Professional Presentation Analysis: Assignment

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

—Maya Angelou

Professional Presentation Analysis: Assignment

Introduction

You can learn a great deal from how others deliver their content. By observing other presenters, you can determine what works and what doesn't; what makes an effective presentation; or what makes an ineffective presentation. You can compare and contrast different presentation styles to see which one speaks to you. In this assignment, you will focus on successful presentations and review professional talks related to your own interests. What makes them effective and inspiring? Think about the elements of communication exhibited by each presenter and in each presentation. How are they similar? How are they different?

From this research, you will be able to create a personal list of best practices to implement in your own creative presentation.

Instructions Step 1:

Research and watch a minimum of three (3) different TED Talks (www.ted.com) to answer the question, “What makes a presentation effective, creative, captivating, and/or inspiring?” You can choose any TED Talk you want, paying special attention to how the message is crafted and communicated.

Consider the questions below while watching the TED Talks you chose. These will serve as the basis for your assignment outlined in Step 2. Take notes while you watch. Focus on the speaker’s public-speaking skills, as well as the actual presentation materials (slide design, props, visuals, etc.).

‣ Why was this presentation powerful or moving?

‣ Why did you like this presentation? Was it the content alone, or was it how the speaker delivered the content?

‣ What made the content appealing? What made it relatable?

‣ How did the speaker draw you in to care about the subject/topic?

‣ What did you get out of the presentation that you would not have experienced reading an article about the topic?

‣ What kinds of emotions did the presenter elicit? How did they do this?

Step 2:

Create a document for this assignment with visual elements using the Questions outlined in Step 1 as a guide. Write a short analysis of each of the TED Talks you watched. Each analysis should include specific examples of elements that contributed to a powerful presentation or that weakened the presentation. Explain what worked and what did not.

Step 3:

Conclude your assignment with your own list of ten (10) qualities, techniques, and/or presentation skills that made the presentations you watched inspiring, captivating, creative, and effective (from your own perspective).

Provide specific examples from the presentations to support your claim and explain why these elements contributed to a powerful presentation. How are these similar or different from what you have read? Consider the practices that were common among the speakers in all of the videos you watched.

Examples of qualities, techniques, and presentation skills:

“The speaker opened the presentation with a question.”

“The speaker closed the presentation with a question or call to action.”

“The speaker maintained eye contact with the audience throughout the presentation.”

You may use a tool familiar to you for this assignment.