Do Presentation- or Discussion- Based Workshop Styles Elicit the Best User Feedback from Vulnerable Populations in Northwestern Ontario?

Anthony Frederick Miller; Brittany Pennock; Jacqueline Hanley; JosÃ©e Malette; Tiffany Leung; Adrian Grebowicz; Ashley Moir; Ocean Nenadov; Barbara Gunka; Sally Prystanski

Anthony Frederick Miller Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Brittany Pennock Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Jacqueline Hanley Northern Ontario School of Medicine
JosÃ©e Malette Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Tiffany Leung Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Adrian Grebowicz Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Ashley Moir Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Ocean Nenadov Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Barbara Gunka Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Sally Prystanski Northern Ontario School of Medicine

Abstract

Background: Compass North (CN) is a student-led health outreach initiative that focuses on providing health services to address the unmet needs of marginalized populations in Thunder Bay, Ontario. To address this goal, CN has developed a range of health promotion workshops on various topics pertinent to the community (e.g., self-care, mental health, etc.). As a means of quality improvement, CN sought to determine whether a presentation- or discussion-based health promotion workshop style would be of greater educational value and lead to higher engagement.

Methods: Over a period of two months, a total of five 30-minute workshops (three presentation-based, two discussion-based) on anxiety and coping with stress were delivered in Thunder Bay at two community organizations (Shelter House and John Howard Society). A training manual was created that outlined delivery procedures to ensure consistency of information between workshop styles. After the workshop, participants completed a 10-question survey: seven questions regarding educational value and engagement level, which were assessed using a Likert scale, and three questions which were open-ended for additional feedback.

Results: Twenty-two participants completed the feedback surveys (n = 13 presentation-style; n = 9 discussion-style). Median scores for educational value (U = 56.5, p > 0.05) and engagement level (U = 48.5, p > 0.05) were not statistically different between the presentation- and discussion-based workshop styles.

Conclusions: The style of delivery did not have a significant effect on the educational value or engagement level of participants during an anxiety workshop. Participant feedback suggested that as opposed to thinking of any presentation style as being superior, it may be more appropriate to think of the best fit between workshop and participant. Future research should examine whether certain presentation characteristics are best suited for certain topics or groups of people.