Presentation advice - better to focus on refining your delivery OR minimise text on screen?

[ErinAndTonic]

I've been invited to another interview for a role I really really want. The beginner stage was a zoom style general interview with all the usual questions and is probably where my strengths lie in interviews.

This next stage is in person and I've been asked to do a presentation for part of this. I only got the topic Sunday evening and the presentation along with interview is Thursday morning.

It's taken me ages to get the framework built and refined and I need to practice it further. I've also researched good presentation techniques and styles - and constantly see to really trim your text down.

Given my really limited time here - what should I be focusing on more, practicing the delivery out loud to ensure I'm more confident and comfortable - or really reducing the copy down (when I would likely need to have cue cards to help remember what needs to be said - adhd so terrible memory and multi tasking 😅)

The slides aren't a wall of text it is bulleted but definitely has more than say 6-7 words per bullet but still somewhat paraphrased. Something has to give to allow me to brush up on the questions too and try and still function in my day job!

Any advice would be super appreciated as i'm stressing like a madwoman and prepping until midnight each night which isn't helping my stress!

Both.

Don't have too much on a slide. Have an image to guide you as a prompt

I would definitely say practicing your delivery would be time better spent. I really think they’ll be assessing you more on how you come across (confidence, tone, pace) than what you put on your slides. Good luck!

I do PPTs a lot for work and the golden rules for us are

NEVER read the slide- you have bulleted the main points. So no need read them. Do no repeat them. Better to have single words or pictures/graphs/diagrams

The PPT shouldn’t be the content. You are the content and the slides are a visual cue for the learner:client, they bring what you’re saying to life.

Thanks so much everyone. Wasn't sure if I'd get many replies as the topic is a bit niche and it's a bit late at night for the work board 😅

This is really helpful, I think I'll start with the practice to ensure I can deliver the message and speak confidently. And if I can shave any time back I'll go back and look at what I can reduce down further once I'm more familiar with it.

I'm hoping there may be some level of flexibility for having just three days and that it's not an interview in my PowerPoint skill but in how I present and communicate the message.

Thanks everyone 😊

My advice is to spend your time preparing and practising answering other questions that might come up. I've totally messed Ip an interview over prepping a presentation (which was excellent apparently) but I didn't have enough examples of my work experiences ready to use in question answers and so I messed Ip the questions!

Ummm. I have ADHD, and often give feedback after training where the trainer doesn't read out the slides. It's really confusing and I can't follow it. I can't read a slide while you are saying something else. And I can't follow what you are saying without a visual prompt. I need subtitles to watch TV programmes and I can't follow audio books at all as an example. This is very common with people with ADHD and other NDs. So you may sound more impressive doing your presentations that way, but are actually making it impossible for a raft of people to follow your content at all.

Agree with keeping texts on slides absolutely minimal. Do you have time to produce a handout to give to the panel at the end which would cover anything you might have missed explaining in the presentation and show how well you've prepared? I work in education so this would be normal for me - don't know if this would be expected in your field?

Ummm. I have ADHD, and often give feedback after training where the trainer doesn't read out the slides. It's really confusing and I can't follow it. I can't read a slide while you are saying something else. And I can't follow what you are saying without a visual prompt. I need subtitles to watch TV programmes and I can't follow audio books at all as an example. This is very common with people with ADHD and other NDs. So you may sound more impressive doing your presentations that way, but are actually making it impossible for a raft of people to follow your content at all.

I know it isn't funny @InattentiveADHD but this made me laugh. I AM a facilitator with ADHD and I use slides with pictures on them not bullets. I never read things out and I don't follow a script to the letter. I am wildly entertaining though (and write extremely good notes so people can have them afterwards if that helps). I also am happy to hang around after and go through anything anyone didn't understand. And I will answer endless questions. If I need to present things which would be in bullets, I will draw a map or a flow chart, or stick figures, or a Venn diagram, or anything that isn't bullets.

My feedback to facilitators who read out bullets is always, "what were you for if I could just read it?". But more polite obviously.

NDs present very differently in different people. If I have to watch someone read something out I want to rip my skin off with boredom. I can't bear it. Probably more H in my ADHD cocktail!

Cue cards is fine- you don't need to memorise what you would have put in the PowerPoint. I agree that you should minimise the text and if that means essentially just transferring it to the cards that's fine.

