Compiling a Presentation At Interview

[montyzummer]

Ok so i have been sort of head hunted for a Management position and got through to the second stage , whereby the prospective employer wants the candidates to create and deliver a 15min Power point presentation based on a provided brief , one stipulation is only 5-6 slides and the other HIGH level.

So i am totally comfortable with the brief content wise , what i would like is some opinions on the delivery method of the content , as they want HIGH level.

I was thinking lets say 4 main subject areas as an overview/concept on slide 1 , then concentrate the following 4 slides around the structure and delivery on each of the individual main subject areas , then finish on a summary slide.

I don`t want to go too deep into explaining the concepts as there will be a Q & A session after the presentation , this will be my opportunity to talk about things on a granular level.

Any advice and or ideas relating to my proposed delivery method would be much appreciated.



APSS (SME)
ACSS (SME)
ACIS (UC)

 

[kwbMitel]

Good luck, it's always nice to feel wanted and I'm sure that will add the confidence you need to pull this off.

I've been head hunted twice and both times the candidate list was very low. I know what I did to stand out but I feel you're beyond that point by now.

The only thing I can offer is an ice breaker. If there is any way that you could put Slide number 9 from this website in your presentation, I think it would be awesome.

http://www.lowmorale.co.uk/

**********************************************
What's most important is that you realise ... There is no spoon.

 

[montyzummer]

Hmmmmm very good , not sure if i can ....or indeed should !! but thanks for the smile.

APSS (SME)
ACSS (SME)
ACIS (UC)

 

[Olaf Doschke]

Off Topic: That made me think from where I know this drawings and character. From there -> [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DhXcWZ85C8[/url]

On Topic: What is a high level presentation? Depends on the topic.

I've seen someone doing a very good presentation on a conference at the Microsoft MVP Summit using hundreds of slides with each only a keyword. You can imagine how fast the slides went. Another one I remembered was showing an empty slide, swapping to an innovative out of the box thinking game:

http://www.crayonphysics.com/

- using it to demonstrate principles like fast prototyping. It's maybe not a good idea to adorn yourself with borrowed plumes, but you may add some interaction starting with an empty slide in some way.

You know Prezi? You could cheat and say all the presentation is just one slide, where you zoom in and out.

On the negative side I've seen presentations where one slide stayed static for half the presentation and only after a lengthy introduction the further slides showed. Up to a point it may sharpen curiosity, but the point is easily crossed and patience lost.

I'd do sparse slides for a high level presentation, nothing packed with many things and animations, focusing on your presentation. Humans are mainly audiovisual and so a video would be ideal, but a video is not a presentation. The focus should be on you and not your slides. If you have so few slides, think more about what you can do to explain the slides or how the slides may just emphasize what you're saying. Maybe incorporate something you hand out, some gadget, not as a present, as a gimmick to also address the haptic sense of your audience.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[Andrzejek]

> You know Prezi?
I have seen one presentation using Prezi – it made me dizzy. In and out, turn around, and out and in. I wanted to yell: “STOP IT!” But that may be just me…


Have fun.

---- Andy

A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.

 

[kwbMitel]

@Olaf - refftopic - yes, the original flash link for Radiohead's Creep is on the website that I linked. In fact, this is how I found out that Radiohead had music that I would enjoy. Fake Plastic Trees gives me chills.

@montyzummer - a smile/laugh is all I was aiming at, you're welcome.

**********************************************
What's most important is that you realise ... There is no spoon.

 

[mintjulep]

15 minutes and 5 slides?

3 minutes per slide!

That's a mind numbing eternity to stare at a single slide.

 

[SkipVought]

I'd watch out for that "one stipulation."

Or the other.

 

[montyzummer]

@Olaf , Ok some interesting ideas thank you.

@ mintjulep , My worry exactly , i think the best way to combat this is as already suggested simply have the slides as a reference in the background with nothing fancy and get the panel to focus on me.... hopefully by being engaging , concise and articulate.

