During Week 09 we had a look at presentation skills and techniques needed to complete a successful presentation. With the final project of this semester coming up quickly which is a Dragon’s den pitch, this class was very relevant to us.

Being a big Dragon’s Den fan, it is disheartening and slightly cringeworthy when a contestant is presenting their pitch and shows no technique or confidence in themselves or the product/idea. The investors have a hard time understanding the products purpose or intent when there is an awkward and nerving atmosphere from the pitcher, they cannot focus on the product fully.

It is important that we create an atmosphere where the investors can focus on our idea and not our presentation skills as this will be distracting. A few broad tips for completing a engaging presentation are listed below:

• Stick to Time Limit
• Have good posture
• Keep eye contact
• Use plain English
• Face towards your audience

This is a very daunting and nerve-wracking experience for me therefore I want to do some further research on how to complete a engaging and purposeful presentation. I found an article that explains how to give an engaging presentation, this is relevant as I want my presentation to have a lasting impact with the viewers.

How to Give an Engaging Presentation: 10 Tips

This website had useful basic tips, however two sections I was really intrigued about. The first was about nerves, I am extremely nervous when it comes to public speaking and get very worked up over the thought of having to di so. The fact that they included this was quite reassuring. The phrase “familiarity breeds confidence”, practising is the key to success. I want to be able to speak confidently about my idea therefore I have to practise over and over again till I don't need to think about what is next and can just speak.

The second point I took away from this article was how to start the presentation. I don’t want the viewers to be bored from the get-go so I want something at the start of the presentation to kick start engagement. A tip they suggested was an icebreaker whether that be a joke, story or activity. This can lighten the mood and connect with your audience which I will definitely be using.

Overall, I feel like from this research I can create an engaging and well laid out presentation. I also have a few ideas I would like to input into my slides such as a funny image to engage the audience further. I think to battle the nerves of the presentation I will be preparing by practising the pitch over and over again. I definitely feel a lot more confident in my ability to complete the pitch successfully as I have done research on how to present an engaging pitch.