Pitching and Presenting

This week we learnt about how to pitch something well, what to avoid and what is important. This is to help us prepare for our pitch in week 12.

Daniel started off the class asking for volunteers and I was one of them. We were asked to stand in front of the class and he asked us how we felt. I did feel nervous at first which he said was a normal reaction to being in front of a group of people as the attention is on you. This scenario made me think about what it would be like doing a presentation, the things that would make it easier etc.

We were told about many things that are important when giving a presentation. For example, the placement of the audience. In today’s class, everyone was spread out and sat towards the back of the room. When standing at the front, I agree that it isn’t ideal. It would be much better if people were closer to the front and as one group. This makes it easier for the speaker to address everyone and it feels more engaging. Some other important points we were given include:

• Stick to your time limit
• Use pictures over words
• Use plain English
• Use a grid for images
• If using supporting materials, hand them out at the end
• Be prepared
• Keep it interesting
• End on a high note (image, thought, quote etc.)

I find these points very useful and will take them into consideration when doing presentations in the future.

Warnings:

• Use one typeface
• No crazy fonts
• Use subtle transitions
• Use short videos and GIF’s sparingly
• Avoid too much text
• Don’t use too many slides
• Don’t forget to add in all content
• Check spelling and content

Overall, I found this class very informative. It was interesting learning about how to be a better presenter and things you should avoid. I think this has made me more confident going forward with my pitch as I know what I should do. It is good to have all of this essential information in one place as I can refer back to it when the time comes.