Speaker Development Group

SPEAKER DEVELOPMENT GROUP SUBCOMMITTEE Kevin Reed, MD FAAEM – Chair, AAEM Speaker Development Group Subcommittee

Looking for a way to polish your speaking skills and break into the EM lecture circuit? Consider applying for the AAEM Speaker Development Group program. A wonderful opportunity afforded to AAEM members, this exciting program is now in its fourth year. The goal is simple: we want to help you become a confident and engaging speaker. No formal speaking experience or training is required. So how does it work? The Speaker Development Group program matches interested individuals with nationally recognized AAEM speakers. This relationship is mentee led – as one of our amazing mentors said, “If you want to get better at speaking, I’m here for you.” So...does the program really work? As the saying goes – the proof is in the pudding. We reached out to current and previous participants and asked them about their experience as part of the Speaker Development Group. Check out their comments on the next few pages. For more information on this program and for details on applying for the 2021-2022 class, please visit the AAEM Speaker Development Group website: www.aaem.org/education/speaker-development-group A formal application link will open this summer. Hoping to see some of you in next year’s group. Stay safe!

Testimonials from Previous Speaker Development Group Participants

Afrah Abdul Wahid Ali, MBBS FAAEM

The AAEM Speaker Development group is a brilliant path for junior faculty to obtain an opportunity to be able to speak on a national platform. This group will help guide you to better understand what areas you need to improve on to become a stronger public speaker. It helped me to focus and narrow down my niche and understand the pathway of becoming a successful national speaker. I had a great time working with my mentor, Dr. Amal Mattu, attaining a great wealth of knowledge about engaging and interacting with my audience. One of my greatest takeaways was learning that a clear and concise message, paired with an empowering story, is the key to establishing a connection with your audience. It is important to have an impactful takeaway and center your conversation around it.

Andrew M. Bazakis, MD FAAEM

The AAEM Speaker Development [Group] program an excellent opportunity regardless of how much experience one has to get expert coaching to bring ones speaking skills to the next level. My mentor was able to provide fresh perspective and helpful suggestions, especially as regards to being prepared for both of the virtual and in person platforms amidst the uncertainty of the current pandemic transition. She introduced me to the concept of a walk-up song and how to channel one’s inner “Tony Romo.” I would recommend this program to speakers of all levels of experience.

Gregory P. Wu, MD FAAEM

I have been interested in speaking at the national level after being inspired the by the likes of Mike Winters, MD FAAEM. Imagine my surprise when I found out who my mentor would be! I have sincerely enjoyed my discussions with Mike, and being able to put into words what separates a good talk from a great one. Working with Mike Winters, MD FAAEM and Speaker Development [Group] pushes emerging speakers to be better, and to adapt new and modern practices, which are sorely needed in medical education. From medical school onward we see thousands of slideshows, and can see over the decades how one type of presentation has dominated. We intuitively tell stories, but after years of medical education we suppress that ability, whether by social cuing or being overtly told not do that. Yet to reach an audience, they must first want to know, and telling stories forms an immediate connection. Rediscovering this skill, I have a much better idea of how to use this in future talks. For those interested in taking their speaking skills to the next level I would advise to not hesitate and consider this program.

If after your lecture you asked somebody in an

elevator what they learned, they should be able to recite your chosen takeaways. If they don’t, you did not succeed at the task at hand.”

Robert P. Lam, MD FAAEM

My experience with the Speaker Development Group significantly changed my confidence and effectiveness as a public speaker and educator. It was a privilege to have a nationally recognized speaker like Dr. Mike Winters as my speaking mentor and instructor. I worked with Dr. Winters to build a foundation of best practices on becoming an effective and impactful speaker. In particular, our sessions on slide design have impacted my approach to visual aides to this day. Receiving direct feedback after viewing recorded examples on my speaking performance was also immensely helpful to my development. One of the most significant lessons I learned was the role of storytelling in public speaking. Even when talking about highly technical or scientific material, storytelling is an effective tool to connect to your audience and create a lasting impact. I would highly recommend anyone interested in improving your skills as a speaker to apply for the Speaker Development Group at AAEM. No matter what roles you serve in your job, improving your public speaking skills will make you a more effective leader, teacher and physician

