Interview early next week for a new job (well, same job but new employer) and I’ve been asked for a 10 minute presentation with Flipchart paper. I’m usually a Powerpoint user, and I don’t think I’ve ever presented anything on a flipchart. The presentation and public speaking side doesn’t phase me at all, but I’d be much more comfortable using a PPT.

I’ll print a few pictures to illustrate certain points, but any other ideas to brighten up such a dull, 20th century medium?

I’d check first that there isn’t an app or something named flipchart that they are expecting you to use!

TBH most people use PPT as a crutch. It’s not a presentation if all you do is take your report and split it word for word into slides. If there’s more words on a slide than can be read in a glance then the audience is reading the slide not watching your presentation, and if you’re reading off the same spiel then it’s reduced to the intellectual level of primary school group reading time whilst being less entertaining.

Have a look at big corporate presentations on youtube, Apple doesn’t launch it’s new(ish) phone with a 10,000 word essay, it’s a handful of ‘slides’, with few/no words and a guy in a turtleneck or open collar shirt.

A good bit of advice I was given was if you find yourself five minutes into a presentation and you’ve still not turned over the first slide then you’re probably talking to the audience and engaging them.

Write the presentation first, then when you’re practicing it make slides for the items you really can’t explain any way other than visually. The only good places for words are
1) An introductory slide with the presentation title and your name on it (and date, and the companies name, and the location if you want brown nosing points).
2) A concluding slide with key bullet points, to act as an aide-memoire for the audience when asking questions. But if you’ve written sentences then it’s too much, they’re reading those rather than thinking of questions, or listening to you answers.

If you’re pre-preparing it, do it well. I was once trained by the lady behind this:

DOWNLOADABLE BUNDLES

Her flips were very, very good indeed. She offers some downloads worth looking at.

If writing it up “live” then practice practice practice. Do it with a flip and pen to a blind room, then your other half.

You can get paper that is ruled (like maths paper). It’s ££ but really easy to get straight lines on when you’re writing.

Mind mapping type things work well for me, but consider your audience.

Although you may think you’re great at ppt etc, working with an audience and feeding back two ways onto a flip is very different from delivering a fixed message. Play to your strengths if you can, practice if you can’t.

Oh, and be ready for the flipchart stand to be utter crap, and at the wrong height! Take your own pens if you want to be sure, and use colours.

Any specific questions – ask away (12 years a trainer – 95% on flips).

If have access to the paper prior to presentation can make some notes in pencil at top to keep you right and not visible to the panel.

Tend to hit the board or flip chart a lot during training sessions, simple diagrams for org structure or data relationships are much easier to do live like that, is this presentation going to be interactive ie getting info from the panel.

Some idea what the role is might help

I’m assuming its a job that requires occassional presentations, rather than your job to present all day, everyday ie a trainer? Assuming this, asking the question and handing the flipchart / responses to your audience as some sort of group exercise can also be very powerful.

Tinas+1

And with that in mind, you probably don’t want the use that many pages, I would stick to 1 max in 10 mins, and ignore it 90% of the time. Simple message / drawing only.

I would also say…..

Only present a subject that you know very well, or at least a shit load better than the audience

Notes yes, script no

Practice until it’s natural

Don’t give a **** (this is the really hard one to get right)

I’ll print a few pictures to illustrate certain points, buy any other ideas to brighten up such a dull, 20th century medium?

Oh dear. PPT is so last century IMHO. If you know what you are going to do, but a flipchart, prepare in advance and take it with you. You’ll look better doing it live though.

Oh dear. PPT is so last century IMHO. If you know what you are going to do, but a flipchart, prepare in advance and take it with you. You’ll look better doing it live though.

Powerpoint cops the flak for a shit load of crap people who can’t present. Bad workmen and all that.

If you can present you can present, if you can talk and engage you can do that, one of my best ones was talking to a board while trying to connect the projector and deal with 3 IT issues while selling an idea/concept to the people who mattered while answering the right questions and deflecting the distractions in the room.

ok, so A3 flipboard paper is hardly rocking horse poo

10 minute presentation requires all of 3 .ppt slides (intro.content.outro) but you can go to town with paper and a marker pen, lets go for 4.
If they want to see what you can do from paper, avoid printing pretty graphics, but talk about the lack of them and how that side of current tech can (when it works) improve, aid, assist etc. (if you can do it without, you can do it better with!)

*rather depends on the job, but you should know what they are after.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone – I’m transferring Police forces, so not exactly launching iPhones or sales generation type presentation.

Subject is very broad – a recent operation or project that evidences the Force values. I’m not expecting any audience engagement or participation, just need to demonstrate that I can stand up, present a subject and not send people to sleep.

Some great ideas already that have lead me to chop loads of pages out and focus on a more engaging presentation, rather than a ‘powerpoint on flipchart paper’ that I would have done. Thanks.

Some great ideas already that have lead me to chop loads of pages out and focus on a more engaging presentation,

Loads of pages gone from a 10 min presentation!! I think the flipboard is there to get rid of the 100 slide crowd!

For that I’d be simply trying to illustrate what the values are, and which parts of the operation covered them. Leading to an overall picture of how the op was good and why.

I think the Sermon on the Mount would have been much more memorable with proper visual aids.

A powerpoint slide with a big picture of the earth in one corner, a meek man in the other and a big red arrow pointing from the earth to the man.

Just do this:

a recent operation or project that evidences the Force values

Planting evidence, racism, bothering people making jokes on twitter, ignoring crime, making petty arrests, covering up for each other. Lots to choose from.

Planting evidence, racism, bothering people making jokes on twitter, ignoring crime, making petty arrests, covering up for each other. Lots to choose from.

Well done. Do let us know when your house is being broken into / your family have been involved in a car crash etc – instead of sinking to your level we’ll still rush to help and do everything we can despite your w*nker attitude.

And thanks to all who have offered constructive advise and tips – I used many ideas from here and gave a good presentation, and was offered the job. Thanks most…

If you can present you can present, if you can talk and engage you can do that, one of my best ones was talking to a board while trying to connect the projector and deal with 3 IT issues while selling an idea/concept to the people who mattered while answering the right questions and deflecting the distractions in the room.

**SWOONS**