Looking to up my presentation skills in NYC
September 30, 2009 3:04 PM   Subscribe

I'm looking for a job doing presentation graphics (in law firms, possibly financial firms); this is about 30% of my current job at a law firm. I'm one of very few "experts" at my firm which isn't very technologically advanced in this area, so I'm afraid that my skills won't cut it in the outside world. I need advice on how to upgrade my skills.

I want to upgrade my skills so that I can show a better portfolio and talk about those skills with more confidence.

I'm pretty strong in all the Microsoft Office products and how they integrate, especially in Powerpoint and Visio. I also am quite skilled and experienced in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

Since we don't really use Powerpoint to its full potential at my current job, I want to learn more advanced skills, and I feel like I need to improve my Excel skills to integrate better with Powerpoint. From the job listings I have seen, I think I should learn Flash, but what else is essential for a presentations job?

I'm in NYC so if you have any recommendations for places to get the kind of training I need, I would love to hear them.
posted by kenzi23 to Work & Money (2 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
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posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:19 PM on September 30, 2009


I did this for a while, and I'd say it's crucial to learn Flash...so many freelance and contract gigs want you to know it. Download the free trial from adobe.com and go to town.

Of course, where you take it depends on the type of presentations you do, but in my experience, sometimes the less flash and dash you put into a presentation, the better. Make things big enough to read and don't overthink things.

In my experience, paying for classes is essentially paying for someone to MAKE you do things...provide the discipline a lot of people don't have to actually start and finish projects...and learn along the way. Spend the money on a good book that teaches the programs, and you're probably saving some coin.
posted by st starseed at 6:12 PM on September 30, 2009


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