APSS (SME)
ACSS (SME)
ACIS (UC)

 

[kwbMitel]

At mintJulep and montyzummer re:That's a mind numbing eternity to stare at a single slide.

I invite you to reread Olafs post.

The focus should be on you and not your slides. If you have so few slides, think more about what you can do to explain the slides or how the slides may just emphasize what you're saying.

**********************************************
What's most important is that you realise ... There is no spoon.

 

[kwbMitel]

I found a wonderful example of exactly how to do this.

This video has exactly 5 slides and runs for just over 4 minutes.

Pay attention to what he does at 2:50-3:05 to include items in the room.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri9Ftdk2n6w

**********************************************
What's most important is that you realise ... There is no spoon.

 

[montyzummer]

@kwbMitel , Thanks for the video .. Regarding Olaf`s post that is what i am referring to in my reply to minty and certainly in my opinion is helpful advice that i will utilize as part of my delivery strategy on the day.

APSS (SME)
ACSS (SME)
ACIS (UC)

 

[Olaf Doschke]

15 minutes is one stipulation. Of course it would be easier to only need to cover 4 minutes with 5-6 slides.

Bye, Olaf.

 

[kwbMitel]

I didn't want to waste 15 minutes of your time.

TED talks quite often have only a few slides with lots of talking. It isn't called TED Slides

**********************************************
What's most important is that you realise ... There is no spoon.

 

[jpadie]

consider also using infographics. there's a cost associated. you sit down and explain what you're trying to say to a graphic artist who comes up with something that will exemplify your PoV. Sometimes cartoons, which are very powerful as they engage.

Small Island Studio (in Tasmania but international, of course) are very good at this.

 

[IPGuru]

having undergone some training on how to present lectures etc (as part of a scuba instructor course) I can see many things not being mentioned here

1) colour choices, a white background is a poor choice for use with a monitor projector, lack text is hard to read & colours tend to get washed out. a Darkish blue or grey backgroud with suitably contrasting colours are for more readable!

2) Reveal & Hide, don't show all of the information on a slide at once - reveal it as you get to it, otherwise yu will find your audience reading ahead & not listening to you, likewise Hide the information that is no longer relevant. reveal all at the end of the slide for a quick summary.

3) use plenty of visual aids & change then often to keep interest alive.

4) (probably should have been 1 or 2) structure the presentation correctly, the best approach is usually a quick introduction to explain the purpose of the presentation, present the information & finish with a quick summary. To Put it another way:-
Tell them what you are going to tell them.
Tell it to them.
Tell them what you have told them.




A Maintenance contract is essential, not a Luxury.
Do things on the cheap & it will cost you dear

 

[Telecomgirl08]

Here is a Golden Rule to Remember:
Human attention is very limited. Don't cram too much information, either in each slide, or in the whole talk.

I also found a great powerpoint presentation put together by the University of Hawaii that displays many important tips on putting together a presentation!

http://manoa.hawaii.edu/ctahr/aheed/Carl/13-Using_Powerpoint.ppt

Good Luck!

Amanda Long
Web specialist

http://www.atlasphones.com/

http://www.phonesysteminfo.com/

 

[montyzummer]

@ IPguru some good points cheers

@telecomgirl08 i have seen that online but thankyou

and cheers for all the input will keep you posted on the outcome.

APSS (SME)
ACSS (SME)
ACIS (UC)

 

[hairlessupportmonkey]

Make it with a pinch of humour. Always goes down well.

In a previous life, I was a sales manager for an electronic component disty. My presentations always got a chuckle...

Whats the job?

ACSS - SME
General Geek

 

[Ekster]

One tip - take backups!

I went for an interview and had to do a Powerpoint presentation. When I got to the interview the PC wasn't working, no problem I had taken overhead projector slides just in case, but the bulb had blown in the projector! I had also taken several printed copies of the presentation, had to hand them out and do the prsentation from them. Found out later that this was a deliberate scheme to test the candidates ability to plan for any eventuality (project management position).

Taught me a lesson though, interviewers can be devious b*st*rds



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