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In The Spotlight
Building a successful career in EMS may initially appear to focus on prehospital training and emergency management capabilities, but a skill of equal importance is the ability to communicate effectively before an audience. Such communication goes beyond face-to-face conversations and entails the ability to publicly present information and ideas in a manner that conveys confidence.
Prepare to Deliver
Whether presenting an educational course, discussing critical issues before senior leadership, performing community outreach or addressing a meeting of public officials, an effective public presentation is equally dependent on topic preparation and speech delivery.
In preparing your topic, identify the theme of your talk and what you intend to accomplish, then develop your speech in the following order: conclusion, introduction, body. Toastmasters International, an organization that hones public speaking abilities, notes that the first thing to plan in any speech is the last thing you want to say. The theme should center on a specific idea, action or process. A common pitfall among public speakers is the tendency to veer off topic, particularly if the speaker is uncomfortable addressing a group; therefore, developing the conclusion before constructing the body of your presentation will maintain focus on the take-away message.
The body should be logical and unambiguous. Most speaking opportunities in EMS focus on medical pathophysiology and treatment protocols. With these presentations, case studies are often recommended as "wake-up" exercises, particularly if the lecture is heavy-laden with information.
Developing community outreach presentations requires that the speaker research the intended audience's level of understanding and craft the presentation accordingly. First-time presenters may be tempted to impress members of the public with graphics, terminology and detailed explanations. Such elaboration risks overloading the audience with information they cannot process. The best advice to heed when addressing the general public is to use plain, simple dialogue.
Presentations outside the continuing education arena, such as those intended for conferences, elected officials or meetings with senior leadership, present a unique challenge, as complex issues must be boiled down to headlines, followed by one- or two-sentence explanations. Glynn Bedington, author of Who Do You Want to Be? The Art of Presenting Yourself With Ease, writes that the essence of such speeches should be developed with intention, action, main ideas and importance in mind.1 Forward (positive) momentum is critical in these professional forums, even if the reason for the presentation is to oppose a change initiative. Past president of Virginia Government Communicators Steven R. Skinner points out that negative, or "anti-," talk is unconstructive, fails to build consensus and risks making the tone of the message the day's headline, instead of the content. Therefore, have these presentations focus on facts, figures and solutions to make the audience aware of what you are for, not what you are against.
Prepare all talks in outline format. Next, review the outline for logic and clarity. Do the subject and content match? Apply illustrations sparingly, as they are seldom recalled in detail and risk serving as a distraction.
Once your presentation has been prepared, spend time practicing your speech. Use descriptive words that allow the listener to picture your meaning, but apply as few words as possible to make this happen. Lengthy explanations may prompt audience members to doubt your credibility, sincerity or grasp of the issues.
It is just as important to place the correct amount of emphasis on a word or phrase as it is to identify correct terminology; therefore, make notations on the outline to indicate how and when you want to stress certain points. For emphasis, consider drawing an upward slant to signify when you should engage in "up-talking," such as at the end of a question. To stress a particular point or add weight to the conclusion of your sentence, use a downward arrow to designate when you should apply lower amplitude ("down-talking"). Sometimes it is important to pause in your speech delivery to highlight a critical element of your message. Most speakers are uncomfortable with any period of silence during a presentation, but a one-second "purposeful pause" at the conclusion of each main item or after mentioning an area of critical focus can actually serve as an effective highlighting tool.
Rehearse timings and record yourself speaking from the outline. You might be initially surprised at how you sound or how fast you run through the material. You may also find yourself using tangential remarks or applying humor inappropriately. Vary the inflection and tone of your voice to draw attention to key areas and to avoid sounding monotonous.2 Frequent speech rehearsals will enable a secure, firm grasp of the subject matter and enable you to speak boldly to your audience. This latter point is particularly important. A bold, enthusiastic delivery will inspire confidence in yourself, clarify your message and overcome any underlying concerns you may have about your presentation. Time spent observing effective speakers will reveal that oftentimes it is not the content of a presentation that sways listeners but the manner in which the message is delivered.
Conquering Anxiety
Anxiety is a frequent concern for most speakers, as it can affect memory recall, generate distracting movements or utterances, and make the speaker appear ill-prepared. But for the inexperienced presenter, anxiety does more than that: It increases muscle tension on the diaphragm and speech articulators, causing one's voice to reflect tension, stumble and speak rapidly. A partial solution is to employ diaphragmatic breathing to reduce muscle tension on the articulators. Proper execution of this technique requires conscious relaxation of the abdomen, chest and vocal folds. A comfortable breath is drawn in using only the diaphragmatic muscle, and speech is initiated at the top of the inhalation where exhalation begins. Many nervous or excited individuals take in sharp, quick breaths before speaking. Such action can actually cause the vocal folds to slam shut for an instant, resulting in blocking or halting speech. Disjointed or "strained" speech can also occur if the entire exhalation period is used to speak. Instead, it is recommended that the number of syllables spoken with each full breath be limited so that some air is exhaled without enunciation (depending on the individual, this may mean 7-9 syllables with each full breath).
Performance Time
During the actual presentation, begin and end with a thank-you to the audience for their time. Make eye contact with your listeners to capture their attention, and make it appear as if your message is personalized just for them. Use physical gestures to establish the pace for your presentation and generate enthusiasm in your topic, but avoid swaying, twisting or what can be regarded as "dirty habits" (running a hand through your hair, readjusting eyeglasses repeatedly, touching your face, etc.1).
For many speakers, the greatest amount of anxiety is experienced in the time leading up to the speech, not during the presentation itself. Once underway, you will find that your presentation takes on a life of its own. Prepare diligently beforehand and enjoy the moment. Seek out these opportunities and further your communication skills. Remember, building a successful EMS career requires more than just good patient care abilities; it also requires developing your influence before a public forum. So go ahead. Your audience is waiting.
References
- Bedington G. Who Do You Want to Be? The Art of Presenting Yourself With Ease. San Diego: Sivercat Publications, 1995.
- Sullivan E. Becoming Influential. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2004.
Other Reading
Spraque J. The Speaker's Handbook (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing, 2005.
James L. Jenkins, Jr., BA, NREMT-P, is an educator with 21 years' experience in EMS. He overcame a severe stutter to become a paramedic and has since instructed prehospital courses throughout the United States. He is a former aide to Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore and serves on the development board for the Hollins Communications Research Institute (www.stuttering.org). Contact him at jim.jenkins.jr@gmail.com.
