MSLs can and should customize every clinical presentation they prepare for and deliver based on a host of factors including, but not limited to, the specific audience that will attend this presentation, the venue of the presentation (one-on-one or group setting), the purpose of the meeting (was this based on a request for specific information or is this a general presentation), the need to allay safety concerns or simply just to reconnect and provide updates with respect to their company’s product, pipeline, disease state updates/advancements or data presented at a recent meeting. Of course there are still other reasons but the take away is that every meeting is unique and as such, every clinical presentation should be tweaked to address those unique needs.
Drawing upon my own personal experiences and presenting to a variety of healthcare industry audiences over a twenty-year period, I hope to impart some key insights and suggestions that will enable both current and soon-to-be MSLs to consistently adapt and modify your clinical presentations into ones that become your own distinctive canned or “pre-planned” presentations.
A good place to start is that you, as an MSL, are in the information business and must be a life-long student responsibly learning and refreshing your knowledge of the disease state, product(s) you support as well as the competitive landscape. Prior to being let loose in the field and presenting to your physician and healthcare customers, you will receive training on the clinical presentation decks and respective clinical messages that will need to be shared with your customers. Please do not view this training activity as a static exercise. It is paramount to your success as an MSL to consistently review the deck(s), identify the slides that you are unclear about or need additional clarification on and getting the answers to those questions. The next step is for you to now customize this presentation in a style that is most comfortable to you and enables you to convey ownership of the information presented. An effective approach may be to ask your customer questions regarding their current clinical practices or knowledge about a new approach or modality. The end all is to clearly distinguish yourself as an expert and establish credibility with your customers.
In addition to your consistent review of the slides, you will also need to cull the literature to stay abreast of advancements and releases of new data and information. Your MSL team may have a formal process to discuss this new information perhaps structured as a journal club or on conference calls with management. Another team practice and exercise may be the ability to convene as a group and present in a peer-to-peer setting. This setting provides opportunity for all the MSLs to listen to both their manager and peers in an effort to enhance or modify their individual presentations. Each MSL communicates some topic areas better than others so collectively, the team is ultimately finessing and developing their team “canned” presentation.
Once you have mastered the digest of the clinical content, the respective scientific messages needed for each unique customer group and the establishment of your “canned” presentation, recognize that success will be dependent on your ability to hone in on the following questions for each and every presentation you will give:
Who is your audience?
Who is the decision maker?
Who is the end user?
What message do you want and need to convey?
What should the audience’s expectations be after hearing your presentation?
What should the audience do with the information you presented?
What kinds of questions could they possibly ask you?
The only question in this group that I wish to expand on is the last. Know that you may not be able to answer every question you are asked and it is okay to communicate that you do not know that answer and will research that question and get back to them. This garners tremendous credibility as opposed to just speaking for the sake of speaking and gets you back in touch with that customer easily within a defined time period.
In summary, to ensure you thrive and master the art of presenting clinical slide decks to your customers, know, rehearse and constantly review your content by adapting your deck and respective messages to your audience, incorporating their needs and expectations into every presentation and never become complacent in this exercise. While there definitely is a boilerplate or canned section of the presentations you will deliver, there is also the opportunity to distinguish yourself and create your own unique style that will ultimately differentiate you from other MSLs.
MSLs and potential MSLs out there: what piece of preparation advice do YOU always follow before making a presentation?
