Click here to download a PDF of the presentation slides for this Module.

Reminder: Some of the pre-work is intended to provide foundational information. While some items of pre-work may not be discussed during the Academy session, it provides a necessary introduction to the material that will allow our faculty to maximize facilitation time when we are together for each seminar.

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) (licensed PDF e-mailed to Fellows).
• 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

• Prepare a 2-3 minute presentation about “A lesson that I’ve learned from living through the conditions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”  Some ideas: how well you are able to work from home; your multitasking strategies; the importance of my physical space; work/life balance; family life; etc.  Your audience for the presentation is the members of your cohort.  Please make sure to create your video on the GoReact platform before May 7^th and add your comments to it.
  
• Before your next Cohort meeting, deliberately observe the presentation skills of speakers at meetings - both in-person and virtual (that include video of the speaker). Use a notebook with you to capture your experience.
  1. 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?
  2. How would you evaluate the overall content of their presentations?
  3. Today – now removed from the presentation(s) what do you recall? What lasting impression have they had on you?
• 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.

Click here to download a Word version of the REVISED (4/2) Briefing Sheet
Into Which You Can Type Your Responses To The Tasks (Above).

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.

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 2020, members of the Board of Advisors, and other invited ACC NCR members