This section is directed toward presenters recruited to make a presentation at a biosolids training program. It highlights ways that presenters can work with the workshop organizer, an education coordinator, and workshop participants to make the training experience more valuable. It also describes a number of presentation formats that involve the participants in creative thinking and hands-on learning.
Think of your presentation as a part of a competency-building process. Your role in the training workshop is similar to that filled by a subcontractor on a large construction project. If, for instance, you were in charge of framing a building, you would do this only after the building plan was approved and the foundation was in place. Similarly, in the workshop, you need to coordinate your presentation with other presenters to create a useful learning experience for the training participants.
Let's review who else is on the team. Commonly, the other players on the team include workshop organizer(s), other presenters, and an education coordinator.
Workshop organizer(s) are responsible for making physical arrangements for the workshop (room size and type, audiovisual capabilities, time, date, place, etc.). They prepare the training program outline, recruit presenters, arrange for publicity, and handle workshop registration. Ask the workshop organizer for the description of any training modules that are directly related to the one you will present. You also may want to contact some of other presenters directly to make sure your presentations aren't overly repetitive.
The education coordinator is responsible for the quality of instruction provided by the workshop. The coordinator is familiar with all of the topics included in the training, and should attend all training sessions to assist presenters. Prior to the training event, if you're not sure about the level of detail to include in your presentation, solicit the input of the coordinator.
Don't forget to consider the abilities and needs of workshop participants. If you're still unfamiliar with the audience ability level after visiting with the coordinator, consider sitting in on one of the early introductory sessions in the training workshop.
You will want to get a copy of an overall training outline from the workshop organizer or education coordinator. This will help you identify the subject areas covered by other presenters, and help you to fit your presentation into the overall program.
In the overall training outline, look for:
For a comprehensive outline for a training event, see "Overall Training Outline" in the first pages of "Training Modules." For an example of a training outline for a specific event, see "Pilot Biosolids Training Programs in Oregon 199798" in the Appendix of this manual.
The overall training outline, shown in the first pages of "Training Modules," lists "key concepts," the major questions that should be addressed by the training. For some of the modules, you may not have time to cover all of the key concepts. Choose key concepts for your presentation that will meet the most important needs of workshop participants.
A biosolids training workshop should be more than just an information delivery event. Adults learn best when they are actively involved in a learning activity. Because of the nature of some topics, a standard lecture format may be the only workable option. However, opportunities do exist for breaking out of the lecture routine. "Innovative Presentation Methods," a later chapter in this training manual, describes three methods to get participants actively involved in the learning process: Biosolids Jeopardy, case-study problems, and a take-home test. Other methods for increasing participation in the learning process include:
Give a short, written pretest on what you plan to cover. Then answer the test questions in your presentation. This would be a good technique for a data-intensive topic such as EPA 503 regulations.
Design a game to fit your topic. An example: a Nitrogen Cycle Game was used successfully at a Northwest Biosolids Management Association training on nitrogen management. Briefly, here's an outline for the game: Mark off a "gameboard" on the floor that represents the nitrogen cycle (layout similar to board games such as "Monopoly®" or "Careers®"). Locations on the board are places where nitrogen is found (air, plants, soil organic matter, soil solution, groundwater). People are "units of nitrogen." They move around the board in response to cards drawn from a pile (similar to "Chance" cards in Monopoly or "Opportunity" cards in Careers). For example, if a card reads, "Crop growing conditions favorable. Move 10 units of nitrogen from soil solution to crop," then 10 people move from the "soil solution" location to the "crop" location.
This technique is really a variation of a question-and-answer session, or a post-test. The difference is that you, the presenter, prepare questions to "probe" how well participants understood your message. You can use the Need-to-knows listed in each training module as a source of probe questions. For example, after a presentation about transportation of biosolids, you might ask participants the following questions:
- What are three major parts of a spill response plan?
- How should a small spill of biosolids be cleaned up?
- What information should the driver provide to the first responder after a large biosolids spill?
The participants, individually or as small groups, then give their answers. You, the presenter, can then explain anything that the participants overlooked in their responses. Asking participants to respond to your presentation reinforces your message.
This technique often is misused, but it can be very powerful if you plan carefully. Make sure you select a diverse panel that discusses a particular topic from different perspectives. For example, a panel could be composed of a biosolids manager, a regulator, and a farmer discussing best management practices. The panel needs a quality moderator that will guide the panel discussion. A quality moderator is familiar with biosolids issues, capable of steering discussion toward relevant issues, and able to control unruly panelists and participants. A panel discussion also requires good questions. Make sure the moderator has some general questions in mind before the discussion period ends. A structured approach to obtaining questions often is helpful to panel discussions. One way to get a good supply of questions is to provide 5 minutes for participants to write their questions on note cards prior to the panel discussion. The note cards are then passed to the moderator, who reads/sorts/combines questions before the panel discussion begins.
These two books provide helpful hints and ideas on how to structure a presentation and how to use different media such as slides and overhead transparencies. Both books are available in most public libraries.
Mandel, Steve. 1993. Effective presentation skills. Crips Publications, Menlo Park, CA.
Raab, Margaret Y. 1990. The presentation design book. Veneta Press, Chapel Hill, NC.
Also available in public libraries is a book that describes icebreakers and fun activities that make people think outside of their box:
van Oech, Roger. 1990. A whack on the side of your head. Warner Books, Inc., New York, NY.