Presentation Skills for Design Students

Learn how to look your best and dress for success with men's personal stylist Caz Little. Show notes are at www.designdrawspeak.com/039

What do you think makes you 'employable'? Good grades? A pretty portfolio? The right connections? All these things help, but there is a lot more to it! This week I'm chatting with Volker Janssen, the Employment and Information Programs Officer at Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia. Listen in to discover what YOU can do to make yourself irresistible to potential employers, even if you have little or no work experience! Show notes at www.designdrawspeak.com/038.

Judy Carter is a speaking coach, author, and motivational humorist who knows a LOT about being a great performer - whether it's on stage, or in a job interview. In this episode, Judy shares what years as a successful stand-up comedian taught her about being a GREAT communicator. Find show notes at designdrawspeak.com/037.

Anthony Fasano is a bestselling author, speaker and host of the Engineering Career Coach podcast, where he helps young engineers achieve remarkable success in their careers. In this episode, we chat about how developing good communication, networking and leadership skills helped him to move up quickly within his large civil engineering company and become a partner at a very young age. If you're working (or want to work) for a large firm, this is a must-listen! Find shownotes at designdrawspeak.com/036.

Communication skills expert Andrew Lovick (@lovicksandiego) is back to help us answer the question: "So, what do YOU do?" by way of an awesome elevator pitch. Nail this, and you'll blow your listener away - and you may just find yourself presented with amazing career opportunities! Download the elevator pitch worksheet at designdrawspeak.com/pitch.

Nick Gray is the founder of Museum Hack, a New York-based tour company that makes museums fun! Today we're chatting about how to get a job at a small company. Like many small business owners, Nick receives a LOT of requests from people looking for jobs. Listen in to discover how to stand out from the hoards of other job applicants, approach owners of small businesses and get your foot in the door. Show notes at designdrawspeak.com/034.

Communication skills and confidence CAN be learned. The important thing is to keep an open mind and be mindful of areas where you can improve.   Meet Sher Leen. She’s one listener who has proven that you CAN learn communication skills and achieve awesomeness as a result! Sher Leen reached out to me because she […] The post Episode 33 – Sher Leen’s Story: How I Learned Communication Skills and Landed a Job Out of 1000 Applicants appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

[To be a successful freelancer] there’s more to the equation than being a talented artist…having that drive and that ambition is really the secret sauce. Are you a design student or graduate who is thinking about dipping your toe (or perhaps plunging) into the world as a freelancer? Firstly: good for you! And secondly: you’re […] The post Episode 32: How To Kickstart Your Career As A Freelance Designer – Interview with Nik Parks of Launching Creative appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

We all know that when it comes to finding jobs and amazing opportunities, it’s not WHAT you know, but WHO you know. This is why learning to NETWORK is so important if you want to kick butt in your professional career. In this episode, I give you my 10 steps to networking like a pro. […] The post Episode 31: 10 Steps To Networking Like A Pro appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

We THINK we’re busy…but the reality is…we really only put in a couple of quality hours of work per day. Do you put off the most important tasks until the last minute, resulting in sleepless nights and a whole lotta stress? Or do you get distracted easily by email, social media or delicious snacks? If […] The post Episode 30: How To Stop Procrastinating And Get Stuff Done – Interview with Productivity Expert Hugh Culver appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

[In the workplace] CONFIDENCE trumps COMPETENCE. That’s why if…you see someone who you know has less skill than you and they get promoted, I’ll bet you anything they have the confidence and ability to sell themselves. So you’ve landed that all-important job interview. Now all you need to do is rock up with your portfolio, […] The post Episode 29: How To Blitz Your Job Interview – Secrets of Executive Speech Coach Diane DiResta appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.  – Paul Meyer If you think doing good work is enough to get you noticed and hired, think again! This episode marks a brand new direction for this podcast. Yes, it’s still about communication skills, but you will discover how to learn […] The post Episode 28: Want to land your perfect job and have a successful career in design? Listen to this! appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Your career IS your business. If you think a company’s going to hold on to you because they’re just nice people, that ain’t gonna happen. Have you ever thought about how you present yourself online? In a time where anyone can google your name, it’s worth paying attention to, especially if you care about finding […] The post Episode 27: Get Discovered, Headhunted and Bulletproof Your Career with Personal Branding Expert Andrew Ford of Social Star appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.      –  Steve Jobs   As a designer, you’ve already got a lot of creativity in your […] The post Episode 26: Creativity Is Not Just For Your Work! Why You Should Get Creative With Your Communication And How To Do It appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Communication is the key to everything, from your relationships to your business to your professional life. This week I am SUPER excited to be chatting with one of my favourite bloggers and podcasters, the super fun and generous Pat Flynn. Pat shows people how to make an income passively online at SmartPassiveIncome.com. Becoming a very successful online […] The post Episode 25: From Shy Architecture Student to Kick-Ass Keynote Speaker – Lessons from Pat Flynn of SmartPassiveIncome.com appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

