Core Clerkship Asessment - Oral Presentation Guidelines

Your presentation should be given via PowerPoint, should be no more than 10 minutes in length, and should be on a radiology-based topic that reflects new knowledge you have acquired during your clerkship (not material you have already presented on or derived from prior rotations or research experiences). This presentation will be given to your student colleagues in the BWH Medical Student Room and may be either case based (45 year old man with acute dyspnea) or topic based (Imaging findings of small bowel obstruction). This presentation should be image rich, and as many images as feasible should be derived from Visage. If choosing a case-based format, the focus of the presentation should be on the radiologic aspects of the case. You need only give the pertinent clinical positives and negatives required to put the imaging into context (recommend 1 slide max).

You should also prepare a 1 page handout for your classmates summarizing the material from your presentation and serving as a study guide. This should contain complete text rather than a bullet point outline. The material covered in your questions must be included in this handout.

By 8:00am on the morning of presentation, you will need to submit to Scot Morrison and Jane Karimova, MD the following in digital format:

  1. PowerPoint presentation,
  2. one page summary handout,
  3. the patient’s medical record number

Please also distribute your summary handout electronically to your classmates.

You will be evaluated based on the content and organization of your presentation as well as on your ability to communicate with your audience and use digital media. Particular attention will be paid to your use of appropriate anatomic and imaging terminology.

Basic PowerPoint Presentation

  1. Use the one-two-three approach:
    1. Tell them what you will be telling them
    2. Tell them
    3. Tell them what you have told them
  2. Use a summary slide, or detail the main teaching points at the end
  3. Most audiences can only absorb 3-4 points during a talk - FOCUS on these!!
  4. Use your slides as your notes
    1. Don’t try to use paper notes - they are hard to see in the dark, and will slow you down
    2. Put anything you would like to have on notes ON YOUR SLIDE (even in shorthand)
  5. Use color effectively
    1. DARK backgrounds work best with images (block surrounding light)
    2. DON’T switch between dark and light background (let audience get and stay dark adapted)
    3. Be sure any arrows/annotation are in a color that is VISIBLE against the image
  6. Give ATTRIBUTION of any images/diagrams, etc (web URL or reference)
  7. BE SURE ALL PATIENT INFORMATION IS REMOVED FROM EVERY IMAGE!!!!
  8. More simple slides can be covered in less time than fewer complex slides - if in doubt, break complex slides into several simpler ones
  9. Use animation/annotation to enhance your images
    1. Use cursor or laser pointer SPARINGLY
    2. It is better to animate your arrows rather than trying to point freehand
    3. Try adding outlines or more complex annotation for complex findings
  10. Crop your images to maximize the impact of the findings you are discussing
  11. Include a summary or conclusion slide at the end, both to remind YOU that the talk is over and to refresh your audience’s memory