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​​​​​Highlights from the March 20, 2014 Knowledge Transfer Session on “Ways to Share your Story”

Presenting to a large group

  • Large groups can be difficult; be intimate and passionate
  • Know what message you want the audience to get out of your presentation
  • The purpose of slides is to remind the presenter what to say, and the audience what was said
  • Structure your presentation: tell them what you're going to say, say it, tell them what you said
  • Get to the point quickly and make sure you have a call to action
  • Let the audience know your preference for taking questions
  • We are selling our passion. Be genuine
  • Come up with one issue to address and then go from there; start small then expand
  • Focus on how complex some processes are for patients/families versus clinicians

Presenting to smaller audiences

  • Everything used in a large audience is heightened; even more important to be yourself
  • Use emotions; it all begins with an emotional connection; one person at a time
  • This is an emotionally charged session so be gentle; the emotional connection will drive the change
  • Simple chronological or logical process is easier for the audience to follow
  • Many, powerful images are important, especially at the beginning and end of the presentation.
  • Avoid negative wording; focus on collaboration
  • Ask real questions to help make the shift
  • Humour is an effective tool to connect to the audience, regardless of the size
  • Create collaborative space so everyone can move forward together
  • In a large group, think of delivering the evening news; in a small group you are the host of a talk show
  • In a small group create a conversation by moving around and to get close and engage individuals
  • Prepare people if they are meeting the person involved in the incident
  • Prepare audience members with pre-planned questions ahead of time just in case
  • Sometimes the story is unbearable; take a break before taking questions.

Sharing your own story

  • Make sure it's done in a respectful way; don’t generalize or blame; focus on the experience
  • Insert videos, pictures and quotes; it brings perspective
  • Appreciate the invitation to speak; sharing a story is unique. Tell them about yourself
  • The audience wants to learn and know what they can do
  • As the storyteller; know what you are looking for (validation, empathy); be honest with yourself
  • Concise, clear messages
  • Ask organizers why they want the patient speaker, what do you expect by engaging with me

Closing comments

  • Need to create a safe environment for both the receiver’s of the information and the storytellers
  • The power of our story can make an impact, our work is important
  • A collaborative partnership between patients and health care providers is the way forward to safe health care.