Executive Presentation Seminar - Spring 2018

By: Mackenzie Schutz (MHA '19)

Effective leadership requires many skills- above all is the ability to communicate with and influence others through formal and informal presentations. A select number of students in our cohort possess the natural ability to stand in front of a crowd confidently and "command a room." Many others would say they need to take a deep breath and learn to "fake it 'til you make it." Regardless of where students fall on this spectrum, we all understand the importance of dedicating time and effort to continuous improvement while supporting each other along the way.

Alumni Shane Cerone (MA '95) and Chris Klitgaard (MHA, MBA '98) joined our first-year Professional Development Seminar this past week to share their tips and tricks for strong presentation skills. Half of the cohort spent the afternoon with Shane, who had traveled from Detroit where he works as Founder and CEO at Health Market Solutions, LLC. The other half shared their time with Chris, Founder and CEO of MediRevv in Coralville, IA.

We started our day off bright and early with a presentation from Shane. Directly following his presentation, we put his advice to practice. Each student prepared two speeches to present. The speeches were videotaped so we could watch them back as a class and offer feedback. 

Layne Croney (MHA '19)'s persuasive speech about the necessity of a crock-pot was a class favorite as it was light, relatable, and certainly valid.  Layne shares his experience below. 

Layne Croney (MHA '19) delivering his persuasive speech. 

"One of the most memorable pieces of advice that Shane gave us was that nobody knows that you’re nervous except you. I tried to remember it as I gave my first speech of the day, but I was sure that the involuntary and uncontrollable shaking in my left leg would give my nerves away. Fortunately for me, Shane’s advice was proven correct when we watched the film and my nervous quiver was unnoticeable. 

Watching recordings of our presentations was helpful in that it provided additional opportunity for feedback and suggestions and gave us the rare chance to watch ourselves speak … even if we did have to listen to our voices. Throughout our presentations Shane would stop us, correct our hand placement or our posture, and have us continue. Being able to watch the immediate improvement from these small corrections added tremendous value to the exercise. This experience vastly improved my presentation skills and confidence. It was remarkable how the small adjustments to my hand and body positioning made such a large impact on the speech and my confidence while delivering it and I will be cognizant of those details in future presentations.” - Layne Croney (MHA '19)

Mackenzie Schutz (MHA '19) presenting to the group. 

My feedback for this particular event echoes Layne’s in many ways.

As University of Iowa MHA students, we are afforded numerous opportunities to learn from healthcare leaders who have admirable presentation skills that we hope to emulate. It was a unique experience to sit among peers and watch the video of ourselves presenting.

What I enjoyed most about this experience was the genuine feedback from peers and alumni. Our cohort is particularly talented in offering criticism that is constructive and sincere. Chris, who led my group, encouraged us to reflect on our own thoughts about our presentation and provided memorable feedback. We look forward to utilizing the advice from this activity in our future professional endeavors. 

 Chris Klitgaard's group of MHA students
reflecting on their presentation performance.