21 Ways To Improve Your Presentation Skills

Bailey Maybray

Published: April 07, 2023

You know the feeling of sitting through a boring presentation. A text distracts you. A noise outside pulls your gaze. Your dog begs for attention. By the time the presentation ends, you question why you needed to sit and listen in the first place.

Presentation Skills: A woman speaks before a crowd.

Effective presentation skills can stop you from boring an audience to oblivion. Delivering strong presentations can help you stand out as a leader, showcase your expertise, and build confidence.

Table of contents:

  • Presentation skills definition
  • Importance of presentation skills
  • How to improve presentation skills
  • Effective presentation skills
  • Presentation skills for executives

→ Free Download: 10 PowerPoint Presentation Templates [Access Now]

Presentation Skills Definition

Presentation skills include anything you need to create and deliver clear, effective presentations to an audience. This includes creating a compelling set of slides , ensuring the information flows, and keeping your audience engaged.

Speakers with strong presentation skills can perform the following tasks:

  • Bring together different sources of information to form a compelling narrative
  • Hook audiences with a strong beginning and end
  • Ensure audiences engage with their content through questions or surveys
  • Understand what their audience wants and needs from their presentation

Importance of Presentation Skills

At some point in your career, you will present something. You might pitch a startup to a group of investors or show your research findings to your manager at work. Those in leading or executive roles often deliver presentations on a weekly or monthly basis.

Improving your presentation skills betters different aspects of your working life, including the following:

Communication: Improving your presentation skills can make you a better communicator with your co-workers and friends.

Confidence: 75% of people fear public speaking. By working on your presentation skills, you can gain confidence when speaking in front of a crowd.

Creativity: You learn to understand how to use imagery and examples to engage an audience.

Management: Presentations involve pulling together information to form a succinct summary, helping you build project and time management skills.

How To Improve Presentation Skills

1. create an outline.

Before designing slides and writing a script, outline your presentation. Start with your introduction, segue into key points you want to make, and finish with a conclusion.

2. Practice, Practice, Practice

Almost 8 in 10 professionals practice their presentations for at least an hour. So, practice your presentation in the mirror or to a close friend.

3. Start With a Hook

When presenting, grab your audience with a hook. Consider starting with a surprising statistic or a thoughtful question before diving into the core information.

4. Stay Focused on Your Topic

You might want to cover everything under the sun, but information overload can overwhelm your audience. Instead, stay focused on what you want to cover. Aim for key points and avoid including unnecessary details.

5. Remember To Introduce Yourself

At the beginning of the presentation, introduce yourself. Kill any tension in the room by mentioning your name, your role, and any other helpful details. You could even mention a fun fact about yourself, putting the audience at ease.

6. Work on Your Body Language

55% of people look to nonverbal communication when judging a presentation. Straighten your back, minimize unnecessary gestures, and keep your voice confident and calm. Remember to work on these aspects when practicing.

7. Memorize Structure, Not Words

You might feel better knowing exactly what you want to say. But skip the script and stick to memorizing the key points of your presentation. For example, consider picking three to four phrases or insights you want to mention for each part of your presentation rather than line-by-line memorization.

8. Learn Your Audience

Before crafting a killer outline and slide deck, research your audience. Find out what they likely already know, such as industry jargon, and where they might need additional information. Remember: You're presenting for them, not you.

9. Reframe Your Anxiety as Excitement

A study conducted by Harvard Business School demonstrates that reframing your anxiety as excitement can improve performance. For example, by saying simple phrases out loud, such as “I’m excited,” you then adopt an opportunity-oriented mentality.

10. Get Comfortable With the Setting

If you plan to present in person, explore the room. Find where you’re going to stand and deliver your presentation. Practice looking into the seats. By decreasing the number of unknowns, you can clear your head and focus on the job.

11. Get Familiar With Technology

Presenting online has unique challenges, such as microphone problems and background noise. Before a Zoom presentation, ensure your microphone works, clean up your background, test your slides, and consider any background noise.

12. Think Positively

Optimistic workers enjoy faster promotions and happier lives. By reminding yourself of the positives — for example, your manager found your last presentation impressive — you can shake off nerves and find joy in the process.

13. Tell a Story

To engage your audience, weave storytelling into your presentation — more than 5 in 10 people believe stories hold their focus during a presentation. Consider ways to connect different parts of your slides into a compelling narrative.

14. Prepare for Questions

At the end of your presentation, your audience will likely have questions. Brainstorm different questions and potential answers so you’re prepared.

15. Maintain Eye Contact

Eye contact signals honesty. When possible, maintain eye contact with your audience. For in-person presentations, pay attention to each audience member. For online ones, stare at your camera lens as you deliver.

16. Condense Your Presentation

After you finish the first draft of your outline, think about ways to condense it. Short and sweet often keeps people interested instead of checking their phones.

17. Use Videos

Keep your audience’s attention by incorporating video clips when relevant. For example, videos can help demonstrate examples or explain difficult concepts.

18. Engage With Your Audience

Almost 8 in 10 professionals view presentations as boring. Turn the tide by engaging with your audience. Encourage audience participation by asking questions or conducting a live survey.

19. Present Slowly and Pause Frequently

When you get nervous, you talk faster. To combat this, remember to slow yourself down when practicing. Place deep pauses throughout your presentation, especially when transitioning between slides, as it gives you time to breathe and your audience time to absorb.

20. Start and End With a Summary

A summary at the start of a presentation can pique your audience’s interest. One at the end brings everything together, highlighting key points your audience should take with them.

21. Ask for Feedback

You will never deliver the perfect presentation, so ask for feedback. Talk to your managers about where you could improve. Consider surveying your audience for an unbiased look into your presentation skills.

Effective Presentation Skills

Effective presentation skills include communicating clearly, presenting with structure, and engaging with the audience.

As an example, say a content manager is presenting a quarterly review to their team. They start off with a summary. Their introduction mentions an unprecedented 233% growth in organic traffic — numbers their team has not seen in years. Immediately, the presenter grabs their team’s attention. Now, everyone wants to know how they achieved that in one quarter.

Alternatively, think of an entrepreneur delivering their pitch to a group of investors. They start with a question: How many of you struggle to stay awake at work? They then segue into an exciting product designed to improve the sleep quality of working professionals. Their presentation includes videos demonstrating the science behind sleep and surprising statistics about the demand for their product.

Both examples demonstrate effective presentation skills. They incorporate strong attention grabbers, summaries, and attempts to engage the audience.

Think back to strong presentations you viewed as an audience member. Ask yourself: What made them so memorable, and how can I incorporate those elements into my presentations?

Presentation Skills for Executives

Presentations take up a significant portion of an executive’s workload. Executives regularly showcase key company initiatives, team changes, quarterly and annual reviews, and more. Improving your presentation skills as a leader can help with different parts of your job, such as:

Trust: Delivering great, effective presentations can build trust between you and your team.

Confidence: Most people dread presentations — so a strong presenter projects the confidence needed by a leader.

Emotional intelligence: A great presentation taps into the audience’s perspectives, helping executives improve their emotional intelligence .

Expertise: Presentations help executives display their subject-matter expertise, making employees safe in their hands.

Delegation: At times, executives might need to pull information from different sources for a presentation — improving their ability to delegate as managers.

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

  • Carmine Gallo

developing your presentation skills

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

developing your presentation skills

  • Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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Home Blog Education Presentation Skills 101: A Guide to Presentation Success

Presentation Skills 101: A Guide to Presentation Success

Getting the perfect presentation design is just a step toward a successful presentation. For the experienced user, building presentation skills is the answer to elevating the power of your message and showing expertise on any subject. Still, one can ask: is it the same set of skills, or are they dependable on the type of presentation?

In this article, we will introduce the different types of presentations accompanied by the skillset required to master them. The purpose, as always, is to retain the audience’s interest for a long-lasting and convincing message.

cover for presentation skills guide

Table of Contents

The Importance of Presentation Skills

Persuasive presentations, instructional presentations, informative presentations, inspirational presentations, basic presentation skills, what are the main difficulties when giving a presentation, recommendations to improve your presentation skills, closing statement.

Effective communication is the answer to reaching business and academic goals. The scenarios in which we can be required to deliver a presentation are as diverse as one can imagine. Still, some core concepts apply to all presentations.

 We define presentation skills as a compendium of soft skills that directly affect your presentation performance and contribute to creating a great presentation. These are not qualities acquired by birth but skills you ought to train and master to delve into professional environments.

