We're right at 12 Eastern, so I'm going to go ahead and start really quick and just to do a couple of housekeeping notes really quick. Everyone is in listen-only mode, but we have the webinar chat and the Q&A available, so feel free to drop questions either throughout the presentation or when we get to the Q&A at the end, and we'll make sure to cover anything that you are curious about during that Q&A session at the end of the program. So again, welcome everyone. Thank you so much for joining today's training on delivering value-driven presentations. As vendor speakers, your role is crucial in providing insightful, educational, and engaging content for AOE members and attendees, whether it's at conference or at a webinar. So today, we're going to be covering best practices so that we can ensure that your presentations are valuable and impactful, and all the while avoiding sales-focused messaging. AoE has developed this training that way we can provide a resource for you all as our vendors, utilizing feedback that we actually got from our members on the type of education that they're looking for. So to introduce our presenters today, I'm Jessica Thornburg. I'm the Education Manager for AAOE. I'm sure I've talked to many of you or met you at a past conference before. I've been with AAOE almost two years now, and I oversee the slating of our conference sessions along with our Education Council and Annual Conference Council, as well as our education content throughout the year, whether it's webinars or courses in our learning management system, the AOE Learning Center. And I'm joined today by Molly Van Oort, who is the Director of Specialty Solutions with NextGen. Molly, would you like to take a moment to introduce yourself? Sure. Thank you, Jessica. Welcome, everyone. I am Molly Van Oort, Specialty Solutions Director at NextGen Healthcare. I have more than 18 years of healthcare IT experience, combining clinical and technical expertise that helps practices improve their care delivery, as well enhance the provider and patient experience. My broad experience spans my time as the IT Director of an orthopedic practice, as well as working for clients throughout my years in the consultant world before joining NextGen Healthcare. Today's objective is to provide guidance, as Jessica said, as you prepare your presentations that are informative for your audience while refraining from promoting your products and solutions, commonly referred to as thought leadership. Thought leadership is about being recognized as an authority in your field. It involves sharing your expertise, insights, and innovative ideas to influence others and drive industry trends while recognizing others' needs, challenges, and interests. Awesome. Thank you so much. And from our standpoint in AOE, I really wanted to make sure to have somebody here who is in your shoes and developing presentations just like you are. So Molly's going to be able to bring her perspective from that lens and absolutely can help answer questions during our Q&A as well. So definitely feel free to utilize her as a resource in addition to me, not just today, but as we're leading up to conference so that we can make sure that you all feel that you have all of the information and resources that you need in order to present the best content that you can. All right. So digging in, our agenda for today's training, we're going to begin by taking a look at the audience and their needs, followed by a discussion on how to frame problems and solutions effectively. We're also going to cover the role of testimonials, case studies, industry standards, session preparation, co-presenting with customers, and common pitfalls to avoid. And finally, we're going to explore ways to engage your audience, handle Q&A effectively, and at the end of the day, you'll have an opportunity to ask any questions like we said that you have in order to make sure that your session is a great success. So let's begin. Before crafting your presentation, it's important to understand the audience that you're going to be speaking to. So there's a lot of significant challenges that these folks are facing on a daily basis that your perspective can be incredibly valuable for. So spending a little bit of time to tailor your messaging to address some of these challenges like staffing shortages, technology gaps, and then opportunities for growth are really going to benefit your presentation and your relationship development as you're actually meeting with members if you're going to be on site at the conference or in your follow-ups if you do a webinar in the future. Many of our members and conference attendees are in an independent practice setting and they're looking for ways to remain independent. So while they may have one title like CEO, they're actually performing the job function of many different roles. So knowing that your audience is going to be looking for you to be a resource for their practice, their physician, their patients on a number of these issues can really help as you shape your content. Additionally, as your team is meeting with practices on sales calls or other meetings, they're actually seeing firsthand what the audience may be experiencing. So keeping those interactions and nuggets of information in your mind is also going to help as you develop your session. Yeah and understanding your audience allows you to create more engaging and impactful content, fostering a stronger connection and trust. By tailoring your presentation to address the specific needs, challenges, and interests of your audience, you demonstrate empathy and a deep understanding of their situation. This not only makes your insights more relevant and impactful, but also positions you as a trusted advisor rather than a salesperson. Additionally, knowing your audience helps you to present your content at the right level. Like Jessica said, ensuring that it's neither too advanced or too basic and that it caters to both seasoned professionals and those new to the field. This approach not only enhances the effectiveness