Hello,
I’m putting a power point presentation together for a job interview on Tuesday July 18. The job is for a carpentry apprentice instructor at our community college and I would like my power point presentation to look totally professional. I’m starting to put it together shortly…any advice?
The presentation is a lesson plan on interior doors and installation.
Thanks!
silver
Replies
Do not create a slide for every little point to be made. The fewer slides the better.
Use fonts/styles consistently throughout your presentation.
If your pictures and diagrams don't directly support your point, don't use them just to fill up space.
Keep text to a minimum.
Remember, a PP presentation is for Speaker Support only. Make sure your personal presentation is as dynamic or more so than your PP. And make sure you could give your presentation from memory or notes should technology suddenly fail you. I've seen this happen more than a few time with my clients.
Good luck.
Great advice, pino.It's new to me so it all helps.silver
Silver, there's lots of sites with PP templates available for purchase should you need something to spruce up your presentation. More importantly they can offer an example of how to layout an effective PP slide without even having to make a purchase.Might be worth a quick Google search.
As Pino said, PP presentation is for speaker support only, just to take that one step further..... assume your audiance can read, so do not just read word for word the text on your presentation.
Aim the lap top towards your audience, you should be able to do the presentation without the aid of seeing the screen.
Your eyes should be on the audience, looking for clues as to what they find interesting, and be ready to elaborate on those items. Likewise, if you see a lack of interest in a particular portion, seemlessly move on to the next item.
Look for clues that they may have a question, do not wait until the end of the show to ask for questions. Otherwise you will be trying to go backwards to find a slide to illustrate your answer, this will create some dead air that may force you to start ad libbing while you look for the appropriate slide.
sprung
Conventional wisdom is 3 slides max - but a lesson plan may be completely different. The biggest mistake I see is too much decoration, busyness, colors. Keep it clean, like the FHB cover.
silver,
Agreed with what has already been said. We do presentations all the time on the building code and construction and less is better.
We just did an hour long class that I taught and we only had 12 slides for the whole 60 minutes. They all had the same layout and format just different text messages. If you'd like to see a copy, let me know and I can email one of them to you as an example.
One thing to remember is if your not taking your laptop and just the show on CD or jump drive, stay away from any unique fonts or effects as if they have a different version of Power Point on their computer, some items may not work! And that sucks as its happened to me!!!
Good luck.
Mike
Oak River Mike,I would like to see a copy of what you did.thanks,silver
Silver,
Just sent you two of them...Let me know if you don't receive them as the files are big so hopefully there isn't any transfer problems.
Mike
Thanks Mike,I'll let you know...I'm putting it all together right now.The advice I received calmed me down a lot...it's part of the way I learn something new...gather info...then hit it.PP is Speaker Support-fancy overhead projection...not an end but a means...just another tool.Like any thing I do,I'm reaching for excellence. The Break Time folks helped me lots!silver
I've taught a lot of different courses over the years and have always treated powerpoint presentations (used to use slides or overheads drawn by hand or on a typewriter prior to circa 1981) as minature textbooks - i.e., after the student takes them away, they can refer back to them.
For a 3 hour class or presentation, I typically have up to 300 (yes 3 hundred) slides.
Very little and large font on each slide, if hardcopy handouts, print at 6 slides per page -- must be readable at that level of compression. Have presented to as many as 1200 people at a time, many non-native english speaking. For that large of group the slides must be very legible. One trick is to double space between words, surprising how much that helps.
Lots of pictures. In your case, if the 'handouts' are to be on CD for classes, including a few mpg files (e.g. showing setup of a door for hanging; different coping methods, etc. ) is always a plus.
Good luck.
What do you teach?thanks-especially about double spacingsilver
What do you teach?
High voltage systems and power electronics, primarily for company off-hours courses and seminars at conferences. Nearly all 'students' are graduate level engineers so if the course does not move fast (why I use lots of charts) they leave or go to sleep, You may have a different situation with apprentice carpenters, but the going to sleep part likely still applies.
I taught blue print reading last semester so I know about the sleeping/
snoring.I was advised on Break time to keep it real and I tried. I related
print problems I've had and some from BT.Also updated the material to recently built projects in our city, did
colloborative tests and on the final class we went for a field trip to an innovative archy.Seemed to help...and they improved their blueprint reading skills.I'm a huge fan of hands-on learning and would work as much of that as possible into the program.silver
A couple of other points:1. Don't read the PPT slides to the audience. They can read them.
Your spoken part should use different wording.2. Prepare a printed handout of at least one page for the audience.
Five minutes after your presentation they wont't remember a thing
from it, so the handout will be their only takeaway.