You may ask: is it really that evident when a presenter is not prepared? Here are some common signs people can experience during presentations:

  • Evasive body language: Not making eye contact with the audience, arms closed tightly to the body, hands in pockets all the time.
  • Lack of interest in the presenter’s voice: dull tone, not putting an effort to articulate the topics.
  • Doubting when asked to answer a question
  • Irksome mood

The list can go on about common presenter mistakes , and most certainly, it will affect the performance of any presented data if the lack of interest by the presenter is blatantly obvious.  Another element to consider is anxiety, and according to research by the National Institute of Mental Health, 73% of the population in the USA is affected by glossophobia , which is the fear of public speaking, judgment, or negative evaluation by other people.

Therefore, presentation skills training is essential for any business professional who wants to achieve effective communication . It will remove the anxiety from presentation performance and help users effectively deliver their message and connect with the audience.

Archetypes of presentations

Persuasive presentations aim to convince the audience – often in short periods – to acquire a product or service, adhere to a cause, or invest in a company. For business entrepreneurs or politicians, persuasive presentations are their tool for the trade.

Unless you aim to be perceived as an imposter, a proper persuasive presentation has the elements of facts, empathy, and logic, balanced under a well-crafted narrative. The central pillar of these presentations is to identify the single factor that gathered your audience: it could be a market need, a social cause, or a revolutionary concept for today’s society. It has to be something with enough power to gather critiques – both good and bad.

That single factor has to be backed up by facts. Research that builds your hypothesis on how to solve that problem. A deep understanding of the target audience’s needs , concerns, and social position regarding the solution your means can offer. When those elements are in place, building a pitch becomes an easy task. 

Graphics can help you introduce information in a compelling format, lowering the need for lengthy presentations. Good presentation skills for persuasive presentations go by the hand of filtering relevant data and creating the visual cues that resonate with what your audience demands.

One powerful example of a persuasive presentation is the technique known as the elevator pitch . You must introduce your idea or product convincingly to the audience in a timeframe between 30 seconds and less than 2 minutes. You have to expose:

  • What do you do 
  • What’s the problem to solve
  • Why is your solution different from others 
  • Why should the audience care about your expertise

presentation skills an elevator pitch slide

For that very purpose, using engaging graphics with contrasting colors elevates the potential power of your message. It speaks professionalism, care for details, and out-of-the-box thinking. Knowing how to end a presentation is also critical, as your CTAs should be placed with care.

Therefore, let’s resume the requirements of persuasive presentations in terms of good presentation skills:

  • Identifying problems and needs
  • Elaborating “the hook” (the element that grabs the audience’s attention)
  • Knowing how to “tie” your audience (introducing a piece of information related to the hook that causes an emotional impact)
  • Broad knowledge of body language and hand gestures to quickly convey your message
  • Being prepared to argue a defense of your point of view
  • Handling rejection
  • Having a proactive attitude to convert opportunities into new projects
  • Using humor, surprise, or personal anecdotes as elements to sympathize with the audience
  • Having confidence
  • Be able to summarize facts and information in visually appealing ways

skills required for persuasive presentations

You can learn more about persuasive presentation techniques by clicking here .

In the case of instructional presentations, we ought to differentiate two distinctive types:

  • Lecture Presentations : Presentations being held at universities or any other educative institution. Those presentations cover, topic by topic, and the contents of a syllabus and are created by the team of teachers in charge of the course.
  • Training Presentations : These presentations take place during in-company training sessions and usually comprise a good amount of content that is resumed into easy-to-take solutions. They are aimed to coach employees over certain topics relevant to their work performance. The 70-20-10 Model is frequently used to address these training situations.

Lecture presentations appeal to the gradual introduction of complex concepts, following a structure set in the course’s syllabus. These presentations often have a similar aesthetic as a group of professors or researchers created to share their knowledge about a topic. Personal experience does tell that course presentations often rely on factual data, adequately documented, and on the theoretical side.

An example of a presentation that lies under this concept is a Syllabus Presentation, used by the teaching team to introduce the subject to new students, evaluation methods, concepts to be learned, and expectations to pass the course.

using a course syllabus presentation to boost your instructional presentation skills

On the other hand, training presentations are slide decks designed to meet an organization’s specific needs in the formal education of their personnel. Commonly known as “continuous education,” plenty of companies invest resources in coaching their employees to achieve higher performance results. These presentations have the trademark of being concise since their idea is to introduce the concepts that shall be applied in practice sessions. 

Ideally, the training presentations are introduced with little text and easy-to-recognize visual cues. Since the idea is to summarize as much as possible, these are visually appealing for the audience. They must be dynamic enough to allow the presenter to convey the message.

presentation skills example of a training presentation

Those key takeaways remind employees when they revisit their learning resources and allow them to ruminate on questions that fellow workers raise. 

To sum up this point, building presentation skills for instructional presentations requires:

  • Ability to put complex concepts into simpler words
  • Patience and a constant learning mindset
  • Voice training to deliver lengthy speeches without being too dense
  • Ability to summarize points and note the key takeaways
  • Empathizing with the audience to understand their challenges in the learning process

skill requirements for instructional presentations

The informative presentations take place in business situations, such as when to present project reports from different departments to the management. Another potential usage of these presentations is in SCRUM or other Agile methodologies, when a sprint is completed, to discuss the advance of the project with the Product Owner.

As they are presentations heavily dependent on data insights, it’s common to see the usage of infographics and charts to express usually dense data in simpler terms and easy to remember. 

a SCRUM process being shown in an informative slide

Informative presentations don’t just fall into the business category. Ph.D. Dissertation and Thesis presentations are topics that belong to the informative presentations category as they condense countless research hours into manageable reports for the academic jury. 

an example of a thesis dissertation template

Since these informational presentations can be perceived as lengthy and data-filled, it is important to learn the following professional presentation skills:

  • Attention to detail
  • Be able to explain complex information in simpler terms
  • Creative thinking
  • Powerful diction
  • Working on pauses and transitions
  • Pacing the presentation, so not too much information is divulged per slide

skill requirements for informational presentations

The leading inspirational platform, TEDx, comes to mind when talking about inspirational presentations. This presentation format has the peculiarity of maximizing the engagement with the audience to divulge a message, and due to that, it has specific requirements any presenter must meet.

This presentation format usually involves a speaker on a stage, either sitting or better standing, in which the presenter engages with the audience with a storytelling format about a life experience, a job done that provided a remarkable improvement for society, etc.

using a quote slide to boost inspirational presentation skills

Empathizing with the audience is the key ingredient for these inspirational presentations. Still, creativity is what shapes the outcome of your performance as people are constantly looking for different experiences – not the same recipe rephrased with personal touches. The human factor is what matters here, way above data and research. What has your experience to offer to others? How can it motivate another human being to pursue a similar path or discover their true calling?

To achieve success in terms of communication skills presentation, these inspirational presentations have the following requirements:

  • Focus on the audience (engage, consider their interests, and make them a part of your story)
  • Putting ego aside
  • Creative communication skills
  • Storytelling skills
  • Body language knowledge to apply the correct gestures to accompany your story
  • Voice training
  • Using powerful words

skills required for inspirational presentations

After discussing the different kinds of presentations we can come across at any stage of our lives, a group of presentation skills is standard in any type of presentation. See below what makes a good presentation and which skills you must count on to succeed as a presenter.

Punctuality

Punctuality is a crucial aspect of giving an effective presentation. Nothing says more about respect for your audience and the organization you represent than delivering the presentation on time . Arriving last minute puts pressure on the tech team behind audiovisuals, as they don’t have enough preparation to test microphones, stage lights, and projector settings, which can lead to a less powerful presentation Even when discussing presentations hosted in small rooms for a reduced audience, testing the equipment becomes essential for an effective presentation.

A solution for this is to arrive at least 30 minutes early. Ideally, one hour is a sweet spot since the AV crew has time to check the gear and requirements for your presentation. Another benefit of this, for example, in inspirational presentations, is measuring the previous presenter’s impact on the audience. This gives insights about how to resonate with the public, and their interest, and how to accommodate your presentation for maximum impact.

Body Language

Our bodies can make emotions transparent for others, even when we are unaware of such a fact. Proper training for body language skills reduces performance anxiety, giving the audience a sense of expertise about the presented topic. 

