PRESENTATION SKILLS

MATERIALS

• HBR, "How to Give a Killer Presentation" (Chris Anderson, June 2013).
• HBR, “How to Become an Authentic Speaker” (Nick Morgan, November 2008).
• HBR, “Why the Best Presentations are Good Conversations” (Roly Grimshaw, October 1, 2004). (PDF distributed to Fellows by e-mail)
• HBR, “Visualizations that Really Work” (Scott Berinato, June 2016).
• Matt Abrahams: “Speaking Up Without Freaking Out.”  TEDxPaloAlto, June 7, 2018 (link provided under terms of a Creative Commons license, BY–NC–ND 4.0 International).

TASKS

1. Be sure to complete your Module 6 Survey so that we can get a better understanding of your experience with presentations and your goals.
2. Prepare a 3-4-minute presentation about a lesson that you have learned in life. This lesson can describe a workplace experience or an experience outside of work. Your audience for the presentation is your colleagues in the program. You will deliver this presentation in small groups in the morning (April 12) and you may have the opportunity to deliver the presentation to the full group later in the day. You will not need to present this at your Cohort meeting.
3. Before your next Cohort meeting, deliberately observe the presentation skills of speakers at meetings. Bring a notebook with you to capture your experience.
   • How would you evaluate each speaker’s eye contact? Natural smile? Pace? Tone of voice? Volume? Ability to connect quickly with you? Hold your attention?
   • How would you evaluate the overall content of their presentations?
   • Today – now removed from the presentation(s) what do you recall? What lasting impression have they had on you?
4. Bring with you to your Cohort meeting a past slide deck that you have used for a presentation. (If you don’t have one of your own, bring a deck from a presentation you attended.) Spend some time with your group looking at each other’s decks and talking about what stands out as effective and what challenges you see.

PERSONAL REFLECTION:

• What is your current belief about yourself as a public speaker?
• Why would someone go out of their way to hear you deliver a presentation?
• What kind of feedback have you received recently about a presentation you have given?
• How do you try to differentiate yourself as a speaker?

COHORT MEETING (Meet to discuss the following BEFORE Classroom Session)

• Check in and share any additional learning from the previous session.
• Share your observations of speakers at meetings and their impact on you.
• Share your takeaways from the readings.
• With regard to the TEDxPaloAlto video, discuss your own comfort/anxiety level about giving a presentation.

Click here to download a Word version of the Briefing Sheet

LEARNING GOALS

• Learn the requisite non-verbal communication strategies that create positive connections
• Learn how to develop your own narrative as a context for “Why”, “How,” and “What” you want to convey in your messages
• Learn how to create engaging first impressions that get attention quickly
• Learn how to craft a powerful close that creates a lasting impression
• Discover remedies to minimize “stage fright” and how to use that energy in your presentation
• Practice delivering a short presentation with peer and instructor feedback
• Prepare for final Module at which you will present a formal presentation to other members of the Class of 2019, members of the Board of Advisors, and other invited ACC NCR members