From the Officer’s Desk: Public Speaking and Presentations

There are many activities within the EMS officer’s scope of responsibilities, but one in particular is often a cause for anxiety: speaking in public.

Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking and considered a social anxiety disorder. This anxiety can be severe, and approximately 10% of the population suffer from it. On the other hand, 10% of the population enjoys public speaking and presenting in front of groups. The remaining 80% aren’t debilitated by the thought, but they won’t be first in line to address a big group. Glossophobia thus affects 90% of us in some fashion.

Hand in hand with public speaking is the challenge of leading presentations in business settings, such as within your organization. Standing in front of colleagues, superiors, or even subordinates and speaking at length can cause similar anxiety. But in both cases, with some planning ahead, much of that anxiety can be reduced.

Public Speaking 

We speak with others constantly throughout our days and never think much about it. In front of a group, with all the attention is on you, it’s a bit different. Being able to speak in public is important, and many training and education courses require presentations in front of the class as part of the curriculum. Even as an entry-level EMT or paramedic, you may face situations of addressing the public, and as you move up the career ladder, you’ll likely be asked to do more.

For example, as an EMS officer you may be required to speak to employees during training sessions, present about your system to community members, or perhaps chair a committee. Being too crippled by anxiety to speak in public can have costs that include missed promotional opportunities, monetary incentives, and even failure to meet responsibilities. Therefore, as an EMS officer, you will need to find ways to become comfortable speaking in public.

There are many reasons why public speaking can make people anxious. It’s difficult to have all eyes on you. You may constantly wonder what the group is thinking about your presentation or fear being perceived as underprepared or not in command of the subject matter. Maybe they’ll even walk out before you’re done! Of course, these are just thoughts, and what you might not realize is that the complete opposite might take place too—maybe they’ll love you!

Here are a couple of tips to consider when getting ready to face the crowd:

• It’s OK to be nervous. Nervous keeps you sharp.
• Strive for a calm and confident voice and supporting nonverbal communication. A smile, wave, thumbs-up, or nod lets the audience know you’re focused on them and may also help keep your mind off being nervous.
• Don’t overtalk or ramble. Tell the audience what you’re going to say, say it, and then tell them what you’ve said.
• Give the audience an opportunity to ask questions.
• It’s OK to use humor and storytelling to keep the audience engaged.
• Try your best not to read. Have notes to reference but keep eye contact with the audience.

One often-cited study on personal communication found how you say things is more important that what you say. It concluded effective presentations are 7% content, 38% voice, and 55% nonverbal communication.

Preparing for the Presentation

Success in delivering a presentation can be achieved by preparing thoroughly, relaxing during the event, and keeping things simple. Opportunities for presentations include department EMS/medical in-service educational programs; orientations for new hires; town hall meetings to discuss the EMS system; and budget requests in front of governing bodies.

There is no doubt being knowledgeable about the material supersedes every other aspect of the presentation, but your attire, a clear message, your personality, and the ability to keep the audience engaged are also essential components. The following tips will help you develop and deliver effective presentations.

• Begin the presentation with a story, a question, or an example—something that will draw the audience in because they want to know more.
• Avoid introducing too many topics or ideas. Stick with three so as not to overwhelm the group.
• When creating the presentation, make it easy for participants to follow along and be sure to provide materials that illustrate your points.
• Avoid busy slides—for example, those with multiple charts and photos, excessive text, or too many bullet points. Select an appropriate background color, background image, and font size.
• When selecting a background for a slide, make sure the color and graphics do not distract focus from the main point: your message.
• If you combine images with text, try not to exceed three images per slide. Keep the text to short statements.
• Keep the font size to no less than 30 points, larger if the presentation is to a large group.
• Capitalizing every letter in any written medium gives the impression of aggression or yelling.
• Keep your presentation simple and easy to follow.

Know the Material

Be sure you thoroughly know the material you’ll be presenting. As an EMS officer, you’ll be seen as the subject-matter expert during the presentation, so do your homework. It is your responsibility to deliver an organized, clear, and concise message. The goal is to capture the audience’s attention within 1–3 minutes, as the average attention span is about 8–10 minutes.

If presenting a topic familiar to the audience, you may use terminology related to the topic at hand. If your audience is new to the topic, be sure to lay out the information in a way that’s easy for newcomers to understand and follow.

If your complexity overwhelms the audience, they will disengage, and your message will not be received.

Become Familiar with Your Surroundings

You may be asked to give a presentation somewhere besides where you work. Prepare not only by developing the material to be presented but by familiarizing yourself with the presentation location. For example:

• Will the organizers have audiovisual equipment to support the presentation, or will you need to provide it?
• How many attendees are expected?
• How much time will be allotted for the presentation, and will it include a question-and-answer session? You don’t want to cut the Q&A period short because you went over the allotted time.
• Is the room conducive to a presentation?

It is critical to establish a list of what’s needed to ensure no surprises interfere with your ability to deliver a successful presentation on the scheduled date. You must also make contingency plans in case any component of your presentation does not fall into place. The day before the presentation, make sure all your equipment works, your handouts are ready, and you have a backup plan for every aspect (e.g., extra handout materials, lightbulbs for projectors, audiovisual equipment, etc.).

Summary

Presentations are challenging not only because people fear public speaking but also because they require the information presented to be accurate, clear, and concise. You must convey your message without losing your audience; therefore, your delivery and resources have to be ready to go before you take the podium.

There are two primary targets to ensure a successful outcome. First, be well prepared. Second, if you’re planning resources such as slides, handouts, charts, and so on, they must be informative, short, and maintain the group’s attention. Get a good night’s sleep the night before and dress appropriately for the occasion. Good luck!

Orlando J. Dominguez, Jr., MBA, RPM, is assistant chief of EMS for Brevard County Fire Rescue in Rockledge, Fla. He has more than 30 years of EMS experience and has served as a firefighter-paramedic, flight paramedic, field training officer, EMS educator, and division chief. He has authored two books, including EMS Supervisor: Principles and Practice, and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, as well as host of the EMS Officer Exchange. Follow him at @ems_officer.