Clinical Skills Confidence: Sharing Results At Meetings
I’m not one of the people that really enjoys public speaking. In fact, in high school, I pretty much did anything to avoid it. Then in college, we needed to do presentations. I got more used to it and sometimes (gasp) even sort of enjoyed it! Still, when I know I have to speak in front of people, I get nervous. Those butterflies can dance a mighty jig!
I’m not sure that grad school really prepared me for sitting in IEP or eligibility meetings. Especially the part where I need to share results. Here are my tips for coasting through it without breaking (too much of) a sweat.
1. Print and highlight: I print a copy of the result and highlight key points that I want to mention. It makes it easy to relay the important information and not look all over the place for it.
2. Rate: I tend to speak very quickly, so I make a conscious effort before I start talking to remind myself to SLOW DOWN.
3. Pause and ask: After I relay a couple pieces of information, I always try to stop and ask if there are questions. Sometimes it can be a lot for parents to take in and they might have questions right then. I find it easier to address throughout my “speech,” rather than at the end.
4. Offer your contact information: Often parents will think of questions later on, so I always give them my contact information.
I hope that gives you some ideas and some peace of mind about sharing results! It does get easier!