I had so much of that when I was in high school. And I really hate it at that time. Now, my work requires me making various presentations for my projects and submitting documents as required by the government.
Now, let's try to make things simple...
Almost all kinds of activities require that you report to somebody, in one way or the other, so it's part of our everyday life, I have learned some pointers which I got from work experience. Here's what I'm doing with my reports:
1. Always bear in mind that you need to make the report show what the recipient, or your boss perhaps, wants to see; don't show them what YOU want them to see.
2. Every item in the slides must have a logical flow. Give reason to everything that you will show in the report and make sure you are ready to be questioned for every item displayed in your presentation. It should look like an outline of the idea you want to emphasize
3. "Fifth graders" must get your point. Like what Einstein said, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Accountants will not easily get the point being explained by an engineer (no offense ^_^).
4. Layout everything as short as possible. Show less, talk more.
5. Less words, more figures. Put colorful pictures, graphs, bullets, numbers, visuals, etc., and then modify them to look more eye-catching and interesting for everyone to see. Most people are bored with reading, as I do.
6. Be creative. Devise ways on making your slides unique and stylish, but not messed up. Proofreading is the key. Think out-of-the-box, as they say.
7. Try to be calm or better cheer yourself up before your turn. It's best to practice on a script and ask a kid to listen. If he says "Cool!", you're on! (Haven't tried this, though...).
It's probable that you won't get it right the first time. You'll gain confidence along the way.
What reporting style have you proven effective as of this moment? Please share your experiences and insights in the comments section below.
The above post is brought to you by Jezreel Magbanua, who loves helping people MAKING things SIMPLE. Click here to get to know Jezreel Magbanua better. Thanks and GOD bless!!!
