Making an impact and why schools need to teach it

[philmophlegm]

Day 1 of this year's 'You're Hired!' final is on Thursday, with day 2 the following Tuesday. I'll post about these next week or the week after if I get the chance. (For the third straight year I have managed to combine the YH final with my absolute busiest time of the work year

Comments

[philmophlegm]

I think I've also picked up the same hints and tips on presentations over the years. They're easy once you know them, but they make a big difference.

I hadn't thought about warm-ups, but it's not a bad idea, especially if we have a participant with a wavering voice.

Tomorrow we only have small groups and small rooms, so I'm not too worried about using amplification. I should find out what the facilities are at the University, where we are for day 2 of the final. Lapel mics are fine, but the problem with fixed mics is that you have to stand firmly in one place.

We're going to use feedback forms and work hard to encourage a friendly atmosphere where people are comfortable giving and receiving criticism. The idea is that participants will work in groups of three to polish each others' presentations. Every participant will have a feedback form where they will record a) their own thoughts on what they are doing well and what they need to improve when they see the video, b) the presenters' thoughts and c) the thoughts of their fellow participants, especially the other two in their group.

And I definitely want to make the point about tweeking appearance and presentation style to suit the audience.