Last Thursday, 29-08-2019, I was in Negeri Sembilan delivering a 2-hour session at the 1st Public Health Symposium organised by Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Sembilan and Pertubuhan Pakar Kesihatan Awam Negeri Sembilan. Thank you JKN Negeri Sembilan for the kind invitation and the superb hospitality.
The invitation came a few weeks after my post on TV Al-Hijrah’s interview – Doula: Peneman Ibu atau Pengganti Doktor went ‘viral’. In the post, I reveal one presentation secret that many people ‘know’ or heard of, but few do it.
The concept is very effective–I mentioned it in my books, Elevate. I’ve used it many times in my presentations to frame and sustain my audience’s attention, which in current times… attention is premium.
In The Magic in Your Hand, the concept is further expanded into something you can apply in structuring your presentation, quickly and effectively. I also included several example slides that could give you more ideas and inspiration for your next preso.
For the symposium talk, I was given the title ‘Zen Presentation: A Hands-On Approach’. It’s for medical doctors and specialists in public health who wish to give impactful and effective presentations. If you are looking for more specific tips, I shared 15 tips to ace presentations for medical students and 9 top presentation strategies and tips for medical doctors and professionals.
I’m no Zen
Google the definition of ‘Zen’. One of the top definition is ‘Zen is a Mahayana Buddhism that has its roots in Japan’.
Honestly, I am no Zen.
But I see beauty in simple and clean designs–whether they are of presentations, furniture or buildings. Letting go of non-essential elements keeps the essence of the thing or human being intact. It’s less distracting. The essence or the spirit of the person is revealed in its splendour beauty.
As it is.
The same approach is used in Medicinal Chemistry when it comes to drug development and optimisation. In this case, the purpose is not to reveal its beauty, but to unveil hidden therapeutic values.
The development of ACE inhibitors for treating hypertension is a classic story of rational drug discovery and development using a reductionist approach, computer modeling and scientific intuition, insight.
Once a lead molecule is identified, the molecule is pared down to its important functionalities (or pharmacophores) that are essential for binding interactions. Often a huge natural product becomes quite small under the ‘reductionist’ approach. This area is no stranger to me.
Thus, most of the time, I approach my presentations with a minimalist outlook.
Ending the suffering
At the start of my session, I quoted Buddha ‘Attachment is the root of all suffering” as the first takeaway from my talk. Attachment to the things and people in this world.
In Islam, it’s considered ‘zuhud’. The progress of denouncing worldly desires, purifying one affairs and soul – focusing towards the After-life. Other religions have similar beliefs and outlook.
You see, there are many paths to the enlightenment. Holding on dear to this life may be costly.
What is our attachment in presentations?
Now… What is an attachment in presentations? Having a lot of text in a slide is one of the main attachments.
Once we let go of this attachment, the suffering (for your audience) would end 😉
As I have highlighted in several occasions, there are many ‘mistakes’ or misconceptions by presenters, whether in academic, business or health sector. We often think we ‘need’ to present with lots of text in the slide deck.
More content (somehow) equates to looking ‘good’ or ‘knowledgeable’ to peers. This is common in many postgraduate, academic, scientific or medical presentations.
But to grab and sustain audience’s attention, we need to let go of the text.
Let it go, let it go…
Some people said, they put lots of text so that they don’t forget. Afraid I am pretty much unconvinced of the expertise of a trainer or speaker who needs lots of text to ‘help’ them remember.
Watch someone who is well-versed in their own field, e.g. Prof. Mohammed Yunus, Gary Vee, Simon Sinek, TED Talk speakers and more–they hardly need text on slide decks while delivering a talk. Some don’t even need any slides at all, yet their talks are the most captivating!
In my session to nearly 270 medical doctors and specialists at the 1st Public Health Symposium, I highlighted that ‘Zen Presentation’ means that we let go of the attachment.
I believe an impactful presentation has focus, structure and style. To have focus, we need to let go of the texty slides. I showed them how I would re-design the texty slides in a simple and clean(er) design.
Interactive Lecture for Afternoon Session
Since few brought laptops, I decided not to conduct a hands-on approach. Plus, it was an afternoon session. To sustain the attention and interest of my audience, I delivered the 2-hour session in interactive lecture style, engaging the audience using their own mobile phones with short bursts of activities.
Towards the end I touched a little bit on owning their power and harnessing it for the best interest of the public. To harness one’s power, they’d need to:
Be authentic, let go of text, use more suitable visuals and speak from the heart. That’s one secret to elevate any presentations.
And if I may add, after letting go…
if it returns in (other) forms, it’s yours 😉
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