Give your presentation and the audience the respect they deserve by watching over these potential mistakes:

  • Turning your back to the audience for extended periods : It’s okay to do so when introducing an important piece of information or explaining a graph, but it is considered rude to give your back to the audience constantly.
  • Fidgeting : We are all nervous in the presence of strangers, even more, if we are the center of attention for that moment. Instead of playing with your hair or making weird hand gestures, take a deep breath to center yourself before the presentation and remember that everything you could do to prepare is already done. Trust your instincts and give your best.
  • Intense eye contact : Have you watched a video where the presenter stared at the camera the entire time? That’s the feeling you transmit to spectators through intense eye contact. It’s a practice often used by politicians to persuade.
  • Swearing : This is a no-brainer. Even when you see influencers swearing on camera or in podcasts or live presentations, it is considered an informal and lousy practice for business and academic situations. If you have a habit to break when it comes to this point, find the humor in these situations and replace your swear words with funny alternatives (if the presentation allows for it). 

Voice Tone plays a crucial role in delivering effective presentations and knowing how to give a good presentation. Your voice is a powerful tool for exposing your ideas and feelings . Your voice can articulate the message you are telling, briefing the audience if you feel excited about what you are sharing or, in contrast, if you feel the presentation is a burden you ought to complete.

Remember, passion is a primary ingredient in convincing people. Therefore, transmitting such passion with a vibrant voice may help gather potential business partners’ interest.  

But what if you feel sick prior to the presentation? If, by chance, your throat is sore minutes before setting foot on the stage, try this: when introducing yourself, mention that you are feeling a bit under the weather. This resonates with the audience to pay more attention to your efforts. In case you don’t feel comfortable about that, ask the organizers for a cup of tea, as it will settle your throat and relax your nerves.

Tech Skills

Believe it or not, people still feel challenged by technology these days. Maybe that’s the reason why presentation giants like Tony Robbins opt not to use PowerPoint presentations . The reality is that there are plenty of elements involved in a presentation that can go wrong from the tech side:

  • A PDF not opening
  • Saving your presentation in a too-recent PowerPoint version
  • A computer not booting up
  • Mac laptops and their never-ending compatibility nightmare
  • Not knowing how to change between slides
  • Not knowing how to use a laser pointer
  • Internet not working
  • Audio not working

We can come up with a pretty long list of potential tech pitfalls, and yet more than half of them fall in presenters not being knowledgeable about technology.

If computers aren’t your thing, let the organization know about this beforehand. There is always a crew member available to help presenters switch between slides or configure the presentation for streaming. This takes the pressure off your shoulders, allowing you to concentrate on the content to present. Remember, even Bill Gates can get a BSOD during a presentation .

Presentations, while valuable for conveying information and ideas, can be daunting for many individuals. Here are some common difficulties people encounter when giving presentations:

Public Speaking Anxiety

Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, affects a significant portion of the population. This anxiety can lead to nervousness, trembling, and forgetfulness during a presentation.

Lack of Confidence

Many presenters struggle with self-doubt, fearing that they may not be knowledgeable or skilled enough to engage their audience effectively.

Content Organization

Organizing information in a coherent and engaging manner can be challenging. Presenters often grapple with how to structure their content to make it easily digestible for the audience.

Audience Engagement

Keeping the audience’s attention and interest throughout the presentation can be difficult. Distractions, disengaged attendees, or lack of interaction can pose challenges.

Technical Issues

Technology glitches, such as malfunctioning equipment, incompatible file formats, or poor internet connectivity, can disrupt presentations and increase stress.

Time Management

Striking the right balance between providing enough information and staying within time limits is a common challenge. Going over or under the allotted time can affect the effectiveness of the presentation.

Handling Questions and Challenges

Responding to unexpected questions, criticism, or challenges from the audience can be difficult, especially when presenters are unprepared or lack confidence in their subject matter.

Visual Aids and Technology

Creating and effectively using visual aids like slides or multimedia can be a struggle for some presenters. Technical competence is essential in this aspect.

Language and Articulation

Poor language skills or unclear articulation can hinder effective communication. Presenters may worry about stumbling over words or failing to convey their message clearly.

Maintaining appropriate and confident body language can be challenging. Avoiding nervous habits, maintaining eye contact, and using gestures effectively requires practice.

Overcoming Impersonal Delivery

In virtual presentations, maintaining a personal connection with the audience can be difficult. The absence of face-to-face interaction can make it challenging to engage and read the audience.

Cultural and Diversity Awareness

Presenting to diverse audiences requires sensitivity to cultural differences and varying levels of familiarity with the topic.

In this section, we gathered some tips on how to improve presentation skills that can certainly make an impact if applied to your presentation skills. We believe these skills can be cultivated to transform into habits for your work routine.

Tip #1: Build a narrative

One memorable way to guarantee presentation success is by writing a story of all the points you desire to cover. This statement is based on the logic behind storytelling and its power to connect with people .

Don’t waste time memorizing slides or reading your presentation to the audience. It feels unnatural, and any question that diverts from the topic in discussion certainly puts you in jeopardy or, worse, exposes you as a fraud in the eyes of the audience. And before you ask, it is really evident when a presenter has a memorized speech. 

Build and rehearse the presentation as if telling a story to a group of interested people. Lower the language barrier by avoiding complex terms that maybe even you aren’t fully aware of their meaning. Consider the ramifications of that story, what it could lead to, and which are the opportunities to explore. Then, visualize yourself giving the presentation in a natural way.

Applying this technique makes the presentation feel like second nature to you. It broadens the spectrum in which you can show expertise over a topic or even build the basis for new interesting points of view about the project.

Tip #2: Don’t talk for more than 3 minutes per slide

It is a common practice of presenters to bombard the audience with facts and information whilst retaining the same slide on the screen. Why can this happen? It could be because the presenter condensed the talk into very few slides and preferred to talk. The reality is that your spectators won’t retain the information you are giving unless you give visual cues to help that process. 

Opt to prepare more slides and pace your speech to match the topics shown on each slide. Don’t spend more than 3 minutes per slide unless you have to introduce a complex piece of data. Use visual cues to direct the spectators about what you talk about, and summarize the principal concepts discussed at the end of each section.

Tip #3: Practice meditation daily

Anxiety is the number one enemy of professional presenters. It slowly builds without you being aware of your doubts and can hinder your performance in multiple ways: making you feel paralyzed, fidgeting, making you forget language skills or concepts, affecting your health, etc.

Meditation is an ancient practice taken from Buddhist teachings that train your mind to be here in the present. We often see the concepts of meditation and mindfulness as synonyms, whereas you should be aware that meditation is a practice that sets the blocks to reach a state of mindfulness. For presenters, being in the here and now is essential to retain focus, but meditation techniques also teach us to control our breathing and be in touch with our body signals when stress builds up. 

The customary practice of meditation has an impact on imagination and creativity but also helps to build patience – a skill much needed for connecting with your audience in instructional presentations.

Having the proper set of presentation skills can be quite subjective. It goes beyond presentation tips and deepens into how flexible we can be in our ability to communicate ideas.

Different presentations and different audiences shape the outcome of our efforts. Therefore, having a basic understanding of how to connect, raise awareness, and empathize with people can be key ingredients for your career as a presenter. A word of advice: success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes dedication and patience to build communication skills . Don’t condition your work to believe you will be ready “someday”; it’s best to practice and experience failure as part of the learning process.

developing your presentation skills

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9 Tips for Improving Your Presentation Skills For Your Next Meeting

By Hannah Tow , Feb 03, 2020

Improve Presentation Skills Blog Header

Presenting to an audience is one thing, but presenting ideas in a persuasive manner to the key stakeholders of your business is a whole other ball game.

The fact of the matter is that successfully presenting to a room full of people is a skill that’s mastered by very few. It takes practice, practice, and even more practice to start feeling comfortable with everyone’s eyes focused on you so you can effectively get your point across. 

The reality of presenting is that you can’t escape it. Especially as you start to move up in your career. If you’re yearning to improve, this article will walk you through the top nine tips to use to enhance your presentation skills for your next big meeting as well as throughout your life. Let’s get started.

Improve Presentation Skills List Infographic Venngage

9 top tips for improving your presentation skills:

  • Practice speaking in front of others
  • Use less text and more visuals in your presentation
  • Leverage your personality
  • Welcome questions and comments during
  • Be passionate and engaging
  • Maintain eye contact with your audience
  • Obsess over your listeners
  • Focus on confident body language
  • Keep it as short as possible

Constantly practicing, refining and improving upon your presentation skills will not only make you a more confident individual, but you will find that you rise quicker to success in your career. However, having great presentation skills does not just affect your work-life. Great presentation skills are truly life skills that you should integrate into more areas than just the conference room.