of your presentation, but also builds credibility and fosters loyalty among your audience, strengthening your position as a thought leader in your industry. Thanks Molly. So I wanted to make sure to provide you a little bit more about our AOE members. So AOE members are primarily orthopedic practice executives and administrators. Many of them are highly experienced, but there are also a significant number of early career professionals or people who are maybe new to orthopedics or practice management. So as Molly said, your presentation should provide advanced strategic insights while ensuring the accessibility for some of those newer to the field. So as you can see here, our member profile shows that the audience that you'll be presenting to is relatively diverse. So as you develop your session, it's going to be important to keep in mind that you could be talking to somebody who's in the late stages of their career, while somebody else may just be starting. The information that you have in your presentation can help shape not just the success of their practice now, but also in the future. Additionally, we're seeing that our attendees are looking for more in-depth information from the presentations they attend. You know, they've shared some of that in feedback surveys that we've done on the AOE side. So with many of them being experienced professionals, they're going to be looking to you as the presenters to give them the information they can't find anywhere else, or maybe a view of the industry standards or best practices. Yeah, one way to deliver more in-depth information is sharing your expertise. That's why you're there. By providing valuable insights and practical solutions, you can position yourself as a go-to resource for your clients and peers. Ensure your messaging is consistent across all platforms and channels, whether it's a blog post, a webinar, or a live presentation. Your core message should remain the same to reinforce your key points and solidify your thought leadership position. By incorporating these strategies into your presentation, you can effectively share your expertise and position yourself as that thought leader. Remember, the goal is to deliver value and inspire your audience, fostering trust and credibility in the process. So one of the most effective ways to engage your audience is by framing your presentation around a real-world problem rather than jumping straight into the solutions or products. This was feedback we got from another member survey we did on exactly what they're looking for from you as a vendor presenter. So this is really going to position you as that trusted advisor rather than a salesperson. So here we have a structured approach to framing a problem effectively. First, identifying the challenge. You can start by defining a common issue orthopedic practices face. So we could be looking at staffing shortages, declining reimbursements, or maybe outdated technology. The more specific and relatable you can be here, the better. Next, exploring multiple solutions. Whoops, sorry. It looks like I advanced the slide there. Sorry. All right. So exploring multiple solutions. Presenting all of the available solutions objectively, including industry best practices or different technologies or workflow changes is really going to be good for you here. If your product is one of the solutions, introduce it as part of a broader landscape rather than the sole answer. And then presenting your approach. Share how a successful organization might have approached solving this problem. So use generalizable strategies that any practice could implement rather than something that's specific to you if they choose you as a vendor. And then inviting discussion. So while you're presenting, encourage the audience to ask questions and share their own experience. This is really going to help foster engagement in your presentation and makes your session a little bit more dynamic. So by following this structure, you can really ensure that your presentation is educational, engaging, and valuable to the attendees regardless of whatever they choose, whether it's your product or a different solution. Yeah, framing the problem establishes a foundation of trust and credibility. When done effectively, it demonstrates a deep understanding of the audience's pain points and shows that you are attuned to their needs. This approach also encourages collaborative problem solving, positioning you not just as an expert but as a partner invested in their success. By presenting yourself in this manner, you can foster a stronger connection with your audience and making them a little bit more receptive to your insights and solutions. All right, so testimonials and case studies can be powerful tools to help build your credibility and illustrate success, but you're definitely going to want to use those strategically so that you can avoid feeling like a sales pitch. So here's how we can structure these effectively. So problem. Clearly state the initial challenge the health care provider faced. For example, a multi-specialty orthopedic practice was struggling with high patient no-show rates affecting revenue and efficiency. And then moving on to the approach, you could describe whatever steps were taken to address the issue without maybe making it product specific. So instead, you could say they implemented or instead of saying implementing our scheduling software, you could say that they introduced automated appointment reminders and optimized scheduling workflows. And then showing the results, share those quantifiable and qualitative outcomes such as no-show rates dropped by 30% and patient satisfaction scores improved by 20%. Now with best practices for testimonials, you're going to want to keep them focused on those outcomes, not just the product that they used. And using real world numbers and statistics wherever possible is going to be really helpful for you. Letting the customer stories serve as proof of value rather than overt promotion. A well-structured case study allows the audience to see the