Wilderness Medical Society snowmass 2005 Page 312
If you are contacted by a specific group, ask them for topic preferences.
Ask non-medical adventurer friends and family what topics they would like to hear.
Time a lecture with the season, such as hypothermia in the fall.
Look for topics in the news. It may not be your topic of choice but it is an opportunity to
meet your community and it draws in a variety of people. It opens the door for education
on wilderness medicine. Last year West Nile Virus was a hot community topic in my
area, giving me an opportunity to discuss the proper use of DEET and permethrin
products, barrier methods of insect protection and social responsibility for ones' own
safety when pursuing outdoor activities.
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Gearing Up - Methods & Equipment
There are crevasses on the trail to community education and I've fallen into a number of
them with and without the right equipment. I've learned what matters most to people is
that you care enough to come and give a talk. You don't need to be a techno wizard with
power point. You don't even need a slide presentation for many audiences. For example,
preschoolers learning how to hug a tree when lost thrive on a simple "show and tell" style
of learning.
Once you chose a topic build the talk in a simple style. Start with a description of the
subject, equipment needed, prevention, treatment and resources. An example would be a
talk on hypothermia and frostbite. Start with definitions of the topics, then show proper
clothing and demonstrate the layering technique on a volunteer audience member. Bring
examples of the right and wrong types of foods to consume as an example of preventive
methods. Show field and hospital treatments with pictures from slides or books. Bring
books to show and a list of phone numbers and web sites for their resources.
Teaching points:
1. Arrive early to greet people as they filter in for the talk. Ask about their interests and
experiences. Put them at ease.
2. Keep it simple and keep it short, especially for children. I stand by the thirty to forty
minute lecture which embraces talking fast, showing lots of pictures and finishing early.
It leaves time for people to talk, ask questions and practice. Spice it up with humor and a
few personal mistakes.
3. Children and adults like hands on learning. When giving a lecture leave a half hour for
hands on practice after the lecture. For example, before a lecture on `First Aid for Hikers
and Campers' set up stations with first aid books, splinting equipment and a first aid kit
taken apart for viewing. At the start of the lecture invite people to come up afterwards to
practice.
4. Bring examples such as clothing when talking about topics such as hypothermia or a
whistle and signal mirror when discussing safe hiking practices. Giving people the
opportunity to see and touch the actual item scores points in the memory sphere.
5. Single page handouts relevant to the topic are appreciated such as a list of
recommended items for a first aid kit or list of manufacturers and web sites. Lengthy
handouts end up in the same place as your handouts from conferences past. They aren't
user friendly and can intimidate some of the audience into thinking the topic is too
complex.
