The Ignite London challenge of telling the story of my 1794 heroes in five minutes and 20 slides set me thinking about other ways to package up a narrative in the most minimal way.

In parallel with preparing my talk, I used the slides as the starting point for some printed material. My experimental recipe is as follows:

First, catch your story. The idea of 1794 as a focal point struck me while reading, for different reasons, about Joseph Priestley, Camille Desmoulins, John Thelwall and Matthew Murray. Desmoulins led me to the war in France, and Jean-Marie-Joseph Coutelle and Claude Chappe. Antoine Lavoisier formed a further link between Priestley and Coutelle. Soon I had a map spelling out the connections.

Excite the attentions of the ingenious.^TM I’d been wondering how to break the all-male line-up of heroes when I saw this tweet:

Turns out Roberta Wedge has been engaging on Twitter on behalf of the mother of feminism for several months now. Thanks to her intervention, Mary Wollstonecraft was in.

Tell the story in 20 slides. The Ignite format demands concentration on the essence and pacing of a story. Since the slides advance automatically every 15 seconds, each slide needs to stand for no more than two or three connected points. To their credit, none of my fellow Ignite London speakers lost it under the time pressure. I’m not sure if it would be worse to stand gaping waiting for the next slide, or to watch powerless as a presentation runs away with itself.

Talk links, not nodes. One strategy I found to deal with the rigid timing was to make slides that represent the links in the story, not the nodes. For example, if I have a slide about Desmoulins and a slide about Lavoisier, I must speak for 15 seconds on each, and have to hit the slide change dead on. But If I have a slide that says both were executed, I have the flexibility to switch from Desmoulins to Lavoisier at any time in the 15 seconds…

This approach, born out of practicality, made me wonder if focusing on the links as much as the nodes could be a good model for lots of storytelling in the age of the web. After all, much of the static content of the nodes is well covered in my sources, both offline and online. The new value I bring is linking them together into a new narrative. Jeff Jarvis says “Cover what you do best. Link to the rest”. But maybe what you do best is links, not to, but between great pieces of content.

Go to press. It seemed a shame to leave those slides unrealised. My tangible object could have been a standard book, with binding and everything, but I liked the idea that my slides should be as easy to remix on paper as they are in the slide sorter mode of my presentation software.  I chose Moo business cards. For v0.1 of the prototype, I’ve cheated a bit, using stickers to hold the text on the reverse of the cards.

Smooth on the inside, crunchy on the outside. (Armadillos!) Without a binding it was a lot easier to reshuffle my story, but it still needed some kind of container to hold it together and give a more satisfying permanence than the cards alone. A business card holder seemed the obvious thing. Just a few pounds bought an engraved one.

(This was the second card holder I received. The first was an ENGRAVING FAIL) Altogether the kit looks like this…

Make it mobile. I set up a separate page for each slide, and printed its URL on the back of the corresponding card. Thanks to WordPress.com’s mobile template, this means there’s an instant small-screen, hyper-linked up, comment-ready version of every page.

Rinse and repeat. This is v0.1, and there will probably be a 0.2, once I’ve had a chance to play with the story and its tangible form a bit more. One bit that’s not quite there yet is the link between physical and virtual. I toyed with using QR codes to make the link between paper and phone, and may still do so. The trouble was that making the QR code big enough to be readable by a phone made it too obtrusive, and I really want these cards to be made for people to use, not machines. I guess the ideal would be an app with image recognition so that just pointing the camera at each card is enough to bring up the relevant links and comment box. Unless you have a better idea.

I had a conversation this week with a business about what was different about us compared to hiring a temp?

Our focus is on the admin and secretarial service as a dedicated business resource and we work for a few hours or much longer depending on your project or requirements.  In some cases we have clients that started with us over 3 years ago.  But we try to establish a business relationship with our clients to provide a high quality service and become more of a business partner to you.  Additionally we only bill for time worked, not for any breaks, holidays, sickness, pension, NI – the list can be endless!

As we have grown and become more established our skill base has increased, we offer support for typing, data entry, invoicing, presentations, record management, newsletters, mailing services, event management, personal assistant, telephone calling, researching – our list seems to keep growing! 

