You’re always going to have to impress someone in your work or school. And the best way to do that is learning how to give a great presentation.

Whether it’s actively staying away from vocal fillers (i.e. like, uhm) or mastering hand gestures, there are many elements that we think about when trying to improve our presentation skills. But the important thing is not to overthink it. You have to realize that all presentations have one goal: make the audience understand your message.

And to do that, there’s just no substitute for clear communication. No matter how aesthetically-pleasing your slides are, or how eloquently you speak, the audience won’t be able to understand your message fully if the content of your report is too hard to comprehend.

Trust me: I’ve sat through a lot of presentations before where I tuned out the speaker and just copied all the bullets in their slide to “save them for later”. My mind couldn’t understand what the presenter was trying to say at the time that I needed to review my notes afterwards just to know what they were talking about.

The worst presentations are the ones where you feel like you could’ve just studied the material yourself. And I don’t know about you, but I hate the feeling of wasting my time.

Now where do presenters, including myself, usually go wrong? It’s forgetting one of the core values in giving a great presentation: clarity.

How do you make your presentation clear?

 Explain like I’m five. 

Those four words may sound familiar to you because of the popular subreddit where people come in to ask questions and other users give answers, explained as simply and succinctly as possible. With that said, you probably know where I’m going with this.

The secret of knowing how to give a great presentation is by keeping it simple and clean.

You may be asking, just how simple is simple, and how clean is clean? Well as the four words imply, you should always assume that your audience is five years old.

By simplifying what you have to say, you can keep them engaged to your presentation and your words. They won’t skip out on anything just because they’re still mentally trying to understand what you had said five slides ago.

I’d argue that you should still keep this mindset even if everyone in the room is an “expert” on a certain topic. If you’re presenting to more than one person, I guarantee you that not everybody will understand every concept that you throw out there.

They may know the certain concept you’re mentioning, but just happen to be blanking during that moment. What you’re trying to do is avoid those moments from the audience where they go: “wait hold on, what does that mean again?”

While knowing your audience is key, it doesn’t hurt to underestimate them either.

What does explaining like you’re five entail?

Most of the time, you are not expected to dump all information you know onto the audience in a five-minute presentation. That’s what slides and written reports are for.

I mention this because in our quest to make them understand our message, we tend to cram everything in the time we are given. Not only do we tend to say too many words and rush through them, but we are not able to build on the simple concepts that are needed to understand the rest of the presentation.

 “The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell and is therefore, important in the production of adenosine triphosphate.” 

You skipped explaining why the mitochondria is a powerhouse in the first place which would help explain the second half of your statement.

Don’t say too much!

The second thing that you should keep in mind is to not assume that your audience knows anything about what you’re talking about. Again, they’re five years old! Keep the jargon to a minimum, and avoid any acronyms that may confuse them.

In the example above, re-examine whether or not the use of adenosine triphosphate in your presentation is needed. Will it come up again in the next slide? Does explaining it help in the audience’s understanding of your message? If you do have to explain a complicated term or concept, you can make use of analogies and figures of speech that they can digest. Maybe the mitochondria is a battery that powers up the cell.

Relate the concept to a universal human experience.

But if you’re having a tough time, you can always opt to define the jargon in the simplest way you can. Again, explain like they’re five!

Do not use jargons to explain other jargons. The important thing is you take your time to explain. Something that is very obvious to you is probably the opposite for other people. It always pays to take the extra minute to ask yourself, will everyone I’m presenting to understand this?

Acting like your audience are all toddlers is the secret ingredient of knowing how to give a great presentation.

And trust us, if you are able to do the difficult task of making your audience appreciate and understand your message, they’ll think you’re way more intelligent than the presenter who just said complicated words to sound smart.

Do you agree with our suggestions? What is your definition of a great presentation? Leave your thoughts in the comments below! If you loved this article, then you’ll probably love the other advice we have for you here.

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If you’re a guy reading this, you probably mansplain more than you think. And I say this as a guy too. No matter how much you champion feminism and gender equality, you probably don’t realize it when you’re mansplaining yourself. I have met a lot of men who advocate strongly for female empowerment but fall into the trap of explaining something to a woman in an overconfident tone.

But who can blame you when you’re unconsciously told by society that you always have to be right?

When you Google mansplaining, one of the top search results is a chart explaining what mansplaining is. The fact that this article is so high up in Google rankings shows that some males do have the intent of changing their behavior.

As I’ve become more mindful of mansplaining in the workplace, I realized that I have actually done it on a regular basis. I honestly believe it’s one of those things that we subconsciously do even if we don’t intend to.

It only took one instance where a colleague of mine mansplained something so blatantly for me to become mindful of my own actions.

