Presentation Skills

Next week all the co-ops will get together in Trumbull one last time and present what we've been doing and how it's benefited Unilever. We have ten minutes to present and three minutes for Q&A. No big deal, right? Oh, did I mention our audience? Instead of the original plan of having co-ops and a few managers in the room listening to us, we will now be presenting to a room full of directors and vice presidents, no other co-ops allowed. It definitely pumps up one's nerves, but it's also more exciting this way! Don't get me wrong, I am quite nervous for this presentation, but it's now much more of a big deal, makes a little co-op feel special, haha. So here are a few tips to prepare for the big presentation:

- Start early! You should try to give yourself at least three weeks to prepare, at one week for designing and the rest of your time to practice.

- Yes, practice. You need to practice, practice, practice. If you ever find yourself lacking motivation to practice, remind yourself that this presentation is huge, you do not want to appear unprepared.

- Start like you're living in the Roaring Twenties! Well, I don't mean rebel against conventional modest fashion, but rather, forget the computer. Turn off the screen of life and take out a pad of paper and pen. Write down key ideas, headlines, and even a mock-up of what you're going to say. Often when creating presentations we get so wound up focusing on design elements, like what slide background to use, we forget the important stuff like the content.

- It's all about you. It's not about what fancy animation you have on your slides, so keep it simple when it comes to design. You want your audience focusing on you, your words, and your message. Your slides are there for a supporting pictures or for emphasizing a few words now and then.

- Practice, practice, practice. Practice in front of a camera so you know exactly how others see you. You're your biggest critic so be nice, but be honest. Once you're comfortable, and definitely a week before game day, practice in front of others and request their feedback.

- Know your audience and when you're going to present. Keep it interesting by using demos or multi-media.

- On the day of the presentation, relax. It's ok to be nervous, it shows that you care, but just take a breath and talk at a normal pace. If you get off track, take a deep breath, collect your thoughts, and move on. Try to think of it as fun, remember that you love giving presentations and showing yourself off to upper management!