How to prepare a winning Hackathon Presentation.
Hackathons are an emerging and fast-evolving trend of the web industry. It’s Where you hack, learn how to challenge yourself, build new skills, find your next passion and impress potential employers. Reading this article will help you improve your chances of winning in your contest.
Here are a set of recommendations that can help make these few minutes in front of a judging panel memorable, effective and impactful. Here lay your best chance to catch the attention of the judges.
● Verbal communication :
- Spend 80% of your time on the presentation :
Save hours of debate with your team members by abiding by this simple rule: Anything that is not in the presentation is purposeless to think about or consider. At this early stage of the hackathon, try not to waste time talking about idea feasibility and execution details. Attempt to detail your presentation’s outline first, then delegate and divide other tasks such as demo creation and talking points to team members.
Here’s a simple example of a plan you can use as your presentation/pitch structure:
- State and explain the problem in no more than fifteen seconds.
- Demonstrate and explain the hack, you’ll have one and a half minutes.
- Give yourself one minute to outline the difficulties and lessons learned during this journey.
- Q&A will be limited to one minute.
2. Assign a pitcher :
As important as allocating a single speaker to deliver the presentation, assigning a demo driver is as crucial. They must have a charming personality that the judges and audience will remember: Display your wittiness, your passion, and let your words shine through.
3. Sell your idea :
You need to start strong by restating your vision, why your approach is unique, and what the business value is. The judges love asking questions, especially about details. You should preempt this and exhibit that the technology decisions that you made during the hackathon were well studied and deliberate.
4. Keep slides to a minimum :
Keeping your slides to a certain number is a difficult task for many. If your team finds it inconvenient as well, try another method. A perhaps better strategy is to use a single slide that the speaker can talk about, get into the groove of presenting, to have more space to feel comfortable on stage. This slide should include something memorable and captivating such as your logo, colors, and name for your app.
II. Non-verbal Communication :
Did you know that audible and visual cues, rather than verbal communication, are used to decipher 93 percent of messages?
The way you express yourself, how you seem and how your move is as crucial.
1. Confidence and body movement, the perfect duo :
It is certainly okay to feel all sorts of emotions during a hackathon. Walk firmly with confidence, have a good posture, and enhance your image. Moreover, the stage is yours! Move a bit and try to use hand gestures to reinforce your message.
Remember that the first impression matters!
2. Facial Expression :
The human face is extremely expressive, capable of conveying a wide range of
emotions without the use of words.
A top priority is relaxed features, eager eyes, and a charming smile.
3. Speed and breathing :
Don’t catch your breath for too long! Breathing is highly important. You can use breathing techniques to help calm your nerves while presenting. Practice it before the D-day.
Having your breath as steady as possible will make your words come out neat and clear.
4. Tone:
In communication, tone of voice is defined as “the way a person speaks to someone.” It is how you use your voice to make your point. If you communicate in a pessimistic or accusatory tone, the outcome may be negative. A tone can be displayed through your wittiness.
During a hackathon, let your creativity lead the way. Enjoy, be yourself, and have a happy hacking!
