Branding demands commitment; commitment to continual re-invention; striking chords with people to stir their emotions; and commitment to imagination. It is easy to be cynical about such things, much harder to be successful.

—Sir Richard Branson

Brand Yourself Presentation: First Draft

IntroductionIn your first Career Development and Portfolio modules, you will be exploring the concept of personal branding and its importance in your academic and professional life. To quote Amazon.com founder, Jeff Bezos, “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” It is important that you take the time to think about who you want to be, how you want to be perceived, and where you want to go. If you can define these areas, you will be able to communicate your brand to the world.

The assignment this week will allow you to imagine your future and the way you want to be perceived by potential employers after you have graduated from Full Sail University. This week you will create your first draft of this final presentation. Next week, your classmates will be providing constructive feedback that you will incorporate into your final draft due in week four.

The future isn't just a place you'll go; it's a place you will invent. Your ability to shape your future depends on how well you communicate where you want to be when you get there.

—Nancy Duarte

Instructions For this assignment, you will create a three- to four-minute presentation to pitch yourself to prospective employers as a recent graduate of your degree program. In other words, you will be sharing your personal brand with your audience.

Employers generally want to know what you have done, so as you project yourself into the future, use concrete examples of things you are planning/hoping to do in the next two years at Full Sail and write about them as if you have accomplished them already.

To prepare for this assignment, research the following questions and make notes to help plan your presentation:

‣ What knowledge do you have of the industry you are striving to enter?

‣ What is your target industry? What are a few interesting points about this industry? Why do you find them interesting?

‣ What do you see as your next steps in this industry after graduation?

‣ What qualities/skills does your industry look for?

‣ What types of strategies could you see yourself employing to communicate yourself in your brand? How will you use these strategies to differentiate yourself from others?

‣ In your particular industry, what forms of presentation (visual and oral) are effective?

‣ Of the presentation strategies you observed or learned about this month, which would be the most valuable to you to develop and employ for your specific industry?

Create a unique future representation of yourself through storytelling that portrays you as a valuable contributor to your industry. You will compose your presentation through the voice of your future self, looking back on your successes.

Be sure to address the following questions as though you already completed your degree:

‣ How are you unique or how will you excel in this industry? What knowledge/skills will you have mastered as a result of your education at Full Sail University that will allow you to succeed in the industry? What is your specialty as you finish your degree? What are your unique interests?

‣ Referencing your program’s courses, imagine what you will have already done. Consider course descriptions, potential portfolio projects, and goals for projects you want to complete or work on as a student (e.g., your student film or business idea development). You may have gained expertise with industry-specific software, publications, development processes, specific equipment, etc.

This assignment will be completed in three phases:

1. Presentation Plan (week two)

2. First Draft (week three)

3. Final Draft - incorporating instructor and peer feedback (week four)

(Final draft must be different/altered from the first draft to receive credit)

As you develop this presentation:

‣ Use examples, skills, and processes developed throughout this month from your assignments, discussions, reading activities, and GoTo sessions.

‣ Use a tool familiar to you for this assignment, one that allows for both visual elements and a recorded oral presentation.

‣ Make sure the framework of your presentation is fresh, effective, and reflective of your career field. Make sure your concepts and ideas are clear.

‣ Create a well-designed layout, making sure your message is concise, memorable, meaningful, and evocative.

Some of the following tools may be helpful: Keynote, PowerPoint, Prezi, Google Slides (with Screencastify Chrome add-on).