Graduation Project Presentation Ideas:

Add creativity & Make a Lasting Impression

• Library time: 5 days -- PowerPoint due on Monday, April 17• Additional week afterward to fine-tune presentations• Minimum 12 slides – 2 per paragraph (give or take)• You may also have a slides about yourself as well as slides with photos, animations, embedded video clips or songs, etc.• If you are not making a PowerPoint, you must be actively working on a poster or some other visual for the ENTIRE 5 days. Do not say “I am making it at home.”• Vo-Tech students MUST bring ACADEMIC WORK to do

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Presentation idea 1: Use a MetaphorIn one of the recent investor presentations, a budding internet entrepreneur used a memorable metaphor to start his presentation.He started his talk by slowly pulling out a pair of scissors, knife, bottle opener, nail filer etc. from his trouser pockets. He said, “This is how the various tools related to the industry are available on the internet.”He then pulled out a neat little Swiss knife from his shirt pocket and said, “This is what we propose to do with our site. We wish to consolidate all the relevant tools in one convenient place and help our customers.”This powerful metaphor helped the audience to get his idea instantly. What metaphor can you use?

Presentation idea 2: Use a memory hookWe know of a restaurant owner who uses a four pronged fork as a memory hook when he presents to his staff. He points to the 4 prongs in the fork and says, “In restaurant business, our success depends on four factors. They are quality, hygiene, service and smile.”The fork seems to be such an appropriate prop to serve as a memory hook for his industry. What memory hook can you use?

SOURCE: http://www.presentation-process.com/creative-presentation-ideas.html#axzz1quAxqHJS

Presentation idea 3: Use an Excel sheet instead of PowerPointOne of our clients, who sells bulk medicines to hospitals wanted to make a sales pitch to a large hospital. They showed us the elaborate presentation they planned to use. After a number of permutations and combinations, the committee placed one of the biggest orders in the company history. Our client thanked us for saving a deal that might have gone to the competition had they bored the committee members with the ‘usual’ presentation.How can you use the power of excel in your next presentation?

Presentation idea 4: Use a demonstrationWe know of a furniture dealer who used a simple demo to convince a large purchaser to choose his brand of sofas over the competition.He bought a sofa from his competition and kept it right next to his own – in his showroom. He then asked one of his men to neatly cut open the sofas. With the insides of the sofas clearly visible, the dealer made a convincing presentation on the quality difference between his brand and the competition, to the large purchaser. Wasn't that a creative presentation idea? Needless to say, he got the bulk order, though he was priced slightly higher than the competition.What demonstration can you use?

Presentation idea 5: Use an activityThe agent gave us a sheet of paper and asked us to write our names in the middle of the sheet. He circled our names and asked us to write down all the dreams we had for our 6 year old son, around the circle. When we finished writing the dreams, he took the piece of paper and tore off our names from the middle of the sheet and asked, “God forbid, if this were to happen – who will fulfill your dreams for your son?”The question made us think for a long time. We ended up buying a child plan. That's the power of using creative presentation ideas.What activity can you use in your next presentation?

1. Get thematic. Chose a theme that drives home a general concept in your presentation, then sprinkle it throughout your presentation. For one client, we presented an analysis that ended with a movie. Throughout the presentation we offered subtle hints in anticipation of our grand finale. Avoid themes that could also be used for a High School Prom (e.g. A Winter Wonderland, Magical Memories).

2. Change of pace. Break up the action with picture-only slides or multimedia (i.e. audio or video clip). A little fun in the middle of a bunch of dry slides can help wake up the audience.

3. Use a human voice. Surprise your audience by departing from the traditional business-speak. Try writing slides that don't over-qualify the message or attempt to be comprehensive in the descriptions. Lawyers need to cover all their bases with that kind of language; you need to convey a simple message that will stick.

4. Just the answer. Present your conclusion, then ask the audience if they they need to know more detail. If not, meeting over. I haven't tried this, but surely a five minute presentation with a simple take-away will be as memorable as the typical presentation death-march.

5. Something to remember. Provide a simple, memorable acronym or metaphor so they will at least walk away with your key point. For example: Good presentation = f(S,E,C) where S = coherent Story; E = credible Evidence; C = Creatively told.

6. "And one more thing." Steve Jobs is well known for delivering one final surprise at the end of his presentation. Is there one last blinding insight that you'd want your audience to walk away with?

7. A new format. Consider stepping out of the traditional slide presentation format. Maybe you can convey your results with a science-fair type poster or with a web page or in a short book (check out self-publishing with Lulu). How about with charades or a Broadway tune? Too much?

8. Give them a souvenir. Provide your audience with something to take away that summarizes your key messages. For example, you might hand out a laminated one-pager with your most important framework and results. A colorful summary that begs to be thumb-tacked to an office wall is better than a 40-page black-and-white deck that begs to be thrown out.

SOURCE: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/juice-analytics/8-ideas-for-presentations-with-more-zing-10422