More than 50% of what makes a good developer are non-technical skills. These so-called soft skills include teamwork, communication, self-awareness, resistance to stress, time management and many more. Many of these skills are interrelated. For instance, if you want to be really good at working in teams, you probably have to strengthen your communication skills. Or if you are susceptible to stress, it helps to have a significant degree of self awareness, as it will help you to recognize that one of your weaknesses is stress, as well as the moments in which you feel stressed. This, in turn, helps you on your journey to find ways to improve your stress management.
One of the most important soft skills is the ability to deliver an effective presentation. If you know how to present yourself well, you have a much higher chance of doing well in a job interview and of succeeding in your job. For instance, during a job interview you must be able to articulate clearly why you are the right candidate for the job. Once you have found a good job, presentation skills subsequently help you to be more effective at communicating your ideas, questions and challenges to management and colleagues.
The good news is that delivering a good presentation is something you can learn. In a way, it is not very different from learning JavaScript. For instance, don’t compare yourself too much to others. Some of your peers might naturally be more comfortable at speaking in front of an audience; or you may be insecure about your English skills because it is not your mother tongue. It does not matter: what does matter is that you practice, and that's what we're here for!
This ‘mini-module’ is divided into two weeks. You will pair up with a peer and work in duos.
In the coming two weeks, the presentation assignments will constitute week 2 and week 3 of the Browsers assignments.
The assignment for week 2 can be found here.
Whilst the assignment for week 3 can be found here.
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How to Easily Overcome Social Anxiety - Prof. Jordan Peterson
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Examples of a good presentation:
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More examples of an elevator pitch:
Both your soft skills and your English language skills will be assessed based on your performance during the presentation module.
Note that the assignment in the second week is graded and needs to be passed in order to graduate from HYF. If you do not pass initially, you will receive feedback and have to redo it until you pass.
As long as you put in the time and effort, we are ready to help you at all times; just ask! However, we expect you to meet the deadlines, just like for any other module.
If you feel that you struggle a lot with soft skills, please let us know. For who needs it most (we have limited capacity), we can arrange a coach to support you in the next few months. We work with some talented and experienced individuals (see an example here), who offer support with regards to personal development, self-confidence and soft skills. If you are interested in this, let us know.
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