2 Disclose relevant conflicts

Once you have identified the potential conflicts of interest, you need to decide which ones are relevant and need to be disclosed to your audience. Relevance depends on the context and purpose of your presentation, as well as the expectations and norms of your field or industry. For example, if you are presenting a scientific study, you may need to disclose any funding sources, affiliations, or publications that may affect your credibility or objectivity. If you are presenting a business proposal, you may need to disclose any competitors, partners, or customers that may benefit from or be harmed by your recommendations. If you are presenting a personal story, you may need to disclose any relationships, emotions, or experiences that may affect your perspective or interpretation. You can disclose your relevant conflicts of interest verbally at the beginning or end of your presentation, or visually on a slide or a handout.

3 Explain how you managed conflicts

Disclosure is not enough to address conflicts of interest in your presentation. You also need to explain how you managed them and ensured that your presentation is fair, accurate, and trustworthy. For example, you can describe the methods, standards, or criteria that you used to collect, analyze, and present your data. You can acknowledge the limitations, assumptions, or uncertainties that may affect your results or conclusions. You can provide alternative or opposing views or evidence that may challenge or complement your arguments. You can invite feedback, questions, or criticism from your audience or peers. By doing so, you can demonstrate that you are aware of your conflicts of interest and that you have taken steps to minimize their impact on your presentation.

4 Avoid unnecessary or inappropriate conflicts

Finally, you can prevent or reduce conflicts of interest in your presentation by avoiding unnecessary or inappropriate ones. For example, you can refrain from accepting gifts, favors, or incentives from the sources or stakeholders that may influence your presentation. You can decline to present on topics that you have a personal or professional stake in or that you are not qualified or authorized to speak about. You can respect the confidentiality, privacy, or intellectual property rights of the information or individuals that you are presenting about. You can follow the ethical codes, guidelines, or policies of your field or industry. By doing so, you can protect your integrity, reputation, and credibility as a presenter.