Five Tips for Building a Successful Didactic Talk

Despite recent interest in varied teaching modalities, the didactic lecture remains a staple of emergency medicine education.1 Preparing and delivering a memorable didactic talk is no easy task. Whether you are speaking in front of a handful of colleagues in a conference room or hundreds of strangers in a packed auditorium, the following key strategies will help you achieve lecturing success.

Passion + Purpose = Engagement

Passion is contagious. If the audience senses how much you care about your topic, they will feel more invested. Choose a topic that you crave to learn more about or share with others. Even if you are assigned a topic, find something personally interesting within that topic.

Find a story to frame your talk. In an editorial on storytelling in medicine, Ofri2 stated “Medical caregivers are always telling stories because stories provide meaning to much of their working lives … the compulsion to tell a story is largely motivated by the profound emotions kindled by the clinical experience.” We share stories all the time—we just happen to call our stories “cases.” Stories bring a sense of humanity to a scientific talk and engage clinicians more than a collection of facts. A commonly encountered pitfall is that “most presentations make the supportive media (i.e. the slides) the focus of the presentation without thought about the story or the delivery.”3 This is not to say you must present a case—but you should put the key points into a larger organizing framework.4, 5

Know Your Audience

Understanding the demographics of your audience is essential to delivering a successful talk. Adult learners tend to ask “Why do I need to know this?” before committing their attention and will be more engaged if they see how the knowledge can be put to use.6 Miller7 suggests that we progress from fact gathering and interpretation to demonstrating and integrating our knowledge into practice as we become experts. A primary audience of new interns may need an overview of a topic and a few key details, focusing on what to do when they see this in the emergency department (ED). A more seasoned audience will appreciate an exploration of the latest research with a summary of what to consider the next time they encounter it in the ED. A typical weekly EM didactic setting may include all levels of competence, so it is prudent to ascertain the details of your expected audience ahead of time.

In addition to differing levels of expertise, audience members have individual learning styles: visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetic.8 Although each learner has a tendency to prefer one learning style, a majority of learners are multimodal, preferring a combination of learning styles dependent on the content or situation. Presenting information in multiple formats will engage more of your audience. Even kinesthetic learning can happen in a large group lecture by incorporating audience participation or passing around models.

Bones and Flesh

Once you know your topic and your audience, choose three to five key points that you want your audience to walk away with. Fit these into your organizational framework to create the skeleton of your talk. Start fleshing out the talk by adding details such as examples, diagrams, current research, and/or a case. This brainstorming process should begin the moment you are assigned the talk—keep a template available and add ideas as they come (e.g., notepad, index cards, notes app, word doc on laptop). Gathering ideas often helps solidify key points and you may realize you need to change your structure. Don't feel you need to include everything. The details you ultimately include will depend on the key points you are trying to emphasize. If you find great resources that you don't have time or space to include, consider creating a handout listing these extra resources.

As you deliberate what to include, you should also consider how you will present it. Find ways to engage your audience through active participation, rather than passive listening, with techniques like think–pair–share or clarifying questions.9 Instead of summarizing the latest research, compare recommendations from the literature with the practice patterns of your audience. A commonly used strategy is to have the audience work through a case. By asking “What would you do?” you increase engagement by allowing audience members to relate their own experience, another strategy that resonates with adult learners. Small‐group discussions, polling software, or a show of hands engages more audience members than calling out a single member of the audience. Alternatively, asking an expert to comment may provide nuance that group discussion or polling cannot. The education literature and the Internet are rife with suggestions to increase audience engagement; a full review of potential techniques is beyond the scope of this article. Finally, it is essential to consider the overall length of your talk. Evidence suggests that learners’ attention levels begin to fade approximately 15 to 20 minutes into a standard lecture and that only three to five items can be retained at once.10

Pictures Speak 1,000 Words, Your Text Shouldn't

Images on slides should support what you are saying, not repeat it. Less is more: keep your slides simple, with as few words as possible. Audiences prefer talks with more image‐based slides.11 Avoid overusing gimmicks such as animations or video clips. “Exercise restraint and always keep these three words in mind: simplicity, clarity, and brevity.”12 This technique will resonate with the audience and as result will be more impactful. The quality of the images you choose represents the quality of your entire talk, so choose high‐resolution images. Shutterstock has a vast library of high‐resolution images, for a fee. Free sites include Flickr, Pixabay, Pexels, and Freepik. Never apologize for a poor quality slide—don't include it. Find or create a slide that does not need to be accompanied by an apology. When presenting a case be sure to include all relevant clinical images (e.g., x‐rays, ECGs) and a clear, uncluttered presentation of key data like lab values and vital signs. Highlight relevant abnormalities or key findings.

Practice Makes Perfect

Now that you have a rough draft of your talk, it is time to practice. The first time you actually hear yourself speak should not be during the presentation itself! It is critical to rehearse multiple times. Initial solitary rehearsals should still be out loud: when reviewing slides, we process information much faster in silence than when we actually have to speak the words. Speaking aloud as you rehearse gives you a much more realistic sense of how long your presentation will take. Rehearsing aloud also allows you to practice enunciating tricky words, altering your tone to stress certain points, fine‐tuning the transitions between topics, and cementing the timing of slide changes. Practice your blocking: where will you stand? When will you walk to the other side of the stage? What gesture best emphasizes your point? As you rehearse you may realize you need to add or delete content or change your slides. Additionally, familiarity with the room arrangement can help you plan your delivery. Activities that work when the audience is seated at tables in a small room may not work in an auditorium. Finally, consider videotaping your rehearsal lectures. This will allow you to assess and fine‐tune your pace, voice, and posture—subtle details that have a large impact on your overall presentation. Undoubtedly, it is beneficial to do this well in advance, with time to practice, rather than the morning of your talk.

As your presentation solidifies, the next step is to deliver your talk in front of a mock audience. This will allow you to gauge their captivation, try out some “test material,” and ensure you end on time. Choose colleagues who will provide you with brutal, open, honest feedback. Incorporate their suggestions and rehearse again. As Dr. Scott Weingart says, “The mark of an amazing presenter is that they've said the words countless times before … every presenter that seems so at ease, so capable of ad‐libbing, of ‘never preparing their talk’ has probably prepared more extensively than you'd ever be able to imagine.”13 Your mantra should be: Present … Reflect … Perfect … Repeat. If possible, arrive early to ensure that your presentation is loaded and displays properly. This is critical if your presentation is being loaded onto another computer. During your talk, remember to speak loudly, slowly, and clearly, which is easier to do if you've practiced.

If possible, have someone record your talk. It is also wise to obtain feedback from your audience. Review both and reflect on how you might further improve your presentation. Little nuances such as stage presence, posture, voice, tone, transitions, and cadence separate the outstanding from the average. Finally, after investing this much time and effort, don't make your presentation a one‐off. Look for opportunities to present again.

Conclusion

In the era of TED talks, a successful presentation is no longer about the slides but rather the unification of genuine passion, poignant stories, and stunning visuals that leave your audience moved and inspired. Top‐notch presentations don't just happen; they require planning, preparation, and practice. Follow these steps to give your learners the unforgettable presentation they deserve.

The authors have no relevant financial information or potential conflicts to disclose.