Overview
In a professional career, one may be called upon to conduct research and deliver findings in professional settings. No matter how extensive the research or
accurate the conclusions, a weak presentation can undermine an argument. A presentation is a tool to assist in making an argument. When creating
presentations, students develop skills in researching an issue, synthesizing the information, organizing data logically, and presenting findings in an effective
manner.
In this activity, you will deliver a presentation that markets something far more important than a mere product to your audience. You will conduct research on
the internet to identify a position (you may choose whatever position you wish), conduct research on the employer, and market yourself to this potential
employer for this specific position. While this presentation is intended for the purposes of the assignment, consider it also a means of ‘rehearsing’ yourself for
that position.
 Utilize persuasive messaging to market yourself
 Why should the employer hire you
What goals can you help this employer achieve?
How can you help them solve their challenges?
What value do you bring to the table?
How do you fit in with the company culture?
 Remember Your Audience
Match your accomplishments, skills, and strengths to specific phrases in the advertisement, corporate profile, mission/value statement, etc.
 Inclusion of images that support your statements (pictures, charts, graphs, etc)
You will submit your presentations directly to the instructor in Module Eight in the 8-3 Course Project: Presentation activity.
Principles of an Effective Presentation:
 You may utilize a product such as Microsoft’s PowerPoint or Google Presentation to create your presentations.
 There are various template designs that you can find on the web for your presentation. However, first consider your presentation from the perspective
of your audience prior to selecting a specific style. Distracting backgrounds, large blocks of text, all uppercase fonts, elaborate font styles, grammatical
errors and misspellings are distracting. Be consistent with the style of text, bullets, and sub-points in order to support a powerful presentation that
allows your content to be the focus.
 Each slide should include your key point(s). Do not place large blocks of text on the visual. Your presentation is not a means of presenting a short paper.
In an actual presentation you would not ‘read’ from your slides but rather use them as prompts.
 Any notes or narration you would use in delivering this presentation to a group should be listed in the ‘notes’ section of the slide.
 References should be listed at the bottom of the slide in slightly smaller text.
 Use clip art, AutoShapes, pictures, charts, tables, and diagrams to enhance but not overwhelm your content.
 Be mindful of the intended audience and seek to assess the presentation’s effectiveness by gauging audience comprehension (when possible)
Below are some links that offer helpful tips and examples for developing your presentations:
Making PowerPoint Slides
Really Bad PowerPoint and How to Avoid it