Get Your Interview Presentation Right | Copeland Select Automotive Blog

Throughout your professional career, there could be many instances where you expected to produce and perform a well-written presentation. One of the most important to you will be an interview presentation. How you perform will strongly effect your chances of securing the job. This article will help you produce an effective, impactful presentation that delivers your message and keeps your audience engaged.

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STICK TO THE BRIEF

If you’ve been given a brief, read it carefully and ensure you answer the question and stick to any timings. Keep the brief to hand as you write your presentation and check you are still on-track.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Before writing your presentation, consider your panel members. What are their job responsibilities, priorities, professional backgrounds and interests? Research them on LinkedIn. Think about your presentation from their individual perspective and consider what aspects of the topic will most interest them.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Make sure you have researched the presentation topic thoroughly. Try and find out how the company have handled this issue in the past. Research what their competitors are doing in this field and have some relevant facts and figures to illustrate key trends at your fingertips – this can enhance your credibility and show impressive levels of preparation.

HAVE A CLEAR MESSAGE

Work out what you want to say in two or three sentences, before elaborating your ideas. In order to make an impact you need to have clear recommendations, backed up by convincing arguments.

STRUCTURE YOUR PRESENTATION

Make sure the structure of your presentation is clear, logical and easy to follow. You need:

A short introduction explaining what the presentation is about and what you are going to cover.
Clear sections or themes within the presentation (there might be one slide per theme), ensuring your argument has a logical structure
A summary of your arguments
A clear conclusion with specific recommendations, identifying the resources required to deliver them.

CONSIDER THE VISUAL IMPACT

It is better to keep your presentation succinct and allow the audience to ask follow-up questions at the end rather than rushing through a mound of information.

Keep slides visually clear and not text heavy.
Utilise bullet points or headings when appropriate – we advise no more than 4-6 bullet points per slide
Use colours / themes that are ‘on brand’.
Use images sparingly – and only if appropriate

Remember, you don’t have to put everything you want to say onto your slides – it’s fine to put some top-line points on a slide but then elaborate on them verbally. If your presentation requires more detail, this can be given as a supporting hard copy handout.

PREDICT FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS

Go through your presentation and work out what questions the panel might ask, especially given their job roles and personal perspectives. Try to plan answers ready for these questions. Typical follow up questions might include:

Why are you recommending x option and not y?
What resources would be required to implement this?
How would you go about getting sign-off to your recommendations with key stakeholders?
What are the risks of this plan of action and how would you minimise them?
How do your recommendations fit with the institution’s wider activities and strategies?

PRACTISE, PRACTISE, PRACTISE

Once you have written your presentation, practise it in front of someone who can comment on your delivery and content. When you practice aim to finish at least 30 seconds before the allocated time limit.

TAKE A BACK UP

Always make sure you have a Plan B if the technology is not working or a vital piece of equipment is not available.

If you are delivering a PowerPoint presentation, email it to yourself as well as taking it on a stick just in case.
It can also be helpful to print off some hard copies in case there are problems with the projector.

ON THE DAY

The more familiar you are with your material and the more thorough your research, the more confident you will feel.

Maintain strong eye contact; avoid looking at the screen or reading notes.
Use keywords on a card as prompts rather than memorising sentences as a ‘speech’ as this will appear more natural.
Remember to smile and to pause at key points.
Address panel members by name when answering their questions.
Remember to take your time and enjoy it! It’s not often you get to be the center of attention and are able to put your views directly to senior members of staff.

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Interview Presentations – How to Succeed