Speaker: Kirsten Heidi Gelsdorf, Professor of Practice, University of Virginia
How important are presentation skills for achieving your business goals?
Kirsten Heidi Gelsdorf: Hi, this is Kirsten Gelsor, a professor at the University of Virginia's Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. One of the main challenges that I noticed that many of our students face is learning the difference between giving an in class presentation and the kinds of briefings that they're going to have to give once they graduate and enter jobs, whether in the private or public sector. Megan daughter came in and gave a 2.5 hour workshop to our students. Not only did she give them background information, keep them incredibly engaged, but she also passed on hard skills and tips and had them practice doing different briefings. My students talk about how much confidence they gained and how excited they are to actually now employ this skill once they graduate.
What were the challenges your team faced with presentations?
Kirsten Heidi Gelsdorf: There are a few challenges in particular that students face. One they've learned to read from index cards or totally rely on using slides. Second, they're often being graded when they're doing presentations. So there's high levels of anxiety and fear that are invoked with public presentations. And third, they're often being asked to present on external content and not really understanding how to connect with audiences or the material that they're talking about.
How did Portico work with you to resolve these challenges?
Kirsten Heidi Gelsdorf: Megan came and joined our class and gave an incredibly enthusiastic and engaging presentation. She pitched it perfectly for where they were in their professional growth, provided them with interesting readings beforehand and follow up worksheets afterwards. She also coupled her presentation not only with interesting facts and figures and thoughts, but also had them practice and engage in the material on their own and with their classmates.
What results did you see?
Kirsten Heidi Gelsdorf: All of my 100 students had to put together a professional briefing on a topic that they cared about. These were some of the most creative and engaged assignments that I've seen them do all year.
What should people keep in mind when they think about investing in presentation training?
Kirsten Heidi Gelsdorf: Giving public presentations and briefings is going to be an increasing skill that is being used and needed for so many of our graduates, especially in the public policy world, investing in training for them, even when they're still in college, can be incredibly useful.
