-Carly Tschantz-

Why do I believe confidence is so vital? If someone were to make a very well thought out and executed presentation, but he or she did not appear to believe or be comfortable with what they were saying, the audience will surely feel somewhat if not completely the same way. The speaker/presenter has the ability to affect how the audience feels by whole-heartedly acting in their desired way. Contrastingly a presenter might have a horrible presentation, but appear to be better off simply because they possess enthusiasm and charisma.

Of course a person should always be careful so as to not appear TOO confident. This is almost always very unattractive and will certainly not affect your audience favorably. One  might avoid this social faux pas by not talking condescendingly to the audience. It would would be greatly unappreciated if the listeners felt as if they were back in Kindegarten I am sure.

I have recently reaped the benefits of appearing “confident” during a presentation. One of my classes required a group project for which my group did not work very hard on. We were not really sure what the professor wanted, and we were unfortunately selected to be the first group to go. However, keeping my wits about me, I strode up to the podium to present my portion of the project. I remembered to breathe evenly, hold my posture and look at the audience. What little idea I did have of how to go about the presentation I held onto and dove right in. Our group ended up getting an A-, which I am very satisfied with. Our effort and group collaboration was certainly not “A” material, but our combined confidence in the presentation more than made up for it.

-Lashley

Instead of thinking about your own interest as a presenter, think about the audience and where their attention could be at the end of a long day of school, work, or even a sports practice. When presenting a research power point in the morning, you must consider that most of the audience members rolled out of bed five minutes before the presentation got under way. It is important that throughout these situations the presenter keeps a positive attitude. Do not get frustrated because if the research presentation is presented in a way that the audience can easily connect with the subject, this tactic will help to keep the attention of the audience. As a speaker you have the duty to know, or at least understand, your audience.

Alongside active power point skills on the presenter’s behalf, the presenter should be alert of the audience’s physical tiredness. The active listening of an audience member may decrease depending upon how many research power point presentations have been presented over the length of the class period. If you are less fortunate to be speaking at the end of the class period, you will need to be prepared and ready with some participative exercises that will change the pace or use more multimedia. For example effective exercises to incorporate before or after the research power point presentation could be yoga movements, exercise stretches of the arms and legs, or maybe even just standing up and walking around the room before the presentation starts.  

In retrospect it is inspiring to know that the research power point presentation will not last forever and a day. In stating this presenters should not panic about giving the presentation in efforts of entertaining the audience members. Realistically there will be audience members who have come to effectively listen to the presentation and want to become knowledgeable of the topic that is being presented. On the other hand there will always be audience members who never come ready to partake in the presentation and ask questions. In life there will people who actively contribute to the situation at hand and those who do not. It is our duty as individuals to make that decision.

-Mya-

First: Give Them Energy!!

How can you expect the crowd to stay away if you’re preaching to them like a dead horse?!? Stay active and keep your voice engaged. Some ways to really do this is by getting the audience involved and attentive. Including them in the speech or asking questions could save you from a snore fest.

Second: Be clear and concise

Nobody likes to listen to a speech that they can’t understand. If your audience is giving you a blank face or an off to space stare, they may have missed something or your details are getting lost in translation. The other reason may be you’re over elaborating on certain things. Tips for improving this are just focusing in on a couple topics or simply stopping to allow the audience to ask question.

Third: Be organized

Let them know when you’re ready to start, where the meat is, and when you’re wrapping things up. There are those out there who just love to predict and expect where you’re going next and wouldn’t it be wonderful to give them the luxury of doing so? If you find that you’re not organized, the best thing to do is to start with outlines and focus on the transitioning sentences and really analyze of those make sense. Then, from the outline, move onto notecards so that you can stay focused and hit the key points.

Last (and most importantly…): Confidence!!!

Nothing is a bigger turn off to an audience than when they look to the front of the room and see someone who does not look like they know what they are talking about. This looks like fidgeting, shaking, too much walking back and forth, and especially umm and likes. All of these actions are cues to the people in the audience that you need more rehearsing and you aren’t very ready to give this speech. They also serve as a huge distraction!!! Sometimes, when I’m sitting back there watching a speaker, my friends and I count the number of “likes” and “umms” and completely lose interest in the speech!

So of course, these wont be everything you need to make a good presentation, but they are the basics. Just remember to keep these main points in mind the next time you present in front of a class or even in daily conversation- it helps for both!!