1. Practice speaking in front of others 

Presentation Skills Tip 1

Practice always makes perfect. 

It doesn’t matter how well you know what you’re talking about, the moment you have to persuade, engage, or teach in front of an audience, you will probably stumble a bit. This is a natural reaction that affects pretty much everyone when all eyes are pointed in one direction and the anxiety sets in. 

It’s important to remember that the overwhelming feeling of stress you probably feel is the result of your unfamiliarity with the situation, not from your lack of preparedness. The more comfortable you are with taking the stage and having everyone’s attention on you, the less nervous you’ll get. 

The greater confidence you have in your presentation skills will allow you to focus on what actually matters–which is the material that you’re presenting. 

The best way to implement this practice is by starting off small. Prepare a presentation to give to your friends, family, or closest co-workers. This sounds easy, but you will learn that it’s not necessarily who is listening to you that causes nerves, but it’s the fact that all of the attention is on you. 

You’ll become more comfortable with the attention when you begin practicing in front of others more often, which will allow you to effectively present your ideas next time it’s your turn to speak in the conference room.

RELATED: Learn the top ten public speaking tips to better prepare you for your practice sessions. 

2. Use less text and more visuals in your presentation

Presentation Skills Tip 2

We’ve all been there before: sitting at the conference table trying our very best to stay interested and engaged with the presentation before us. The presentation lacks color, images, and all sense of creativity while containing an over-abundance of text and long-form paragraphs. 

These types of presentations are horrible for two reasons: 

The first reason being that the minute you have words on the screen, your audience will direct their attention away from you to begin reading and completely tune you out. 

The second reason is if your presentation skills are poor, not only will your presentation be dull to listen to, but it will be unbelievably boring to look at as well. You’ll quickly find out how easy it is to lose most of the room’s attention when you create a lackluster presentation. 

If you feel lost attempting to design your slides into an exciting work of art, try using creative presentation templates . PowerPoint templates make it simple to produce something beautiful, and they can also make you feel like an accomplished designer after seeing the outcome, such as this business presentation example . 

Business Pitch Deck Template

In addition to nicely designed slides, you should always try to use infographics and charts to help you better summarize the complex information you’re relaying to your audience. It will be much easier for your listeners to understand what you’re explaining when they have something to visualize it with. Plus, there are plenty of resources out there to help you craft these visuals.

Learn how to make an infographic in five easy steps or produce an impressive graph .

If you feel worried that your presentation doesn’t hold enough content, you must remember the main reason for visual aids: 

They are to enhance what you’re speaking about, not lead it! 

If you’ve done enough practicing, you should feel confident in your presentation skills to thoroughly explain your main ideas and you won’t need to rely on the screen anyhow.

TIP: If you’re looking for even more ways to engage your audience with your visuals, check out 120+ presentation ideas that are sure to wow and delight! 

3. Leverage your personality

Presentation Skills Tip 3

As cliche as it sounds, you should always be true to who you are, especially if when you’re presenting. 

It’s incredibly easy to tell if someone is faking it for the sake of their audience, so you should never pretend to act in a way that you don’t typically do. Not only will you feel unnatural and uncomfortable doing it, but you can also risk embarrassment when you try to tell a forced joke and no one laughs or your new-found trait of sarcasm doesn’t sit well with your boss. 

It should bring you comfort knowing that most everyone in your meeting knows who you are. Use this to your advantage and start the presentation by playing up your best personality traits. Use your humor if you’re known to crack jokes or throw in your typical mannerisms.

Funny Slide Template

These little additions will make your presentation feel much more relaxed for everyone involved. In addition to your own unique quirks, you should also bring a level of personability to your meeting.

Be empathetic, smile more, and look around the room.  Doing so will improve your presentation skills, make you more likable, and allow your audience to be more receptive to you. 

In many cases, you may be presenting virtually, rather than in person. You can still allow your personality to shine through and energize your virtual presentation. Lisa Schneider, Chief Growth Officer at Merriam-Webster, wrote for Venngage on how to adapt an in-person presentation into a virtual presentation . Check it out.

4. Welcome questions and comments during your presentation

Presentation Skills Tip 4

Be flexible throughout your presentation. Answer questions and respond to any comments your audience may have either through hand raising or an audience response tool . Don’t worry if it veers you off your script. Chances are if one person has a question or comment, the others in the room are thinking it too. 

Use this as an opportunity to prove how well you understand the material you’re presenting–your audience will take notice.

Also, take some time out at the start or your presentation to ask your audience some icebreaker questions and slowly transition into the more important stuff. 

Taking this minute to talk through anything that your audience is thinking of is a good thing because it means they are engaged with you and really paying attention to the words coming out of your mouth. Doing so will also relax the format of your presentation, allowing you to feel more confident and relaxed as well.

5. Be passionate and engaging 

Presentation Skills Tip 5

When creating your presentation, craft it in such a way that makes your audience curious and makes them have questions for you. A persuasive presentation is the best way to get the positive reactions you are looking for, so be as passionate as you can be about your subject matter to seal the deal. 

Remember that questions and comments during your presentation are a good thing, especially if you’re the one prompting them! 

The more excited you are to present your ideas and show off your expertise, the more excited and engaged your audience will be. Own your subject matter and know what you’re talking about, it’s one of the most important presentation skills to have.

6. Maintain eye contact with your audience

Presentation Skills Tip 6

This is a very obvious tip that will go a long way with your audience. 

When the people you’re speaking to feel like you’re taking notice of them, they are much more likely to take notice of you and pay better attention to everything that you’re saying. 

It’s important to remember that losing eye contact and looking everywhere but at the people that you’re presenting to is a common nervous behavior. Pay extra close attention to whether or not you’re guilty of that, and work to ensure you have your eyes on at least one person.

7. Obsess over your listeners 

Presentation Skills Tip 7

Be receptive to your listeners. You can’t forget that what you’re presenting is for the audience, and it has nothing to do about you! 

Focus on the value you can provide to the people in the room. The more serving you are to them, the greater chance you have at driving your point home and nailing your presentation. 

It’s also important not to forget about those listening to you remotely over video conferencing . Make sure they know you’re aware of them and engage them as well! 

8. Focus on confident body language 

Presentation Skills Tip 8

Smiling, hand gestures, eye contact, and a powerful stance all exude confidence. 

If you don’t have strong body language and are showing physical signs of nervousness (ie. tapping, bouncing, shaking, darting eyes, and more) your audience will have a hard time focusing on the material you’re presenting and hone in on the fact that you’re nervous and probably don’t know what you’re talking about as much as you say you do.

No matter how nervous you are, take a deep breath and pretend otherwise. You might actually start to believe it!

9. Keep it as short as possible

Presentation Skills Tip 9

Every single person’s time is valuable ( especially at work), so don’t waste precious meeting time. If you can say everything you need to in half of the time that is allotted, you should do so. 

Ensure that you’re only sharing the most important information. All of the extra fluff will bore your audience and you will lose their attention very quickly.

It’s a great idea to wrap up your presentation with key takeaways and action items. Doing so will ensure that no matter how quickly your meeting ended, your team understands their next steps. You can send out a quick, summarizing slide deck or an easy to read one-pager for their reference later. These visuals will make sure all of your bases are covered and that everyone is on the same page upon leaving the meeting.

A good presentation makes all the difference. Check out the top qualities of awesome presentations and learn all about how to make a good presentation to help you nail that captivating delivery.

  

Never stop refining your presentation skills 

Possessing great presentation skills doesn’t come naturally to most people–it’s something that’s learned and practiced over time. As with most things in life, you must continuously work on refining your skills to get better and better. 

Use these nine proven presentation tips that we covered in this article to improve your presentation skills and ace different presentation styles . By doing so, you will find that presenting at your key meetings becomes easier and easier and you’ll begin to nail it every single time.

