Who else hates presenting?
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- d_rek0
Rehearsing used to help me a lot. I would do it in the car on the way to work, in the shower, or in a private room before the presentation.
I'm finally at the point where i rarely need to rehearse anymore, but it definitely helped me.
- ahli0
for some job interviews you'll have the requirement to hold a short presentation "on a subject you know well" a life achievement , a hobby etc.
Here's the rub that most people dont get, keep your head up and talk, DONT READ FROM NOTES and give the damm presentation, they let you do it on a subject you know, talk like you are down the pub.
In an interview day I've seen 15% of candidates do this, great way to thin the field. Its harsh, but an easy way to stand out.
- Continuity0
The only thing I'd add to this is to not read from your presentation ... there's nothing more dead boring than sitting through a presentation, with the speaker looking at the projection or screen and, actually reciting the bullet points (or worse, whole paragraphs!) on the slides. We can all read, thank you very much.
In fact, try to have as little written text in a presentation as possible. Some of the best PPTs I've sat through didn't have a single word in any of the slides, just images and a presenter who knew his stuff backwards and forwards, and had the passion to talk about it.
- bulletfactory0
Presenting is part of it. It takes practice and experience, but it's definitely a necessity to get work approved.
If you can't effectively present a concept/project/etc you risk having to over-compromise.
Once I learned how to communicate more effectively, I had a better appreciation for it.- Totally concur with less text on a slide and more imagery. That has been huge in my presentations.bulletfactory
- vaxorcist0
ok.. presenting skill is often the difference between getting to do things your way and having to bend over and agree that the world is flat because the client just doesn't get it and you can't sell you idea....
I've gotten better as time went on.... had some great mentor creative directors early in my career, didn't realize how lucky I was till later worked at a place where we didn't present to client well and client tended to ask MTLB, make the logo bigger,etc...
My main idea...
Make sure you know WHO you are presenting to, and WHAT their roles are.... i.e. do NOT present creative to budget hawks in clients accounting department... do NOT present creative to anyone who can say NO but cannot ACTUALLY APPROVE it unless you've already gotten approval from the real decision maker.
Also, try to understand the mindset, the central insight into the brain of the people you're presenting to, if you have to, try to make it cleat that the CLIENT is NOT THE TARGET MARKET, if, say you're advertising motocross bikes and your client is 54 years old and drives a Lexus....
Practicing, with a couple of co-workers who play the roles of the clients, i.e. one skeptical, one wanting to be wow-ed, can be a great idea... worked well for me at one gig...
- bjladams0
do you work for yourself or for someone else?
- duckseason0
I'm generally not the most talkative person but have always enjoyed presenting for some reason. I just try to have fun with it and make it my own. Like others have said, if you're confident in yourself and what you're presenting it comes much more naturally.
Don't put it off to the last minute.
Practice. I like to rehearse out loud to myself in front of a mirror (or any spare moment, really). It's kinda weird at first, but getting used to how I sound and seeing how often I have to break eye contact to look at notes helps me realize how well I really know what I want/plan to say.
- sine0
i think like attentionspan, i also consider myself to not be "the type" to give presentations. i'm very content sitting in my office doing the grinding while my partner/colleague attends meetings and pitches. i'm very good at giving insight into clients and situations and coming up with unique angles and solutions, but i'm just not interested in presenting them... she does, and she's been doing it for a very long time.
if i can add anything to the thread, it's that i don't care for "exciting, enthusiastic sales-pitch" type presentations and speakers. i will listen to and interact with someone who is sincere and shows genuine insight and want to share their thoughts on whatever they are presenting as opposed to just a well-rehearsed "pitch".
i'm more concerned with the process as well... perhaps you can try to learn to communicate more of this in your presentations... tell your audience about your process, how you work, how your ideas evolve... there's not just one style of presentation. find a way to communicate with your audience on a real, interactive level and it will also feel more natural and hence be easier...
- yes... the infomercial tone of voice is a bit much.....
vaxorcist
- yes... the infomercial tone of voice is a bit much.....
- CALLES0
hate it
- scarabin0
i love presenting!