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The Impact Award·Lesson 12 of 30

Structuring the 7-Minute Presentation

Design a tight, themed presentation that judges find consistent, compelling, and inspiring.

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The format

At each event, your team participates in an in-person interview totaling 12 minutes maximum: up to 7 minutes for the student presentation (including set-up) and up to 5 minutes of judge-led Q&A. Teams using a translator or sign-language interpreter may bring that person and get up to 5 additional minutes (up to 2 added to the presentation and up to 3 to the Q&A). A maximum of 3 pre-college team members may present, one adult mentor may observe silently, and no mentor assistance is permitted during the interview. Plan around exactly these constraints.

What judges are listening for

The judging guidelines ask: "Does the presentation enhance the data provided in their essays? Is the presentation consistent with statements made in the essay? Is it compelling? Do you feel inspired?" Notice the word enhance — the presentation should not simply read your essay aloud; it should bring the data to life and add the human story.

A strong structure

The worksheet advises using a theme to link all parts of the submission together and leave a lasting impact. A reliable 7-minute arc:

  1. Open with your theme (~30s) — the same one-sentence thesis from your essay.
  2. Two or three flagship programs (~4 min) — the ones you placed in the presentation circle of the Venn diagram, each with a concrete number and a human moment.
  3. Sustainability (~1 min) — how programs survive turnover and funding changes; judges explicitly probe this.
  4. Why you deserve the award (~1 min) — directly answer the question judges ask: "Why do you deserve the Impact Award?"
  5. Close on the theme (~30s) — restate the message you want remembered.

Presentation craft

  • Practice timing strictly. Going over 7 minutes eats into your own set-up time or gets stopped. Rehearse with a stopwatch including walking in and starting slides.
  • Make slides visual. Big numbers, photos of real outreach, simple charts of growth. Avoid walls of text the judges have to read.
  • Everyone speaks with purpose. With only three presenters, each should own a clear section and hand off cleanly.
  • Be gracious and professional. Eye contact, names, and genuine enthusiasm. Judges explicitly assess whether you are gracious and professional.
  • Consistency is everything. Do not claim anything the essay didn't support, and don't contradict your own numbers.

The worksheet's prep questions

Before building slides, the team should answer: "What makes your team unique?" and "What message about your team do you most want to impress upon the judges?" If three random students give the same two answers, your presentation has focus. If they don't, keep refining until the theme is shared across the whole team.

Key takeaways

  • The interview is 12 minutes: up to a 7-minute student presentation (max 3 pre-college presenters, set-up included) and up to 5 minutes of Q&A, with no mentor help allowed; an interpreter adds up to 5 minutes.
  • The presentation should enhance, not repeat, the essay, built around a single theme with flagship programs, sustainability, and a clear 'why we deserve it.'
  • Rehearse strictly to time, use visual slides with big numbers, and ensure every claim is consistent with the written submission.

Go deeper

Lesson quiz

Required

Answer all 3 questions correctly to complete this lesson.

1.In the FIRST Impact Award interview, how long does a team have for its presentation, and what must that time include?

2.What is the maximum number of student (pre-college) team members allowed to present and answer judges' questions during the Impact Award interview?

3.According to the FIRST judging guidelines, which framework best reflects the three outreach areas a strong Impact presentation should organize its content around?

Answer every question to submit.