Oral
Presentations
You
may be asked to prepare, and deliver, a presentation
as part of the interview process. The employer will
want to assess your oral
communication skills. Can you present your case
in a way that your
audience will understand and find interesting?
Setting the scene
The employer may ask you to prepare
your speech before the day of your interview,
or you may be given a limited time for preparation once
you have arrived at the interviewer's premises. Sometimes
you can choose the subject of your talk, possibly from
a list of suggested titles. Otherwise, you will be given
the topic. You will normally be told the maximum time
for the duration of your presentation,
for example three minutes or fifteen minutes. Audio-visual
equipment such as a whiteboard, overhead projector or
flipchart may or may not be available. Your audience
will consist of your interviewers and possibly the other
candidates. Expect the interviewers to make notes as
they assess
your performance.
Examples
of presentations requested by employers
Tell us about yourself and what you can offer this organisation
(5 minutes, a very open subject!)
Why I enjoy Latin-American dancing (10 minutes, chosen
by the employer. The candidate mentioned this hobby
on their application form)
Choose a science topic, currently in the news, of interest
to pupils aged 11 years (15 minutes, interview for teacher
training course)
Tips
to improve your performance:
-
Choose a subject about which you feel confident to
speak.
- Who
is your audience? Pitch your message to their
level of understanding.
- Do
not overwhelm with too many details and figures.
- Be
explicit about the outline of your content. State
what you are going to talk about, outline your main
points and summarise your conclusions. This is known
as signposting.
- Personal
stories, anecdotes and examples are often interesting
and memorable. However, telling jokes can be risky.
The
audience may not share your sense of humour.
-
Practise
delivering your talk in front of a trusted friend
or the mirror.
- Ensure
that the audience at the back of the room can
see and hear you.
-
Remember that the audience wants you to succeed.
They also want you to recover from any disaster.
Your
notes
Reading your speech aloud can sound stilted and
you will not be able to look at your audience.
Use brief notes consisting of key words on note cards.
Make sure you number the cards and use large writing
and a highlighter pen so that you can follow them when
under pressure.
Your
body language
Be aware of your body language:
Smile, show enthusiasm and the audience should
respond more enthusiastically.
Maintain a relaxed but confident posture
Make eye contact with individuals in the audience,
they will feel more involved
Avoid talking too fast or too slow, try not to talk
in a monotone
Don't fidget, the
audience may find this distracting and irritating.
Using
visual aids
Visual aids should be used to help the audience
to understand
the point you wish to make. They can make your presentation
more effective. People retain 10% of what they hear,
but retain 50% of what they hear and see.
Keep it short and simple, bullet points not sentences
— too many words become a jumble
Use large print and bold images
If possible, use a variety of colours
It is harder to spell and write neatly on visual aids
- check what you have written
Don't block the audience's view by standing between
them and your visual aid
Don't talk to the screen, talk to the group.
What
can you do now?
Many people are afraid of speaking publicly, but, the
more you practise the more your performance will improve.
Learn to use an overhead projector. There is a knack
to using them confidently. Take
opportunities to give presentations
to your fellow students.
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