Sunday, March 3, 2019

Digital Health Technologies Lecture Preparation

John Wooden, the legendary UCLA Basketball coach, once said "If you don't prepare, prepare to fail." Therefore, I prepare. I have been following a pre-lecture routine for almost 20 years. Briefly, let me outine the steps I take prior to giving the lecture.
1. Over three separate days prior to the talk, I review the slides in presentation mode, and also carefully review my lecture notes. This gives me a chance to make any last minute edits to the material-which I often do!
2. I check with the lecture sponsor to learn the headcount for the lecture, and print my own handouts accordingly.
3. Ideally, I'd like to know the layout of the room, wireless availability and password access, seating arrangements, location of podium and microphones, and access to plugs for my demos. I try to make a site visit prior to the talk to check these things out.
3. I always bring a back up computer, projector, microphone, and power strip. Many times, one finds the technology components in the lecture space are inadaquate. Thus, you need  to have a failsafe support system. And, as a last resort, I am always prepared to give the lecture without using slides.
4. I arrive at least an hour before my lecture is scheduled to begin. Problems can then be identified and corrected well before the students arrive.
5. For students who arrive early, I usually provide an "early bird special" showcasing the technologies that will be discussed that day. For example, I conduct a face-off between the Amazon Echo Show and the Lenovo Smart Display with Google Assistant, or encourage attendees to utilize several virtual reality viewers.
6. I prefer to handle my own introduction, and to keep it brief. 
7. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions at any time. It keeps the audience engaged, and makes them part of the presentation.
8. Lastly, I remind myself to repeat questions from the audience, and to be sure to check on the following: Can you hear me? Is the pace of delivery OK? Can you see and read the slides easily?

These steps have served me well over the years, and I commend them to you.

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