If you [can] speak to a group of people feeling completely calm about who you are…miracles [will happen] in every area of your life. Fasten your seatbelts: this week I am speaking with the wonderful Karen Jacobsen, AKA ‘The GPS Girl.’ Yes folks, she is the voice in tens of millions of GPS units around […] The post Episode 24: How to Overcome Anxiety and Become ‘Performance Ready’ – Interview with ‘The GPS Girl’ Karen Jacobsen appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Create a positive impact…be excited to meet them, and they will reciprocate and be excited to meet you as well. Do you find it difficult to approach people at networking events, parties or even just on the street? Communication skills expert and serial conversationalist Andrew Lovick is here to help! I met Andrew (@Lovicksandiego) at […] The post Episode 23: How To Approach People And Have Incredible Conversations – Interview with Andrew Lovick appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

People get so concerned with nailing their presentation that they forget to be natural and comfortable, and it’s that anxiety that produces behaviours that make them less effective. This week I am thrilled to be sharing with you the secrets of body language hacker, former professional poker player and serial entrepreneur Blake Eastman. Ever wondered […] The post Episode 22: Body Language Secrets – Simple Tricks For Getting Confident, Building Trust & Reading People’s Minds! Interview with Blake Eastman of The Nonverbal Group appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

[Design process] can be frustrating because that’s the invisible part, but it might be the most important thing you’ll take out into the real world after graduation. This week I’m very excited to chat with the wonderful Matthew Frederick. Matthew is an architect, educator and author of one of my favourite books of all time, […] The post Episode 21: How to Manage Your Ego…and Other Things I Learned in Architecture School – Interview with Matthew Frederick appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

People appreciate it when you make an effort to simplify [dense] information…and put it in an image that will make it easy for them to absorb. This week I’m gettin’ visual with Visual Thinker and Communication Designer Nadine Hanafi. Nadine is the founder of We Are Visual, a company dedicated to turning mediocre PowerPoint decks […] The post Episode 20: The Power of Visuals in Your Presentation – Interview with Nadine Hanafi of We Are Visual appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Engage with someone as a person first, before any of the other stuff…[then] they’ll really want to know about what you have to say. This week I am thrilled to be joined by talented designer, fellow podcaster and tallest half-Malaysian I know, Shah Turner. He’s not quite 30 feet tall, but he does host the 30 Foot Gorilla […] The post Episode 19: How To Connect With Your Audience – Interview With Shah Turner of 30 Foot Gorilla appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Know your strengths. Capitalise on them. But also…work on your other skills or weaknesses. It doesn’t hurt. This week I had the opportunity to chat with Ulysses Valiente, the founder of the Underdog Architecture Student’s blog, which he describes as “Your online architecture school survival guide”. Love it! It’s an incredible resource for all architecture […] The post Episode 18: Lessons From An Architecture ‘Underdog’ – Interview With Ulysses Valiente appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Poor use of text in presentations…it’s probably the number one contributor to ‘Death by Powerpoint’. But when used correctly, text can be very powerful! My ‘Two Things’ about text: It should play a SUPPORTING ROLE to you, the speaker. People can’t read and listen at the same time! 5 ways that you can use text […] The post Episode 17: How To Use Text To Make A Killer Impact appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

It’s well known that most of us have a fear, to some degree, of public speaking. The effects range from slight nerves to a complete debilitating mental shut down. But don’t despair! It is, in fact, a fear that you can ‘unlearn’! In this episode I share with you where our fear of public speaking comes […] The post Episode 16: How To Manage Your Fear Of Public Speaking appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

As a student, we think [Architecture] is all about design, but it is really about people and people skills. If you think that being a successful architect is all about being a great designer, think again! This week I have the pleasure of speaking with Bryan Miller and Nicole Hardman, experienced architects who each run […] The post Episode 15: How To Communicate With Clients – Interview with Bryan Miller & Nicole Hardman appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

It’s become part of design student culture to deprive oneself of sleep. Personally, I was never good at pulling all-nighters. It would take me a few days to recover and feel normal again, so delivering a half-decent presentation in that time would have been absolutely impossible! I accept that getting less sleep is all part […] The post Episode 14: 5 Tips For Better Sleep (From An Architect) appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

