Presentation for an interview

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2. Interviews can be really tense
situations. Throwing a
presentation into the mix only
adds to that pressure. What
can you do to ease those
nerves and start your
presentation in a calm and
confident manner? How can
you captivate your audience
and help assure them that
you’re the right candidate for
the job? T
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3. PREPARING A PRESENTATION
 If you plan your presentation in
advance you’ll increase your
likelihood of success.
 Make sure you know what type
of message you want to
convey and think about the
most effective way to deliver
this message.
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4.  SHARE A PERSONSL STORY 4
 Presentations can often be over-
professional, impersonal affairs. But they
don’t have to be.
 Adding a storytelling element to your
presentation can ensure that your
delivery is both down-to-earth and
professional at the same time, which will
make your presentation a whole lot more
engaging overall.
 Think of any personal experiences of your
own that are applicable to the content of
your presentation.

5.  SHARE A PERSONSL STORY 5
 Example: By opening with a relevant story
of your own about a time when you
successfully and diplomatically resolved a
conflict outside of the workplace – at home,
or wherever it may be – you’ll:
 Demonstrate your competency in this area
 Ease any tension that is characteristic to
the situation
 Capture your audience’s attention with an
account that can only be delivered by you –
making it unique and remarkable
 Openly display your personality and values,
enabling the employer to make a better
informed selection decision – beneficial for
everyone involved

6. USE MEDIA 6
 Starting your presentation can be the most
difficult bit.
 You’re tongue-tied, stumbling over words
and your heart is beating so fast.
 Give yourself the opportunity to collect
yourself by using some form of media early
on in the presentation.
 Begin your presentation with a quick
introduction to who you are and what the
presentation is about (use a title slide and a
‘What I’ll cover’ slide, for example) and then
incorporate a media break.
 Use video, music, an infographic –
whatever, as long it’s suitable and on-topic,
use any form of media that allows you to
have a breather and recover from that all
too familiar fear of public speaking.

7. USE MEDIA 7
 Example: so here we are again – biting your lips and
fumbling with your hands as you wait to open your
presentation for the HR role.
 Your presentation is on conflict management, a fairly
sensitive topic, which you’ll want to get right. But don’t
sweat it; simply introduce yourself and your specific
presentation details/content, then bring in an attention-
consuming piece of useful media.

8. YOU ARE BEING WATCHED 8
 Feeling a little more confident?
 Create a memorable moment by
temporarily presenting without the aid of
a prompt.
 Open your presentation with conviction
by using a blank slide as your second
slide.

9. YOU CAN PROCEED.. 9
 Once you’ve introduced yourself and the topic of your
presentation, most people will expect a thoroughly
professional delivery from there on in.
 Surprise them; switch the attention to you, shatter
expectations, disrupt conventional presentation practice and
display clear confidence in your ability to speak
independently.
 Using such a brave tactic will help in stimulating and
retaining interest in your presentation throughout, and
perhaps keep you top of mind when the employer is making
a selection decision.
 It will also show your potential employer just how much you
know about the topic at hand.
 Example: Conflict solving requires someone with a calm
temperament and an almost instinctive ability to thoroughly
– and empathetically – understand the issues faced by
people other than yourself.
 Show that you’re able to remain calm under scrutiny with all
eyes in the room on you and truly understand a topic without
any form of prompt using this tactic.

10.  USE PROPS 10
 Presentations can sometimes be a little
boring to watch and listen to.
 That’s no fault of your own; one person
talking for a prolonged period of time is
not a normal situation – how often does
that actually happen in everyday life?
 Engaging your audience during a
presentation is a common problem that is
widely discussed. I won’t go into it here
as that’s not the core purpose of this
post.

11.  BENEFITS OF USING PROPS 11
 your conflict resolution presentation, you
could bring in something that will create a
talking point and engage your audience.
 In this situation, we’ll go with a
newspaper – you could start a debate
about a widely discussed controversial
topic, and use this quick exercise as an
illustration of how you’re able to apply
your conflict solving ability in any
circumstance.

12.  BE CREATIVE 12
 It’s natural to be concerned about freezing and
making mistakes in the presentation that
you’re preparing for.
 If that were to occur, it’d be likely to happen at
or near the beginning of your presentation
when your emotions are at their highest.
 To ease those nerves and open in a calm and
confident manner, it might be advisable to use
content that you know inside-out – that way,
you’ll feel more secure in the first few minutes
of your delivery.

13.  START YOUR PRESENTATION 13
 Introduce yourself and the topic of your
presentation, then start with something such as:
 Simple conflict stats that are easy to memorise
 An article or study that you really like and have
read a few times
 Cornerstone conflict management knowledge
that’s embedded deep in your brain

14. INCLUDE AN ACTIVITY 14
 A presentation is all about you.
 It doesn’t necessarily have to be though.
 By introducing an activity for your
audience to get involved in, you can take
the spotlight off you temporarily, and
seize a rare opportunity to connect with
your audience in a candid manner.
 It’s pleasing just how much this strategy
can reduce tension when starting your
interview presentation. Once you’re able
to start a dialogue with your audience, the
unnatural situation becomes significantly
more manageable.

15.  SHARE A PERSONAL STORY 15
 All of the techniques I’ve
outlined above could be applied
to almost any interview
situation in which a
presentation is required – now
it’s over to you to get creative
with how you’re going to
actually implement these ideas!

16. THANK YOU 16
UPCOMING..
NINE SENTENCE PATTERNS