Community college instructor? Did they ask for a PP presentation? If not, I'd consider scrapping the slides and bring in a small hollowcore prehung, a knockdown rough opening, and a tool belt. Tell them that "hands on teaching is best for the student". They should hire you on the spot.
Some great advice and I thank everyone for their thoughts.They did ask for a PP presentation...to find out out computer savvy the people on the short list are and they also want printouts from the PP to be passed out.Also to see what kind of lesson plan we are capable of putting together.The hands on idea is great...I need to think about it...knock together scaled down jambs-hang a slab doorhinge a bifold doortrack a bypass doorand for a pocket door...?I want to ace this presentation.Thanks again,silver
Two ways to do the handouts - just the slides themselves or with speaker notes. The speaker notes approach is great - allows you to keep the slide crisp and concise and to include more details in the notes section. When you print it out you get the slide at the top of page and the notes below - in portrait orientation.
I was just looking at that...I want to keep the slides clean-great idea-thankssilver
If they asked for a printed copy, be sure to put plenty of detail in the notes section, and print it with the speaker notes.
The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.†– Albert EinsteinThanks. I'm headed out but when I have time I'll post the pp and notes and ask folks to tear it up. I have a hunch pp is part of my future and I'd like to know how to improve what I did.silver
Silver,
Glad it went well. Remember, you always are a more harsh judge on yourself than others. A few weeks ago I left a presentation for a job proposal and thought, "Well that went like ***" and then the next day the guy calls and tells me we got the job! Go figure.
So be prepared for them to call with a follow up and possibly a second interview.
And hey, put us all down as references! We'll tell them how good you are and definitely how hard we all worked on that power point show!!! ;)
Mike
Well I thank you all but I didn't get my dream job...in fact they went
5 weeks and never called me...I was trying to keep my schedule open but my wife was freaking on account of not having any money coming in.so I started booking a #### load of work...One of the jobs involved some 2" oak and when I picked it up from the
wholesaler it was 14" wide. I'm a part time instructor at the college, which was where this dream job was, so I decided to go and use the college shop which has a beautful 24" planer.So at the shop I meet the guy who got the job...nice enough guy and kind of wandering around the shop stunned. So I helped fill in some blanks for him, gave him my class notes from last year and my cell number in case he had any questions. He was a high school teacher, with a teaching certificate, which is why he was hired. Reckon, I ain't got no edUcation, just being a carpenter and cabinet maker for 30 years and teaching the same at night for 14 years-: > )Anyway, this was about 2 weeks ago...and I have been thinking about it since...and I told myself that IF I didn't get the job, there was something even better on the other side...It really makes you look at yourself and your life. Just before this went done, I had one of best summers I have ever had. I went on a fishing trip with my son and caught some great walleye; spent some time with my best friends at their cottage and went to a wedding reception and danced all night long...just had way too much fun...But now, what to do with my life? I've always wanted to go to B.C.
(British Columbia)where they can roller blade 12 months a year! I'm in northwestern ontario and the leaves are turning and falling...snow will be flying in 6 weeksToo much fun is addicting and I want that now in my life......to be happy...and in our lives, it comes and goes and when it goes, we have to find our joy again... But that's a big ball of wax that involves the rest of my family...Anyway I wanted to let everyone what happened.Cheers,hi ho silver
Good on ya.SamT
It was nice of you to post an update. So often we never hear back. Too bad you didn't get the job, but you were probably very close. If it were a "no" you'd have heard right away. You were probably a "maybe" so they kept you on hold while they interviewed some other applicants that also looked promising on paper. If teaching is your dream there are other places to do it, don't give up on it.
"If teaching is your dream there are other places to do it, don't give up on it."thanks for the reminder...good to hear it from someone else. silver
Content is the most important, of course, but here are a few tips not yet mentioned.
When using photos, crop and size them so they clearly show the point you are trying to illustrate without lots of extra surrounding background. Placing a fine border around them keeps them from washing into the page, especially when the photos have areas in them (such as white space) that are the same as the background color. I don't have PP at home so I can't quote the exact commands, but it is something like right click on the photo and choose format picture, then colors and lines, then choose a black line around .75 points in width. Just that subtle border makes the photo look more crisp. Also, don't be afraid to slightly lighten or darken a photo if needed.
Secondly, your spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, consistency, and choice of words should be flawless. Have someone anal about those things proofread for you after you've done your best.
Practice your presentation. Don't read it to the audience, just tell them your story. You certainly know how to install a door in your sleep! Don't let the use of software spook you. The software only serves to display photos and remind you of what you want to say. Remember before there was Power Point a lesson would be a slide show with pictures only, no text. The presenter would click from one slide to the next and talk about it. So you shouldn't be writing out a step by step procedure in words on the screen.