Kraftin E. Schreyer, MDCMQ FAAEM

I’m very thankful for the opportunity to participate in AAEM’s Speaker Development [Group]. The experience was not too time intensive, yet still provided tremendous value. I entered the program thinking I was a decent speaker, but had no idea how much I could improve upon! Through the program, I gained skills on all aspects of presenting, including slide development, presentation style and topic selection. I thought the program was so valuable that I try to mimic it in our residency curriculum and teach those same skills I learned to our residents. I would highly recommend the Speaker Development [Group] to anyone interested in improving their speaking skills. Just one word of advice – embrace being uncomfortable during this experience! It was tough (really tough) to watch myself speak (for one ‘homework’ assignment, I had to film myself giving a presentation), but that exercise provided me with a new perspective and allowed me to adjust my mannerisms and cadence to enhance the presentation. Since completing the program, I’ve had more opportunities to speak on the regional and national stages and am looking forward to speaking at AAEM 2021!

Demis N. Lipe, MD FAAEM

AAEM’s Speaker Development Group was a great experience. I was paired with a wonderful mentor who helped me not only develop my lecture for the Scientific Assembly, but also gave me plenty of feedback during the process to develop me as a speaker. We had phone and email communications often and I felt like there was always a pearl I came away with. Part of the experience was reading a very insightful book about public speaking by Lily Walters (Secrets of Successful Speakers), which I found very helpful and highly recommend to all those who want to improve their speaking skills. I feel like I am a much-improved speaker due to the efforts of AAEM’s Speaker Development Group, and my wonderful mentor. I am less scattered and more confident. The process allowed me to sharpen the skills I already possessed and find new skills I did not know I had. I would recommend this program to those that wish to improve their speaking abilities (whether they have had previous public speaking engagements or not). I would do this all over again, if I could!

Andrew W. Phillips, MD MEd FAAEM

The SDG is a phenomenal opportunity and helped me grow as a speaker in ways not otherwise possible because it provides the fine-tuning that eventually becomes necessary. We can watch lectures and read chapters on the fundamentals—few words on the slide, T pattern walking, etc—but the next step of customizing your style and delivery to the topics you often discuss and varying venues, the “pop” that really good speakers have, requires 1-on-1 help from someone who has perfected the art not just for himself or herself, but for others as well to help you find your best delivery style. THAT is what the SDG does, and it is very, very effective.

Vonzella Bryant, MD FAAEM FACEP

I participated in the Speaker Development Group program last year because I knew that I wanted to start doing presentations at a national level. The program was excellent! I enjoyed reading the book, “Secrets of Successful Speakers: How You Can Motivate, Captivate, and Persuade” by Lilly Walters. I was matched with the great, Dr. Joe Lex, to be my mentor. He was very easy to talk to and flexible with our meetings over Skype (preZoom times during COVID). I told Dr. Lex that I didn’t really like the sound of my voice for presentations when we first spoke. Hearing Dr. Lex, this fantastic, engaging speaker, say that he thought my voice was “just fine” meant so much to me. Dr. Lex gave me a lot of great tips for enhancing my presentation for AAEM last year called, “Increasing Diversity in Emergency Medicine: From Pipelines to Faculty Retention.” It was crazy seeing my picture next to Dr. Amal Mattu on the email announcement! I had three national EM presentations and a panel with these fantastic, powerhouse EM women physicians last year! I would definitely recommend the Speaker Development Group to anyone who wants to learn how to be an engaging speaker.

Patricia De Melo Panakos,MD FAAEM

The AAEM Speaker Development [Group] program is an incredible and unique opportunity to get one on one mentorship from some of the most recognized speakers in the field of emergency medicine. The program is laid out as a series of virtual sessions where your mentor will do a thorough review of everything that it takes to be a successful and captivating speaker. You will develop a lecture with their assistance as well as obtain specific constructive feedback on areas such as content, visual appearance of slides, verbal delivery and connection with the audience. This experience certainly improved my slides and made me a more effective speaker. However, my favorite part about the program was working with Dr. Winters. He is a gifted speaker and his personal experience is unparalleled. He specifically imparted on me the importance of having a limited number of key takeaways you want to leave the audience with. If after your lecture you asked somebody in an elevator what they learned, they should be able to recite your chosen takeaways. If they don’t, you did not succeed at the task at hand. This brief yet powerful pearl is just an example of the many lessons I gained from this program and how they have changed the way I develop and deliver lectures. I recommend this program to anyone who wants to improve their speaking skills and is looking to become a national speaker. It is such an invaluable experience that I am surprised is a FREE benefit for AAEM members. Don’t wait, apply today!

