Strong presentation skills

What do COVID, conversion to Judaism, and beach cleanups have in common?

Afeka College believes that engineers have the power to create genuine change in society. To do so, they must excel in their professional field and possess vision and initiative. Moreover, today’s engineers need to be creative and articulate, with a set of vital skills that can help them leverage their professional abilities towards success.

One of the vital skills that Afeka College teaches its students is the ability to effectively present and communicate messages – a major criterion for industry recruiters. In order to help students enhance their presentation skills, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Ofek – Skill Development Centers initiated the “How to turn any idea into a winning presentation” workshop, which was completed in summer of ’23.

The workshop included young undergraduate students (year 1-2) from Afeka’s various schools.

Chosen to teach the workshop were two instructors of The Redhead Method, which combines techniques for strengthening personal and business presence. They included method founder Idit Neuderfer and method instructor Ori Levanon, an expert on strengthening presence.

The workshop consisted of eight sessions, with group and one-on-one meetings with each of the participating students. The workshop graduation meeting, a moving and impressive event, featured presentations by the participants. Among other things, students presented business ideas, personal stories, and more. The presentations were given feedback from the instructors and a professional team of judges, who placed importance on the process the students had undergone and the improvement in their presentation skills. Prizes were awarded to outstanding presentations.

Among the presentations at the graduation meeting:

• How to reach the next epidemic vaccinated? By a student who chose to study medical engineering following COVID-19.
• How are confidence and satisfaction in life related, and what does this have to do with converting to Judaism? An inspiring personal story.
• An app that can identify any engine malfunction, and save lots of frustration and money – the presentation that won first prize.

The participating students thanked Afeka college, Ofek, and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the opportunity to hone their skills – and thanked the instructors for their efforts, guidance, and availability throughout the process.

Idit Neuderfer, Redhead Method founder and workshop leader: “We’ve been collaborating with Afeka College for 7 years, and every student is a world unto themselves. We come in to equip them[במקור כתוב "אתכם" וצריך שיהיה כתוב "אותם"] with a practical toolset for public speaking, with which they can go out into the job market, conquer any position, move ahead, secure investors, and present any topic.

The ‘How to turn any idea into a winning presentation’ workshop was a thrilling encounter with students, all of whom came in with different goals. People wish to overcome personal challenges and stage fear, to successfully condense any idea into a five-minute presentation, and to speak confidently: looking the audience in the eye and using body language to drive in messages. The success of this process is measured by students’ ability to embrace the process, practice according to the instructors’ feedback, and not give up. The results were surprising, as were the impressive prizes Afeka College awarded to the winners. Thank you for another fruitful collaboration. Ori and I look forward to next time.”

Yael Danai-Menuhin, director of Afeka’s Center for Innovation And Entrepreneurship: “The engineers of tomorrow, whom we educate at Afeka today, need much more than just professional knowledge. They require a full set of vital skills with which to integrate and stand out in the industry. The ability to take an idea and turn it into a winning presentation is a major advantage for anyone, especially an engineer who wishes to lead processes, create change, and make a difference. The student’s cooperation with Idit and Ori at the workshop ensured that they will enter the job market more prepared, focused, and articulate. We at Afeka believe that dreams are meant to come true, and encourage our students to think big. The presentations given at the graduation meeting were original, interesting, and impressive, and I have no doubt that each and every participant will take the tools they’ve learned and apply them to every aspect of their life – and especially their professional life.”