By Stacey Butterfield
There are good conference presentations, and then there are the speakers you'd "miss lunch to hear again." Scott Litin, MD, MACP, will offer his tips on becoming one of the latter during a Saturday afternoon session.
Dr. Litin, a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., first developed an interest in improving physicians' presentation skills after witnessing what happens when they aren't up to par.
"Although a lot of speakers had their heart in the right place, they didn't connect with the audience. And instead of getting help, they were crossed off the list, and the group found somebody else. They weren't asked back," he said.
Dr. Litin has now been helping with this challenge for 25 years, teaching presentation skills to trainees and clinicians at Mayo and elsewhere. "It blossomed into a sideline for me," he said.
During "Presentation Skills for Physicians: Making Your Next Teaching Presentation Go Better Than Your Last," Dr. Litin will offer advice on organizing a presentation, including how to develop an effective opening, or hook.
"You've got 8 to 30 seconds to get your audience interested in your topic," he noted. The best speakers know their subject well, but are also friendly, approachable, and funny, Dr. Litin pointed out.
His talk will also cover how to memorably close a lecture, as well as advice on critiquing others' presentations with helpful suggestions. "It's so important for us clinicians to be able to present ourselves and our material in a positive way," said Dr. Litin. "It opens doors for us." ■