PRESENTATIONS

Comply Inc will ensure that you have all the information you need before you go for a job interview and prepare you for all likely questions. After an initial interview, you will probably be asked to give a presentation at one of your following meetings with a prospective employer. Good Presentation Skills are invaluable for every individual within a Firm. During an interview presentation you are judged by the confidence you display because many business decisions are based on your performance whether it is face to face or on the telephone. Remember effective presentation is a skill not a gift.

The effective presenter:

Comply Inc will ensure that you have all the practical information for your presentation i.e. location, time, who will be there etc; but it is important to make the whole episode as stress free as possible and the following points will be useful.

  1. Use nervous energy so that it works for you: breathe deeply and circle your shoulders before you go into the room.
  2. Use your voice: keep it conversational, vary the pace, project and don’t forget to pause.
  3. Use your body: balanced, positive posture and natural, free gestures convey confidence and credibility. Eye contact establishes rapport. Facial expression helps convey mood.
  4. Have a sense of timing: respond and adapt to circumstances, atmosphere and audience. This is what makes a presentation spontaneous, immediate and interesting. It is the key to the individuality.
  5. Prepare: define your objective, know your audience, and structure the presentation. The more pattern to the presentation, the more memorable it will be. Include an introduction, a main body with pattern and a conclusion. Be prepared to use current affairs as topical references to establish the relevance of the presentation and the audience are more likely to have their own opinions and therefore interest in yours is heightened. Always have a planned conclusion, which reinforces the key points you have given.
  6. Use key word notes: a series of ‘memory joggers’ well spaced, in large writing on index cards.
  7. Select visual/audio aids after you have decided what you want to say. Keep them simple and illustrative and don’t let them take over.
  8. Anticipate questions. Cover particularly difficult ones in the body of the presentation and always expect the question you least want!
  9. Minimal rehearsal: only enough to gauge running time and master technical operations.
  10. Stick to time, don’t overrun!

If you use these steps, you will be confident and responsive throughout the presentation and it will be a stepping-stone for your flourishing career.

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