If you’re still not sure what mansplaining really entails, Merriam-Webster perfectly defines it in this article. Basically, it’s when a man who has little to no knowledge of the topic at hand explains it condescendingly to a woman thinking he knows better.

The concept seems like it’s easy enough to grasp, but it might be tricky for guys to actually spot it when it presents itself in real life. Here is a list of five examples of mansplaining that you should keep in mind all the time.

1. You play the telephone game.

Have you ever played ‘pass the message’ where the last person in the line gets a totally different statement from the original one? Well can you imagine how frustrating it is for women to say something and have men spread their own, misinterpreted message?

Our biases sometimes get in the way of how we understand what other people say, which is why it’s important to have an open mind when listening to a woman speak. When you fail to truly listen to what a woman says and spread her message through the lens of your own biases, you are already mansplaining.

Just like in ‘pass the message’, it’s important to understand exactly what a woman is saying instead of creating your own version in your head. Don’t tangle up the words because you were too hard-headed.

2. You speak for a woman who is there.

You just need to let women speak for themselves especially when they’re in the conversation too. Let’s say your female friend says something and another person asks her to clarify what she meant.

What you are not going to do is speak for your friend. She is probably smart and can articulate what she wants to say, but just needs a chance to do so. Unless she is obviously struggling or explicitly asks you to help her out, just keep quiet.

When I catch myself wanting to explain what a woman just said, I realize that she could say what she wants to say better than I can. If you’re really that impatient because the conversation isn’t moving forward quickly enough, always ask your female friend if what you interpreted in your mind was what she was really trying to convey.

For example: instead of “I think what she was trying to say is…“, you should instead ask her: “did you mean it like this?”

3. You listen to rebut.

Ah yes, the classic reason why arguments usually don’t go anywhere. If there’s anything I learned from being in a college dominated by females, us guys should just listen to them because they’re right most of the time.

If you’re looking for examples of mansplaining, you’ll realize that our failure to listen with intent is the main culprit of why we do it in the first place. We fail to hear out logical reasoning from women because we refuse to believe that we could actually be wrong.

Before all the facts are presented to us, we tend to jump to our own conclusions. And what’s scary is that we believe so much in ourselves that we tend to explain things with overflowing confidence… when we’re probably in the wrong.

Humility. Live to learn it!

4. You repeat what women say.

You just have to get the last word in, don’t you? This is particularly noticeable in situations where people are trying to stand out and win over someone’s attention, like in a classroom with your professor or in a meeting with your boss.

When a female classmate or colleague answers a question brilliantly, some men may get threatened by her showcase of intelligence. Instead of building on her idea or letting her bask in the spotlight, a mansplainer may raise his hand.

Is he going to say something smart? No.

He’s probably just going to repeat what she said but word it differently. It’s like when you write a paper and you rearrange some words here and there — maybe paraphrase it a bit — to avoid plagiarism. However, in this context, the mansplainer just wants to sound smart to the person he’s trying to impress by trying to “simplify” the statement and make it sound like her idea was his.

What he doesn’t realize is he just looks like a jackass to everyone.

5. You explain women’s issues to women.

It’s really laughable and annoying whenever men decide that they’re experts when it comes to issues faced predominantly by women. Whether it’s about the menstrual cycle, unexpected pregnancies, or the constant fear of being catcalled, we should have it ingrained in our minds that we don’t truly know how these things really feel.

Yes, we can have opinions on said topics, but we shouldn’t impose them on women who have actually lived through those experiences. The only information we have is on a secondhand level, taken from reading books or talking with… a woman.

The golden rule of mansplaining: if your opinion on something is explicitly asked, then you’re a-okay. We should never downplay what women go through, and we should always keep our ears open to truly understand where they’re coming from.

And those are only a few examples of mansplaining. If you have stories or thoughts about mansplaining, feel free to leave a comment below. Loved this article? We have more advice for you here.

Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Gen Z communication has been evolving because of this pandemic for better or for worse. Keyboard smashes, seenzoning, and oversocializing are all fair game now.

Even if most of our interactions now happen through Zoom, there are so many cues, verbal and non-verbal, that tells us about zoomers’ state of mind during the pandemic. These reflect in the way we speak which has slowly been changing more and more as we continue to be trapped in a world of self-isolation.

Not replying is now okay.

And it’s not only okay, it’s encouraged. Even before the pandemic hit, I’ve always had a reputation of not replying quickly enough to my friends because most of the time, I’m just not in the mood to. And the reality now is that a lot of people are starting to feel the same way.

Are you not feeling well enough to talk? Then don’t reply.

More often than not, people will understand. You’d get a lot of flack before when you wouldn’t reply to people or read their messages at all. But everyone is now becoming more sensitive of each other’s feelings as we all start to feel anxiety and uncertainty more often.

