Here at the Data School we are trained as Tableau and Alteryx Consultants, and when we come out of training we are not only experienced with both tools but also consultants in our own rights as we have picked up a lot of skills that help our consulting ability. But another skill we hone in our time as the DS is our presentation ability.
Everyone is Different
Everyone comes into the DS with different backgrounds and experience and this means that when it comes to presenting some people seem to be naturals while others may have room to improve. This is why weekly presentations are so valuable in the DS, it forces everyone to practice this skill that is so valuable in our line of work and it gets us all up to a similar level of experience.
I myself was not comfortable with presentations and they made me very anxious, but when it came to present I was often able to seem competent as long as I had practiced. Some members of my cohort however were naturals from the start and never seemed phased by the idea of presenting, while other people in my cohort were not at all comfortable while presenting when we started, and where noticeably nervous before and during presentations. This is where the nature of the DS thrives, as we as a group have been able to help each other and give feedback and advise, I have seen members of my cohort come on leaps and bounds since we started and you wouldn't recognize them now if you had only seen their first presentation.
Opportunities to Practice
Here at the DS there are plenty of opportunities to practice presentations so you are not short of opportunities.
- Friday Presentations
- Meet & Greets (you can volunteer to give short presentations at them which are massively beneficial, myself and a several members of my cohort took advantage of this opportunity)
- Ask to practice in front of someone (at any time you are free to ask someone to watch a presentation of yours, the best bet is people on bench as they are usually happy to help)
Tips
Like most things, practice is key and the more time you give yourself to practice your presentation the more confident you will seem and the better your presentation will come across.
Some people like to have a script written out, I myself don't find this helpful as I don't like to read what to say but instead know it of by heart, but whatever helps you, do it.
Having presentation slides makes it easier to practice and structure but don't read of the slides, have bullet points and expand with what you say.
Always face your audience whether they are online or in person, don't just look at your laptop or the presentation slides
Try to look at your audience members but if that scares you, try to look past them or maybe at one or two that you are comfortable with.