1. Presentation Design:
An Evidence-based
Approach
Tyson Pillow, M.D., M.Ed.
Baylor College of Medicine

2. I have no
financial
disclosures

5. “
”
I am intrigued by the idea that we
can improve people’s learning by
incorporating effective graphics
into verbal material.
- Richard Mayer

6. “It is not fair to expect us to apply
the material in a testing situation...”
“Dr. X is a wonderful teacher.
However, the exam was unfair
because it tested concepts rather
than the facts emphasized in class...”
-Random students

8. “My presentation lacks power and has
no point. I assumed the software would
take care of that!”

9. We must work to make our
presentations learner-centered!

10. Prober, et. al. NEJM. 2012

11. Lectures
(5%)

13. A word of caution

14. Crappy
lecture + Recording
=

15. Crappy
lecture + Recording
=
Crappy recorded
lecture

16. Objectives
•Discuss presentation design as a means of
creating a learning environment
•Discuss four key educational principles
affecting presentation design
•List several presentation software skills for
effective presentation design
•Build an evidence-based template for
presentation design

17. ...is a Science
Presentation
Design

18. 4 Key Educational
Principles
Streamline the message
Organize and anchor
Promote knowledge transfer
Create a connection

19. 4 Key Educational
Principles
Streamline the message
Organize and anchor
Promote knowledge transfer
Create a connection

20. 40
Billion

21. Brain
40
Billion

22. 40 bytes

23. 40 bytes
Weinschenk. 100 Things Every Presenter
Needs to Know about People. 2012

24. Medina. Brain Rules. 2008

25. Brain Rules

26. Instructional Design
Issa, et. al. Medical Education. 2011

27. Instructional Design
Issa, et. al. Medical Education. 2011
Coherence
Signaling
Redundancy
Spatial contiguity
Temporal contiguity
Multimedia

29. Instructional Design
Issa, et. al. Medical Education. 2011

30. “There was statistically
significant greater increase in
retention and transfer in the
modified slide group”
Instructional Design

31. The modified slide group
outperformed the standard
group at 1 and 4 weeks.
Issa, et. al. Medical Education. 2013

32. 4 Key Educational
Principles
Streamline the message
Organize and anchor
Promote knowledge transfer
Create a connection

33. Organize and anchor

34. Advanced Organizers
Provide a framework for learners to
relate to and construct new learning
Ausubel. 1960
Zone of Proximal Development
Difference between what the
learner can do without vs with help
Vygotsky. 1932

35. Novice

36. Novice

37. Novice

38. Expert

39. Expert

40. Expert
Vygotsky, 1978
Resnick, 1983
National Research Council, 2000

41. 4 Key Educational
Principles
Streamline the message
Organize and anchor
Promote knowledge transfer
Create a connection

42. Knowledge
Transfer
Concept attainment
Memory
Repetition

43. Do not assume
declarative knowledge
denotes understanding
Concept attainment

44. Concept attainment
Student 1 Student 2
“B-blockers are
contraindicated in acute
decompensated CHF”
“B-blockers may be
useful in acute
decompensated CHF”

45. Concept attainment
Student 1 Student 2
“B-blockers are
contraindicated in acute
decompensated CHF”
“B-blockers may be
useful in acute
decompensated CHF”
“Not sure of the
mechanism”
“I know there is a long
term mortality benefit in
CHF. It may help to mitigate
the hyperdynamic state of
acute CHF exacerbations”

46. Memory

47. 4
Baddeley, 1986, 1995

48. %Recall
80
60
40
20
Item
First Last
Slower
Presentation
Quicker
Presentation
Glanzer, 1966

49. HJPPYEVT SOHTMGNE

50. HJPPYEVT SOHTMGNE

51. Repetition
Rock, 1957; Kiewra, 1991

52. 4 Key Educational
Principles
Streamline the message
Organize and anchor
Promote knowledge transfer
Create a connection

53. Adult Learners
Active learning
Some control over
learning
Learning styles/needs met
Focus on relevant
problems and practical
applications

54. Learning styles
Multimedia approach
Knowledge sharing
Learning experiences
personalized to needs
Balance experiential and
guided learning

55. Multitasking.....

56. ... is a myth.

