how not 2 suck at presenting your work (student version)

For College Students & Young Professionalsby Megan Mead

HOW NOT 2 SUCKAT PRESENTING YOUR WORK

Megan Mead

H O W N O T 2 S U C K AT P R E S E N T I N G Y O U R W O R K | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 2

MEGANMEAD· BFA Communication Design,

double minor in Theatre & Marketing

· 15 yrs of theatrical training & experience

· Worked with brands such as AT&T, 7-11, FedEx, The Long Center, & now Visa

· Speaking gigs include SXSWi 2013, RISE Week Austin & AIGA DFW Design: Big Week

ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER&EDUCATIONALSPEAKER


WHAT WE WILL TALK ABOUT TODAY · why presenting well is a big deal

· what a good presentation is

· how all this relates to you


WHY IS MAKING A GOOD PRESENTATION A BIG DEAL?

BADPRESENTATIONSCANKILLGOODIDEAS· creative directors and teachers have a hard time separating a

good idea from a poor presentation

· avoid singing a great song badly



INSCHOOL...· stand out

· becoming a good designer isn’t all about design

· start practicing now



INTHEREALWORLD...· MEGG’S SALARY SAGA: how I talked my way into a job

· presenting well can have a concrete effect on your career path

· Age is relative—skills are not


AGOODPRESENTATIONIS... DICTIONARYDEFINITIONOFPRESENTATION· 1: an activity in which someone shows, describes, or explains

something to a group of people

· 2: a descriptive or persuasive account


AGOODPRESENTATIONIS... EVERYDAYEXAMPLES· writing a paper

· explaining to your parents why you need more money

· defending a design choice to a professor

· showing your portfolio


AGOODPRESENTATIONIS... MYDEFINITION· Telling the story of your idea in an organized, engaging and

persuasive way


AGOODPRESENTATIONISORGANIZED

THE3“P”sOFPRESENTING· plan

· prepare

· practice



THE1ST“P:” PLAN· be able to explain your concepts quickly and concisely

· tell an efficient, but well-structured story



THE1ST“P:” PLAN | STORY STRUCTURE

This is a project type here I made for client here. They are a describe what they do here that cares about what their focus is here.

I chose describe visual direction or idea here because explain how this choice ties directly into the client.

So, closing sentence that points out anything else that is pertinent or supports your earlier statements here.



THE1ST“P:” PLAN | STORY STRUCTURE EX.


AGOODPRESENTATION ISORGANIZED THE2ND“P:” PREPARE · tailor your presentation to your audience and your surround-

ings (a professor will require info & delivery differently from a friend at 3am)

· vocal warm-ups: prep it up to step it up



THE2ND“P:” VOCAL WARM UPS | WHY? · preps: your voice is your #1 tool

· relaxes: your voice can betray you “A warm voice is a confident voice”

· focuses: take a minute for yourself



THE2ND“P:”VOCALWARMUPS|HOW?· shake it out: get loose and get silly to get ready

· BDGD: warm up your vocal muscles

· tongue twisters: get your mouth ready for any sound, any sentence—anything



THE2ND“P:”TONGUETWISTERS· Unique New York. You need New York. You know you need unique New York.

· toy boat, toy boat, toy boat…



THE3RD“P”:PRACTICE,PRACTICE,PRACTICE· do not memorize a script, but do NOT “wing it”

· practice in a way that works for you

· if you practice well, you will present well



IMPROVEXERCISE#1:SPEAK ON THE FLY· things rarely go by script—practice extemporaneous speaking

so you don’t sound canned

· how: grab a magazine, pick a page at random, and speak about its contents for 60 seconds non-stop

· why?: doing this helps you practice speaking on the fly, as well as the ability to think on your feet


AGOODPRESENTATIONISENGAGING

BECONFIDENT· speak with certainty

· do NOT dismiss your choices

· fake it ’til you make it (if you act confident no one will know you aren’t except for you)



IMPROVEXERCISE#2:BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT· practice drawing positive attention to yourself whenever you can

· how: be an audience volunteer, read out loud to your spouse or pet, make announcements at work

· why?: practice creates confidence & confidence is more engaging



SHOWSOMEENTHUSIASM· if you aren’t excited, they won’t be either

· channel your nervousness (use it for good)



GOODSTAGEPRESENCE· stay open: don’t cross your arms or slump your shoulders

· stay respectful: stay interested and listen with your body

· stay strong: sit with confidence, do NOT fidget or shrink



IMPROVEXERCISE#3:AWKWARD ELEVATOR· practice being comfortable in uncomfortable situations

· how: stand the opposite direction as everyone else in an elevator

· why?: if you can do this with confidence, you can sit or stand with confidence just about anywhere


HOWTOUSETHISTODAY HELPFULTIPSFORPORTFOLIOREVIEW· use today as practice (treat like a truncated interview)

· be prepared but don’t sound canned (practice with the template I gave you earlier)

· do not blame anything on the parameters of the project

· when answering questions a bout your work, logically argue rather than personally assert

· get their business cards and follow up


TO SUMMARIZE PRESENTINGWELLISABIGDEAL· plan, prepare & practice

· try out some of these tips & tricks to improve your presentation performance

· a good presentation is a genuine presentation (use what works, forget what doesn’t)

· above all, remember bad presentations kill good ideas


QUESTIONS? CONTACTINFO

EMAIL | [email protected]

TWIT TER | @hn2s

C O M I N G S O O N | not2suck.com

how not 2 suck at presenting your work (student version)

Education

ps of presenting plan

agoodpresentation isengaging

poor presentation

warm voice

design choice

toy boat

good designer isnt

confident voice