The worst type of powerpoint presentations are where the dork just reads out what's on the screen. I can read it myself! For me, they're great for graphical or pictorial information that would take a long time and/or be confusing to get over. So I'd save it for that, use it to get a few things across just to demonstrate that you can use it, but get them to concentrate more on you. Loads of eye contact, be confident and smile sometimes. If you can, go first. The first always sticks in the mind more, failing that, last.
Though ultimately, it depends on the mindset of the interviewers. Some people are impressed by fancy presentations, other think 'flash so-and-so'. If you'll use PP in the job then definately do one.
Sorry if I've tried to teach my grandmother to suck eggs.
Good luck whatever you decide.
Nick
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I'm a miserable old git, so hate Powerpoint presentations - a few old fashioned slides with a couple of pithy bullet points would be my favourite.
But then I'm not in marketing! Where the whole point is to produce ppt displays - & who cares what they say.... (t-slightly-ic) just so long as they look good. ;)
I'd have thought that some whizzy graphics that you've put a lot of care & time & thought into would impress an interviewer (in your field!). I should think that you don't need more than a couple of words per slide. Words only detract from what you're saying anyway. And I (personally) get irritated by lots of words arriving from time to time on each slide. You'll also (unless you're brilliant) because you're nervous get confused with which words are arriving next. So no amazing extras arriving on a slide. Pressing the 'next' button should mean 'next' slide.
Make 'em laugh. Interviewing is a fiendishly boring way of spending a day (or 3).
IMVHO. FWIW.
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my old dad used to say to me "oy, whats yer name, you`ve got the best computer in yer `ead, why try to use an inferior model to make you look good".......or something like that!.
bily
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can`t even spell my name right...BILLY, BILLY :-@)
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Well FWIW I'd go with the 'PowerPoint free' approach : here in Dilbertland one manager dared to give a 30 min. presentation without PowerPoint, and I can rememember much more about that one than the endless hours of death by PowerPoint inflicted on me over the years.
Without wishing to turn this thread into an anti PowerPoint thread, I've seen soooooo many presenations where the perpetator/author has spent 5 minutes getting the information right and a week adding completely pointless clipart / animations etc. I can only assume they are paid by the megabyte for producing the stuff.
In theory I like the concept behind the software; it should force people to distill complex information into a few short, memorable slides. But they don't :=/
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>>I've seen soooooo many presenations where the perpetator/author has spent 5 minutes getting the information right and a week adding completely pointless clipart / animations etc. I can only assume they are paid by the megabyte for producing the stuff.
And I suspect that PG is going for one of those jobs which is why I thought a word-free, Gigabyte demo might just be the thing...
On the other hand, what about a nice old-fashioned flip chart. With plenty of pre-preparation, those can look much swizzier. With a liberal dose of Scotch tacky glue & some bits of card to move around on this sticky surface.
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Nothing wrong with a good pp presentation, I just haven't seen many!
For a ten minute slot you will need two (or if you really insist three) slides. One as an introduction, and one as a summary.
Keep them to one simple font (nothing wrong with Arial or Times New Roman), with at most two sizes, no bold and in one colour, navy on white can look very professional and a little different.
Simply list the important points that you want people to take away with them. Never read a presentation but talk it through until you know what you want to say.
Always time the talk to 3/4 of that available, gives times for questions or expansion or slow talking when nervous, and never over run everyone else will do!
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yup hxj as it prefectly.
three slides maximum just to show you can use PP, nice clean unfussy ones with no rubbish animations or noises
slide 1 is introduction, who you are, why you are there, and what you are going to talk about
slide 2 is major bullet points of your content (acts as an aid memoir to you to)
slide 3 is summary about what you have said.
Lots of eye contact, open body language, smile, enjoy yourself.
good luck
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So poor PG has had advice from two computer geeks & two tax geeks. Are we the right people to advise on how to get into her job?
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Ah but being a computer geek I think my advice is the only one worth listening to, and any one elses is not worth the cpu cycles
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Being called a 'geek' has been the highlight of my year so far, many thanks! My kids will be even more embarassed than normal!
Joking aside I manage to do about 1 formal presentation a month, from a hour to half a day, plus full day training courses. PP is really useful as a tool that is all it is. Less is definitely better.
I watched one presentation that had 300 detailed slides in it for a four talk! Needless to say it now contains about 40!
As an official geek, I don't mind what you think of my tax advice as you will still be charged for it! (And if you then want to know whether the fee for the advice is tax deductible you will get charged for that as well!)
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One of my favourite soapboxes;
Some of my thoughts;
A good slide will give somebody no idea of what you are going to say, however much they study it. However, it will remind them of exactly what you did say if they look at it afterwards.
Each time you change a slide you will lose your audience for one minute. 30 seconds while they ignore you and read your slide and then a further 30 seconds as they try to catch up with what you are saying. If you used 10 slides in a 40 minute presentation than for 25% of the time nobody will be listening to you. For 10 minutes 3 slides is the maximum, 2 would be ideal.
Never ever look at your slide while you are talking. You should already know what it says.
Never use sentances on a slide. A mere phrase to remind them of what you said if they look later will suffice.
