NextGen Breakout Session: How to give an effective presentation

What’s the appropriate role of data in a presentation?

How do you avoid death by power point?

What does a good presentation even look like?

Dave Uejio is Lead for Talent Acquisition at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and President of Young Government Leaders. And he gave a presentation — about giving effective presentations — during a breakout session at the NextGen conference on Thursday.

“Think Disney,” he began, explaining that when you think about presenting to an audience, you should tailor your message to target your audience – something that the Walt Disney Company does all too well.

This can be incredibly challenging, though, when it comes to dealing with government information and data.

“We often have information that is critically important and mind-numbingly boring. . . . Important boring information is crucial to society, [but] it is very important to figure out what the ‘story’ of your information is.”

This can be accomplished by starting with the “why”. If you can make your audience understand why you care, they will be more likely to pay attention.

Also, keep in mind that there is no one “right” way to design a presentation. What works for someone else might not work for you, and visa versa.

And don’t forget – simplicity is the key. If the information is easy for your audience to digest, it will also be easy for you to deliver and discuss.

Uejio also explained that sometimes the oldest tricks in the book are still the best. Remember what you learned in 9^th grade English class: use analogies and metaphors, employ alliteration, and keep the rule of 3’s in mind

Whatever you do, he said, don’t read off of your slides. It not only makes for a boring presentation, but it also can be insulting to your audience. Know your material. If it looks like you don’t care, no one else will, either.

“None of the top ten speeches ever given were done with Power Point,” he reminded his audience.