To prepare for Demo Day, just one week away, we invited Alden Richards to speak on effective pitching and presentations. Offering words of wisdom and calling on students to present the opening lines of their presentations, Alden served as a guru on positive and engaging communication. Reminding each student to number their slides, use reserve slides and make use of large font and imagery, Alden delineated the do’s and don’ts of presenting. He reminded each student that each and every one of us have seen a boring presentation or lecture, and we should not allow future personal presentations to follow this trend.
Dojees practicing their presentation skills
Following his (effective) presentation, we had Dojo Duel, a presentation competition among the Dojees in which the top three presenters received gift cards. With high stakes, the first round involved randomized teams of two to give a presentation on a new app. The best of this round went on to present alone on anything they’d like. Winner Sophie Stark presented forks, and their necessity in society. The mentors watched and judged these funny, thoughtful, and inspiring presentations. Furthermore, we saw the progress each student made on their personal understanding of innovation and entrepreneurship over the semester of Dojo.
By Eve Grassfield