Presentations

Many employers are now incorporating presentations into the selection process. They are considered to be an effective way of assessing your organisational and communication skills together with your ability to analyse and disseminate information in a clear and concise manner.

Under normal circumstances, you will be given advance notice if you are required to deliver a presentation. You should be told the subject choice, what format the presentation should take and how long it should last for. Alternatively, you may be surprised on the day of the interview and asked to deliver a brief presentation and, in this situation, it is more likely that the presentation will be on a subject already familiar to you.

Preparation

Make sure that you research the topic for the presentation carefully and that you have all the information you need before you start to bring the presentation together. It is also useful to have an idea of who your target audience is so that you can ensure you tailor the presentation accordingly. This will help you to maintain their interest throughout.

Visual aids

Visual aids are generally considered to improve the impact of a presentation so when carrying out your research it may be useful to collate pictures, charts and diagrams which can help to get your message across. These can then be used in the presentation either as handouts, overhead projections or computer-generated images. It is important that all visual aids look professional and that the information contained in them is presented clearly and concisely.

Practise, practise, practise!

The most successful presentations are those which have been well rehearsed but this does not necessarily mean that you have to memorise your presentation. Feel free to use cue cards if they can help you to deliver a flawless presentation but avoid reading from a script as this can prevent you from engaging with your audience. When practising the presentation, remember to time it so that you can make sure that it is of the required duration.

Structure your presentation

Just like all good stories, a presentation should have a clearly defined beginning, middle and ending, which helps to ensure that your presentation is easy to understand. This also helps you to articulate your point of view while working towards a clear conclusion.

On the day

Delivering a presentation can be nerve-wracking no matter how much hard work has gone into the research and preparation. It is important to try and keep your nerves at bay and to avoid fidgeting, mumbling or speaking too quickly. It will help if you can maintain eye contact with your audience so that you can engage with them effectively. Some use of hand gestures can also be advantageous although these should not be overdone. Your tone of voice is important – if it is monotonous, your audience will quickly lose interest in your presentation. And finally, make sure that your audience is comfortable and that they can all clearly see any visual aids that you are using.

Concluding the presentation

Once you have reached the end of your presentation, it is common practice for the audience to ask questions. This can be rather daunting but should not be too much of a problem if you have prepared properly. Just be as relaxed as you can and don’t be afraid to have fun!  Your audience will respond much better to someone who appears to be enjoying themselves!