Yesterday I interviewed a former admissions officer from a highly selective college who’s considering joining Collegewise. I asked what he’d learned from giving so many presentations at high schools. His (paraphrased) answer:
“I learned to think about what people really came to hear about. Nobody at those presentations came to learn about our history or how many majors we have—that’s all on the website. They came to hear admissions advice. They wanted to know what we look for. So that’s what I spent the bulk of my time talking about.”
Not surprisingly, he said he always got great evaluations from his audience members.
If you give presentations as an admissions officer or a counselor, you probably have a lot you want to say. But don't forget about what your audience is showing up to hear. The audience is giving you their time and attention. Give them something back by delivering what they came to hear.