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Good Presentations

You may be called upon as part of an interview to make a presentation which allows the interviewers to view your style, confidence, ability to present, use of a projector, presence when presenting, eye contact, ability to work a crowd, deal with questions, manage on your feet under pressure and your ability to organize your material in a framework. Presenting or speaking in public can be a frightening task. Some are good at it others hate it with a passion. It is a necessary evil in some jobs and best that you develop a skill in this area.

The key is preparation and practice coupled with some advice.

You should aim at being able to deliver an eight to ten minute presentation on an area you are comfortable with. This could be within your work arena or a social interest you have or a topic you are provided with. In an interview situation you will often be provided with the freedom to present what you want like a project. At senior levels it is expected that you can present in public.

What is important is that people remember what you said and that they walk away with a good impression of you. You need to make your message clear and memorable. You will be projecting yourself, representing yourself as you speak and this is the greatest sales pitch there is for you. You want your audience to pay attention and to remember your subject matter. You will need to be persuasive. Simplicity is a vital ingredient in achieving this. Of course you will be nervous but you can overcome this. See our advice on nerves.

The how! Preparation

  • Organize your topic into clear introduction main body and conclusion
  • Organize the main body into three or four key points to elaborate on
  • Write your presentation bearing in mind the tools being used and the technical issues being considered
  • Re-write the presentation in a shorter format
  • Prepare your presentation tools (overheads or PC based presentation)
  • Re-prepare both the tools and the notes as prompts to your conversational style presentation
  • Practice, practice, practice and re-write
The how! Presentation
  • Make sure your thoughts are clear, your message is crisp and clear and your presentation tools are likewise
  • Practice their use
  • Be natural on the day, be prepared
  • Allow your natural self to present the material
  • Control your presentation speed to take your time. Stop at key points and look at your audience. This pause emphasizes the point and by looking at people you engage them. Never speak to a prop or to paper prompts and never read a presentation directly from a script.
  • The most practiced of presenters use a pause technique to emphasize, engage and allow time for digestion.
  • Interact with the audience. Involve them with eye contact and body language.
  • Talk naturally to your audience. They should feel an intimate part of your presentation. Make your presentation personal. Make it real to them.
  • To achieve reality you must understand the subject and the requirements of the audience.
  • Its best to limit the overall speech to the main issues and key points
  • Make an impact with your closure and your opening, start well and end well
Good Luck!