Now, the first thought that pops into our head when we encounter a slow replier isn’t how rude they’re being, but rather “I hope they’re okay”. Which is a good thing because everyone is finally understanding that just because you’re online does not mean you are always in the right disposition to talk.

We make a conversation out of anything.

Everyone’s lives has either been on pause or on slow motion ever since coronavirus hit. While we are trying our hardest to make memories in our homes, it’s safe to say that the progress in our lives has taken a big hit with the outside world being close to inaccessible.

This means that Gen Z communication is becoming more and more mundane as we struggle to create meaningful experiences. And because of that, we are running out of valuable material to go through with friends.

I want you to take a look at your recent conversations with friends and then ask yourself: what are you really talking about? Everything is becoming water-cooler conversations nowadays like the NBA Playoffs and what k-drama you’re watching. Some of the most memorable conversations I’ve had with people during quarantine involve skincare routines, and I don’t know how to feel about that.

And when asking someone how they are, they’d probably just give you the same tired answer: “just stuck in the house”.

For the sake of our sanity, we do make an effort to socialize with our loved ones. But we don’t really have anything substantial or new to talk about most of the time leading us to talk about things that don’t matter a lot. This is a challenge to you: why not go beyond pop culture or funny banter and get to know your friends a little bit deeper?

It’s easier to talk to old friends and strangers.

Even the most introverted of us are reaching out to people whom we never thought we’d be in contact with again. Being stuck at home means everyone has more time on their hands to scroll through their social media feeds, which means you’ll probably see more of your acquaintances interact with the posts that you share. Whether it be a like or a comment, everyone is craving for social interaction.

So when the conversations with your best friends are becoming stale, you might see yourself striking a conversation with someone whom you haven’t talked to in a long while. Maybe it was a person you met pre-COVID and never got the chance to interact with on a deeper level. Or maybe it’s a good friend from high school that disappeared in your life after graduation.

The crazy part is they’ll probably be up to talk to you too. Just watch as they reply with the same excitement that you have! While some people may not be up for a conversation all the time, this is the best time to talk with practically anybody. Why? Because a simple gesture like leaving a message in their DM’s will make them feel like they are not alone in this pandemic.

Overcommunication is real.

Ironically, the same people who want to be left alone in this pandemic are the ones who talk a lot too. Similar to how we may experience mood swings during the pandemic, our willingness to talk also flip flops. Gen Z communication is now defined by a neverending stop-and-go seesaw battle where one may just choose to spend the entire night chatting with people, or hiding from the online world.

What triggers this tendency to flip flop?

The first one is guilt. At times when we’re not in the frame of mind to have a conversation with people, we may feel bad for leaving them hanging. So when the time comes when we’re finally in the mood to reply, we may tend to start bombing their inbox with messages.

Aside from that, overcommunication is also a coping mechanism for those who need a sense of “normalcy” in their lives. Talking with people face-to-face is something everybody took for granted until the pandemic started. By starting conversations with others during quarantine, we are putting ourselves back in a mentally comfortable place where everything feels normal again.

And in addition to that, having a chat with someone is a great distraction from whatever hell is happening outside. Our overthinking may kick in the moment we are left alone with our thoughts.

We’ve forgotten how to communicate properly.

Gen Z communication was always weird in the eyes of older people. We could be typing gibberish and it would be sensible and funny to only us. So imagine doing most of your communication online with friends who all type weird like you.

As a reference, most of my conversations with fellow zoomers are just filled with keyboard smashes and all the synonyms to “lol” that you could think of. If we’re not doing any of those, we’re probably just using one of the reactions in Facebook Messenger or finding the perfect GIF/meme to use as a reply. It was perfectly fine before COVID hit because we complemented this form of communication with real-life, socially-acceptable interactions.

Now that most of us have not been able to go out to meet friends nor an authority figure (who is not our parent), we are forgetting what it’s like to talk like a functioning human being. The first wave of job interviews and online classes would probably be difficult for zoomers who have gotten used to light conversations that don’t require proper decorum.

When was the last time you were actually able to sustain a conversation with someone who required your full respect and courtesy? Zoomers now face the challenge of training or re-training themselves in the art of communication which has been getting more muddled as we spend more days in the pandemic.

Coronavirus has affected everything in our lives including our mental health. We have some tips that can help you cope with online classes. Never miss out on anything by following us @ZoomersCornerPH on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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With all the disturbing news in the country and the world, it’s time for us to speak out. In a world where social media reigns, it’s become your responsibility to learn how to use your platform effectively.

While most of us think that it just means spreading awareness about the issue, you can go much, much deeper than that.

