Presentations
& Slide Decks
Dr. Will Kurlinkus
Individual
Conferences &
Draft 2
Reminder: Final Portfolio
Context
Situation: Your employer is redesigning their onboarding and training process, and the leadership
team has requested reports from different units in the organization detailing information that will be
useful to early-career employees.
Your Role: You are a newer hire at this company/organization. This company or organization
should be one where you would like to work. Your position for this assignment should be one that
would make sense for you to have two to four years after finishing your degree.
Task: Your boss has asked you to review resources in the field and identify two that you think are
vital for early-career employees to read/listen to for professional development. Explain why new
hires would benefit from using them regularly.
Your boss has also noted issues with interpersonal communication skills within your organization.
Identify and explain a common communication challenge professionals face in your field, along
with one or two possible strategies to address it.
You will share what you find in a report with two distinct sections. One section will be your
Valuable Resources Analysis and the other will address the Communication Challenge.
Your Reader: Tailor your report for a person who could realistically be your boss two to four years
post-graduation. This could be someone you have worked for or will be working for, or someone
you researched on LinkedIn in a leadership position at an organization where you would like to
work after graduation.
Make sure you are
providing really clear
examples throughout
your comm challenge. I
should see for instance
and for example
constantly.
Good Comm Challenge—
Give Me Some Examples
One of the primary roles of a Pediatric
Clinical Dietician is to communicate with
elementary (5-12 y/o) patients about
diagnosis, and the overall importance of
having a balanced diet. For example,
New York Times columnist Art Shaw
writes about allergies appearing when
you are 6… Often, this information feels
dense and not digestible, especially for
young children. Sometimes, this lack of
comprehension can lead to added
medical anxiety, non-compliance from
patients, impaired decision making etc.
For instance, not following dietary
restrictions often happens, according to
bob johnson, because…
Things to Consider in
Your Draft About the
Challenge Description
1. Do early career professionals in your industry do
this task—especially important for client
communication scenarios (will you actually be
talking to/directly pitching clients?)
2. Is there multiple problems here? How can I focus
myself on one aspect?
3. Is there multiple contexts here (this problem
happens in team meetings, presentations, client
meetings, etc.) How can I focus on one
communication context?
4. Do I have clear examples and for instances?
5. Do I have proof (articles, interviews, etc.) that this
is a problem?
6. Do I actually illustrate what is getting in the way of
my process/goal? What is CAUSING the problem?
Your Solutions Should Explain
• What: What are two things you can Feasible Solutions are S.M.A.R.T
do to address the problem? • Specific: Here’s the stepped plan of what
we’ll do and who will do it. Here’s the
• How: How will you actually address research on why we’re doing it this
the problem? What will be specific way.
made/done? What are the specific • Measurable: Here’s how I will know it
steps? Who will make it? When will worked. Some concrete measurement
this happen? Think SMART mechanisms like a survey, client
interview, number of mistakes made.
objectives.
• Attainable: Here’s why this is feasible. It’s
• Why/Feasibility: Why do it in this the easiest way. It’s not expensive or time
way and not another? Are there consuming.
things that might go wrong with your • Relevant: Here’s how this is directly
solution? Are there easier ways? related to the problem I described in my
need section. Is it sidestepping/not
Less expensive ways? Will people in addressing the true source of the
power actually do this? Why? problem.
• Evidence: What proof do you have • Time Bound: Here’s how long training will
take, building things will take, etc.
this will work (hint—it’s your
research). What are best practices of
this solution?
Be wary of the easy tech solution that
doesn’t actually address the original
problem. My manager won’t get back to
me quickly so I’ll program an AI to alarm
him every time I have a question. But
why didn’t the manager email you back
in the first place? Is this a
communication or a technological
solution?
AI USAGE FORM: It’s in the Final Portfolio
Submission Doc
What Are Our
Presentations
?
Your Presentation’s
Structure
1. Title Slide
2. A provocation (Hook): illustrate a
problem, trend, or exigence that your
project is addressing (& why it’s
important)
3. A research question and signposting
statement (preview what are you
going to answer and show us first,
second, third)
4. Make 2-3 Main Points: Point,
Evidence, Analysis. Examples and
Proof are most important.
5. A conclusion: why does this matter to
the class? where do we go from here?
What do we do with this info?
6. Q & A with Appendix
Present With Use in Mind:
Think Carefully About What
Your Audience Knows &
Wants to Know
• What does the class need to
know to understand your topic?
• What do they already know? Cut
info they likely have.
• Consider what will be most
appropriate & useful for the
class.
• Use key concrete details to
explain the issue.
• What details do we need to act
or be persuaded?
FROM/TO THINK/DO MATRIX
From To
What is your
What do you want them
Think audience thinking
to think?
now?
What is your What do you want them
Do
audience doing now? to do?
13
Anticipate
Questions or
Concerns
• What will be their first
question?
• What will be their biggest
concern?
• What evidence will they find
most persuasive?
• When should you address their
questions & concerns in the
presentation?
• What will you put in the
appendix to prepare?
Create a Meaningful
Appendix
• Support for anticipated questions
• Tables, spreadsheets, complex
graphs
• Completed analyses represented with
visuals
• NOT references (put them on the
slide – small font)
Slide Design Tips
1. More Slides Less
Text: Don’t Use
Bullets Unless
Necessary to Show A
Relationship/Process
2. Visualize Information
If At All Possible: Talk
About An Example
You’re Showing US.
Chart, Graph, Picture
of a Person, Journey
Map, etc.
3. Remember
Point, Evidence
Analysis: Your
Slide Should
Focus on One
Piece
Deliverable Basics
1. Good deliverables tells stories.
• What’s the theme of this story? What’s the beginning middle
and end? What’s the mystery or driving question? Who are the
characters (stakeholders, user personas, interviews, etc.)?
2. Good deliverables encourage conversation.
• Good conversations are about specific things from specific
expertise. Critique not complaint.
• The presenter’s job is to guide conversation through asking
questions. Whether that’s through providing options,
decisions to be made, identifying gaps, etc.
• How might you provoke discussion/build in interaction?
3. Good deliverables are actionable.
• Actionability: the ability of your deliverable to carry
participants into the next stage of activities.
• Nothing should be in a deliverables that doesn’t explicitly
inspire the next set of actions/decisions. Everything should be
in service of the next step.
• Use commands (we recommend you do this)
Slide Design Basics
• Be uniform across your slides
• Headings Should Be Specific: Like Subject Lines in Emails
• Use images—ideally they are what you are talking about but
stock is ok too ([Link]). Make sure they aren’t
pixelateUse a three point color palette: Primary, Secondary,
Highlight
• Make sure you have high contrast slides (black text on white is
standard)
• Use powerpoint and use their slide design (headings, body,
designer)
• d.
Your Body as A Presenter
1. Choose three focal points in the room for eye contact
2. Face the audience not the PowerPoint: Don’t read the
PowerPoint and don’t stand in front of it.
3. Realize your most important points and give beats, slow
down, get loud (or quiet).
4. Are there props you can pass around/show?
5. Be aware of how your body is moving in space. Walk
around. Come out from behind the podium. Interact
with the audience.
6. Bring copies of your presentation
How Can You
Prepare?
• No note cards
• Time yourself
• Be prepared to cut if needed
on the fly
• Notes in the presenter notes