The idea of speaking is to…be understood, it’s not to show how clever you are.   Do you wish you found it easier to explain the jumble of ideas in your head? Meet my interview guest this week – Danielle Wilde. She’s here to help! Danielle describes herself as an artist, design researcher and academic, […] The post Episode 13: How To Refine And Articulate Your Ideas – Interview with Danielle Wilde appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

How do I present my ENTIRE design project in only 5 minutes?? This is something I struggled with many times as an architecture student. You work for weeks and weeks, do tonnes of research and analysis, explore concept after concept and create numerous presentation drawings. You could easily talk about your project for hours. How […] The post Episode 12: Only 5 Minutes To Present? No Problem! appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Most design critics…want to talk about the big issues in relation to the design…the sooner you can get to the big issues in your talk, the better. This week I chat with Dr Peter Raisbeck, well-respected and experienced lecturer at the Melbourne School of Design (University of Melbourne). He currently co-ordinates the university’s Master of […] The post Episode 11: How To Get Inside The Mind Of Your Tutor – Interview With Dr. Peter Raisbeck appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Don’t ask questions. Just go do it. This week I chat with talented designer, keen traveller and ‘guerrilla architect’ Matthew Bird from Studiobird, a Melbourne-based boutique design studio. Matthew loves exploring the concept of architecture as experiment through his engaging and thought-provoking projects. His work is varied, ranging from architecture and interior design to performance projects […] The post Episode 10: Think Outside The Box – Guerrilla Style! Interview with Studiobird’s Matthew Bird appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Happy 2014 everyone! I hope you’re feeling fresh, energised and ready to grab a hold of the new year with all your might. It’s gonna be an exciting one, I can tell! Maybe you’re starting a brand new design course. Maybe this is your final year or semester! Or perhaps you’re midway through your course […] The post Episode 9: What Are Your Communication Goals For 2014? appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

This week I am very excited to have…Beyoncé on the show! (Just kidding. Maybe one day. Beyoncé, if you’re reading this, would you consider joining me on the show? Tweet me!) Anyway, I think the super talented Mrs Carter knows a thing or two about communication. How else do you build a huge tribe of […] The post Episode 8: 5 Communication Lessons From Beyoncé appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

This week I am very excited to chat with my friend and all-round good guy Manuel Pineda. Manuel is a Colombian architect and guitar aficionado with a penchant for hand drawing, heavy metal and talking fast. He is also a super talented designer who absolutely loves getting his teeth into a challenging design competition. In […] The post Episode 7: Don’t Stress! (And Why You Should Learn To Play The Guitar) – Interview With Manuel Pineda appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

I often think that the best way to communicate [in presentations] is not leading with a great deal of jargon. It’s not an opportunity to flex your intellectual muscles. It’s an opportunity to engage with other human beings and [to] work to deliver a compelling story about why this design has a right to exist. […] The post Episode 6: ‘Deliver A Compelling Story’ – Interview with Simone LeAmon appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Warren Buffett once said: Without passion, you don’t have energy. Without energy, you have nothing.   I couldn’t agree more, especially when it comes to delivering a presentation. To make people REALLY engage with what you’re saying, you need to project the passion you have for the subject. In this episode I explain why this […] The post Episode 5: How To Use Passion To Fuel Your Presentation appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

When was the last time you experienced a pleasant surprise? Maybe you received an unexpected gift, or your housemate randomly cooked you dinner, or you found a $10 note floating along the ground. Memorable, yes? Now what can you recall about presentations you’ve seen at university or school? To be honest, not too many stand […] The post Episode 4: ‘Surpriseology’ – Interview With Peter Billingham appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Ohhhhh yeah do I feel like a rock star or what…it’s my very first interview! I am very excited to have Dr. Steve Carey on the show. Steve is Director of Studies at the Academy of Hypnotic Science.  He is an expert public speaker and teaches students how to communicate and deliver killer presentations through […] The post Episode 3 – The Meaning Of Your Message Is The EFFECT It Has – Interview With Dr. Steve Carey appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

It’s Episode 2! This week we have our very FIRST listener “Story from Studio”. Thanks to Emma from RMIT in Melbourne who was brave enough to share a very important lesson she learned from a tutor. This episode is all about why you need to think of your presentation as a JOURNEY. It’s like you’re […] The post Episode 2 – Take Them On A Journey: How To Be A Kick-Ass Tour Guide appeared first on Design Draw Speak.

Guess what everyone? The Presentation Skills for Design Students podcast has finally launched, and I can’t tell you how excited I am! Woo hoo! You see that funky yellow artwork? That’s what you’ll see in iTunes when you search podcasts. Apparently it does take a couple of weeks for the podcast to show up in […] The post Episode 1 – The #1 Thing You Need To Know About Communication Skills appeared first on Design Draw Speak.