1. Share content that educates.

Ever watch a video or read an article online that made you think, if only everyone knew this. Well the first step to using your platform is actually sharing that piece of content in your timeline or news feed. Sharing something nowadays literally only takes two taps, and it can already do so much.

Always remember that staying silent is why nothing gets changed in the first place. Make it a mindset to share anything that adds value to a topic that you feel needs to be talked about.

2. Do not underestimate your reach.

You may only have five followers, but never be discouraged to educate online just because you feel like you’re not “influential” enough. Changing the mind of even one single person is important in the grander scheme of things.

You never know how strong an impact you really have on others. Who knows? Maybe one of your followers could be so inspired with what you had shared that they start to influence their own set of followers instead.

And then it becomes a chain reaction with more people starting to influence each other…. just because you chose to share something online!

3. No dilly-dallying, take a stand.

Creating awareness about an issue and educating your friends aren’t enough. You absolutely need to pick a side and share your personal opinion to be successful in using your platform effectively.

While most hashtags are already a stand in of themselves, they’re really nothing without your personal input. Your internet moots would like to read something that comes from you personally. After all, they’re not online friends with the news organization where you had shared the article from, they’re friends with you.

If you want to change mindsets, you need to understand that you play a pivotal role that comes after awareness and education.

4. Speak like a human being to your audience.

This is a common mistake that a lot of people including myself make from time to time. Learning how to use your platform effectively means erasing your narcissism and pride. It’s the worst time to sound smart!

I know it’s not just me who rolls their eyes when they see an online post with so many “big” words. Yes, you can probably speak in perfect English and you know all these relevant concepts.

But who are you talking to here? Whose mindsets do you want to change? Do they understand you?

Flaunting your intellect and trying to outsmart others could actually be counterproductive in your goal to influence. It’s difficult to do especially when you’re used to a circle of friends that can understand what you’re trying to say.

If you want to influence others, however, you may have to dumb it down. Otherwise, you’ll find that the people whose opinions you want to challenge will just gloss over everything you had said.

5. Mix facts with emotions.

In using your platform, avoid sounding like a fact-spitting robot or an emotional trainwreck.

Do you know why the top-selling products on earth are probably not the best at solving the problems they try to address? Because advertisers know that having the best product is just half the game. Creating an emotional connection with their customers is what separates the top dog from the rest of the pack.

Trying to influence other people online isn’t a game of Jeopardy. You have to appeal to their emotions, too.

On the other hand, you can’t just let your emotions drive the statement you’re trying to make either. Cursing is okay, but it’s not really an effective way to use your platform. You have to explain why you feel strongly about something through facts.

6. Be creative.

If you’re an avid news feed scroller, you probably only read the posts with compelling images and videos. In the same way, when crafting a post online, make sure it’s not just a generic statement that anybody could make. It has to stand out!

All the things you have learned about how to use your platform so far will be for nothing if no one reads your piece.

Inject your personality into whatever you’re posting, and the reader will probably be enticed to listen to you more. This is why memes can be an integral part in many online movements. Humor is an effective way to educate others when done tastefully.

7. Defend your stance, but be open-minded.

Once you post your opinion to the world, there will undoubtedly be those who disagree with you. The first thing you need to do is to keep an open mind; maybe said person has a point. Now what you can do is engage with them so you can educate each other.

Correct yourself if you must. The worst thing you could do is be stubborn when all the facts had been laid out for you.

However, if you still feel that you’re right, you have to address their comment. It’s not a good look if there’s a flood of people contradicting your argument, and you have nothing to say to them. It makes you look like you didn’t really know what you were saying in the first place.

Finally, choose your battles wisely! You do not want to waste half of your day arguing with a troll who just wants to annoy you. Argue with the ones whose minds can be changed.

8. Persuade others to take action.

Now that you’ve convinced your followers that there is a terrible problem that needs to be addressed, the next step is, well, to tell them the next step. Basically, show them the way so they can help.

Is there a petition that they can sign? Is there somebody that they can e-mail? Can they donate somewhere? Whatever it is, remember to include that important information in your post. If you don’t, you’ll basically just leave your followers hanging without knowing what to do.

People’s attention spans are short. If they’re not able to take action ASAP, the worst thing that could happen is their losing interest. They may forget to help out in the future.

You don’t have to follow all of these items in the list every time you want to signal-boost an issue, but it’s just a guide on how to use your platform to its fullest potential. The most important thing to realize is that you, a zoomer, have the power to influence other people, no matter how small you feel in this world.

Feel like you now have to use your platform for something? You can read up certain issues that the Philippines have come across during the coronavirus pandemic here. Don’t forget to follow us @ZoomersCornerPH on Twitter!

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