Reflecting by yourself

The charity recently asked Emily to deliver a presentation to a group of pharmacists about advice they can give to people with diabetes concerning diet and lifestyle.

After speaking to the group, Emily reflected on the experience using an online self-assessment template to record her thoughts. She thought about what went well in the presentation, what she could have done better, and what she has learned from this experience to improve her practice.  

This was Emily’s first presentation to a group, and she felt that while she was able to present confidently and was well prepared, she became very nervous when she was asked questions during the presentation. She had not anticipated feeling so nervous and felt that this was an area that she would like to improve, as it would enable her to better communicate with her service users and colleagues at work. While she was nervous, the Q&A session with the pharmacists was a useful insight into how service users with diabetes seek care and the types of complications they report to their pharmacist.

As a result of her presentation and to gain more confidence, Emily started contributing more during her team meetings, and put herself forward to deliver more presentations at other events. After delivering many more presentations, she has developed confidence when speaking to larger groups and answering their questions. Emily has begun making her presentations more interactive to engage with her audience.

Emily also made detailed notes about the experiences the pharmacists relayed to her and reflected on how this information might change the information she provided to her service users. She decided that she would share these insights by giving a presentation in an upcoming team meeting.

These skills have also helped Emily at work. She now feels more confident when explaining care plans to her service users, discussing these with doctors and answering their questions.

How did Emily use reflection?

While Emily presented at a group, she reflected on the process as an individual.

She did this by thinking about her presentation and asking:

• What went well?
• What could be better?
• How did this improve her skills?
• How could she improve these skills further?
• How do these improved skills help her practice and her service users?

How did reflection benefit Emily?

Emily’s activities have helped her become more confident and also feel less nervous when presenting to larger groups. This confidence may help her to develop herself and her practise more over time.

How did reflection impact on Emily’s practice?

Emily’s increased confidence is great for her personally, but it also has a positive impact on her practice. Being comfortable in engaging with colleagues across professions will make it easier for Emily to continue to learn from others and to share her own learning with others – whether in meetings, presentations or just one-to-one.

Emily’s service users will also be positively impacted. Her ability to confidently engage with them and to explain concepts helps with their own understanding of their care and puts their mind at ease. The service users are likely to feel the impact as Emily continues to learn and share with a multi-disciplinary group of colleagues.