Objectives
- Become familiar with effective methods of speaking
- Learn to handle yourself professionally in an interview
Presentations
Many courses and careers require you to give oral presentations.
While preparing such presentations requires many of the same skills involved
in writing--research and organization, for example--some additional elements
are also involved. When you were a child, your parents might have taught
you to "Stop, look, and listen" before crossing a street. My advice
for giving an effective oral presentation is similar: "Talk, look,
and listen."
- Talk to your audience. This
suggestion sounds self-evident, but note that talking is different from
reading. Too many presenters lose their listeners' attention because they
read from a script. It is hard to follow someone reading a speech for two
reasons. First, we often do not write the way we talk. The syntax of written
sentences tends to be more complex than that of spoken sentences; thus,
listeners may struggle to comprehend your meaning if you read from a script.
Second, many people do not use intonation--vocal clues such as pitch, pace,
and volume--very effectively when they read. Because intonation makes speech
easier to understand and more appealing, you are better off talking because
intonation most likely will come naturally when you talk. Preparing to
talk to your listeners rather than read to them is not difficult. First,
instead of writing out your speech or presentation and then reading from
it, prepare a one-page outline that you can project on a screen or copy
and hand out to your listeners. Next, using this outline as a guide, practice
talking about your subject until you feel comfortable. Finally, during
the presentation, just talk. Avoid beginning with a generic statement such
as "My topic is _______." Instead, open with a question, an anecdote,
or something else that will grab you audience. As you talk about your subject,
refer occasionally to the outline you have projected or handed out.
- Look at your audience. Speaking
from an outline rather than a script has another advantage. It allows you
to make eye contact with your audience. Try to look at every listener at
least once and avoid talking too much to one group or person, such as the
teacher.
- Listen to your audience.
You probably have met people who monopolize conversations, rarely showing
any interest in someone else's ideas. If you're like me, you probably don't
enjoy talking--or rather listening--to such people. Your audience may feel
the same way if your presentation consists of a 20-minute monologue. Instead
of a monologue, make your presentation a type of conversation or discussion.
If your listeners already know something about your subject, call on some
of them to provide definitions or explanations. If you are presenting totally
new material, you still can engage your listeners by providing some information
and then inviting them to come up with examples or relevant anecdotes.
Interviews
If you have successfully presented yourself as a bright,
professional, organized, articulate, and otherwise qualified candidate in
your resume, you may receive an opportunity to sell yourself further in
an interview. Before you arrive, review your resume and practice answering
questions with a friend or an expert in job hunting. Many career centers,
including the one here at Pembroke, offer mock interviews and feedback to
help you polish your interviewing skills. Prepare succinct, specific responses
to questions about your strengths, weaknesses, work habits, and career goals.
On the day of the interview, dress conservatively and show
up five minutes early. When you meet your interviewer, shake hands firmly,
make eye contact, smile, and commit the person's name to memory. During
the interview, sit up straight, speak up, smile when appropriate, and convey
a sense of energy and enthusiasm. If the opportunity arises, make a brief
comment or two to demonstrate your knowledge of the field and the organization.
Example: In an interview at a newspaper, you might say: "I noticed
that more than half of the stories on your front page the past few days
have been local. Are you emphasizing local news coverage in order to compete
with network news?"
It will be hard to relax during your first few interviews,
but practice will put you more at ease. In general, the more relaxed you
are, the better impression you will make. |
Terms
- articulate
- interview
- intonation
- presentation
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