Anna Wintour
I was in a sorority in university, did I tell you that? Well, if I didn’t, now you know. So what does that have to do with public relations? Presentations, that’s what.
Every year, come the start of the fall semester, thousands of girls across the nation, put on the best dresses, their best do’s and show off their best assets going through the gauntlet known as sorority recruitment.
Having been on both sides of the process, let me share the not-so-secret, secrets of presentation with you…
Vera Bradley, the quintessential sorority gear 
1. Plan ahead of time.
Do you have a giant pitch coming up, a major dinner, a job interview, perhaps? It doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman – plan ahead of time.
What you are going to say, how you are going to say it and, yes, even what you are going to wear. You want to look and feel your best. It starts at the top, in your brain, in your psyche.
Preparation alleviates stress. A less stressful you, is a better apt you.
If you know it and you got it; prepare it!
Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada
2. Know what you want to ask.
Right, so, as with preparing, part of that should be knowing what questions you want to ask.
- Does this new job involve travel?
- If our proposal is accepted, when would you prefer we start?
- What is the timeline?
- How flexible are you?
- What do you expect of me? Etc.
You won’t know, unless you ask. You can’t ask, unless you know what to ask.
Think about it.
What do you want to know?
** Rule of thumb, shy away from topics like booze, boys/girls, pay, time-off etc. in “round one.”**
by Linda Cronin in Greece via FlickR
3. Have tactic, be open and be honest.
If you are concerned about something, relate that to the hiring manager, sorority recruitment counselor, potential client etc.,
It’s quite simple.
Are you a mom, have a newborn baby at home? Tell them.
Are you a double chemistry and pre-law major? Say that.
Are you running “the project” under the tightest of time constraints? Speak up!
No one will know, unless you use your voice. We are humans and don’t dwell in the land of those wonky people who see the future.
Alicia Silverstone as Cher in Clueless
4. Notes: ask for them, take them, keep them.
You know, you would think some people would learn by now.
Me? I’m an unemployed chica, in the middle of a recession, with a Master’s degree who spent the past 21 of 24 years of her life in school.
Do I take notes? Heck, yes! How else do you expect to learn, grow, achieve and all that jazz?
Pardon, my 1990s Clueless moment here – well, duh!
Are you at a meeting? Unless, you have the memory of a sponge, like my cousin Navi, who became a full-fledged oral surgeon at 25 years-old, takes notes.
Have a client with a few…quirks? Do yourself a favour, know what they like, what they hate, and how they take their coffee. It could be the difference between success and failure. It just might be that cup of coffee that made their hideous day a tad bit better. If that’s the case, then they’ll remember you…. in the good.
Yoda
5. Know the answers.
Basically, this just ties 1, 2, 3 and 4 together. But know the answers to the questions you’ll be asked. Anticipate what someone will tell you and anticipate a curve-ball.
If someone asks you something you weren’t expecting, have a backup, neutral answer to curve that ball back in your court.
So yea, you’re the chemistry and pre-law double major, and Susie Snow, that chick in Kappa Delta Beta (I just made that up, lol) wants to know how you’re going to have time for them, when it looks like school is taking up your entire schedule…
Well, you go right on and tell Miss Susie Snow, in your friendliest voice, that you actually took 6 AP classes in high school, were president of your class and made the honor roll four years in a row (only if that’s true, of course).
You didn’t just tell her why you would have time for KDB, you just showed her why.
Remember “show and tell” from grade school?
Apply that philosophy to yourself.
Little Pink Book’s Rule of PR #18:
No one will take you seriously if you can’t take yourself seriously.
Just don’t forget who you are in the process.
Laugh a little.
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Sasha Muradali runs the ‘Little Pink Book’ . She holds a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida (’07) and an M.A. in International Administration from the University of Miami(’08). She loves Twitter and all things social media, so you should find her @SashaHalima.
Copyright © 2009 SashaH. Muradali. All Rights Reserved.