More presentation guides:

How to Make a Persuasive Presentation

120+ Best Presentation Ideas, Design Tips & Examples

33 Presentation Templates and Design Tips to Hold Your Audience’s Attention

Presentation Design Guide: How to Summarize Information for Presentations

Ideas and insights from Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning

Learning and development professionals walking and talking

Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

developing your presentation skills

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

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SkillsYouNeed

  • PRESENTATION SKILLS

Search SkillsYouNeed:

Presentation Skills:

  • A - Z List of Presentation Skills
  • Top Tips for Effective Presentations
  • General Presentation Skills
  • What is a Presentation?
  • Preparing for a Presentation
  • Organising the Material
  • Writing Your Presentation
  • Deciding the Presentation Method
  • Managing your Presentation Notes
  • Working with Visual Aids
  • Presenting Data
  • Managing the Event
  • Coping with Presentation Nerves
  • Dealing with Questions
  • How to Build Presentations Like a Consultant
  • Self-Presentation in Presentations
  • Specific Presentation Events
  • Remote Meetings and Presentations
  • Giving a Speech
  • Presentations in Interviews
  • Presenting to Large Groups and Conferences
  • Giving Lectures and Seminars
  • Managing a Press Conference
  • Attending Public Consultation Meetings
  • Managing a Public Consultation Meeting
  • Crisis Communications
  • Elsewhere on Skills You Need:
  • Communication Skills
  • Facilitation Skills
  • Teams, Groups and Meetings
  • Effective Speaking
  • Question Types

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Presentation Skills

Presenting information clearly and effectively is a key skill in getting your message across. Today, presentation skills are required in almost every field, and most of us are required to give presentations on occasions. While some people take this in their stride, others find it much more challenging.

It is, however, possible to improve your presentation skills with a bit of work. This section of SkillsYouNeed is designed to help.

Many people feel terrified when asked to talk in public, especially to bigger groups. However, these fears can be reduced by good preparation, which will also lay the groundwork for making an effective presentation.

There are Different Types of Presentations, but They’re All Presentations

There are any number of occasions when you may be asked to speak in public or to a group of people. They include:

  • Presenting or making a speech at a conference or event.
  • Objecting to a planning proposal at a council meeting.
  • Making a speech at a wedding.
  • Proposing a vote of thanks to someone at a club or society.
  • On behalf of a team, saying goodbye and presenting a gift to a colleague who is leaving.
  • Seeking investment or a loan to help you set up a new business.

These can all be considered presentations.

They do not, however, all require the same approach. You would not, for example, use PowerPoint to thank a colleague who was leaving. It would be unusual (though it has been done) to use it in a speech at a wedding. However, a conference audience would be somewhat surprised NOT to see slides projected onto a screen.

It follows, therefore, that there is no single set of rules that apply to all presentations. There are, however, some things that every presentation opportunity has in common. These include:

You will present better if you have prepared effectively . This does NOT necessarily mean that you have written out your speech verbatim and rehearsed it until you know it off by heart—although that might work for some people. It does, however, mean that you have to be confident that you are saying the right thing, in the right way, to the right people.

You need to be clear about your audience and your message . Every presentation will be better if you have clearly considered the message that you want or need to convey, and how best to convey it to your audience. These two pieces of information drive your style, structure, content, and use of visual aids.

You must never overrun your allocated time .  In other words, don’t outstay your welcome. Almost every speech or presentation is better if it is shorter. Nobody minds going for coffee early or finishing before they expected to do so. Everybody minds being held up.

Generally speaking, your audience starts on your side. As a rule, your audience is there (more or less) voluntarily. They have chosen to listen to you, and they want to enjoy your presentation. The occasion is yours to lose.

An Important Point

There is one very important point to remember: if what you’re doing or saying is not working, do something else.

One of the worst feelings as a presenter is that you have lost your audience. You know that’s happened, but you continue to stumble through your remaining PowerPoint slides for the next 15 minutes, as your audience checks their phones and wishes it was coffee time. You think you have no choice, but that’s not actually true.

When you present, you are in charge of the room . The audience has effectively handed you control and is sitting back waiting for you to do something. You may have prepared a specific talk, but if you see that isn’t working, you can always change it. You are, after all, the expert.

You can, for example:

  • Skip through some slides to a section that they may find more interesting;
  • Ask your audience whether there is particular information that they were expecting that you are not providing;
  • Suggest that everyone looks a bit sleepy, and maybe it would be better to start questions early, or have a discussion; or
  • Ask the audience at the start of the presentation what they are expecting and what they want you to cover. That way, you can tailor the presentation to fit their expectations.

Just as when you are facilitating, you want to help your audience get the most out of your presentation. The best way to do that is to accept feedback—which may include smiles, nods of interest, or people getting their phones out.

Quick Guide to Effective Presentations

If you need to improve your presentation skills quickly, then a really good place to start is with our Top Tips for Effective Presentations .

This will give you some ‘quick wins’ that will help you improve your presentations. If you’re already an experienced presenter, this page should be a useful refresher, or even take your skills from good to great.

Our tips include general ideas about connecting with your audience, information about the importance of voice and body language, and detailed tips about preparing slide-shows.

The most important tip of all, however, is to remember that it's all about your audience.

Keep that in mind, and your presentation skills will almost instantly improve.

If you have more time to develop your presentation skills…

…then the Presentation Skills section of SkillsYouNeed is designed to help.

Our Presentation Skills section is split into two parts.

  • The first gives you a step-by-step guide to putting together and delivering a professional and effective presentation .
  • The second provides more detailed information about presenting and communicating in particular circumstances .

You can either use our step-by-step guide to walk you through the presentation preparation and delivery process, or you can focus on particular areas that are an issue for you.

Preparing for Your Presentation

The guide starts by explaining What is a Presentation?

We define a presentation as a means of communication that can be adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team. Effective presentations usually require careful thought and preparation—although this preparation need not take very long.

Preparation is the most important part of making a successful presentation.  Our page on Preparing For A Presentation explains what information you need before you can really start to plan your presentation and decide what you are going to say. The most important aspects include the objective of the presentation, the subject, and the audience.

Irrespective of whether the occasion is formal or informal, you should always aim to give a clear, well-structured delivery. To do so, you need to organise your presentation material . You can either do this in your head, or use a technique like mind-mapping to help you identify links and good flow.

By the time you come to write your presentation , you should know exactly what you want to say and the order in which you want to say it. You may want to use one of the standard presentation structures, such as ‘What, Why, How?’. You will also find it helpful to consider how to tell your story most effectively, and to use stories in your presentation to illustrate points. There is more about this in our page on writing your presentation .

You also need to decide on your presentation method . Presentations range from the formal to the informal. Your choice of presentation method will depend on many factors, including the audience, the venue, the facilities, and your own preferences.

Visual aids can add another dimension to your presentation, helping to hold your audience’s attention, and also act as a reminder of what you wanted to say. However, they need handling with care. Only use visual aids if they are necessary to maintain interest and assist comprehension . If visual aids are not used well, they can ruin a presentation.

See Working with Visual Aids to avoid falling into the trap of the dreaded ‘ Death by PowerPoint’ .

A particular case of visual aids is the use of data in a presentation.

There are times when using data in a presentation can really help you to tell the story better. It is, however, important not to blind your audience with statistics. You also need to remember that many people find numbers difficult to understand. Our page on Presenting Data gives some hints and tips about using data effectively in a presentation situation.

On the Day of the Presentation

There are a number of aspects to delivering your presentation on the day.

The practicalities of how you manage your presentation can make a significant difference to its success, and to your nerves! For example, turning up early means that you have will have a chance to see the room, and ensure that you can operate all the necessary equipment. There is more about how to cope, including managing sound systems, audio-visual equipment and lecterns in our page on Managing the Presentation Event .

Many people also feel very nervous before and during a presentation. This is entirely normal, and can even be helpful if you can channel it in the right way. There are some tried and tested strategies and techniques to manage your nerves so that you can concentrate on delivering an effective and engaging presentation.

See Coping with Presentation Nerves for some ideas that will help.

How you present yourself can also affect how your audience responds to your presentation.

You need to fit with your audience's expectations if they are not going to spend quite a large chunk of your presentation dealing with the differences between expectations and reality.

For more about aspects of self-presentation, see our page on Self-Presentation in Presentations .

You also need to consider how to manage your presentation notes .

Few people are able to give a presentation without notes. You will need to know your own abilities and decide how best to make the presentation. You might manage your talk by using full text, notes on cue cards, keywords on cue cards, or mind maps. There is more about this in our page on Managing your Presentation Notes .

After the presentation, you may be faced with a question-and-answer session. For many people, this is the worst part of the event.