potential benefits of different approaches and then decide for themselves what solutions might actually work for them. To elevate your role as a thought leader, it is crucial to contextualize testimonials and case studies within broader industry trends. Highlight how the challenges faced by the client are reflective of wider issues within the industry and how innovative solutions can be universally applied. Furthermore, involving your clients in webinars or panel discussions where they can speak to their experiences adds an extra layer of authenticity and engagement. This not only reinforces your credibility, but also demonstrates your commitment to collaborative success and real world impact. By combining detailed analysis with client narratives, you can effectively showcase your expertise and foster deeper connections with your audience. So to build your trust and credibility, your presentation should align with industry standards and provide an objective view of potential solutions. So here's a way that you can be doing that. First, providing neutral insights. Sharing that unbiased data and trends from reputable sources such as industry reports or peer-reviewed studies, maybe professional associations. For example, studies show that 80% of practices adopting digital intake forms see improved efficiency in patient check-ins. Then to market leaders. If you're discussing available solutions, presenting a balanced view of all the top players in the space rather than exclusively focusing on your own product can be helpful. For instance, if you're talking about AI and revenue cycle management, mentioning those key players in the field without directly endorsing one over the others. And then emerging technologies. So being able to highlight innovations shaping the industry such as AI-driven patient engagement tools or blockchain for medical record security. Keeping that discussion future-focused and educational rather than promotional. By presenting neutral, well-researched insights, you're helping the audience make informed decisions while also positioning yourself as a knowledgeable expert rather than that salesperson role. As thought leaders, it's crucial to back your insights with that reliable data as it is not only lends credibility to your arguments but also portrays you as a well-informed expert in the field. When presenting to members, it is important to establish your objectivity. Demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the market landscape solidifies your status as a trusted advisor. And our role is to guide our audience through the latest advancements, helping them prepare for and adapt to future changes in the industry. Successful presentations require preparation just beyond putting together your slides. So to maximize relevance and impact, you might want to consider a few of these methods to customize your presentation. Initial contact. Before crafting your presentation, you might reach out to key stakeholders or review conference materials to understand the specific pain points of the audience. If possible, you could conduct an in-depth conversation with attendees, advisory board members, or maybe past conference participants to understand what those needs and expectations are. And you could also send a short questionnaire to attendees by asking challenges they are facing and what they hope to learn from your session. By tailoring your presentation based on real feedback, it ensures that you're addressing real-world concerns rather than presenting generic content. This approach enhances your engagement and will make your session more impactful. Content customization isn't just about addressing immediate concerns. It's also about anticipating future trends and positioning your audience to be ahead of the curve. By deeply understanding your industry and its trajectory, you can provide insights that not only solve current problems, but also prepare your audience for upcoming innovations and shifts. This forward-thinking approach not only demonstrates your expertise, but also solidifies your role as a visionary leader. Engage with your audience by showcasing how the content you provide is part of a larger, evolving narrative in their professional journey. So co-presenting with your customers. Bringing in a customer to present with you can really add credibility to your session, but you're just going to want to make sure that you're doing that carefully so you can maintain that neutrality and keep the focus on the education piece. So here's some ways you can be doing this effectively. First, establishing those clear roles. Decide in advance who will cover which parts of your presentation. Your customer should focus on the decision-making process and lessons learned rather than just endorsing a product. Next, you could be really focused on insights. So the discussion should really be about broader industry challenges and solutions and not a step-by-step direct testimonial about how your specific product works. And then maintain your neutrality. So encouraging your customer to share the why behind their choices rather than just justifying that specific purchase. For example, instead of saying we chose product X because it was the best, they could say we looked at several solutions and prioritized the ease of integration with our existing systems. So by guiding your customers effectively, you can really ensure that your presentation remains insightful and engaging without turning into a product endorsement. Help presenting with customers is more than just a strategy to gain that credibility. It's an opportunity to showcase your dedication to collaboration and your commitment to industry advancements. When customers discuss their decision-making and the broad challenges that they faced, it reinforces your role as a forward-thinking partner who understands and addresses real world issues. This approach also demonstrates that your insights are grounded in practical experience and genuine industry needs. It shifts the narrative from product-centric approach to a solution-oriented