My tip for cue cards is to set them up like this:

"MUMSNET (prompt word)

Fun, women, threads penis beakers (a few words about what you're going to say)

Blah blah Mumsnet is a website blah etc. (full script)"

Put them on cue cards, punch a hole in one corner, have them on a key ring so they are in order and cannot fall on the floor. You probably only need the first word as a prompt, possibly the few words, never the full script. But t's there as a security blanket.

Personally, I think very few presentations actually need slides. Just put up any diagrams/graphs you're going to discuss.

Definitely focus on the content of what you'll say and the delivery. Unless the slides are going to add something, don't use them. I never have and I've been offered every job I've ever interviewed for.

Yes, excellent advice. It also means you can reread the full text on the train/while you wait.

Also agree with PP who says the presentation will be a small part of the process. Give most time to making sure you have examples of you experience, for all the person spec requirements.

Slides should have pictures, diagrams and a few key words. Handouts can have the bullet points on. There is a website by a guy called Simon Raybould called presentation genius, his training is amazing and really helped me do more effective presentations. I can't stand slides with bullet points on. The focus should be on you and the message, not trying to read lots of information or worse still having it read out. Hope it goes well.

I actually create interview slide decks as a side hustle for people, and the golden rule is speaking for about 2 minutes per slide, lots of white space, and minimal words.

Use the notes section for each slide to write a script for yourself.

Another tip is to use a bit of animation to reveal each point as you speak about it. People can't read and listen at the same time, so don't expect them to hear you if they are busy trying to interpret what's on-screen.

Also, try to use the company's logo and branding in your deck; show them what it will be like when you're in-role and presenting to stakeholders. Interviewers have been blown away by the presentations I've created when doing that.

Good luck!

PowerPoint slides are to help assist tell your story or get your point across. Imagine someone pinched your file, they should not be able to present it in your absence!

They are not subtitles or a script, make them visual and engaging. If I have delegates who are ND I make them available pre and post event, with some notes to help. Online on Teams I use the presenter mode so others can click through at their own pace or return back.

Good luck!!!

If I were you I’d put your presentation into chatgpt and ask it to make it snappier / more engaging (that’s not the prompt you need obv but ykwim) and then go from there.

Minimal words on slides, expand with the details in delivery.

slides should be readable from the back of the room.

I wouldn't use the notes section on the slides because if it's for an in person interview you presumably don't know all the details of the room set-up - it isn't always easy to see the presenter screen and you don't want to be either awkwardly craning or without notes that you were expecting to be able to see

Yes that's a fair point - print the notes in advance!

Thank you for this! My fear is doing exactly that so want to try and juggle it. It doesn't feel like enough time but any time stressing about that fact is taking away from time I could be spent prepping 😅

I would struggle in your presentations. Hate pictures and flowcharts! I cannot for the life of me follow those instructions that are just pictures (thanks Ikea!). Have to get my DH to translate them!! Even worse bloody mind maps!!

I have no structure in my head so desperately seek structure outside my head. So I like lists, and bullets, clarity and simplicity!

I do ask endless questions though which most people find annoying so that would work well!

Hoping this is the case - I've been told I'm outstanding at interviews (adhd CAN be a superpower cos I hyperfocus like a madwoman!) and can talk eloquently in detail and charm people fairly easily.

So less worried about that if I get time to refine my answers. But presenting, although I do it in my day job, the interview aspect of it seems more intimidating. Because in the day job people all butcher PowerPoints to varying degrees and also I'm often on zoom so can look at the slides while I talk through. I'm not sure what the set up will be on the day so it's causing huge anxiety. But memory and multi tasking are the struggle.. I think I'm not even going to watch the time as it's too much to monitor and just keep practicing to get it within limit! I'm just under 12 mins at the moment so not like it's 30 😅

Thank you. I have 11 slides so loosely aiming for 1 minute per slide. Also I've gone for a dark background based off some prep on YouTube that said it's less distracting to the eyes which I'm inclined to agree with.

I tried to do the company branding but didn't have the fonts and they didn't readily have a pack to download so I thought I'd do my own thing (the topic is also tailored to my experience/views of something) rather than accidentally butcher their brand 😄

Delivery is far far more important.

You also have much too much text on the slides.

Try to get them down to three-four words per bullet. No more than three bullets per slide. Ideally you should make only one point per slide.