Decide in advance how and when you wish to handle questions. Some speakers prefer questions to be raised as they arise during the presentation whilst others prefer to deal with questions at the end. At the start of your presentation, you should make clear your preferences to the audience. See our page on Dealing with Questions for more ideas about how to make the question session pleasant and productive, rather than something to dread.

Presenting Under Particular Circumstances

You may find that you need to give a presentation under certain circumstances, where your previous experience is less helpful.

Circumstances that may be new to you include:

  • Giving a Speech , for example, at a wedding.

One particular special case is attending public consultation meetings.

Our pages on Attending Public Consultation Meetings , and Managing Public Consultation Meetings provide information to help whether you are a concerned member of the public, or responsible for organising a public meeting.

You may also find yourself required to organise or manage a press conference.

Although this may not strictly be what you would describe as a ‘presentation’, it is nonetheless an event at which you are required to present your organisation in a particular light.

Our page on Managing a Press Conference gives some ideas about how best to do that.

Finally, should you be unlucky enough to be involved in a serious crisis or disaster that affects your organisation, our page on Crisis Communications gives some ideas about how to manage press and public relations on these occasions.

Start with: What is a Presentation? Top Tips for Effective Presentations

See also: Personal Appearance Interpersonal Communication Skills

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  • Skills Development

Important Presentation Skills for Workplace Success

developing your presentation skills

  • What Are Presentation Skills?

Steps To Create a Presentation

Skills that help make an effective presentation, how to make your skills stand out.

xavierarnau / Getty Images

Whether you’re a high-level executive or an administrative assistant, developing your presentation skills is one key way to climb in an office-based job. Leaders make decisions based on information shared in presentation format, and hardly any business changes its mind without first seeing a persuasive presentation.

It is important for any office employee to know what steps go into creating an effective presentation and what presentation skills are most important to employers. Highlighting these skills will also help you stand out during your job search.

Key Takeaways

  • Presentation skills are what you need to know to be able to give an engaging, effective presentation.
  • The steps to creating a successful presentation are preparation, delivery, and follow-up.
  • Employers want to know you have the necessary skills to research, analyze, and create a presentation, plus the communication skills needed to deliver it and field questions afterward.
  • You can highlight your skills to employers through your resume, cover letter, and interview.

What Are Presentation Skills? 

Presentation skills refer to all the qualities you need to create and deliver a clear and effective presentation. While what you say during a presentation matters, employers also value the ability to create supporting materials, such as slides.

Your prospective employer may want you to deliver briefings and reports to colleagues, conduct training sessions, present information to clients, or perform any number of other tasks that involve speaking before an audience.

Giving engaging and easy-to-understand talks is a major component of the strong  oral communication skills  that are a  job requirement  for many positions. Not all presentations take place in a formal meeting. Many presentation skills are relevant to one-on-one consults or sales calls.

Any presentation has three phases: preparation, delivery, and follow-up. All presentation skills fit into one of these three phases.

Preparation 

Preparation involves research and building the presentation. Consider the audience you'll be presenting to and what most interests them. This may mean crafting the entire text (or at least writing notes) and creating any slides and other supporting audio/visual materials.

You will also have to make sure that the appropriate venue is available, properly set up beforehand, and ensure the projector (if you'll need one) works and connects with your laptop.

You'll also want to practice your presentation as many times as you need to to feel comfortable delivering it with ease and confidence within the time allotted for the presentation.

Skills related to preparation include conducting research related to your presentation topic, devising charts and graphs depicting your research findings, and learning about your audience to better tailor your presentation to their needs. You'll also need to create digital slides, using statistics, examples, and stories to illustrate your points and effectively to persuade the audience.

Preparing handouts or digital references is an added courtesy that will help the audience pay attention because they won't be preoccupied with note-taking.

Your delivery is the part of the presentation that the audience sees. A good delivery depends on careful preparation and confident presentation and requires its own distinctive  skill set . 

Skills related to delivery include giving an attention-grabbing opening for a talk, providing a summary of what will be covered to introduce the presentation and provide context, and using  body language  and eye contact to convey energy and confidence.

Make sure you pause to emphasize key points, modulate your vocal tone for emphasis, and articulate your speech clearly and smoothly.

Don't be afraid of injecting humor or speaking with enthusiasm and animation—these techniques can help you in projecting confidence to your audience.

Summarize key points at the conclusion of the presentation, and be sure to have a plan for how you'll field any audience questions.

Presentation follow-up includes properly breaking down and storing any equipment, contacting any audience members with whom you agreed to communicate further, and soliciting, collecting, and analyzing feedback.

In some presentations, you may collect information from audience members—such as names and contact information or completed surveys—that you also must organize and store.

Skills related to follow-up include creating an evaluation form to solicit feedback from attendees, interpreting feedback from evaluations, and modifying the content and/or delivery for future presentations. Other follow-up skills include organizing a database of attendees for future presentations, interviewing key attendees to gain additional feedback, and emailing presentation slides to attendees.

To create and deliver the most effective presentation takes a variety of skills, which you can always work to improve.

You must be able to look honestly at your performance, assess the feedback you get, and figure out what you need to do to get better. That takes  analytical thinking .

More importantly, you need to have a firm grasp of the information you are about to communicate to others. You need to analyze your audience and be prepared to think quickly if asked questions that force you to demonstrate that you are fully aware of the material and its implications.

The kind of analytical skills you need to be an effective presenter include problem sensitivity, problem-solving , reporting and surveying, optimization, and predictive modeling. It also helps to be adept at strategic planning, integration, process management, and diagnostics. With these skills, you'll be better able to objectively analyze, evaluate, and act on your findings.

Organization

You do not want to be the person who spends half of their presentation time trying to find a cable to connect their laptop to the projector. Many things can and do go wrong just before a presentation unless you are  organized .

Presentation preparation also means keeping track of notes, information, and start/stop times. You will want to proofread and fine-tune all the materials you plan to use for the presentation to catch any mistakes. Make sure you time yourself when you rehearse so you know how long it will take to deliver the presentation.

A presentation that's finished in half the time allotted is as problematic as one that's too long-winded.

Some key organizational skills to work on include event planning, auditing, benchmarking, prioritization, and recordkeeping. Make sure your scheduling is on point and pay close attention to detail. Quick thinking is an important skill to have for when things inevitably go wrong.

Nonverbal Communication

When speaking to an audience, the way you present yourself can be just as important as how you present your information. You want to appear confident and engaging. You can do this through good posture, the use of hand gestures, and making eye contact with the audience.

Practice your  nonverbal communication  by filming yourself doing a practice presentation and observing your body language carefully. Your physical bearing and poise should convey a degree of comfort and confidence in front of an audience, while active listening , respect, and emotional intelligence will help you in facilitating group discussions.

Presentation Software

Microsoft PowerPoint is the dominant software used to create visual aids for presentations. Learn to use it well, including the special features outside of basic templates that can really bring a presentation to life. Even if someone else is preparing your slideshow for you, it will help to know how to use the software in case of last-minute changes.

Other software that is good to learn includes Microsoft Office, Apple Keynote, Google Slides, and Adobe Presenter.

Public Speaking

You need to appear comfortable and engaging when speaking before a live audience, even if you're not. This can take years of practice, and sometimes  public speaking  just isn't for certain people. An uncomfortable presenter is a challenge for everyone. Fortunately, public speaking skills can improve with practice . Some skills to work on include articulation, engagement, and memorization. You should be able to assess the needs of the audience and handle difficult questions. Controlling your performance anxiety will help you communicate more effectively.

Research is the first step in preparing most presentations and could range from a multi-year process to spending 20 minutes online, depending on context and subject matter. At the very least, you must be able to clearly frame research questions, identify appropriate information sources, and organize your results. Other useful skills include brainstorming, collaboration , comparative analysis, data interpretation, and deductive and inductive reasoning. Business intelligence is a skill that will help you evaluate what information you need to support the bottom line, while case analysis and causal relationships will help you parse and evaluate meaning.

Verbal Communication

Public speaking is one form of  verbal communication , but you will need other forms to give a good presentation. Specifically, you must know how to answer questions. You should be able to understand questions asked by your audience (even if they're strange or poorly worded) and provide respectful, honest, and accurate answers without getting off-topic. Use active listening, focus, and empathy to understand your audience. Skills such as assertiveness, affirmation, and enunciation will help you restate and clarify your key points as it relates to their questions or concerns.