Talk the the people in the room, not to the screen.
Thanks for the pep talk...right when I was getting bogged down.You're right on... I was getting a little spooked...It's realy about my presentation with supportive pictures. And points well taken!silver
Exactly. What they really want to see is how well you can teach a young person how to do something. You've been doing that your whole career anyway. The only difference is that you'll be using some pictures instead of standing at the jobsite. You'll do fine!
Silver,
I am very experienced with Powerpoint presentation, design, and keeping them reader-friendly. You received many excellent points. I may repeat one or two.
You don't want the slide template to overwhelm your message. Keep it simple. And, absolutely skip the bells and whistles - no sound and no flying around bullet points. Also if you use bullet points, you don't want to have to click for each one. It can be a pain if not careful. What ever you do skip any sound effects. People hate them.
The background color should contrast well with the font color, and use large simple fonts, nothing fancy. People have to be able to read it easily.
Also, if you are using photos, particularly those you find on the internet, a) be aware of copyright issues, and b) if you can use them, don't just paste them, choose paste special and as a device indepent bitmap.
I prepared and conducted one presentation to a group and had about 20 minutes. I think there may have been a total of 20 slides, I prepared my speaker notes, practiced before friends and the dog a few times, and I found that I was very comfortable speaking with little reference to the notes during the presentation. Good luck to you on the interview!
Thanks for your thoughts and the encouragement-Keeping it simple is not a problem-haven't figured out how the bells and whistles work yet.Tried sound and glad to hear it is unwelcome.silver
A "hidden" feature in PPT I just learned about - if your laptop has dual output capacity (many/most do) you can have the show slides alone projected for the audience and a "Presenter view" showing on the laptop -- which gives you not only the slide being shown but some of the slides before and after AND the speakers notes.
Open PPT,
click on Slide Show on the menu
Click on Set up Show
Select "Multiple Monitors"
You will also have to play with the laptop's set up. Systems will vary, but start by
Right click on the desktop
Click on Properties
Explore the display options for something like "dual screen" (you might have to dig into "Advanced Settingfs along the way)
I've attached a screen shot of how "PPT's Presenter View looks (you have to open PPT AND start the slide show (e.g., F5)) The big iomage is the one being projected, the smaller on the left are the ones before and after. The space below the main image is for notes.
Sounds good but could be over my head right now.I'm taking my jump drive in to the college tomorrow for a test drive...see what I can do and come home and fine tune.thanks,
silver
I've seen alot of PP presentations from summer interns, mostly PP novices. The # mistake they've been making is too many slides. How someone expects to cover 55 slides in 40 minutes is beyond me. For 60 minutes, do 15 absolute max (12 would be better). If you have alot more, move them to a "Backup" section of supplemental material in the back, that the audience can read at their liesure.
I'm really taking all of this in...talk about timely advice...and well appreciated!It's reassuring to know less and simplier are better than more and complex.Thanks again to everyone for sharing their knowledge...life long learning in motion.silver
Ignore all the fancy PPT option animation stuff. It can only move an A talk to an A+. Much more likely to have something go wrong and will distract you and consume valuable prep time doing something with little value. Much much much more useful to spend 2 hrs. practicing than trying to get that darn microsoft widget/template/animation to work right.
Make sure everything is legible. If something is illegible (font too small, something scanned, etc.) people will spend forever trying to figure out the illegible item and ignore you.
Keep it simple. In the end you want people to walk away with 2 or maybe 3 key points. More won't stick into someone's mind. If you need more key points you need to print it out for people to review (like brownbagg's theses).
The title on each slide is the main point of the slide not the description of the slide.
Talk to the audience, don't look at the big screen. Only use a pointer when necessary which should be very minimal.
Be interested in what you're talking about. Speak with different rates, use pauses. Emphasize key points. Re-emphasize key points. Make sure it is clear why everyone just spent an hour of their life hearing you blabber.. Bring notes for yourself written on paper to remind you what the key points are. Sounds silly but do it. On each note also remind yourself to slow down.
splat
Re-emphasize key points
Very good point, ranks up in the top 2 or 3 presentation issues.