dialogue, positioning you as an innovator who is not only responsive to current trends but also anticipates future developments. This collaborative presentation style reflects a deep understanding of the market landscape and a dedication to fostering growth and innovation within the industry. Absolutely. And just to kind of drive this home even more, we hear feedback all the time that our members and conference attendees love hearing insights from their peers. So you might find that a lot of their favorite sessions end up being panel discussions at conference because they just really love to connect with each other. AOE has a listserv platform we call Collaborate where there's constant conversations happening there that are only for members where they can problem solve together or ask for solutions for things. And so having that customer joining you that is somebody else who experiences what they experience on a day-to-day basis, it really does drive it home. And I think it takes away some of that nervousness about attending a vendor session that it really is just going to be a pitch because they're getting those real world insights on what's happening in somebody's practice. And they can ask questions to that peer in the session along with to you, the vendor, to hear more and dive deeper into how that really helps solve a problem in their practice. So maintaining credibility and engagement, it's really going to be important to avoid just some common pitfalls in vendor presentations that we've seen. So we have a list here of some key do's and don'ts that might be helpful for you. So first, do share those industry insights. We've talked a lot about this. Using those reputable sources and data to support your points. For example, recent surveys show that 65% of practices struggle with prior authorization delays. This is really going to be helpful for you. Don't sell from the platform. So what we mean by this is just avoiding that overt product promotion. So instead of saying our platform automates prior authorizations, you could be saying automated workflows have been shown to reduce prior authorizations by 30%. Do encourage that open discussion. So allowing that space for the attendees to share their perspective and experiences is really going to enhance your presentation. And then not criticizing your competitors. Instead of saying other systems are outdated, you could really focus on what's possible. So newer technologies are enabling faster data sharing and decision making. So by following these best practices, it ensures that your session is well received and that attendees are going to be walking away with valuable insights rather than feeling like they sat through a sales pitch. Yeah, avoiding these pitfalls is crucial to not only maintaining your integrity, but also fostering genuine connections with your audience. Thought leaders should prioritize providing value over pushing sales, positioning yourself as educators and advisors. This means data driven insights to inform and empower rather than to merely promote. By encouraging dialogue and focusing on forward thinking solutions, thought leaders can inspire and guide their audience, establishing a foundation of trust and respect. Engaging with honesty and a clear vision for the future sets you apart as a visionary leader committed to the growth and success of your industry. So another way to really enhance your session is providing supplemental materials that can really increase the value of your session and help the attendees implement your insights. They love those sort of tangible takeaways that they can come and bring back to their practice. So you might want to consider offering a handout. So summarizing those key points that attendees can reference later, that can look like a lot of different things. But here I have on the screen an example of a job aid. So a job aid is a tool like a checklist or process flow chart or maybe implementation guideline that can really help them apply what they're learning in your presentation. So for example, if your session discusses optimizing patient scheduling, a simple checklist for reducing no-show rates can be an amazing takeaway for the audience. You can keep these materials concise, make them visually appealing, and focus on those actionable steps. And for conference presenters, AAOE is actually going to be supporting the development of job aids for the conference this year, as well as post-conference developing a summary of the presentation that's going to be available for attendees. Through this process, we will be giving those presenters an opportunity to provide feedback and give the final approval of those materials before they're distributed. So we just want to make sure that we're partnering with presenters in order to provide those meaningful takeaways for the audience here. Enhancing your presentation involves more than just delivering that information. It's about creating a lasting impact. So tailor your content, as we've talked about, to address the specific needs and challenges of your audience. This shows that you understand their unique context and are committed to providing relevant solutions. Also, facilitate open discussions, Q&A sessions, we'll talk about that in a minute too, and polls to engage your audience actively. This not only makes the session more dynamic, but also helps you gauge their concerns and interests in real time. Use real-life examples and case studies, as we've talked about, to illustrate your points. Storytelling can make your presentation more relatable and memorable, fostering a deeper connection with your audience. Go beyond theory and offer practical steps that attendees can immediately implement. Concrete takeaways enhance the perceived value of your session and reinforce your role as a trusted advisor. Also, share forward-thinking ideas and trends that anticipate future developments in your industry. This positions you as a visionary, who is not only responsive to current trends, but also leads the way in innovation. These all can help elevate