The Art of Presenting

As you may remember, one of my goals as an intern this summer has been to hone the skill of presenting in a concise yet informative manner. Last Thursday, I was able to confirm whether or not I have come closer to achieving this objective. Two of the projects I have been working on - ON Semiconductor's Global Reporting Initiative Content Index (GRI report) and the corporate giving proposal - needed the attention of the company's CEO. Both projects required a "green light" in order for me to proceed. The GRI index, if approved, would be incorporated in ON Semiconductor's 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report and the corporate giving proposal would become closer to implementation.

As it turns out, the timing of my presentation could not have been more perfect. Coincidentally, one of the required readings for my Capstone class (PAF 509) last week was in fact on perfecting the art of presentations as policy analysts. Chapter 5 of Michael Mintrom's People Skills for Policy Analysts outlines the methods of giving an effective oral presentation.

Mintrom describes communication with the analogy of ringing a door bell. The process of communication involves the presenter sending a message and an audience receiving the message and proving feedback in return. In the case of a door bell, a visitor will aim to press the door bell at just the right pressure to ensure that the receiver is able to hear and understand the message (or in this case the sound of the door bell). In order to achieve this, Mintrom presents a number of tips on how to prepare according to your objective, practice, learn about your audience and venue, understand the need for visual aids, and dress appropriately.

Ultimately, I was able to use several of the tips provided by Mintrom such as the importance of practicing the content of my presentation and using a structured PowerPoint presentation to more effectively convey my point. And the results of using these tips: the green light from the CEO! I can now proceed to the next steps of my project, including preparing for an external GRI report and forming a budget and committee for ON Semiconductor's corporate giving program.