Aug 18, 2009

Will your presentation be remembered for years?

Do you remember any presentation which you attended 5 years back? If you do, then what do you remember from that presentation? and more importantly, why?

I remember two such presentations. First by GSK Consumer Healthcare and second by Hindustan Lever (now HUL). Every year scores of companies used to come for campus placement to my MBA institute and from the 30 odd presentations I sat through I remember these two vividly. Companies which come to campus share information about their company, their achievements, why we should work with them, the compensation, etc. The presentation is the first interaction between the company and the students and hence it is very important for them to make a good impression on the students.

GSK Consumer Healthcare
I remember GSK's presentation because the presenter gave me the book 'Freakonomics' for free. In the course of the talk the presenter kept asking us questions. This was his method of increasing audience interaction. All his questions were related to the business of GSK. I got one question right and was rewarded with the book. It was a moment which etched this presentation in my memory for life.

Hindustan Lever
I remember the presentation which the HR manager gave for our summer placements. When she came on to present I was a bit apprehensive. I remember the plain white slide. She did not even use a template. How could she do this? That was my first reaction. I thought I was in for a boring session. But to my utter surprise she gave one of the most passionate talks I ever heard on campus. The way she spoke about the organization and the role was very impressive. She spoke from her heart and it was a jargon-less honest talk.

What do you plan to do with your next important presentation? How about trying to do one such thing which makes it memorable for years?

If you also remember a presentation which you saw five years back, let me know why. Drop a comment or write to me.

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