Matthew P. Borloz, MD FAAEM

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in AAEM’s Speaker Development Group when I participated in 2017-2018. I was paired with Dr. Amal Mattu, who took a great deal of time providing feedback on my slides and content and gave me some recommendations for resources he had used in the past as he developed his speaking chops. The Speaker Development Group provides a fantastic opportunity to establish relationships and engage with some of the masters of education in our field. In addition to the feedback I received directly from my mentor, I also noticed that colleagues of mine were more open with their feedback, since they knew I was in a program directed specifically at improving my speaking skills. I would strongly encourage other AAEM members to consider applying to the program.

Marco Propersi, DO FAAEM

When I was a resident, I had the privilege of attending a lecture where Dr. Joe Lex was presenting. I can remember vivid detail of his discussion on the state of evidence on TPA in stroke. Though, what I remember most is his stage presence and the way he nonverbally engaged our attention. I even tried to emulate it during my senior resident talk later that year. I could not have been more excited to be paired with Dr. Lex as a speaking mentor. Working one-on-one with someone with a tremendous breadth of speaking experience has far exceeded my expectations. The pandemic has forced medical educators to move to web-based platforms for conference, which created the opportunity for my mentor to attend live lectures and provide feedback. There were more than a few silver nuggets. We identified my overuse of some word fillers, worked to slow my delivery, and improved slide design. Dr. Lex also gave me sound advice on where to look for new speaking opportunities and to consider options outside medicine. Dr. Lex is an amazing teacher and a better person. He has extended himself above and beyond expectations. He’s reviewed my slides, watched videos of my recorded lectures, reviewed podcast outlines, listened to podcasts, and attended live lectures to help me improve. I cannot say enough about Dr. Lex. I highly recommend the Speaker Development Group. All speaking is public speaking. Improving in public speaking will make you a better and more confident speaker, teacher, administrator, physician and the list goes on.

Matthew D. Zuckerman, MD FAAEM

Everyone should apply for the Speaker Development [Group] program. I got matched with Joe Lex, MD MAAEM FAAEM who is always available and gives constructive advice on every aspect of my talks. So often we view speaking skills as innate talent, but after talking to several leaders I learned that it really takes consistent practice and a reflective approach. Joe encouraged me to speak as much as possible, but at the same time, he gave feedback on my visuals before a talk and my performance after. With each session, we’d discuss a different aspect of preparation, recommended resources, personal pitfalls. Additionally, having a professional speaking mentor keyed me in that this was important and worth the time. It let my department head know that I was someone with specialized skills. I became a resource within my department because, in very little time, I had put more energy and thoughtfulness into public speaking than many of my peers. If you have ever given a talk or anticipate giving a talk (which is probably everyone reading this) I encourage you to consider applying. I encourage participants to treat this like any other professional development activity, expect to put some time into it and have measurable goals. The biggest epiphany I had was that being a good speaker is like any other skill, some people start out ahead of others, but those who succeed view it as a challenge to be mastered. There are no shortcuts but there are plenty of people who don’t put in enough time, rush through at the last minute, and then end up moving on from their talk as soon as it’s over, promising to do better “next time.” The people who get better realize that they need to plan ahead and give the talk to other audiences before taking it on the road. The most gifted speakers review their recording and audience notes in order to get better and better. Working with Dr. Lex was incredible. A one-on-one session forces each person to be candid but supportive. I was able to give a few different versions of something and get real feedback about why one worked more than the other. We worked on clarity, storytelling, and even how to choose a topic. Decades of experience taught him how to approach any situation and saved me hours of work.