Megan Mead provides tips for college students and young professionals on how to present their work effectively. She explains that presenting well is important for standing out in school, getting jobs, and having ideas taken seriously. A good presentation is organized, engaging, and tells the story of an idea persuasively. She offers specific strategies for planning, preparing, and practicing presentations, including developing a clear structure, warming up vocally, practicing impromptu speaking, showing confidence and enthusiasm, and maintaining good stage presence. Mead emphasizes the importance of planning, preparing, and practicing presentations in order to tell ideas' stories effectively.

1. For College Students & Young Professionals
by Megan Mead
HOW NOT 2 SUCK
AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK

2. Megan Mead
HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 2
MEGAN MEAD
· BFA Communication Design,
double minor in Theatre
Marketing
· 15 yrs of theatrical training
experience
· Worked with brands such as
ATT, 7-11, FedEx, The Long
Center, now Visa
· Speaking gigs include SXSWi
2013, RISE Week Austin AIGA
DFW Design: Big Week
ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER
EDUCATIONAL SPEAKER

3. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 3
WHATWEWILLTALK
ABOUTTODAY
· why presenting well is a big deal
· what a good presentation is
· how all this relates to you

4. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 4
WHYISMAKINGAGOOD
PRESENTATIONABIGDEAL?
BAD PRESENTATIONS CAN KILL GOOD IDEAS
· creative directors and teachers have a hard time separating a
good idea from a poor presentation
· avoid singing a great song badly

5. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 5
WHYISMAKINGAGOOD
PRESENTATIONABIGDEAL?
IN SCHOOL...
· stand out
· becoming a good designer isn’t all about design
· start practicing now

6. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 6
WHYISMAKINGAGOOD
PRESENTATIONABIGDEAL?
IN THE REAL WORLD...
· MEGG’S SALARY SAGA: how I talked my way into a job
· presenting well can have a concrete effect
on your career path
· Age is relative—skills are not

7. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 7
A GOOD
PRESENTATION IS...
DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF PRESENTATION
· 1: an activity in which someone shows, describes, or explains
something to a group of people
· 2: a descriptive or persuasive account

8. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 8
A GOOD
PRESENTATION IS...
EVERYDAY EXAMPLES
· writing a paper
· explaining to your parents why you need more money
· defending a design choice to a professor
· showing your portfolio

9. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 9
A GOOD
PRESENTATION IS...
MY DEFINITION
· Telling the story of your idea in an organized, engaging and
persuasive way

10. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 10
AGOODPRESENTATION
IS ORGANIZED
THE 3 “P”s OF PRESENTING
· plan
· prepare
· practice

11. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 11
AGOODPRESENTATION
IS ORGANIZED
THE 1ST “P:”PLAN
· be able to explain your concepts quickly and concisely
· tell an efficient, but well-structured story

12. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 12
AGOODPRESENTATION
IS ORGANIZED
THE 1ST “P:”PLAN | STORYSTRUCTURE
This is a project type here I made for client here. They are a describe
what they do here that cares about what their focus is here.
I chose describe visual direction or idea here because explain how this
choice ties directly into the client.
So, closing sentence that points out anything else that is pertinent or
supports your earlier statements here.

13. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 13
AGOODPRESENTATION
IS ORGANIZED
THE 1ST “P:”PLAN | STORYSTRUCTUREEX.

14. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 14
AGOODPRESENTATION
IS ORGANIZED
THE 2ND “P:”PREPARE
· tailor your presentation to your audience and your surround-
ings (a professor will require info delivery differently from a
friend at 3am)
· vocal warm-ups: prep it up to step it up

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AGOODPRESENTATION
IS ORGANIZED
THE 2ND “P:”VOCALWARMUPS|WHY?
· preps: your voice is your #1 tool
· relaxes: your voice can betray you
“A warm voice is a confident voice”
· focuses: take a minute for yourself

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AGOODPRESENTATION
IS ORGANIZED
THE 2ND “P:” VOCAL WARM UPS | HOW?
· shake it out: get loose and get silly to get ready
· BDGD: warm up your vocal muscles
· tongue twisters: get your mouth ready for any sound,
any sentence—anything

17. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 17
AGOODPRESENTATION
IS ORGANIZED
THE 2ND “P:” TONGUE TWISTERS
· Unique New York. You need New York. You know you
need unique New York.
· toy boat, toy boat, toy boat…

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AGOODPRESENTATION
IS ORGANIZED
THE 3RD “P”: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
· do not memorize a script, but do NOT “wing it”
· practice in a way that works for you
· if you practice well, you will present well

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AGOODPRESENTATION
ISORGANIZED
IMPROV EXERCISE #1: SPEAK ON THE FLY
· things rarely go by script—practice extemporaneous speaking
so you don’t sound canned
· how: grab a magazine, pick a page at random, and speak
about its contents for 60 seconds non-stop
· why?: doing this helps you practice speaking on the fly,
as well as the ability to think on your feet

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AGOODPRESENTATION
ISENGAGING
BE CONFIDENT
· speak with certainty
· do NOT dismiss your choices
· fake it ’til you make it (if you act confident no one will
know you aren’t except for you)

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AGOODPRESENTATION
ISENGAGING
IMPROV EXERCISE #2: BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
· practice drawing positive attention to yourself whenever
you can
· how: be an audience volunteer, read out loud to your spouse
or pet, make announcements at work
· why?: practice creates confidence confidence
is more engaging

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AGOODPRESENTATION
ISENGAGING
SHOW SOME ENTHUSIASM
· if you aren’t excited, they won’t be either
· channel your nervousness (use it for good)

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AGOODPRESENTATION
ISENGAGING
GOOD STAGE PRESENCE
· stay open: don’t cross your arms or slump your shoulders
· stay respectful: stay interested and listen with your body
· stay strong: sit with confidence, do NOT fidget or shrink

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AGOODPRESENTATION
ISENGAGING
IMPROV EXERCISE #3: AWKWARD ELEVATOR
· practice being comfortable in uncomfortable situations
· how: stand the opposite direction as everyone else in
an elevator
· why?: if you can do this with confidence, you can sit or stand
with confidence just about anywhere

25. HOW NOT 2 SUCK AT PRESENTING YOUR WORK | by Megan Mead | @hn2s | #not2suck | 25
HOWTOUSETHISTODAY
HELPFUL TIPS FOR PORTFOLIO REVIEW
· use today as practice (treat like a truncated interview)
· be prepared but don’t sound canned (practice with the template
I gave you earlier)
· do not blame anything on the parameters of the project
· when answering questions a bout your work, logically argue
rather than personally assert
· get their business cards and follow up

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TOSUMMARIZE
PRESENTING WELL IS A BIG DEAL
· plan, prepare practice
· try out some of these tips tricks to improve
your presentation performance
· a good presentation is a genuine presentation (use what works,
forget what doesn’t)
· above all, remember bad presentations kill good ideas

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QUESTIONS?
CONTACT INFO
EMAIL | not2suck@gmail.com
TWITTER | @hn2s
COMING SOON | not2suck.com