We like to think we offer a service that provides real value – why not contact us to see how we can help you? 

End of my third week of nephrology and what a busy day.  My patient load doubled overnight which meant lots of new workups to do.  On top of that, had lots of labs to follow-up on and some med reviews as well.  The nephro MD came in early today and did rounds without me as well so I had to play catch up on all my patients who are scattered all over the hospital.  I should start to keep track of how much time I spend waiting for elevators and moving from ward to ward.  Ended up being a good day though, made a few interventions and cleaned up some orders.  Had a patient admitted for a possible tunnel infection of her dialysis line and she was started on vancomycin and gentamicin.  The MD underdosed the antibiotics though so I had to call to get some new orders (after having a discussion and making my recommendations, of course). 

Got lectured by a doctor today for making him wait.  A pen skin test had been ordered on a patient in dialysis but the testing kit didn’t get sent.  I guess he figured since I was a pharmacist and it was pharmacy that failed to send the kit that I was somehow to blame (not at all actually), but I ran down to get it for him and apologized for making him wait. 

Yesterday, I gave my case presentation for the rotation.  I reviewed the treatment of restless legs syndrome in dialysis patients.  My case patient definitely like to talk and was great about describing her symptoms to me.  Imagine taking the blood out of your legs and filling them with creepy, crawly bugs instead- sounds very unpleasant.  She also asked if I carried triplicate prescriptions with me as she was looking to get started on oxycontin for some pain she was having in her back.  Thankfully, I can honestly answer that question with a quick NO.  So back to the presentation, I think it went pretty well.  I am always nervous when I give them and swear my face was on fire while I was talking.  Not sure why I always get so nervous.  I’ve considered getting a beta-blocker to slow my racing heart down but I’m a bit concerned that I might pass out or something. 

Have lots of reading to do over the weekend, discussing hepatitis B infections and anticoagulation in dialysis patients next week and also have nearly 200 pages to read for the next academic half day. 

Monday:  In Drawing today I attempted to get more student participation in the instruction portion of the lesson.  I asked the students if any of them were willing to be a model for me.  Nobody volunteered.  So I asked for a girl to come up to the front to be our physical example, or model.  I chose a student that is quite good at proportion already, so she wouldn’t miss seeing the demonstration.  I asked the students about her eye placement in relation to her head as a whole.  Then I had the students measure her facial features and their relation to each other, using their pencils, held out.

            I gave out charcoal pencils for them to use, and they worked on recreating a self-portrait originally done by Picasso.  It went pretty smoothly.

            In Art 1 I started by greeting the students at the door.  Then the students started working on their opening activity.  Heather said that she was SO happy with how they got down to work on it.  I think this happened through a combination of my greetings and Heather’s talk with them about it last week.  We gave them pencils as a reward.  Heather urged me to praise them and butter them up really well.  As I gave out the pencils I said “You’re welcome.”  This reminded the students to thank me.  A couple of weeks ago I think I would have avoided this life lesson with the students, but I am starting to feel like the more comfortable I act and the more “strict” I am the students react better to me.

            At CHS the Keyboarding class started out a little unfocused, but this is pretty normal after a weekend.  Thankfully they are a pleasant class and quick to change bad behaviors when corrected.

            The Art A class worked on finishing up their paintings.  They will present them to the class on Wednesday.

            The Art B class presented their last project, the faculty portraits.  They answered these questions: What did you learn?  What did you enjoy?  What is something you would change if you could?

            Then I introduced them to their next project.  It is a pastel composition inspired by the Romantic art movement, especially the artwork of JMW Turner.  They will pick a word from a list of words I chose and convey that word in their composition and design choices.  The words were along the line of “contemplative”, “tumultuous”, and “exuberant”.

Tuesday: Today in Drawing I was observed.  For the most part it was a successful class period.  However I forgot to mention the learning objectives for the day, throwing me off from the get-go.  I stumbled a little in my instructions to the whole group.  I dropped the proverbial “ball”.  I need to learn to relax and take my time in front of the class.  I feel like my one-on-one instruction is quite decent, but I need to get over my self-consciousness and discomfort in front of groups of students.  Public speaking was never something I excelled at, and I need to develop in this area.  I did show a couple of You Tube videos of sped up self-portraits.  It was a good use of technology in the class.

