So tonight is the interview task on The Apprentice and in a rather cunning bit of topical blogging, I’m linking it with discussions at work. If the place I work closes down and we’re all made redundant then we’re all going to have to face some interviews again, not a very thrilling prospect.

Actually I lied about linking things because this blog isn’t about interviews at all, oh no, it’s about presentations. The original conversation about presentations did start with interviews so there is some logic here. What do I care anyway, this is my blog, my rules ... my rules that I can break as and when I wish.

Two particular presentations sum up my “bad luck” when it comes to these things. I hate doing them anyway but when this kind of stuff happens…

The first presentation was actually part of a college course where I was doing a marketing module. The idea behind it (I’m going back years so not 100% sure) was to research a random European country in the aim of launching a particular product. A report had to be made and a presentation done. The reports were done and handed in and then we had a random pulling names of the hat to determine the order of the presentations.

The presentations started and after the first couple I was feeling a little more confident with mine. As my turn approached I was getting a little nervous but was sure I was be at least as good as the people before me… and then up went the guy just before me.

“Hi my name is Mike Wiśniewski, I’m originally from Poland which was the country I had to research and I recently came back from there...” bugger!

Second presentation instance was work related. The first part of my working day was a brief 15 minute or so team meeting (this followed the 30 minute or so manager’s meeting) discussing previous results, current issues and rubbish motivational speeches (although that was just my manager with those I think, they really were bad). In what was either a moment of laziness or a “team building” exercise, my manager decided that we’d all take turns doing the team meeting and I was first. “Oh well, I can get it out of the way” I thought.

It came time to do my little presentation, I had everything I needed and was ready to go and get it done. Everyone gathered around and then I was asked to halt for a second… as the head of the entire site came and decided to listen in. Confidence gone, babbling began but I got it out of the way and was happy I could sit back and watch everyone else struggle with doing theirs… interestingly enough it never happened again! Victimisation!

And there endeth my luck with presentations blog.