Signing out
(Bang)
—- Brandon Hummons

Research Presentation Guide For Presenters:

·      Be knowledgeable on your topic-if you don’t understand it then your audience definitely won’t

o   This will help with confidence (which will reduce ums and likes)

·      Be prepared: have all materials ready, and always have a backup plan

·      Try to engage the audience this will help keep them focused

·      DON’T READ OFF THE SLIDE

o   Slides should sum up main point (the less words the better!)

o   Visuals always help

·      Try to have as much eye contact with the audience as possible

·      Have fun & want to be there

o   This will help make your audience want to be there

Research Presentation Guide For Viewers:

·      Pay attention & be engaged-the presenter deserves your attention & respect

o   Use active listening

·      Throughout the presentation try to think of some questions

o   Questions should be saved to the end not in the middle of the presentation

o   Questions should relate to the presentation-nothing random

-Kate Sullivan-

Relating to others may be a challenge for a shy person that is not familiar with the college environment of networking. When it comes to networking and finding connections between others around us everyone is shy at one point in their college careers. This fear may be the transition from high school to a college atmosphere, making new friends, scheduling appointments with professors concerning a grade, establishing a roommate and also making connections with people that in the future could serve as a guide. In other words, networking is the key to our success and it is worth taking advantage of; especially during our college careers.

If networking with other people may be a challenge, start on a small scale of networking with familiar faces, relatives, or even friends. As college students we all began networking on small scales with other student and staff members on campus. College students network through friends, classes, organizational activities, professors, alumni, on-campus employment opportunities, and also with residential living. All of these examples are considered to be small scale interactions because these are the settings in which we are most comfortable in knowing and establishing that special bond.

If you are a shy person do not be scared to throw yourself out into the college environment of networking. Take risk, be assertive, and have confidence. When dealing with larger scale networking it is important to be present and in the moment when interacting and communicating with professional networkers. This will be a challenge but in order to be successful in the future you will need for example Alumni connections, professor connections, and also connections of people within your major. Over time a shy person will gradually graduate from small scale networking with familiar faces to larger scale networking with people that you do not know. The transition into networking on a larger scale will allow anyone to effectively use their networking skills to communicate with any and everybody.  

 Stay grounded and do not let the fear overcome you. Always use small scale networking experiences that you used in the past to boost your larger scale networking skills. Why waste time and not began to network in college. In other words, we do not stay young and fun forever.

-Mya-

While these are often great occasions for networking, everyday interactions can be utilized for making connections as well. One such example is when traveling, specifically on an airplane. This is an ideal opportunity because people have little to do and many are traveling for business. You can engage in casual conversation with the person and perhaps you all might have some business interest in common. Another place for everyday networking can happen in the coffee shop. This is an ideal place because people are there to relax and socialize. It creates an easy way to initiate discussion without the tense feeling of a competitive social setting. Other places one might do some networking are in the grocery store, park, party, doctor’s waiting room and sporting events just to name a few.

A precaution to remember is to not be overly aggressive when approaching someone. You do not want to make them feel as though they are only a potential stepping stone in your quest for greater success.By treating everyday as a potential chance to network, one not only increases their chances exponentially of making a great connection, but also of practicing how to present themselves. This is afterall the most important aspect of achieving good opportunities and making contacts.

“Your 10 minutes early,” she says.

I respond, “I know. That was a painful experience.”

What had just occurred was an interview for a potential summer internship for a technological systems integrator company. And I thought I had blown it. I was certainly under-qualified and my answers made me sound like a dumb sorority girl who learned soo much from organizing t-shirt sales. The only thing I felt I did right was hold a conversation regarding my interviewer’s personal feelings about their work environment.

That somehow got me a callback…

What I have learned from going through the application and interview process is that people are not looking for the most qualified half the time; they’re looking to make a connection with the potential intern. To quote a wise man whom on the verge of my brother’s graduation told him, “It’s not the grades you make, it’s the hands you shake.” This phrase is incredibly relevant after completing this networking simulation where I now know a professional and memorable encounter is the most important part to securing further consideration. Not to downplay the fact that good grades are impressive but as one who speaks from experience, making a relationship is more important than making the grade. So when approaching a potential employer or networking scenario, follow these tips:
• Practice makes perfect: However silly it may feel, simulating your actual encounter is the most beneficial. Using your parents, friends, or professors as a pseudo-interviewer is a way to figure out in your head how you want to say what you need to say. Creating a sort of script can be incredibly helpful to install confidence in what you want to the interviewer to know about you.

• Less Said, Best Said: Either you lose your train of thought or you actually don’t know what you are talking about, realize that concision is your best friend when talking about yourself. You may feel like you are leaving some information out of your statement, but stating for two minutes why you are qualified for a position can actually be hurtful even if you have an extensive and relevant resume. The secret is utilizing the Q&A structure of an interview to your advantage. By posing questions instead of just receiving questions, you appear as an engaged and mature asset. Researching the company prior to the interview can be very beneficial in making educated questions and jargon references in your own answers. Which brings me to my next point…

• Be Conversational: The art of using Q&A properly is to establish a conversational flow to the interview. You may feel as if this completely goes against the qualms of professionalism but it is what can separate you from the rest of the pack. By making a connection whether it be discussing your interviewee’s opinion of the work environment or their plans for vacation, conversation works to create the relationship’s necessary in a corporate setting. People don’t want to work with the smartest people; they want to work with those that they get along with. So establishing one’s social capacity through conversation as well as mental capacity through the Q&A, an potential intern can find comfort in their ability to communicate.