Many premedical students feel uncomfortable with the prospect of speaking publicly, particularly to a large group and to those more knowledgeable in their field. This makes development of public speaking skills a significant opportunity for personal and professional improvement that is rarely considered in premedical advising.
Premed students can benefit greatly from developing their public speaking skills, and there are several advantages to doing so.
Medical School Interviews
The most immediate application of public speaking skills for premed students will be during interviews for medical school. The ability to convey your opinions, thoughts, beliefs and ideas confidently and eloquently is enormously important for future doctors, and admissions committee members will be impressed to see these capacities in an interviewee.
[Read: How to Become a Doctor: A Step-by Step Guide.]
Put yourself in the position of your interviewers, individuals who have conducted hundreds of interviews with aspiring doctors and are likely fatigued from hearing repetitive, similar phrases and refrains from each candidate.
Do you have a unique motivation to become a physician that is entirely novel? Perhaps, but the vast majority of applicants will not. And that is more than OK because you can express your life story and your motivation to pursue medicine in a strong, powerful, memorable manner through excellent public speaking skills.
The goal in an interview is to be remembered and to leave an impression. If you worry your story may not, work to perfect your delivery such that your public speaking skills leave no doubt. Strong communication skills convey professionalism, passion and preparation, traits that bode extremely well for future doctors.
Scientific Presentations and Research Discussions
Improving your public speaking skills will facilitate communication in scientific presentations and research discussions. When presenting scholarly research, whether your own or others’ novel research findings, strong and clear speaking skills will help to convince your audience that you know what you are talking about.
Clear and effective communication also allows for enhanced dissemination of scientific results, and more effectively spawns productive collaborations. If a career in research is at all in the cards for you, public speaking is an absolutely nonnegotiable skill.
[What Type of Research Helps You Get Into Medical School?]
Interpersonal Communication
The practice of medicine relies heavily on interpersonal communication. Because all health care is a team sport, the roles of each member of the care team are intricately intertwined with one another.
Thus, communication is paramount, and you will need to confidently and concisely communicate detailed medical knowledge about your patients to medical students, residents and other health care professionals with a wide range of knowledge bases.
Effective public speaking skills will allow you to thrive in this environment, perform well in interdisciplinary collaboration and, most importantly, advocate persuasively for your patients. As you interact directly with patients, you will appreciate the necessity of clear language and speaking style.
Clear communication with patients is one of the most effective ways to improve patient satisfaction and adherence to treatment plans. Your patients will more fully grasp the nature of their disease process and better appreciate the necessity of various treatments if you distill complicated pathophysiology into clearly understandable parcels of information. Doing so without compromising their feelings of agency and intellect is an art as much as a science, and requires deft public speaking skills and tactful delivery.
The successful doctor will undoubtedly enjoy increased patient satisfaction with their medical care and, most importantly, improved overall disease outcomes.
Professional Development Opportunities
You will also notice that professional development opportunities such as writing up a case study or presenting at a national conference will become available with greater regularity if those at the top of the totem pole — such as attending physicians and chief residents — believe you will represent your institution properly and reflect well on your mentors.
[Why Premeds Should Go to a Biomedical Research Conference]
The most obvious advantage of developing improved public speaking skills is professional advancement through effective networking. Medicine remains a relatively small community, particularly once you specialize and begin seeing many of the same individuals at the same conferences and meetings year after year.
An excellent presentation or a memorable conversation can foster valuable connections and spawn working and personal relationships that last for years. These connections can open doors to opportunities you may not even be aware of in medicine, science, research or life outside of work.
For career advancement, particularly in the realm of academic medicine and research, persuasive public speaking skills are imperative, and the earlier you begin to improve, the better.
Importance of Practicing Public Speaking
To improve your speaking skills and delivery, there is absolutely no substitute for practice. No improvement can be expected without the devotion of hours of practice.
Pursue opportunities to speak about your undergraduate research at conferences and lab meetings, as well as in your club meetings and in your job. Remember that while you are speaking, all eyes are on you. Own the moment, stand up straight, speak forcefully and clearly enunciate. You deserve this moment of your audience’s attention, so act accordingly and deliver your information with confidence.
Your interview performance, health care interactions, scientific communication, presentations and networking will greatly benefit from improved communication and public speaking skills. This often-overlooked attribute should be a priority as you embark on your journey toward a career in medicine.
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Professionalism in Medicine: What Every Aspiring Physician Should Know originally appeared on usnews.com
