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Overview
We appreciate your participation as a presenter for our upcoming California Hospital Volunteer Leadership Conference. Our conference is valuable to our members, in large part, because of the efforts and contributions from our stellar presenters.
To help facilitate the development of your presentation materials, we have compiled an assortment of tips, guidelines and recommendations to help you prepare a successful presentation that encourages audience engagement, learning and retention. We hope you find the information helpful and encourage you to submit your own ideas and feedback to volunteers@calhospital.org.
Presentation Tips
Preparing Your Presentation
We’ve put together a handy tip sheet of items to consider when crafting your presentation. These helpful hints will help you sharpen your presentation and improve your delivery.
Tips for Preparing and Delivering a Successful PowerPoint Presentation
Download the Conference 16:9 (widescreen) PowerPoint Template
If your files are too large to email, please upload to our Dropbox site.
Also consider the following suggestions to boost engagement, learning and retention:
Facilitate Audience Interaction
- Poll the audience — this can be done with a simple show of hands or through our polling platform, Mentimeter. Talk with your program manager about the opportunity to use a polling system in your presentation.
- Ask the audience questions
- Example: How many here have implemented this new regulation in your facility?
- Encourage audience sharing
- Example: Who can tell me about a time when you experienced XYZ?
- Allow for group sharing — Instruct the audience to form groups in which they will discuss a topic or scenario, answer a question or solve a problem related to your presentation. Identify a group spokesperson who will briefly share what the group discussed.
- Offer incentives — People enjoy being rewarded.
- Example: The first person to answer this question correctly will receive a free $5 gift card.
Encourage Attention “Resets”
- If your session is longer than 60 minutes, offer a mini-break for stretching, musing and a refresh.
- Use audio/video clips to introduce or support presentation content.
- Insert change-ups at various points in your lecture.
- Example: Include slides of pets or other feel-good images at appropriate points in your PowerPoint presentation.
- Move to a different position.
- Clearly state that you will be moving on to a different topic.
Other Ideas
- Share stories — Attendees retain information in a more meaningful way when information is delivered in a relatable manner.
- Use less text — minimizing the amount of text on your slides allows the reader to actively listen and read your slides. Try using short phrases rather than long sentences. Before finalizing, look over your slides and delete all unnecessary or unimportant information.
- Provide supplemental materials such as templates, toolkits and other resources that attendees can modify and tailor to their individual facilities.
- Perform a live demonstration of a tool or system your organization uses to improve operations.
Social Media
Social media can be powerful tool to disseminate information, raise awareness and publicize events. Consider using various platforms — such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and others — to get the word out, and increase program and personal visibility.
- Tweet @calhospitals when promoting the event.
- Post and share insights on some of the topics included in your presentation.
- Be sure to include the date, time and title of your session when posting to your social media pages.
- Add CHA’s online event page URL to your post so that people can learn more about the event and register.
FAQs
What materials should I provide for my presentation?
All speakers preparing a PowerPoint presentation, should be formatted using the 16:9 aspect ratio. Supplementary handouts are also welcome and will be posted along with your presentation slides (via PDF file) on the conference website for attendees to download after the conference. CAHHS does not provide printed handouts for attendees unless there is a specific need to have copies available during the presentation.
May I include audio and/or video clips in my presentation?
Absolutely. We encourage speakers to include elements in their presentations outside of the traditional lecture. If you plan to include audio/video elements, be sure to let us know at your earliest opportunity so that we have all the A/V components necessary to make your presentation run smoothly. When sending your completed presentation, if the file is not embedded within, please also send a copy of the media file separately with instructions for placement.
Who is the audience?
The audience is typically comprised of a variety of hospital and health care volunteers and volunteer leaders that would be impacted by the information you will relay. As you prepare your presentation, keep in mind that program attendees represent hospitals from all sizes and configurations (for example: large vs. small, for-profit and not-for-profit, rural and metropolitan, independent and system-integrated). When possible and appropriate, presentations should provide information that is applicable to all types of facilities.
Can I use my organization’s PowerPoint template?
Yes, you are welcome to use your organization’s template.
What resources are available?
A PC laptop, LCD projector, podium and podium microphone will automatically be provided. CAHHS will follow up with you to determine any additional needs you might have.
Will I receive feedback about my presentation?
Yes. CAHHS requests that all attendees complete an evaluation. Once the results are compiled and analyzed, we will share with you your composite ratings.
What if my presentation is too large to send via email?
If your files are too large to email, please upload to our Dropbox site.
Do speakers receive complimentary conference registration?
Please refer to your official speaker letter for additional details, if applicable.