As my senior year in high school approaches, the big question that virtually everyone continually asks me about my future can no longer be deferred. It’s time to face that big question – where do I want to go to college?

In trying to answer it, this summer I have focused on two things:

* What major/career do I want to pursue?

* Where is the best place to spend my college years?

I spent countless hours researching colleges and began taking college tour road trips while keeping up with my internship and summer jobs. Our mailbox is full of clever brochures, and every night the phone is ringing with some admissions telemarketer asking to speak to Sarah Krueger.

Interning at Front Porch Marketing has given me an interesting perspective – I am noticing how colleges are marketing to ME. By learning about marketing first-hand here on the Porch, I recognize why many college tours and visits seem so similar. There seems to be a shared formula for colleges trying to sell their school to potential freshman.

I find myself getting a little weary with the tours because they are all so similar:

• SAME questions posed to students on the tour
• SAME highlights and stories of surprisingly similar campus traditions, and
• SAME rehearsed answers from tour guides.

Speaking on behalf of my generation, we are a difficult bunch to market to because we have high expectations and we are looking for new and unique. We also can see through the bold, big and bright letters and slick pictures.

If I were giving these colleges presentation marketing advice, I think it would sound very similar to what we would tell our client partners:

Don’t Sound Rehearsed. Now, I’m not saying that you should wing your entire presentation, but don’t fall victim to make it sound exactly the same every time you give it. Mix it up. Hearing and presenting the same sales pitch not only bores your audience, but it bores you too, and it shows.

Make It More Personal. I want to hear more personal perspective from these college representatives. Find a way to personally connect with your audience. Find a happy medium between striking an emotional chord and being informative.

Don’t Oversell Yourself. If you’re trying too hard, it’s apparent. Don’t. Your product should be doing the talking. Focus on the key points of your product/presentation, and then let your audience explore the details.

Don’t Talk Down to Your Audience. Treat your audience with respect. Nobody wants to be spoon-fed information.

No matter what college I choose, I know that my time at Front Porch Marketing will serve me well in the next phase of my life. Rock on!

Sarah Krueger is a rising senior at Ursuline Academy. As our summer intern, she blogged, grew social media networks, assisted with research and worked on marketing projects.

You’re standing at the podium in front of the room with all 500 eyes on you. Waiting. On. Your. Every. Word. Is this your worst nightmare?

It can be a terrifying feeling for many – in fact, statistics indicate about 74% of people have a fear of public speaking. So if you can relate, you’re in good company. But knowing this doesn’t help when business requires a speech.

The solution? You’ve got to grab the presentation bull by the horns and practice. Honestly, the more you present, the better you’ll get, both in technique and in feeling relaxed when you’re at the head of the table.

Even if presenting doesn’t make you break out in a sweat, it never hurts to remind ourselves of a few best practices that will more fully engage audiences to achieve the desired outcome.

1. Research Your Audience. Know who you’re talking to – if you want to influence these people, you need to understand what they care about and what motivates them.

2. Start With a Good Story. Preferably one that the audience can relate to – and one that will make them laugh. Capture their attention right away.

3. Clarify the Goal of the Presentation. Before you even outline what you’re going to say, determine the end goal. Sharing a key process? Persuasion to a specific point of view? Providing status on a project? Then, as you’ve likely heard before, “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. And tell them what you told them.” Keep it simple and on topic.

4. Make Eye Contact. Engagement happens when people feel like you’re talking to them versus at them. They’re more likely to actually hear you and buy into your content when they feel a more personal connection. Eye contact goes a long way in small, intimate meetings and large, seemingly impersonal audiences.

5. Project Your Voice. Everyone in the room, no matter how large, should be able to hear you – otherwise, what’s the point? Practice, if you can, in the room you’ll be in so you can gauge how loud you need to be – and don’t turn your back and talk to your slides instead of your audience.

6. Slow Down. Most people, when they’re nervous, don’t realize how quickly they talk. Concentrate on speaking slowly, pausing at key points, and giving meaning to your words.

7. Use Big Gestures. Not only is your voice and delivery important, so are your gestures. Command the space you’re inhabiting in front of the room. Move around, make a point with your hands – think like a TV weatherman! Your enthusiasm and passion for your subject should be evident in your actions.

8. Be Entertaining. A presentation is not the same as reading an informative article or textbook. It’s in person, and as such, the audience expects to have an emotional connection with the speaker. They want more than just the facts – they want to be engaged.

9. Anticipate Questions. Come prepared with answers to potential questions. You can’t possibly cover everything in one presentation, so what are people likely to ask? You’ve started a conversation, and an enthusiastic audience will want to know more.

10. Practice Like Crazy. Last but certainly not least, practice!!! When you know what you’re going to say backward and forward, you won’t have to worry about stumbling over words or losing your train of thought. And when you know your presentation, you won’t read slides, which keeps your audience focused on you.

Have more tips? All of us on the Porch would like to hear from you!