Consider the medium. Never hand out the presentation before you give it. Therefore, if you can't use an OHP or LCD projector, then don't give the presentation. It doesn't work on hard copy and it doesn't work on a laptop screen.
You will find that your audience can read. If you have nothing to add verbally to the statement on your slide, then either change the slide, change your comment, or simply remove that point.
Don't get smart with the graphics. Everybody has already used all the pictures and will find your presentation tired if you use the same ones. Slide build is boring and distracting. It adds ntohing if your slide builds letter by letter with a silly noise for each one. You're not there to show your slide, you're there to present yourself. The powerpoint presentation should never be distracting.
Consider the balance of your slides. Words always in the same place, font always the same, text size the same, word positioning on the slide consistent, etc. etc.
You will write the slides and you will say them over in your mind and you will think you're going to be well-practiced in what you say. You won't be. You need to give the presentation to someone else before and listen to their feedback. Write notes on the bits you forgot what to say, write notes depending on what the feedback is, and change and rebalance your presentation.
Also take notes of your timings as you go through. If its a 10 min presentation I would assume that there was space for a 5 minute conversation afterwards. If not, and 10 minutes is all, then don't use the presentation. You will find it constricting and will limit natural conversation - which is the very area which normally gets you the job anyway.
Don't sit for the presentation. If you have to sit, then don't use powerpoint. If you're standing, then you'll be moving - think about what you're wearing.
Understand why you are giving a powerpoint presentation. What will it achieve beyond what you would achieve by simply talking. If nothing, then don't give it. Or at least consider that a summary slide and an intro slide may be all that you need, and that you don't use the slides during the period you're talking.
Loads more, but a meeting to go to....
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I can't possibly improve on Mark's post but you'll find a wealth of information on presentation skills on the web. One web site that comes to mind is www.presentersuniversity.com/
This is bound to be pro-PowerPoint as it contains lots of templates. Some look awful, while others are a refreshing alternative to the stock Microsoft ones. You have to register to use most of the site but you won't end up with a huge amount of spam as a result.
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I have to do a 10 minute presentation The offer to use powerpoint is there
pologirl -
the worst thing you can do at an interview is give a presentation not in keeping with their expectations.
the best you can do is phone them in advance and ask for guidance on what they are expecting.
most good employers will take that as a positive attribute, and will usually be very willing to tell you what they expect.
although most aspects of presentations have been covered above, i would add just two specific tips regarding bullet points:
* no more than 3 bullet points
and
* no more than 6 words in each.
and make sure no spelling or grammar mistakes (common ones which are missed by spell checkers : lead/led, brake/break, their/there, your/you are, etc.)
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Thank you all for your words of wisdom, but as is usual in the life of a pologirl, things have taken an unexpected twist this morning. I sat down to have a go at the example test they sent me, breezed through the first page of true, untrue, can't say type questions, and to my horror I've found pages and pages of statistical questions.
I am seriously maths phobic, I see numbers and I panic. I had to have a tutor to get me a lousy B at GCSE and I dropped the sociology part of my degree because someone mentioned stats. I can do percentages, long multiplication etc, but with these questions I can even see what it is I need to do, or where to start. The test will come before the presentation, and judging by the state I have got myself into this morning, I will be in no fit state to present anything afterwards, so I don't think I'm going to go.
I'm so upset as the job description and person spec don't even mention providing or handling statistics, and I would be SO good at it.
Thanks anyway :(
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I know none of us really know you personally, but don't let maths get you down. It really is just percentages and long multiplications. If you're right for the job, it won't matter if you're not perfect on the stats side of things. Its probably just there as another filter, but as with all filters, they can be bypassed if your strong enough.
I did a Chemistry degree, also hated the mathmatical part of it, (and the Chemistry part really!) and then did a Masters in Optoelectronics - again lots of maths - managed it without doing any though. How - because in any setup there are other people who are capable of doing it for you. That's why its all team work nowadays!
By the way - after finishing all these qualifications, I'm now running my own smallish restaurant so why I wasted 6 years at uni I'll never know :-p
good luck with it - don't get into a state - present yourself at the interview, be yourself (if you think that will get you the job ;-) ) and keep smiling. A smile goes along way in business. Stats are just made up anyway :-)
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Hello!
I spent Saturday in despair (drama queen? Me?), then woke up yesterday thinking "right, I may be useless at maths but I'm going to do a fantastic presentation to make up for it."
I phoned to confirm my attendance this morning and out of interest, asked if I'd be allowed to use a calculator. Much confusion followed, in which it turns out I've been sent the wrong example test and actually wont have to do any maths tomorrow at all.
So.. I have three slides in powerpoint (two at the start, and one at the end to recap), and I'm going to use a flipchart too, so that I get to scribble in pretty colours, and they get to move their eyes, but mostly it will be me talking, which is what I like to do! ;-)
And no maths! :) :) :)
Anyway, this has nothing to do with cars or computers... sorry.
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Can't see where you got the idea of a drama queen from :-)
Glad you're sounding more optimistic on it. Good luck - I'm sure the whole BR is behind you.
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