58. Reality

60. College
Post-graduate

62. 83% of radiologists
missed the gorilla!

64. Breaks affect attentionLevelofPerformance
Time Spent Teaching
Wilkinson, 1959
Break
Even 25 seconds is effective!

65. 4 Key Educational
Principles
Streamline the message
Organize and anchor
Promote knowledge transfer
Create a connection

66. Presentation
Design
...is also an Art

67. “Successful teaching is a
performance and the sooner
we make peace with that fact,
the better”
(Tauber(R,(Mester(C.(Ac#ng&Lessons&for&Teachers:&using&Performance&Skills&in&the&
Classroom.&Praeger,(2007(2nd(Edi9on.)
Presentation
Design
...is also an Art

68. Basic Software Skills
Using Text
Using Shapes
Basic Animations
Using Hyperlinks
Inserting audio/video

69. Examples

70. •First idea is written here. I want to go into this topic
in detail, so I will read it verbatim from my slide,
making sure to cover the following subtopics:
-Subtopic number 1.
-Subtopic number 2.This one is also read verbatim with no
context applied.
★In the interest of getting more confusing, I have included more
sub-subtopics.
★This will continue as I want to try another bullet style.
‣Here is where I will hide the main point of my entire slide.
‣Can anyone beyond the second row read this?
★I will further hide the main point with another sub-subtopic.
-Subtopic number 3.This is probably not related to the
slides main point at all. Even if it is, I have already
overloaded you with multiple confusing items to
remember.This was not my intention. I am simply trying to
get through all of the pertinent material.
Main topic here

71. •First idea is written here. I want to go into this topic
in detail, so I will read it verbatim from my slide,
making sure to cover the following subtopics:
-Subtopic number 1.
-Subtopic number 2.This one is also read verbatim with no
context applied.
★In the interest of getting more confusing, I have included more
sub-subtopics.
★This will continue as I want to try another bullet style.
‣Here is where I will hide the main point of my entire slide.
‣Can anyone beyond the second row read this?
★I will further hide the main point with another sub-subtopic.
-Subtopic number 3.This is probably not related to the
slides main point at all. Even if it is, I have already
overloaded you with multiple confusing items to
remember.This was not my intention. I am simply trying to
get through all of the pertinent material.
Main topic here

72. Main idea of
the slide here
Main topic here

73. A quick note...
Hoffman, et. al. 2005
Readability is key

74. A quick note...
Hoffman, et. al. 2005
Readability is key
Veranda
Trebuchet
Arial
Times

75. Restoring Balance

76. Restoring Balance

78. Patients > 50 year old
Elevated ESR
Temporal pain
Temporal Arteritis

79. Medical Student Procedural Skills
Lab Experience
Beth Nelson,Tyson Pillow, DavidYoung
Baylor College of Medicine
November 30, 2009

80. Instead of the standard
case format...

81. 56 y/o M with
shortness of breath
Case Presentation Example 1

82. BP 162/65 HR 132 R 20 T 98.2 SpO2 100% RA
“My legs are
really weak”
CTAB; normal
inspiratory effort
1/5 strength;
normal DTRs
Diffuse goiter
4+/5 strength;
normal DTRsDiaphoretic
Case Presentation
Example 2

83. What is
What could be
The gap
Reward: new bliss
Beginning Middle End
Cross the
threshold
Turning point 1:
Call to adventure
Turning point 2:
Call to action
Adapted from Duarte. Resonate. 2011

84. Current knowledge/understanding
Potential knowledge/understanding
Zone of
proximal
development
Reward: new
understanding
Beginning Middle End
Cross the
threshold
Turning point 1:
Identify the gap
Turning point 2:
Fill the gap
Encourage
further inquiry
Adapted from Duarte. Resonate. 2011

85. “I never teach my pupils;
I only attempt to provide
the conditions in which
they can learn.
”

86. Presentation Design:
An Evidence-based
Approach
Tyson Pillow, M.D., M.Ed.
Baylor College of Medicine