Presentation topic needed; help a gal out!

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

I currently work at a credit union in an entry level job; I took it because the job market here is laughable and I know this c.u. always promotes from within (unless they can’t find a suitable candidate, of course) so I could make do with this job and bide my time till more opportunities came.

And so one came along. :slight_smile: It’s in the IT department and it’s a blend of tech-y stuff and communications; you’d help train people on software, keep different credit unions as clients to help out when there’s trouble there, etc. The first interview went rather well, and the second part is sometime this week.

I have to give a 5-7 minute presentation in front of about 6-8 people. It can be on anything I want. They don’t want to see how much I know about a particular area; they want to see how comfortable I am speaking in front of a group, how my presentation skills are, etc.

I’m fine with the speaking in front of people and I’ve taken speech classes, so I’m fine on those areas.

But I have NO clue what to do the presentation on!

Obviously:

[ol]
[li]nothing controversial (“Hi, I’m zwei and today I’ll talk about why we should legalize hardcore drugs!”)[/li][li]nothing boring (so while I love to cross stitch, let’s face it: that’s a dog of a topic)[/li][li]nothing stupid[/li][/ol]

What I’d like it to be:

[ol]
[li]something entertaining[/li][li]something clever in a non-scathing way[/li][li]possibly funny without benig stupid or airheaded[/li][/ol]

A friend of mine suggested the ol’ “dangers of dihydrogen monoxide”, but to me, if people have heard that before, it’s just old and eyeroll-inducing and I can’t be sure if people have heard it. Plus, it’s amusing for say, 2 minutes. Stretching that to 5-7 minutes would get really old.
So anyone have any suggestions?

#2

How-to speeches often give lots of opportunities for actions, graphics, etc,a nd are nice and concrete–which is much more interesting. Is there anything you know how to do that most people do not and that does not send a message you don’t like (i.e., anything too domestic or illegal)?

#3

I think a talk about avoiding some type of fraud would be a good choice for this audience and situation. Just be sure to narrow the topic so it’s really suitable for a 5-7 minute speech.

#4

My gut feeling is to keep your topic at least somewhat related to business. I think that it will help the interviewers be dazzled by your presentation skills as they relate to the job you want if you are able to work in some of the subject matter.

I think it could still be fun … maybe something about how famous characters from TV/movies could benefit from good banking skills? I would try to think of common issues that credit union customers have, and then use the famous character to show how the credit union assists them. This seems like it could lend itself to some fun pictures and graphics. Someone on Desperate Housewives could use some guidance about managing credit card debt. The people on Lost – what happened to their credit union-issued travelers checks? How can Mr. and Mrs. Kent start a college savings fund for Clark?

#5

what about a presentation on your current job? That would be something you know well and of interest to the evaluators. The key is to be comfortable in you knowledge of the topic so you don’t have to rely on a rigid script. Good luck with it.

#6

Keep in mind that I’m not interviewing for a business-job, per se. This is an IT job that happens to be within a credit union*. Obviously there’s going to be mixing of business with tech, but it’s more tech-y and technical training and whatnot instead of banking issues.

And my job right now is really freaking boring; plus, about 80% of all the employees in corporate started out in my job, so it’s not like it’s anything new to them. :wink:

I kinda like the idea delphica had, but I’m not sure… And I like Manda JO’s idea of a how-to speech as well.

I already know that the IT people are seen as a bit weird by everyone; the would-be manager I interviewed with mentioned one time they just decided to decorate their floor with ducks everywhere. Stuffed ducks on the top of every cubicle, guard ducks, etc. So obviously I can be a little bit creative (and that would probably be appreciated), while still being professional.

  • And it’s technically an independent IT company. It’s a weird situation, but they’re under the credit union’s finances etc, but they’re semi independent and farm out their services to other credit unions (who aren’t affiliated with my credit union in the slightest).
#7

You could do Bird flu and why it’s not such a big freaking deal.

Informative, current hot topic, and great opportunity for graphics!

(I work at CDC, I’d be happy to help provide a few facts & figures)

#8

“How to kill Evil Nazi Groundhogs”. It can’t miss.

#9

I had much the same situation once, and I did a presentation on “How Not To Do a Presentation.” I stammered and swung my leg and didn’t have the right slides and refused to make eye contact with anyone and generally honked it all up, but made it clear it was on purpose. Everybody enjoyed themselves, including me. I’m not sure this is appropriate for your situation, but it sure was fun when I did it.

At a different job, I was forced to do a presentation on grammar, which I do know something about but is generally not considered a hot entertainment topic. To this day, I’m a little proud of myself when I remember that the CEO said as he was leaving, “You know … I actually had a good time in here. I didn’t think it was possible.”

#10

I think Delphica’s idea is outstanding – it would show both that you have a good sense of humor and that you’re somewhat familiar with “the biz” – and it sounds like both of those facts would count in your favor.

#11

I like Harriet’s idea about discussing fraud, and in particular, I’d consider parts of Frank Abagnale’s The Art of The Steal.

Entertaining and relevant!

#12

I think you should do some Richard Pryor stand up with all the swear words changed to sound-a-like non swears.