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Congratulations on lining up an opportunity to speak about occupational therapy. To make your presentation entertaining, informative, and persuasive, here are some tips to consider: Know your audience. What are their needs and interests? Occupational therapy serves many populations, so tailor your presentation so it has meaning for your listeners. For example, if you are speaking to members of the Lions Club, be aware of their special interest in vision, and include information on how occupational therapy addresses the needs of persons with low vision. Make your presentation personal. Tell your audience why you chose occupational therapy as a career. Convey your own excitement and commitment about your profession and the difference it makes in people's lives. Involve your audience through show and tell. Bring visual aids such as reachers, Dycem, rocker knives and adapted utensils, dressing sticks, and the other tools of occupational therapy. Such objects may be old hat to you, but they are ingenious and fascinating to someone who has never seen them before. Use anecdotes. Personal stories that demonstrate the human side of your work can be very helpful. Sharing information about special patients, meaningful experiences, and rewarding outcomes can be very persuasive in communicating the value of occupational therapy. Solicit questions from your audience. Ask if anyone has had a family member treated by an occupational therapist. Almost anyone's experience can be a starting point for a discussion about how occupational therapy made a difference in someone's life. Provide informational resources. Familiarize yourself with the consumer fact sheets available on the AOTA web site. Print multiple copies of selected fact sheets for distribution to your audience as "leave-behinds." Be brief. Find out how much time you have been allotted and confine your remarks to that timeline. Be sure to leave some time for questions. Avoid jargon. Use language that is plain and clear and able to be comprehended by persons who are not familiar with involved health and medical terminology. Enjoy. These talks can be a great way to convey your excitement about your chosen profession and share useful information to people who may need the very expertise you can provide. Have fun!
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