The PowerPoint presentations were adapted from the University of Alabama with permission to use. Downloadable handouts (PDFs) supplement each topic and provide strategies for effective communication. Please review all materials provided for each topic.
| TOPIC | Materials | Summary |
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Giving Effective Presentations |
4 PDFs |
Purpose: Mentor our residents to become strong clinical presenters. Public speaking is an important skill for residents who are asked throughout their training to present to faculty, peers, medical students, and perhaps even to members of the community. While subject knowledge is an essential part of a good presentation, success hinges on two factors:
The importance of these two factors is often underestimated or perhaps overlooked by many presenters because the focus is typically only on content and how much you can fit into your time period. Dynamic public speakers are not necessarily born with the skills required to engage an audience, sustain their attention, and deliver meaningful information. These skills can be learned and, with practice, they can be successfully implemented. |
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Effective Questioning Effective Questioning (12 slides) Use of Questioning in Clinical Training (PDF) |
PPT & PDFs |
Questioning is a constant in clinical learning. Through strategic questioning your learners can:
However, not just any question will work. Effective questions provoke thought and are open-ended (not leading questions). They are why and how questions. When asking questions, it is critical to wait for the answer and not provide the answer yourself. When working with the learners to solve a problem, it is not effective to simply tell them what the problem is or the answer - they must find out or understand it for themselves. You help them do this by asking thought-provoking questions. Effective questioning also involves the skills of effective listening by listening to the answer and suspending any judgment. As the instructor, you need to find out the learner's intent or understanding of the situation to be able to correct any misconceptions that he/she may have. |
| PPT & PDF |
One of our most powerful teaching tools is role modeling. As the role model for your learner, you impart your knowledge, skills, and values to medical students and your peers. Unfortunately, the negative behavior that you may display makes a much larger impression on your learners than the positive ones. Therefore, you must carefully analyze your performance and try to improve on the behavior you are modeling for your learners. |
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Giving Effective Feedback The Evaluation & Feedback of your Learner (29 slides) Feedback in Clinical Medical Education (PDF) |
PPT & PDFs |
"Feedback is when a learner is offered insight into what he or she actually did, as well as the consequences of his or her actions. Feedback highlights the dissonance between the intended result and the actual result, thereby providing impetus for change." — J. Ende When giving feedback, the instructor is essentially providing an objective and a constructive description of the learner's performance. Feedback can reinforce what the learner did well and explain where he/she could have done better. It offers the learner insight into his/her performance, as well as the consequences of the actions. Effective feedback can provide the student information for making the necessary changes in behavior and skills. Without feedback, learners have no way to assess their performance and may be unaware of areas in which they are doing well or areas in need of improvement. They may then self-validate and continue this negative behavior. Feedback is a critical component of medical education by helping learners to understand where they stand in relation to the desired goals and objectives for professional growth. |