your presentation, making it not just informative, but transformative, leaving a lasting impression on your audience. All right, so Q&A, we've touched on this a little bit here, but handling Q&A effectively is really key in reinforcing your expertise while maintaining neutrality. So by following these steps, hopefully you'll find that it's really a valuable part of your presentation. So first, acknowledging the question. Show your appreciation for the inquiry, say, that's a great question, thanks for bringing it up, or maybe repeat the question in case there's a member of the audience who didn't hear it clearly. And then broaden that context. So if the question's about a specific product feature, you can shift the conversation to the larger industry challenge to say, that's really a common issue that many practices are struggling with. And definitely offer for them, if they want to learn more about your specific practice, to come and visit you in the booth or email you after a webinar or something like that. You don't want to not address that they're asking you specific things, but in order for the audience as a whole to really get good insight on what that's looking like, being able to just look at that broader sense is helpful. And then providing the general insights, offering those best practices that apply regardless of whichever vendor they're going to be choosing. So for example, many organizations have found success using AI-driven analytics to improve scheduling efficiency. And finally, offering that follow-up option like I mentioned before. So if somebody really wants that specific product detail, invite them to connect with you afterwards. I'd be happy to discuss how different solutions, including ours, approach this issue. Definitely feel free to chat with me after the session. So the approach really is going to ensure that the Q&A remains informative while steering them away from feeling that it's a direct sales conversation. Presenters can share their contact details, share their details to visit them at the booth for more in-depth conversations. These presentations are great opportunities for you to be building those relationships as a part of your sales process. So we definitely want you to be having the conversations, just really recognizing where that appropriate place to have the conversation is, is that important step we're looking at. Engaging the audience during Q&A is an opportunity to showcase your depth of knowledge and understanding of industry trends. It's important to approach each question as a chance to provide valuable insights that can benefit the entire audience, not just that individual. Sharing follow-up options not only keeps the session focused and efficient, but also opens the door for that deeper conversation, strengthening your connection with potential clients and collaborators. The goal here is to ensure that Q&A remains, excuse me, it remains informative while steering away from direct sales. Additionally, engaging the audience during Q&A involves active listening, acknowledging their perseverance and perspectives and providing thoughtful, well-rounded answers that address their real concerns, thus fostering a more interactive and rewarding dialogue. So just to summarize what we've talked about today, you can remember these key principles. So of course, knowing your audience, tailoring that content to orthopedic professionals and executives, framing problems effectively. So discuss those challenges and multiple solutions, staying objective. You're going to want to avoid the high pressure tactics and keep focused on the education. And finally, engage and educate. So provide those valuable insights rather than product pitches. As someone who frequently presents to diverse audiences, I found that understanding the audience's needs and challenges is crucial. Tailoring your content to resonate with them not only captures their attention, but builds trust. Framing problems in a broader context helps in making your responses more relevant and insightful. Always steer clear of any of those sales tactics. Instead, focus on educating your audience with practical and actionable solutions. Engagement is key. Interactive sessions, storytelling, and real life examples can make your presentations more impactful and memorable. But most importantly, have fun. All right. So that's the bulk of our presentation. I want to open it up now to any questions that you have. Feel free to ask anything related to the presentation or as many of you are presenting at conference. If you have any conference questions that you've been curious about that you haven't had a chance to email me yet, I'd be happy to answer any of those as well. We'll give it just a minute. I want to take, while we're waiting to see if questions come in, a moment to first thank Molly for giving your perspective here as a peer to talk through how you look at these opportunities as relationship building and setting you all up as a thought leader. And then also thank everyone in the audience for taking their time to just be a part of this presentation. We've gotten feedback from the AOE membership and conference attendees in the past on really what they're looking for from vendors. And so designing this presentation was really an opportunity to help answer that question and give you those key things that they're looking for from you. And that way you feel that you've been set up for success for your presentations. All right. I'm not seeing anything coming in, which is totally fine, but you see my email address on the screen and you should have it as a presenter anyway. So feel free to follow up with me anytime afterwards. Again, thank you so much, Molly, and thank you everyone for attending the session. We hope that it's been informative. And again, thank you so much for your writing information to our members and attendees. Have a great afternoon, everybody.

value-driven presentations

orthopedic professionals

educational content

audience engagement

industry standards

thought leadership

trusted advisors