You may or may not need a written script, but you do need to pre-plan what you are going to say, in what order you will say it, and at what level of detail. If you can write a cohesive essay, you can plan a presentation.

Typical writing skills apply to your presentation just as they do to other forms of writing, including grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and proofreading. The ability to build outlines, take notes, and mark up documents will also be useful.

More Presentation Skills

In addition to the skills previously mentioned, there are other important skills that can apply to your presentation. The other skills you need will depend on what your presentation is about, your audience, and your intended results. Some of these additional skills include:

  • Summarizing
  • Providing anecdotes to illustrate a point
  • Designing handouts
  • Recognizing and countering objections
  • Posing probing questions to elicit more detail about specific issues
  • Awareness of ethnic, political, and religious diversity
  • Receiving criticism without defensiveness
  • Refraining from speaking too often or interrupting others
  • Anticipating the concerns of others
  • Product knowledge
  • SWOT analysis format
  • Supporting statements with evidence
  • Multilingual
  • Working with reviewers
  • Consistency
  • Developing and maintaining standard operating procedures (SOPs)
  • Developing a proposition statement
  • Creating and managing expectations

Include skills on your resume. If applicable, you might mention these words in your  resume summary  or  headline .

Highlight skills in your cover letter. Mention one or two specific presentation skills and give examples of instances when you demonstrated these traits in the workplace.

Show your presentation skills in job interviews. During the interview process, you may be asked to give a sample presentation. In this case, you will want to embody these skills during the presentation. For example, you will want to demonstrate your oral communication skills by speaking clearly and concisely throughout the presentation.

PennState. " Steps in Preparing a Presentation ."

Harvard Division of Continuing Education. " 10 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills ."

Northern Illinois University. " Delivering the Presentation ."

SkillPacks

Effective presentation skills: 7 tips to boost your confidence

effective presentation skills

Presentations are a great opportunity. They’re an opportunity to move your work forward and to build your reputation. But only if you have effective presentation skills.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

When you’re developing your presentation, take a look at our presentation structure . You might also like to build a presentation hook into your opening.

And if you’re nervous before a presentation, take a look at our practical tips to calm your nerves before a presentation .

Right, now we’re ready.

Effective presentation skills

There are 7 presentation delivery skills that you need to work on and continue to improve (more on that later).

1. Stand with a strong core

Effective presentation skills start with posture. And the good news is, this is simple.

Feet flat on the ground, space between them, your weight equally distributed. This will give you a strong core.

Hands by your sides or cupped lightly together in front of you.  Don’t intertwine your fingers, don’t wring your hands.

Practice these aspects of posture: feet flat and weight equally distributed, strong central core, hands by your sides or cupped lightly in front of you.

Great! You have your natural resting place. Your launch pad.

And if you’re sitting, same principles. Feet flat on floor, strong central core, hands in an easy resting place (for example on the arms of your chair).

2. Be willing to pause

Do you want to make an impact? Be willing to pause.

Make an important point and pause. Let the audience take in what you’ve said.

A few important points to note:

  • Pauses always seem much longer to you (the presenter!) than the audience. You’re going to need to practice!
  • Hold the audience in the pause (look around the room with confidence)
  • Don’t restart with a ‘filler’ word (such as ‘so’ or ‘ok’). Start back with another bold statement.

Take a look at the video below to understand these points in more detail.

3. Make eye contact, one idea at a time

The eyes are the windows of the soul

Too much eye contact and you’ll appear creepy. Too little eye contact and it will look like you lack confidence.

What is ‘good’ eye contact? Again, it’s simple.

Share an idea with someone, then move on.

Because we connect with people not just by making eye contact, but also by sharing an idea with the person.

Each line below is eye contact with one person:

it’s great to be here,

today I’ll be covering 3 topics:

presentation structure,

effective presentation skills,

and how to answer questions effectively .

You’ve already connected with 6 people in the audience. You’ve made that connection because you’ve looked them in the eye and shared an idea, a point, with them.

4. Modulate your voice

This is a big one. Of all 7 effective presentation skills, this usually takes people the most work to master, because there are several elements. (We’ve already covered pause because it’s so important!)

The key principle around vocal variety is modulation .

Modulation of pace, volume and emphasis.

A monotonous voice, at the same volume, with the same pace, with no emphasis… zzzz zzzz zzzz… it puts everyone to sleep.

Practice modulating each aspect. And that doesn’t always mean talking more loudly. Sometimes the best way to engage people is to drop the volume a little, so that people lean in to hear what you’re saying.

5. Use clear, purposeful gestures

Gesture with purpose. Use gestures to:

Each gesture should be clean and clear, and then return to you natural resting place (see Posture, above).

Gestures that emphasize are quick and sharp. A fist into the palm of the hand, a chopping motion. Make sure you’re comfortable with it, something that’s natural to your style.

Gestures that visualize take the spoken words and bring them to life visually. Simply examples: holding up 3 fingers when you mention the number 3. Or raising your hand upwards as you talk about increased profits.

Gestures that engage are an embrace of the audience, for example, outstretched arms as you say welcome.

Gestures have many cultural nuances to them, Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands is a useful reference.

6. Use movement to engage

Movement around the room is very useful, if you’re in a face-to-face environment. Again, key principle, move with purpose. Take a few steps forward when you want to emphasize a point. Move towards a key decision-maker to engage them.

Don’t sway, and don’t move pointlessly from side to side. Again, a strong posture will help you overcome these problems naturally.

7. And smile!

The last in our list of effective presentation skills, remember to smile!

How often do you see people start a presentation with “I’m really excited to be here” and they have the most dull expression on their face and the most monotonous voice.

Put a little energy in your voice, put a smile on you face, and say it with meaning.

Or, if you can’t do that authentically, say something else. “This is a really important meeting and I’m looking forward to discussing the issues with you” .

Effective presentation skills, an example

This is a long video, you only need to watch the first few minutes.

The first minute is a young Barak Obama, giving a presentation. It’s not so good! Keep the 7 effective presentation skills in mind and evaluate his presentation.

After this first minute the video cuts to a much older Barack Obama, towards the end of his presidency. He’s speaking in Canada and does a far better presentation!

Did he use any different presentation skills, other than the 7 covered above? No, he did not. He simply made great use of the 7 skills that I’ve covered.

How to develop your presentation skills

Practice and ask for feedback .

If you can, record yourself giving the presentation. Then review yourself against the 7 effective presentation skills covered above.

If you’re delivering the presentation virtually, then join ‘meeting’ in advance. Record your presentation, look for opportunities to improve, practice, record, improve.

Presentation skills, in summary

Effective presentation skills are quite easy to master. When I run presentation skills training the participants always walk out the door better presenters, after just 1 day.

Focus on one skill at a time:

  • Stand with a strong core
  • Be willing to pause
  • Make eye contact, one idea at a time
  • Modulate your voice
  • Use clear, purposeful gestures
  • Use movement to engage

Apply the guidance above, practice and get feedback. That’s all it takes!

Colin Bates

Colin Bates

I'm at my best when helping people to learn, grow and succeed. This might be facilitating a training program, coaching a colleague, or sharing advice with my kids. I'm also an introvert by nature, and love to read, reflect and write. Hence this blog!

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Expert Interviews

The Art of Public Speaking

With Professor Steve Lucas

Presenting With Confidence

With Cordelia Ditton

Great Presentations

Managing presentation nerves.

How to Calm Your Stage Fright

Infographic

10 Common Presentation Mistakes Infographic

Infographic Transcript

Even Better Presentations

Creating effective presentation visuals.

Connecting People With Your Message

Giving Presentations on a Web Conferencing Platform

Self-Assessment

How Good Are Your Presentation Skills?

Understanding Your Impact

Visual Aids Checklist

Ensure That the Visual Aids You Choose to Use in Your Presentations Are Fit for Purpose

How to Structure a Presentation

Choosing the Best Format for Your Audience

The Presentation Planning Checklist

Better public speaking.

Becoming a Confident, Compelling Speaker

Crafting an Elevator Pitch

Introducing Your Company Quickly and Compellingly

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Taking Questions After a Presentation

A Process for Answering the Audience

Could You Say a Few Words?

A Four-Step Strategy for Impromptu Speaking

Effective Presentations

Learn How to Present Like a Pro

Speaking to an Audience

Communicate Complex Ideas Successfully

5 Funky Presentation Techniques Infographic

10 common presentation mistakes.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Your Presentations

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Presentation Training: How to Develop Your Presentation Skills

When you're tasked with giving a presentation, it's easy to focus solely on the information you'll be sharing with the audience. The reality is, though, that your presentation skills are just as crucial as the content of your presentation.

