Hi there! Sheila B Robinson here, aea365’s Lead Curator and sometimes Saturday contributor. Acceptance letters for Evaluation 2019 have gone out and I’m getting excited about my presentations. I’m thinking about what content to share, what I want my participants to know, how I will present, what my slides will look like…so much to consider! That’s why I love p2i.
Rad Resource: AEA’s Potent Presentations Initiative (p2i) exists for the explicit purpose of helping evaluators improve their presentation skills, both at conferences and in individual evaluation practice. Potent Presenters think about three key components of a compelling presentation: Message, Design, and Delivery, and our free resources are largely organized around these areas. The p2i website features a p2i Presentation Tools & Guidelines page with downloadable checklists and worksheets, along with webinars and slides, and did I mention that they are all free?
Lesson Learned: Study successful presenters. P2i got its start back in 2012 with Stephanie Evergreen, data visualization and presentations expert, and has continued to grow over the years, with several people contributing to the effort, including me! The three key components and inspiration for much of the original content and came from a study of a dozen well-known AEA presenters – the “Dynamic Dozen” – who had the highest feedback scores from pre-conference professional development, AEA Summer Institute workshops, and Coffee Break Webinars.
Cool Trick: Want to read a brief article each month that brings you tips, tricks, and resources specifically focused on presentation practice? Check out my p2i column in the AEA monthly newsletter and while you’re at it, why not subscribe?
Rad Resources:
- Start with our Presentation Preparation Checklist to guide you along a well-paced schedule to a prepared and calm session
- Check out the Poster Presentations page for additional guidance and tools for posters
- Our newest resources, my own contributions to the p2i collection, are the Audience Engagement Strategy Book that will help you learn interactive strategies to integrate into your sessions, and the Guidelines for Handouts tool that offers a number of strategies and sample template for creating handouts that complement your session.
Are you presenting at #Eval19 in Minneapolis or at another conference or event? It’s a great time to check out AEA’s Potent Presentations Initiative and download free resources to supercharge your next presentation!
Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this aea365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the aea365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an aea365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to aea365@eval.org. aea365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators.
The AEA365 website provides a wealth of information and the Potent Presentations Initiative (p2i) has captured my interest. Not only does it reinforce the importance of being able to report evaluation findings in a way that captures the attention of stakeholders and instills confidence in the data, but it also provides tools and frameworks for doing so. As someone who has been involved in small scale evaluations without minimal formal training, the resources provide excellent guidance and benchmarks based on research, best practice, and experience. I’ve started to explore some of the resources and look forward to learning more from your monthly p2i column!