How can you develop your public speaking skills as a patient advocate?

Communication is everything in every business especially in the service industry. As a Patient Advocate we must remember that listening is more important as talking — As Salvatore Frisella

To hone your public speaking skills as a patient advocate, develop an empathetic mind frame. First, be aware of your biases. Working inward will better prepare you to establish the foundation of self. Second, strive to accommodate new information to expand your schema instead of processing information to fit your current worldview. These two skills will help you better understand who you are and who you advocate for. That way, when you communicate the needs of your patients, the information you provide will be based on the shared experience with your patients, and, more importantly, what you share will be free from personal bias.

Having the vocal abilities that people in your audience do not have or an individual does not possess, gives them an example by which they can develop the ability to do what you can do; which can reduce speech impediments, or difficulty speaking fluently in English -as a second language.

1. Research in depth to find unique content. 2.Story showing - a step beyond storytelling. 3.Voice range & Non- verbal cues.

Simple visual aids are key. I use simple pictures often when helping my patients understand their diagnosis and it helps tremendously. When patients can visualize the process, they better understand. Using visual aids helps you and your audience share the same vision - they key is that it must be simple. Overly complicated visual images will overwhelm your audience and create more distance. Limit complicated & wordy graphs. Simple pictures & simple infographics work best. It may be worthwhile to hire a graphic designer to assist you.

What I find helpful is to record myself speaking, so I can hear my presentation back. Practising in front of somebody else can also be useful.

This may seem obvious, but simply practicing saying the talking points OUTLOUD can have a huge impact. I'll often encounter a point that makes sense reading with my internal voice but sounds long-winded or indirect when actually spoken.

At my desk I have two evergreen post-it notes: one that has "um" written on it with a circle around it and a line drawn through it, the other reads "so" with the same circle and line. I keep these notes close while talking on the phone, during virtual presentations, and on the podium for in-person presentations. Avoiding saying "um" and "so" helps you sound more confident and adds natural pauses where you might otherwise use fillers.