            The Art 1 class walked into the classroom with me at the door, greeting them, again.  I still feel sort of strange when I stand there, but it is nice to greet the students as individuals.  They worked on finishing up their 2-point perspective drawings, which were due today at the end of the period.

            The Printmaking class also started with me at the door, greeting the students.  Then I helped the students get the paper and linoleum cut to the sizes they needed. 

            In between classes there was a fight right outside of our classroom.  It is so scary to see students that angry at each other.  I was intimidated, but Heather charged right in!  I admire that, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be that brave.

            In the second Art 1 class the students were not as respectful as usual.  They should have been more on task since this was their final day to work on their project.  I helped several students with their projects, but the vibe in the classroom was not positive.

            Today was a bit discouraging for me.  I think it was my worst since the first week of school.  I am praying and hopeful that tomorrow will be better.

Wednesday: What an improvement from yesterday.  I told the students the learning objectives and offered some tips.  Then I circulated the room, stopping at each student to offer advice, encouragement, or both.  I had good interactions with all of the students.  They all took the advice well and were pleasant!

            In Art 1 the students started a new project, the last one before I take over the teaching.  Heather showed them what the finished product could look like but only told them the first step in the process.  It was enough information to give them to keep them occupied for the day.  I am learning that I need to teach this way at Lincoln.   I can’t explain the whole process and let them work at their own pace.  They need more daily direction.

            In Printmaking the students were not working quietly on their entry task, so Heather hit the random button on the seating chart.  The students had to move to new seats.  Then she also wouldn’t let them listen to music.  I took mental notes.

            At CHS the Keyboarding class continued working on their projects and chapters.  No major behavior problems.

            The Art A class reflected on and presented their Group Master Study Paintings.  They reflected on the background of the artist, painting, or movement, and their work as a group.  Then I introduced them to the next project, a collage on canvas.  I think this project will really encourage creativity and individual expression!

Thursday:  Today in Drawing I used a resource that I had seen used in my Diversity class yesterday.  I showed the students a short You Tube video that shows how one can miss something really obvious if they’re focused on something else.  It was a good lesson on observation.  Then, after reminders of what they were working on and telling them what the assignment will be graded on, I realized them to work.  The self-portraits will be graded on craftsmanship, whether the students followed directions, if it was turned in on time and was complete, shading, attention to detail, and proportions. 

            The Art 1 continued to work on their drawings for their current project.  I was able to help a couple of students with their drawings.  My relationships with the students continue to develop.  I am hopeful and praying that when I take over in a couple of weeks the students will react well.

            The Printmaking class was quiet.  Heather is in the midst of dealing with their worsening behavior.  A student asked me if Ms. Conklin was mad today; I responded by saying that the class needs to improve their behavior.  They started out the year well and are slacking off.  I expect that Heather’s talks with the students will result in improved effort and behavior.

            The second Art 1 class also worked on their drawings for their current project.  They are a little harder for me to connect with than the other class, probably because I haven’t been present at as many of their class sessions.  I find the 2^nd period class more likeable and less intimidating, and Heather feels the opposite.  It’s interesting how different people can react so differently from each other, given the same circumstances!

Friday: In Drawing today I warned the students that they would need 4 everyday objects for class on Tuesday.  Then I got the students started on their self-portraits.  As they worked I went from table to table, sitting and working on a project example for another class.  This opened up conversations with students that I had not had much interaction with before, and it grew relationships with them.  They also had the opportunity to see me working on art-making.  The best news from the class session was my interaction with the girl student that is usually disrespectful.  I told her a couple of things to improve on her picture, and she admitted that she didn’t know what to do.  Then she asked me to tell/show her how to do it.  I showed her, and she said that she understood it.  That was rewarding!  I hope that this helps improve our relationship.