I agree with Pino and Junkhound.huh?I use to work for Uncle and PP slides were what I lived bylots of good advice hereto me there are two kinds of slide sets.either as a help to the speaker or as information to be brought away by the audience.in designing the slides remember that there some people who always read all of the slide, and those that read ahead.hopefully they aren't hiring soley on the presentation slides
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter
I just thought of something when you mentioned the jump drive. If you try to run a presentation from a disk/cd, etc., it seems to load slowly. I have not tried it from the jump-drive. If you can copy it to the desktop and run it from the machine, it seems to run like you want it. Don't forget to delete if not on your machine and ask for permission if it is not yours. Also if it is your machine, remember the audience can see your personal desktop icons. Clean up anything that looks personal (make a shortcut folder and tuck it all there temporarily). You don't want them to see "Kid's birthday party photos, unusual software, etc. Keep the desktop clean and uncluttered.
Another tip on teaching/speaking - during the presentation, start off telling what you are going to tell them (the few main points), then tell them, simply without getting too technical, THEN tell them again (recap the main points) of what you told them. People tend to remember only the beginning and the end. You are going for retention. Keeping to a few key points, as another mentioned, and making sure the message sticks is key. I realize this is for an interview and for a class, you'd likely need to be more detailed in teaching. You can do that later.
Your interviewer(s) will likely be evaluating you on your teaching ability/relatibility to the audience, and your technical expertise in the field. These folks probably don't want to know every little detail in an interview situation, just that you know your stuff and how to share it effectively. I would probably tell them that this is a scaled down example, for demonstration purposes only, as you realize their time is valuable. Afterward, ask if they have any questions. They will be greatful they didn't have to sit through an entire lesson - trust me. In your speaking notes you might mention that in class you would cover x and y in greater detail, but are keeping it short due to time. If they ask about hobbies, for example, mention only those relevant to the job - briefly. Try to avoid volunteering personal information. If you have one unusual interest that raises a flag, it is not always a good thing. (Example, you like to back pack around Europe for three months a year...that could interfere with the school's schedule - or you collect kewpie dolls... not that there is anything wrong with that, just keep it to yourself!) Keep refocusing all answers toward the job you want. You are in charge. Remember, you wouldn't have the interview if they were not interested, so be confident. Do well and report back! Best of luck to you! You are certainly doing your homework and preparing well for this. That count's for a lot!
Tomorrow's the day...Some really great advice...I always say -how many bars would you have to go to get advice like this!top caliperBTW,jump drive engaged flawessly...I am tweaking and practicing.Really appreciate the advice and your thoughts!I expect to ace this!
silver
First my thanks to everyone for their advice. I really learned lots about power point...still am...I'm rereading the thread.One member of BT gave me his cell phone # and offered his help via cell phone if I needed it!Interview is over and I have a mild case of interview regret...would of,could of,should of...won't last long.It's hard to know what they were thinking but my pp went off with no glitches and I handed out printed note pages as well to go with the pp. Easily over 24 hours of prep including a small scale model I made of a 2'x 2' framed wall w/jambs for a visual as I was talking. I'll post a few before and after pics of myself...hippie freak before I went in. Shave and a hair-cut, 2 bits and I look like a new man. It's all good.The big picture...I feel good about it...and am expecting a positive phone call in the next week or two.Cheers,hi ho silver
too many slides
There are 2 totally different schools of thought on this subject. I'm on the opposite side, I can never have enough slides, about 1 every 30 or 40 seconds is my preffered, but NO 'eye' charts (aka big full 'takes 5 minutes to read' charts).
Lotta diagrams or pictures, one leading into the other.
As an audience member, the absolute worst charts are the ones with 30 equations that the presenter drones on about for 10 minutes -- good time for a nap.
There are 2 totally different schools of thought on this subject. I'm on the opposite side, I can never have enough slides, about 1 every 30 or 40 seconds is my preffered, but NO 'eye' charts (aka big full 'takes 5 minutes to read' charts).
If you can do justice to each slide in 30-40 seconds, fine. I guess it also depends on the audience: a passive classroom audience, or a bunch of senior management that'll probably be interrupting alot with questions?
I guess the key point is time management. Know what you want to do, and make sure you can do it within the allotted time.
I have been in the military for 12 years. Countless hours in classes on powerpoint, public speaking, blah, blah, blah. Briefed various generals pretty much every week for the past four years, all on power point.
Couple of key points.
Dark room = black or dark blue text on white
Bright room = white text on dark blue background
REHEARSE. REHEARSE. REHEARSE. PResent it just like you will tot he class. The more you rehearse the smoother your transitions will be. 'Flipping' slides should be seamless
No more than six 'bullets' per slide and no more than 10-12 words per bullet
If you really know your stuff then you should be able to talk for about 5-10 minutes per slide easily. We use 10-12 slides for an hour brief.
You have gotten great advice already. Just remember less is better b/c they are there for you to teach not to see a slide show.
BTW... I also have taught the university and community college level using those same rules.
Best of luck.