Speaker Bureau Training

Principles for Successful Training of Clinician Speakers

Because speakers feel like they have been “overly trained” and question the validity of more speaker training

  • We affirm how much they know during keynotes and workshops.

  • Instead of “telling” the audience during review, we “ask the audience to tell us” during review.  This Socratic approach allows the audience to review the content in a way that feels less remedial.

  • We emphasize the content review of core slides during the workshop.  The typical two to three-hour workshop includes the review of 20-30 core slides.

  • Message communication, delivery or interactivity coaching is done lightly only after content-based conversation with MSLs, TLLs, or their peers.

  • We ensure that the skills covered during the workshop are unique and solve real-world issues:

    • Increasing perceived credibility and confidence

    • Learning to be concise even with busy slides

    • Overcoming silence with a reluctant crowd

    • Getting an off-track conversation back on track with tact

    • Handling hostile or disagreeable participants

 

Because speakers are not as effective as they could be (or as they think they are) we…

  • Invite speakers to practice using the core slide review as the “excuse” for practice

  • Raise speaker standards by watching their peers’ performances

  • Use personalized coaching to affirm while also being constructive

Applying These Principles:  Typical Workshop Flow

I. 30-minute keynote (optional)
Purpose of the keynote is to

  1. Affirm audiences’ expertise while showing the benefits of improvement.

  2. Create positive anticipation of the workshops because they are not your typical delivery skills workshop—focus is on content.

  3. Establish the real world problems we will solve for in the workshops.

II.  Two to three-hour workshops with approximately ten speakers per workshop

  1. PI facilitator opens and invites introductions of speakers, medical, brand, or agency representatives

  2. PI Facilitator establishes the importance of messages that are clear, concise, compelling and audience-centered (even if the slides are not)

  3. To avoid reading from the top-line down, we teach participants to prepare from the bottom line up

    • Each participant applies the “bottom line up” procedure to two to three slides they were assigned

    • We provide five minutes of private, individual preparation

  4. PI facilitator asks the audience about the delivery skills they know matter

    • Each participant stands to deliver the content they have prepared around those two to three slides

    • PI facilitator invites MSL or TLL feedback/affirmation along with peer conversation around content

    • PI facilitator then invites the audience to comment on speaker’s application of the message development process and delivery skills

    • We sprinkle in some coaching tips for applying in the next round

  5. PI facilitator adds some training on interactivity that solves real-world issues

    • We assign one or two new slides and invite a second-round of presentations but this time applying not only message development and delivery skills but interactivity skills as well

    • MSL and TLL weigh-in on content accuracy followed by coaching.

  6. Conclusion — Key takeaways and evaluations