A year ago, New Jersey Paramedic Charlene Barber of Hackensack Meridian Health of JFK EMS and Natalie L. Zink, paramedic and now Medical College of Georgia medical student, entered a competition, the prize to speak on the national stage at EMS World Expo. This year’s disruption of COVID-19 denied them the actual podium, but the power of Zoom gave them the virtual stage.
The competition was “Stand and Deliver,” the opportunity for future EMS idols to show their X-factor with their presentational skills, public speaking ability and great industry knowledge. Fast forward to 2020 to the virtual EMS World Expo and Barber presented on Bias, Culture and Purpose, and Zinc joined a panel in a session entitled “Bariatric, Psychologic, Gynecologic.” EMS has got talent and this great program has delivered two new speakers to the circuit.
Now in its second year, Stand and Deliver allowed yet more new speakers to come forward and I felt very privileged to be the British judge in this special reality show. I was excited to be joining by a stellar panel of judges including such names as Barishansky, Liebig, Collopy, Loscar, Kivlehan, Friese and more. All gave generous amounts of their time to greet, listen to, offer valuable critique and I suspect in many cases, continue to mentor what turned out to be an amazing pool of new talent. Greg Friese beat me to the jump when he announced that Stand and Deliver is one of the best things to come out of this year’s EMS World Expo virtual conference.
The format saw the speaker logging into Zoom, and after introductions, launching into their virtual set with judges (only 3 at a time) listening in to the content to ensure there was engagement, style, content, comprehension, great visual presentation and that the overall package was up to the national podium. The responses, all positive, upbeat and delivered with a view to raising the game of those entering were well received and throughout the process, stars emerged.
4 takeaways on delivering a captivating presentation
In their critique and mentoring observation, the judges made some great points about presenting and presence. I have also added my take from years of delivering and watching. Here are 4 takeaways on delivering a captivating presentation.
1. Personality: Dominate the camera
Ray Barishansky put it best when he said all speakers must be masters of “edutainment.” To engage the audience requires not only subject matter knowledge but also stage presence. Albeit this is harder to do in the virtual arena but addressing the camera and not your own image on the screen is a great start. A great resource is the Online Presenting Tips and Tricks video prepared by the American Ambulance Association and Pro EMS, which features a segment from Amwest Ambulance Hollywood CEO Boris Krutenog (also a TV and movie character actor, starring in “Red October,” “Star Trek” and “The Americans”) on how to dominate the camera and give the performance of your life (Watch the video below).
2. Voice: Speak with confidence
While the microphone may increase your volume, speak with confidence. Don’t shout, but don’t whisper either. Use its power and range to convey emphasis, importance, empathy, reassurance and confidence – imagine you are talking to a patient in fact! Have a glass of water nearby to ensure you don’t dry up.
Don’t try and cram a 15-minute presentation into a 10-minute slot by talking faster. It will be obvious, and you will lose the crowd. A shorter presentation is in fact (to my mind) harder to pull off as the speaker must develop the story complete with beginning, middle and end containing sufficient learning points in a clear and understandable format. This takes preparation and rehearsal, but is worth it when it happens to time and the clear enjoyment of the audience
3. Slide construction: Careful selection is key
The days of a slide consisting of just text and bullet points at a conference are over (this was the root cause analysis of that terminal presentational affliction – death by PowerPoint). It is my own view that the slide is nothing more than the handrail you use to guide the audience through your verbal presentation. In other words, it is what you say, how you say it, and how you are understood that counts. The slide should contain minimal words and a strong image to convey the thought or point. Careful selection is key, but look at a good TED Talk, or purchase the book “Talk like TED” and you will get the idea.
4. Video, swooshes and sound effects: Less is more
During the nationally declared Zoom epidemic, resist the urge to use video in a presentation as the system, bandwidth and sketchy internet signal all conspire against you. Once back in the auditorium, make sure the video is embedded in the computer you are using on the day and not via the airwaves – another invitation for a buffering-induced pause. Delivering a smorgasbord of slide transitional effects and sounds (even if it is an ambulance siren) is a big no-no.
Taking us forward
We often talk about the need to nurture and mentor those who will take us forward. Those who stood and delivered have taken the first steps into what will be a very well-known future. In turn, the platform will allow them to develop, discuss and deliver best practices in the future. It is very clear that Stand and Deliver will be a staple of Expo in the future, and perhaps with a larger format, enhanced coaching, (virtual) judges’ houses, guest mentors and a finale before a live audience. I, for one, can’t wait to see who this year’s winner will be (Listen below for the announcement of the Stand and Deliver winner), but because of this program and the way it has enthused both judge and speaker, I think we have all won! Stand and Deliver gets my golden buzzer!
Stand and Deliver: EMS One-Stop With Rob Lawrence
For an audio version of this article, and a bonus discussion with Kevin Collopy, clinical outcomes manager for New Hanover Regional Medical Center AirLink/VitaLink Critical Care Transport, who announces the winner of this year’s Stand and Deliver competition.
Additional resources for virtual presenting
Learn more about how to stand up and deliver a captivating discussion with these resources:
- Dozens of tips for EMS educators and training officers
- 10 best PowerPoint alternatives for EMS educators
- How to avoid death by PowerPoint in EMS education and training
- How to use Slideshare for EMS education and training
- Naked EMT instruction: How to deliver powerful presentations
- The American Ambulance Association and Pro EMS: Online Presenting Tips and Tricks