            At CHS, during the Keyboarding class there was a fire drill.  I led my students upstairs and out of the building, to the parking lot.  It was cold out, but the students need to know the route they would take if there were a real fire.

The art classes began working on their new projects, a collage and a pastel drawing.  I picked these to be their next projects because we don’t have a lot of time before the Art Show on December 3 and 4.  I wanted to ensure that they would be able to finish before then. 

Week: This week saw a very difficult day and several encouraging days.  As I prepare for teaching the Art 1 class I am working on being more consistent and tough.  I have started greeting the students of the first 3 periods at the door when they come in.  I am progressing.  Sometimes it feels like the progress is slow, but I think it’s there.

Last day on Pediatrics today! The rotation seemed to fly by. I really enjoyed working with the team of residents, MSIs and nurses.  I had a lot of questions dosing and choice of drug therapy and it was nice to give my input. I ended up looking up most of the questions because I didn’t know a lot of answers. Here are a few things I took away from the rotation:

1) A lot of therapies are initiated without any real evidence. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of well done RCTs in the pediatric population so we have to work with what we have. An example is giving PPIs for pediatric GERD.

2) Getting children to take meds can be a challenge. I had multiple encounters where I had to convince patients to take their liquid antibiotics. Cefuroxime suspension is very bitter and most children don’t like it. The taste of it is also difficult to mask in yogurt or apple sauce.

3) Meticulously checking all doses! Normally I am able to look at a drug regimen (in adults) and know whether it’s an “appropriate” dose or not but with pediatrics you have to checking all doses based on mg/kg dosing. 

I also presented a case on a contreversial topic: the use of prophylactic antibiotics in children. I had a hard time putting it together and worked really hard to make it interesting for the audience. Afterward, I got some great feedback so the hard work paid off I guess! Here is a copy of my slides: pedscasepresentation

My PowerPoint decks have always been heavy on the bullets.

OK, really heavy.

But I tried something different this week for my presentation to a conference of graduate-school financial aid professionals.  I was asked by the Access Group to talk about the impact of the new credit-card legislation on their students, and I certainly could have gone down the “heavy on the bullets” approach.

Two examples: The Kudzu and Fear slides

But I decided to go the other way.  I outlined my presentation, wrote my speech, spent a lot of time thinking about how to illustrate my points without hiding behind bullets, and used iStockPhoto.com to find professional quality photos for my slides.  I then created two pages of Speakers Notes, which I copied onto one page and passed out in lieu of a deck that wouldn’t mean much to someone who wasn’t in the room with us.

What did I learn?

• I spent more time thinking about the flow of my presentation and the audience’s experience than I ever had before.  It finally started working when I decided on the “one thing” that I wanted them to leave with  — Risk and Fear are the drivers of changes in the card industry and the new business model that issuers are creating.
• I spent coming up with stories to illustrate my points,  It helped that I set up a format for my outline that included Headline, Graphic, Key Point, Supporting Data, and Story for each slide.
• My presentation was more memorable (i.e., sticky).  People were smiling at some of the images I put up on the screen.  For example, I used Kudzu (aka the plant that took over the Southeast) as the illustration for a slide about the unintended consequences that have arisen from the bill.  It took me two sentences to make the connection, but it worked.  Very few people smile at bullets.
• I probably swung the pendulum too far in terms of marrying the illustrations to charts and graphs.  In retrospect, I could have easily added a few charts that would have made a few of the slides work even better.
• On the other hand, I had a section that outlined changes in credit lines, household card debt,  account closures, and mail volume.  Would have made a mind-numbing slide of bullets in the past.  This time, I used a photo of a rollercoaster just before its first plunge and two 28-point boxes that showed open credit lines falling from $4.7 trillion to $3.4 trillion in just over a year.  That approach enabled me to tell a story that used data rather than being driven by it.
• This approach also added a bit of serenity to my final preparations.  I was changing my own personal Speaker Notes, rather than changing slides.  I did make a last-minute decision to change the order of two slides to improve flow and help with transitions, but that was no big deal.

