By Max Tyler

 

Let it go 

 

 

Preparing for portfolio day feels like you ticking off a never ending list of things to do. Cutting stuff out making changes iterating layouts changing executions and doubting ideas all together. There is no one way to prepare for portfolio day that will make your day easy. It’s simply a trial end error experience where only you can find your feet.

 

Letting go of your babies and leaving them fend for themselves is a hard thing to do. Will someone pick on them? What if no one likes them ? What if the teams ideas before we’re better looking than yours? 

 

So there’s no guaranteed way to succeed but heres 5 tips on how to make the day a little bit easier.

 

Revise rehearse and revise 

Knowing your campaigns inside and out is a given but you learn throughout the day what phrases sell the work the best. After finding out the best way to say it you then develop ways of shortening this until its bulletproof.

 

Talk as little as possible

This falls under the revise section above. You learn how to speak less by pitching your work more. Condensing sentences and taking out small talk. People love to talk and to be fair they probably have some good advice so take those notes and fill up your notebook.

 

Keep eye contact

If you are in a partnership one person take notes and one person keep the eye contact. Two people taking notes with their heads down can be a little bit un inclusive for the person the other side of the table.

 

Look like you are busy

You spend a lot of time waiting around between meetings. People walking around are always keeping an eye out for people slacking off. Its a long day but just grab some paper and write some stuff down. 

 

Man your stations

Do not leave your station un armed. Alternate loo breaks, food breaks and oxygen breaks. Bring plenty of roll on, a few packs of chewing gum and at least three litres of water. Talking all day isn’t to kind on your throat. If you are gone and its your turn both of you aren’t there and you have a meeting the war is over before the battle has begun.

 

This advice should help a little, no ones perfect and you learn from your mistakes. Just keep motivation and confidence up and it will be fine.

 

Everyone has different looking ideas with unique qualities strengths and weaknesses. 

 

Ideas are really only 50% of the show, the other 50% is on you. How you come across, how you look, how you speak, how much of a relationship you have built with the people viewing your work them over the year.

 

Ideas are key presentation is helpful but relationships are golden.