USC Hybrid High School Professional and Unprofessional Presentation Discussion

PartOne – Answer the following with 200 words each

• Types of Presentations: Based on your book reading, discuss the differences between a professional presentation and an unprofessional one. Make sure to demonstrate your knowledge of key terms and concepts learned this week.
• Components of Effective Presentations: At this point in time, how would you describe the appropriateness and effectiveness of your presentation skills? Provide examples.

Part Two – Reply to six students 100 words each

Book Reading: Chapters 1 & 2

Presentation Zen Design: Simple Design Principles and Techniques to Enhance Your, 2nd Edition

By: Reynolds, Garr

Part Two – Reply to six students 100 words each
Professional presentation vs unprofessional
1. When it comes to making a good presentation, it’s very important that you limit your copy on each
slide. Nobody wants to read a long essay on every single slide. It is simply boring. Try to limit the
amount of copy you have on each slide. For example, instead of writing a whole paragraph, you could
probably put it in a few short bullet points. The reality is that humans are more likely to remember
visuals than texts. We also respond better to visual-rich slides, so why not improve your design? The
beautifully designed presentation also gives the vibes that you really care about your audience.
However, there is a one downside when it comes to design. It is very time-consuming. For ex. it takes
me around 45 minutes to design every single slide. Another difference is very easy-to-understand
structure. You need to align your slides with the storytelling so your audience gets the message that
you are trying to convey. It’s very bad practice to jump from one topic to another when presenting, so
that might confuse your audience. Good storytelling can make the difference if you close a new
client or no. It is a difference between getting new investors or continuing to struggle. If you are
presenting your deck only by reading from your slides, that could put many peopl e off. It shows that
you are not prepared. That’s why you need to be able to basically talk to the audience as you would to
your friends. Making a connection with an audience is the hardest thing but with good storytelling, this
could be the easiest part of your presentation.
2. When it comes to the main differences between a professional presentation and an unprofessional one,
I would say the most important part is picking a font that is serious and not like comic sans. I never
really thought about whether to use sans serif or serif when it came to readability for the audience,
especially picking a size that makes it easier for the people in the back to see as well. I learned a lot
from the readings this week and I’ll definitely try to apply it to my professional life. Another thing that
really stood out for me between being professional and unprofessional is NOT using bullet points. This
is something I am really going to have trouble doing because I am so used to just adding bullets to
everything! Also talking/introducing a new topic prior to the actual slide being displayed is new to me
as well. I will be presenting later this week for work and there was some figures I was going to speak
about when it came to the performance of a campaign we recently had so I’ll definitely try my best to
remember the figures then speak about them. I’ll then have the slide with the figures displayed
afterwards. The final thing I would like to mention is to not clutter your slides. Having a clean look
will definitely make the presentation look more professional.
3. A professional presentation will have many qualities that an unprofessional one would not have. These
traits can be broken down into several categories. Many people have the misconception that in the
event that they give lengthy speeches, this is the case. There must be constraints, and the absence of
constraints can be harmful to the presenter as well as the presentation they are giving. I was forced to
become aware of my limitations. I am certain that other people, similar to me, have been guilty of
committing errors and making mistakes. Especially in design. There are some things that are not about
the message. Aesthetics play an important part in communication; it is all about highlighting the most
important aspect of the message and reducing visual clutter. As a result, it is critical for a presenter to
always keep their attention on the message and not to reiterate the content multiple times. preserving
imagery that is both powerful and memorable while also ensuring that communication is un-muddled
and unclouded. Cluttering the presentation with an excessive amount of text and an incorrect text
layout is an unprofessional move. Always communicate the content in a way that leaves the audience
feeling grateful for the experience if you want to keep up the appearance of being professional.
Components of Effective Presentations
4. My presentation skills are remarkable in terms of both their appropriateness and their
effectiveness. I am capable of effectively communicating my views and thoughts to an audience
in a manner that is captivating and exciting. I am also able to keep the audience’s attention
throughout the entirety of the presentation by utilizing strategies such as eye contact, facial
movements, and body language. I am lively and sociable, and I am blessed with a beautiful
smile. For example, if I were giving a presentation on the significance of “paying it forward”
with gestures, I would start by outlining the benefits of saying “good morning,” holdi ng doors
open for anyone, and greeting people with pleasant words. I would then move on to discussing
the significance of “paying it forward with kindness”. Then I would go on to explain that smiling
is an activity that one chooses to do voluntarily. The process, which may be done anywhere and
to anyone, is as uncomplicated and uncomplicatedly simple as can be. I would support the claims
I was making with diagnostic charts, graphs, and other types of visual aids. My approach to
providing a response to the problem is to begin by identifying the most significant components
of the question that need to be answered. After that, I create a presentation that is not only
educational but also interesting to the audience. To keep the interest of the audience, I use
several different tactics.
5. Presenting has always been something I enjoy and dread at the same time. I don’t really consider
myself to be shy, so I feel comfortable in front of an audience, but I do have a fear of judgement
when it comes to presenting work, especially something that I have worked hard on for an
extended period of time. I usually get anxious that people will not like my presentation, so
because of those nerves I tend to speak very fast when I am in front of people, because even
though I enjoy being in front of audience, I also don’t enjoy standing in front of an audience for
an extended period of time. I think I do a good job at researching and picking the most important
information for a presentation, but I sometime lack poise. I get very animated when I speak and I
sometimes my thoughts and ideas all sound like one, so I don’t always slow down and take my
time so I can assure that my audience is understanding and is getting the very best of what I am
presenting. Overall, I feel like I am effective in my skills, but I definitely feel like there is room
for improvement, and I plan on learning all of the skills I need to from this class.
6. For my last job I created a social media portfolio using Canva. I use Canva for many projects
and I absolutely love it! I pitched the idea to my boss of running the social media accounts for
the boutique I worked at. I showed past work I did and my experience with running social media
accounts for business. I worked for the brand Ethika and ran their social medi a platforms along
with modeling for a few local boutiques. I also ran the Instagram account for the local dirt bike
shop I worked for in my hometown. I even pulled pictures I had on my iphone that showcased
me working at Ethika and modeling pictures from the boutiques to correlate with the slides. I
then provided examples of how I could make her more money along with ideas I thought we
could do. We met at a coffee shop and I went over the presentation I created. She was very
impressed and I got a raise to take over the social media accounts! I would add it into this post
but it contains personal information.