I know changing my approach will take time, but I got my feet wet on this one.  I’m sharing it with a few friends to see what they think.  There are some great resources out there to get you started — I’ve been reading Nick Morgan and Jan Schultink.  You can’t go wrong with Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds, who has a Must Read book of the same title (and a new coming out soon) and a website.  The link is to the website.   Seth Godin put together a great site dedicated to becoming a really good graphic designer. 

The most important benefit to this approach was how I felt as I entered the room.  I had a strategy and I had a message.  And I had confidence.

Transgender Day of Remembrance events at LPTS

We are so lucky to have a Women’s Center at LPTS!!!

Note that the Transgender Day of Remembrance will be observed through a number of events during the day Friday, November 20. See the Transgender Day of Remembrance Page for more details.

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We all know that laughter reduces stress, increases energy, motivates and makes people feel better about themselves and others. Yet many offices, or cubicle farms, are serious spaces, with people worrying that a joke could offend, inspire ridicule or make them look unworthy of promotion.

Yes, humor can bring risks. But, handled the right way, the risks are outweighed by the rewards of happier people.

After too many years of serious corporate writing, I’ve tried to be funny in some of my blog posts. As some of my readers might agree, often I’m a comedian only in my own mind. In case you didn’t catch on, this is an example of self-deprecating humor. No belly laughs, but maybe you smiled.

From much of the tedious communication that crosses my desk, I know that many others need help to rediscover their inner comedian.

I asked for advice from one of the funniest people I know, Kathleen McAulay, therapeutic clown, stand-up comedian and workplace humor consultant.

That last title is not a joke. She’s worked with many organizations that recognize the benefits of laughter.

Kathleen offered three tips for revving up humour: be yourself, tell stories and interact.

1. Be yourself
Kathleen urges would-be office comics to think about the kind of humor that works for them. “Some people just can not tell a joke, but they’re quick with the one-liners. Other people may want to illustrate their point with a funny story about what their kid did the other day.” Observational humour, satire, exaggeration, fantasy or silliness may also work.

To make my humor work for me, I might leverage the fact that I’m a speed talker. When I get going too fast, I will often pause briefly, telling people I need to breathe and let them catch up.

The point is to cultivate your personal brand of humor. As Jerry Seinfeld said: “The whole object of comedy is to be yourself and the closer you get to that, the funnier you will be.”

2. Tell stories
Pick the physical details that will help your audience visualize your story. Share feelings they can identify with. Although the stories should be based on the truth, feel free to exaggerate wildly.

For example, I’ve written about my frustration with my 82-year-old mother who insists on smoking outside of her nursing home in raging blizzards. I point out that she permits me to wheel in her snow-crusted body before hypothermia strikes.

Or, when talking about saving money during the recession, Kathleen urges people to wear knee pads and a helmet when shopping at Value Village on half-price day.

3. Interact
With live humor, you must interact with the audience. Kathleen advises people want to inject more humor into their presentations or meetings to take courses in improv comedy. “It’s the best way to learn how to read your audience and learn how to communicate through body language, tone and rhythm.”

For written humor, Kathleen recommends writing in a conversational tone, as if you were performing, building in phrases and styles that suggest body language, pauses and other live elements.

Now you’re probably rolling your eyes and making that “tsk” sound between your teeth, while muttering “How can I convey body language and interact?” Hint: I just did.

Kathleen encourages people to test out their comedy, especially if they’re in doubt, with someone who will be brutally honest.

Stay away from the sarcasm and humor that could take a nasty turn. Kathleen promotes humor that builds up, not tears down.

Why do we need more laughter at work?
Laughter reduces stress by making people breathe deeply and shift their focus. As Mark Twain wrote: “Humor is the great thing, the saving thing. The minute it crops up, all our irritation and resentments slip away, and a sunny spirit take their place.”

We spend more time with the people at work than we do with our families so there are plenty of reasons to laugh more. Here are a few.
• The bottom line will be served by decreasing stress and increasing motivation, energy and creativity.
• Customer service will be lifted up to a level of personal expression that warms customers, suppliers and prospects. Bosses, project leaders, customer service reps and sales people will connect with their teams and customers.
• People are far more likely to remember what you’ve said. “It’s like a highlighter,” Kathleen says.
• Humor makes us less likely to want to shoot one another.

