I believe the key messages from this weeks readings were…presenting need only be intimidating if you are unprepared, that working as a team is important to pull a presentation off successfully, and that you should draw on strengths you already have to work well as a whole. The main purpose of a presentation is to get a message across in an effective way and certain things can help and/or hinder whether your audience receives this message.
The key points in the readings could be applied to my groups work in that…since there are only two of us in the group we basically both need to take on all the responsibility of speaking and organizing the presentation beforehand. Neither of us have any nerves about speaking but since there are only two of us to organize the putting together of the presentation we will need to pay extra attention to detail because there’s less people to pick up any mistakes or inconsistencies. On a positive note, we can work more efficiently as a group because there are less differences of opinion, and we both know each part of the program plan inside out rather than just one or two sections each. We both believe that we’ve got all our research and ideas well planned out and therefore have no worries about being caught out in the presentation.
The readings made me think more about PR theory and practice in that…it really takes quite a bit of preparation to get a presentation ready for public viewing. Public relations teams working for big clients would really have to be on the ball and know their plan and their team inside out to deliver a cohesive presentation to people that have had many program plans presented to them over the years. Also, it’s not just the content of the presentation that will make an impression on a client but your ability to speak clearly and the body language that you use during the presentation. Confidence is paramount in this industry because if you’re unable to sell a plan to an organization with confidence then you have no chance of surviving in PR.
The readings related to the other reading I've done in previous weeks in that…once again, in giving a presentation, if a team is not all on the same page the presentation can fall apart right in front of your eyes. One person’s success doesn’t mean victory for the whole team. They also related to the readings about media relations and press releases in that you really have to be prepared for any outcome, especially during question time after the presentation. This is where thorough research comes into play also. Being on top of things is extremely important to show your prospective client that you have what it takes to run a campaign that they are paying big money for.
Required reading for Week 10
- Wyeth, S. (2002). The Three Commandments of Presenting and how to obey them. Consulting to Management. 13(1) 8-12.
- Drew, S. (2001) Oral Presentations (pp 98-114) in The Student Skills Guide. (2nd ed.) London:Gower.
- Van Emden, J. and Becker, L. (2004). Speaking as Part of a Group (pp 77-93) in Presentation Skills for Students. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
