How fast can you talk under pressure? Many years ago, working with a team of Medical Science Liaisons preparing to present to a panel determining if their drug would be on formulary, an interesting thing happened. Oh! And they had a three-minute time limit for the presentation! If you’ve ever listened to the sped-up details at the end of a commercial with the prescribed warnings, then you can imagine the scene.
It happens not only in front of a formulary panel but also in any, I repeat any, presentation where we feel pressed for time.
The natural reaction is three-fold: talk fast, talk faster, and then breathe. In the pharma business, this is known as “show up and throw up.”
If we only knew that it was not about us and our drug, it was about the receiver’s understanding of our drug. Yes, the data was important and so was the presentation of that data. At a restaurant they call it “the presentation.” How your food looks is a reflection how it will taste.
So instead of talk, talk faster, and breathe…we might now think “Breathe, Inquire (or Hook), and Focus on the Pain/Relief (of the KOL)” because your KOL has a problem that you can help them solve…you become their physician in a sense.
Breathing is a good thing, often overlooked, but definitely a good thing. It helps you relax and decreases your anxiety when feeling pressed for time. If you have worked with a trainer, a physical therapist, undergone a medical procedure, or anticipated death on a roller coaster, we often hold our breath. I have no idea why we do this other than to justify the employment of the professionals above!
So, for today… Breathe the next time you are pressed. Next time: the inner mind of your doctor. Until then… Breathe!