Everyone knows that if you’re going to be presenting to a group of business people at 8 o’clock in the morning, you’ve got to do something to get their attention.  Don’t they?

Well it would seem not, if this morning’s event was anything to go by.  I’ve changed the names of places and people to protect the embarrassment of those involved but this morning I witnessed something that would have put me off the presenter’s business for life.

The occasion?  A business breakfast in a hotel in a large-ish Thames Valley town, M4 corridor, you get the picture.  7:30 start and guest speaker on at 8.  Unfortunately the speaker was talking about IT, which is fine but it’s the market I’m in so I know a fair bit about it.  And it was his business as well, so of course what else is he going to talk about? The subject matter was not his fault.

With an audience of about 40 people, from a wide variety of businesses ranging from a multi-national car manufacturer down to sole traders, the guest speaker put up a Powerpoint agenda slide that must have had 15 items on it, starting with slide number 1, “The IT Market.”  Eyebrows were raised.  25 minutes later and we are still on Slide 1.  We have had everything from the introduction of the mainframe, to dumb terminals, to when PCs were invented, the operating systems involved, when Exchange was developed, how mobiles came about, what VoIP is, etc etc.  For me, the killer line was a quote about when email was first developed:  “You couldn’t just send an email, you had to provoke it.”  I’m sure there is someone on this planet that understands that, but it isn’t me, and I’m darned sure there were very few in the audience who did either.

The audience grew fidgety.  The event co-ordinator whispered to the presenter that he needed to wrap up soon.  He carried on to slide 2, 3 and 4.  The co-ordinator whispered, a bit more loudly this time, that he needed to wrap up now.  He carried on, and on… and on.  Eventually the poor co-ordinator had to stand up and apologise that we really didn’t have time for any more etc etc.  What’s more, because the presenter had over-run his time, there was no time for the rest of the delegates to do their one-minute elevator pitches to promote their own businesses.  Annoying when you’ve driven 50 miles up the M4 to do just that.

So what did this poor presenter do wrong?  Well first of all he forgot his audience.  He didn’t take into account their level of understanding of IT.  Then he forgot the situation. At 8am, how many people want an endless historical lecture about the history of computing?  Why not start off with the results of a survey, or to ask people in the room about an IT situation they may have encountered, or tell an interesting anecdote that backed up the main message of his presentation.  What was the main message of his presentation?  We will never know.  And that poor guy has lost I don’t know how many potential customers because he forgot all of those things.

My advice?  You may have a standard presentation.  Most people do.  But I would urge you to adapt it to the circumstances  you’re in.  An early morning crowd need livening up, not boring to sleep.  Think about starting big, then getting quickly to your main message.  Develop 3 or 4 anecdotes you can interchange at the start of your presentation, depending on your audience.

What level of knowledge does your audience have?  Are they all from the same industry as you? Can you expect them to understand the buzzwords like Cloud Computing and VoIP, or do you need to couch it in layman’s terms?

What message do you want to leave with your audience?  Don’t take for ever to get to this.  Get it in early because that’s when they’re paying attention. And repeat it – not ad nauseum but enough times to push the message home.

Have a handout.  Either distribute leaflets or pass round a card carrying salient information that your audience can focus on while they listen.

Have props.  Props can be fun as long as they’re relevant, even a tenuous link can be good as a way of breaking the ice.

Make your slides interesting.  Anyone looking at an agenda slide with 15 topics on it will be filled with horror.   Instead of lists of words on each slide, make it more creative – incorporate diagrams, but make them simple so people can easily grasp what you’re saying.  Build up slides as you make your point. 

Include photos or graphics, video, sound, whatever you can cope with. 

All great in theory. But if you don’t have the time or don’t have the skills to put together a creative, attractive presentation, consider having your presentation professionally designed by a someone who thinks in visual terms rather than in words.  With a proper brief from you about your business and your messages, they will be able to turn your thoughts into a compelling presentation that will engage your audience rather than send them to sleep!