Lecturing at NAU
Walking back into my Alma Mater as a guest lecturer for the senior dental hygiene students at Northern Arizona University was surreal. Just that morning, I had a “9 years ago today” picture show up on my Facebook feed that I had interviewed for the same dental hygiene program on this day 9 years ago. Now I was walking in to lecture at the place I was incredibly eager to become accepted to and begin my career as a dental hygienist just 9 years prior. Talk about a serious full circle moment!! I really had to take a second and reflect on all that had led me to right here. I can tell you right now that it sure didn’t involve griping about clinical practice and posting to social media asking the internet folks if they had any “non-clinical leads or opportunities”. No. I fully gave myself to clinical practice and it molded me into the passionate hygienist I am today. I am thankful for the opportunities presented to me in clinical practice- from the colleagues I have had the pleasure of working with, the educational experiences I grew from, and the patients that will always hold a special place in my heart. My experiences as a practicing clinician contributed to my skillsets as a writer, consultant, and speaker, which I am going to dive into in just a minute. My career path isn’t solely comprised of clinical practice these days, although it is still a big part of it. Let’s talk about the speaking aspect of it, shall we?
While working as a practicing clinician a few years ago, I made the decision to take a course on Myofunctional Therapy. The dentist I was working with at the time was incorporating sleep appliances into their practice, and myofunctional therapy was a necessary component of the patient’s overall treatment plan. Through my course, reading as many books as I could, attending a sleep dentistry conference, and seeing patients of my own, I became well-versed and educated in the realm of sleep disordered breathing (SDB). Fast-forward to present day, and I was given the opportunity to lecture to soon-to-be graduating senior students on this topic. Let it be known that this was my first time lecturing in person to a group of students. I am not an expert speaker, but I did have a topic I was passionate about. I knew that despite any nerves I had, my knowledge and expertise on this topic would get me through.
I have found that students are an ideal demographic to lecture to when starting out as a speaker. Usually, they are eager to learn alternative topics outside their scheduled curriculum and typically aren’t as intimidating as a large group of professionals that have been practicing for years. My goal was to keep the information fun, clear, concise, and easily adaptable into their practice. I encouraged the students at the end to complete a course evaluation for me so I could receive honest feedback and use this for future courses. I may have bribed them with lunch if they all completed my course evaluation- you gotta’ do what you gotta’ do to incentivize that feedback! Based on the responses I received, here is what I learned that went well during my presentation, along with aspects that need improvement and I plan to incorporate into future lectures:
What went well/what students liked:
My lecturing style and projection of my voice
Imagery and videos used throughout the presentation
Enthusiasm, confidence, and passion about the topic
Format of the presentation flowed nicely and was easy to follow
Periodically checking in with the audience for questions
Variations in tone of voice to avoid monotony
What could have been changed/improved for the future:
Speaking rate was fast at times
Giving a break at the halfway point of the lecture
Provide a case study or clinical examples
Condensing topics to avoid repetition
Fostering more class participation
Upon completing my own personal reflection, I felt that the lecture went very well. There should always be room for improvement, as I do see myself as a lifelong learner. I value all the feedback provided to me and want to continue striving to be the best speaker I can. I resonate deeply with this quote:
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”- Maya Angelou
My goal as I embark on this speaking journey is to do just that- leave a lasting impact on people that really makes them feel my message in their own way. Sure, the concepts I am lecturing on are critical, but I can confidently say that the speakers I have enjoyed and remembered listening to the most, are the ones that truly made me feel something.