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We asked our judging panel to give their top tips for making a successful presentation.
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Presentation top tips
Rehearsals
- Rehearse your presentation several times at least 2 days beforehand to ensure you that get it exactly within the time and that the criteria are covered.
- Think about how you will swap over presenters.
- Check how your technology demo works, both in terms of time, presenters and wifi.
- Leave time for questions and think about what questions might be asked.
Attendees
- Presentations work best with no more than 2-3 people as this avoids scrappy handovers or presenters clarifying what each other are saying.
- Only include the key people – you only have a very limited time to get all the points across.
- Bring your client/partner with you if you can as it’s useful for judges to get a feel for how the project landed and the transformation following the launch, etc.
- Make sure your client/partner has enough time to speak. If they cannot be there in person, consider other online options to bring them in, but allow time for set up.
Timings
- Manage your time well.
- Include time to demo the solution and for judges to ask questions about it, especially if your submission only contained stills or a PowerPoint walk-through.
Content
- Assume the judges have read your submission – don’t waste time repeating your submission. A brief recap of the key points is OK, but the key thing is that the presentation should be different to the submission.
- Use the time to focus on what makes the solution fly, why you are so proud of it and why it’s worked, etc.
- Structure your presentation around the criteria as this is mainly what the judges will be scoring you on.
- Make sure judges have a view on impact as it is difficult to judge whether it has been effective, even if the project looks impressive.
- If you have been shortlisted in more than one category, make sure you tailor your presentation to each category, don’t assume ‘one size fits all’.
Technology
- Keep the technology as simple as possible to minimise set up time and potential for technical hiccups.
- Check everything works on the day.
- Remember, you will be presenting in an unfamiliar environment, using different equipment and connectivity to what you may be used to.
- Demo the most innovative, engaging elements of your project, often that’s the bit missing from your submission and the bit the judges want to see.
- If you're doing an online presentation and are unfamiliar with Adobe Connect, rehearse using the 30-day free trial to check how it works.
Evidence
- Don't exaggerate the financial benefits with spurious statistics. Make sure you can back up any claims.
- Make sure you address any specific questions. Sometimes judges will highlight something they want to see in the presentation when you are shortlisted. An example would be a lack of impact evidence in the initial submission - what data can you show in the presentation that will prove this?
Listeners
- Put yourself in the judges’ shoes try to listen to your presentation as if you are the audience. Consider what information is important for them to hear?
Questions
- Prepare for questions and leave time for them. There is some time allotted for questions but it’s a good idea to shave a few minutes off your presentation, just in case judges want to explore a specific point in more depth.
- Questions are most likely going to relate to the criteria in more detail. Past winners have often been those who have given the most convincing replies to questions.
- Don’t fear the ‘left-field’ or difficult question. Judges are not trying to catch you out but need to fill in the gaps of understanding, which may mean quizzing on the decision-making behind the solution.
- It's fine if you get asked a question you can't immediately answer. Tell the judges "I don't have an answer to that", or "can we come back to that?". Or even "let me email you the answer later". Final decisions on winners are rarely made on the day, so there is a small window for clarification if required.
Final thoughts
- Turn up to the venue on time. There is space to wait at the venue if you are a little early.
- Remember, there will be over 100 presentations taking place and they are run on a back to back schedule with several sessions in progress at once. If you are late then you may have less time to present as the schedule will not work around you.
- If you are presenting online, ensure all presenters have the login details and are logged on 10-15 minutes prior to the presentation.
- Read any emails from the organisers thoroughly, even if you have presented before. The emails will contain important details you need to know on the day and information can change from previous years.
- Contact us well ahead of time if you’ve not received the details you need. Our emails may have gone to your spam folder, or been prevented by your firewall, or gone to a person who has now left the company. If in doubt, phone or email us.
