title: How to prepare and deliver pharmacy presentations.
abstract: Advice to pharmacists on the preparation and delivery of oral presentations is given. First, a topic must be selected that is appropriate for the speaker, the audience, and the situation or occasion. The audience's educational level, prior knowledge of the topic, and beliefs or attitudes toward the topic must be considered, as well as the time allotted. A title should be chosen to succinctly describe the presentation and to arouse interest. Next, the information should be organized into an outline. Preparing learning objectives helps to identify concepts that the speaker should emphasize; the objectives can also be used to assess the audience's knowledge after the presentation. Visual aids should be prepared in draft form before the text is written, so that the oral presentation will expand upon material presented through the visual aids. Guidelines are given for preparing and presenting overhead transparencies and slides. Although no more than 25% of the speaker's allotted time should be spent on the introduction and conclusion, the introduction is crucial because it must tell the audience the purpose and the topics to be covered, as well as stimulate the listeners' interest. The conclusion should summarize and clarify the information and answer any questions posed in the introduction. Delivery involves effective use of eye contact and body language. The presentation should be spoken in a voice that is intelligible and uses appropriate stress, variation, quality, and pace. Tips for polishing and rehearsing the presentation are given. Pharmacists can enhance communication with an audience by paying close attention to topic selection, organization, visual aids, preparation of the text, and methods for effective delivery.
authors.affiliation: Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, PA 19104.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Spinler
mesh_terms: D001296:Audiovisual Aids; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D008722:Methods; D010595:Pharmacists; D011361:Professional Competence; D013060:Speech; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D014956:Writing