There are many different elements that go into a successful presentation– everything from impactful slides and speaking with conviction to making eye contact and varying your tone of voice can help make or break the event.

Presenting information to a crowd can be nerve-wracking, but you can work to develop your presentation skills with practice and diligence over time. Let's look at the different phases of any presentation, essential skills, and tips on how to improve these skills!

Table of Contents

The phases of a presentation, 1. preparation, 2. delivery, 3. follow-up, skills to develop for giving presentations, organization, analytical skills, public speaking, nonverbal communication, verbal communication, tips for developing your presentation skills, focus on the audience, look to role models, be honest about what needs improvement, practice, practice, practice, be open to constructive criticism, work on staying grounded in your body, videotape yourself, learn stress management skills, give it space, understand your communication style to improve your presentation skills.

Whether you're giving a short presentation to a small group of colleagues or a major one to hundreds of heavy hitters in your industry, there are three distinct phases to any presentation: preparation, delivery, and follow-up.

Small Group Presentation

In each of these steps, there are opportunities to hone your skills and set yourself up to give the best presentation of your career thus far.

Before you stand up in front of a crowd or sign on to give a virtual presentation, you'll need to prepare. During this part of the process, consider the audience you'll be speaking to and what information you can offer that will be the most useful and interesting to them.

You might write out everything you expect to say or note brief bullet points to structure what you plan on talking about. During the preparation phase, you'll also create any slides you want to share and gather supporting materials.

Preparing For a Presentation

This is also the time when you'll want to practice giving your presentation. You can do this alone in front of a mirror, in front of friends or family members, or while videotaping yourself.

The delivery phase begins when the preparation stage is complete and the time has come to stand in front of an audience (in-person or digitally). This is the part that the audience is witness to.

Delivering a Presentation

A complex network of skills is involved with being a great presenter, many of which are showcased during delivery. Ideally, you'll be able to summarize what will be covered as a part of the introduction, capture the audience's attention right from the start, and convey confidence and energy by using eye contact, body language, and other nonverbal skills.

When you're speaking, you'll want to use the power of vocal tone to emphasize certain tones and pause to give resonance to important points.

Once the delivery is over, your work isn't entirely done. Now it's time to follow up, which includes taking care of any physical equipment, communicating with audience members, and receiving and analyzing feedback.

This is another part of being a successful presenter that requires organizational skills. You might consider creating a form for the audience to fill out so you can learn what worked well and what didn't, which takes some planning ahead. You'll also need to analyze the feedback and determine what points should be incorporated into your efforts to develop presentation skills.

Email Follow Up

Depending on the circumstance, you also might feel it is appropriate to email presentation slides to your attendees, interview certain audience members for constructive criticism, and build a list of attendees to contact with information about future events.

Giving a presentation is an activity that incorporates numerous different diverse skill sets.

Giving a Presentation

You'll likely find that you are stronger in some areas than others, but the sky is always the limit when it comes to becoming a more effective and engaging speaker.

Without organizational skills, individuals will struggle to deliver concise and timely presentations. You want to ensure that your laptop and projector are connected and ready to go when the audience starts to sit down. You'll also need to organize the points you make in your presentation to ensure everyone fully understands your most important points.

Organizing a Presentation

Similarly, you'll also want to ensure that your presentation's information fits nicely within the allotted time. You might be concerned that you won't be able to fit all of the information you want to share into the amount of time designated for your speech, but it's equally as problematic for the presentation to only take up half of the time slot given to you.

To develop your presentation skills, you'll need to be analytical. This will help you look at your performance honestly and determine which feedback you receive is relevant to how you desire to improve.

Presenter Receiving Feedback

Additionally, you'll need to be quick on your feet when audience members ask questions– you'll need to analyze what they're saying and come up with the best way to respond in mere moments.

Public speaking skills involve engaging with an audience and appearing comfortable in front of a crowd, even if this isn't something that makes you feel particularly at ease. Some people struggle with public speaking more than others, and some individuals might find that it simply  isn't one of their strongest suits , no matter how much they work to develop their skills.

Practicing Public Speaking

Luckily, there is always the opportunity to improve your public speaking skills with practice. You'll want to be both attentive to the material that you are sharing as well as the audience and be able to respond quickly and appropriately to complex questions.

When preparing a presentation, it can be tempting to focus on the words you're planning on saying and the slides you expect to share. The truth is that how you carry yourself and present yourself can be equally important as what you're deliberately communicating with words and PowerPoint slides.

Presenter Using Hand Gestures

Some of the  nonverbal communication skills you can work to improve include making eye contact with the audience, using good posture, and incorporating hand gestures into your communication style.

To give a successful presentation, there are additional verbal communication skills you will want to master beyond public speaking. For example, practicing answering questions in a way that is accurate, honest, and respectful is crucial when interacting with an audience.

Presenter Answering Audience Question

Specific verbal communication skills helpful in this regard include affirmation, assertiveness, and enunciation so that you can respond to their question while driving home your key points.

When you're preparing your presentation, you're likely going to engage in some amount of research.

Engaging in Research

Whether you're preparing for a major, milestone speech, or a simple presentation in your team meeting, you'll want to be able to clearly identify the questions you are trying to answer, find accurate resources, and organize the information you find.

Writing a Speech

Even if you are only creating an outline for your presentation rather than writing out what you plan to say word for word, having a firm grasp of writing skills, including spelling, grammar, and proofreading, will be highly beneficial during the preparation process.

Presentation skills are ultimately a web of interrelated skills, some of which you might feel you are stronger in than others.

Presenting to a Team

Let's look at some general tips for building a strong foundation of skills for your next presentation to be built upon.

It's easy to be overly focused on ourselves when we give presentations, making us self-conscious and less able to deliver the content, no matter how prepared we are.

Presentation Audience Members

When speaking to a group, try focusing on the audience rather than yourself and remembering that they are there because they want to hear what you have to say.

If you feel like your presentation skills are lacking or want to improve upon your already well-developed skills, consider looking to people you feel are great speakers.

A Great Public Speaker

Think about times you have attended presentations and felt wholly engaged in what the person was saying– what were they doing that was working so well? What skills were they exhibiting that you could work to develop yourself?

One of the reasons people struggle to improve their presentation skills is that they have a hard time being honest or specific about what areas they need to work on.

Figuring Out Areas of Improvement

Though it can be anxiety-inducing to think about presentations in the past that haven't gone as well as planned, this is where you can find valuable information about how you can grow as a speaker.

What's the best way to develop any skill? Practice, practice, and more practice.

That being said, the best way to present information is to be heavily prepared without memorizing what you're going to say. It can be good to give yourself plenty of time to rehearse your presentation– consider starting to practice about a month ahead of time.

Practicing a Presentation

You can ask a family member to listen or talk to the mirror, but practicing out loud is essential. You might even think about joining the local toastmaster club or volunteering to speak at a local community event to have the opportunity to practice.

Even though it's good to practice a lot to improve your skills, you still don't want to memorize what you're planning on saying. When you recite something from memory, the presentation can come off as flat and mechanical. If you are well-prepared for your speech, you can let go and trust that you don't need to state your presentation word for word.

Practicing in front of people is one of the best ways to improve your presentation skills because they can give you constructive feedback.

Presenter Open to Constructive Criticism

Though it can be hard to hear what others say about your practice run, listening to what others say and considering whether they offer insight that could help you improve is crucial.

One of the hardest things to do in a presentation is to stay connected to your body. If you're too wrapped up in your head, you can come off as stiff or mechanical when giving your talk.

Employee Staying Grounded

You can engage in many exercises to stay grounded in your body when you're ready to give a presentation, including dance, tai chi, and yoga.

It can be hard to know exactly how we come off when giving a presentation, so you can gain valuable insight by videotaping yourself. When you rewatch the video, take an analytical view and write down each weak point you feel you can improve upon. Then, you can come up with a plan for how to attack each of those issues.

Presenter Recording Practice Presentation

Another way you can gain more self-awareness of how you appear to others when giving a presentation is by using one of the many  communication style assessment tools available. These tools will help you become a better public speaker and presenter and make you more confident and effective in your communication in the office and your personal life.

Giving a presentation can be stressful for anyone– even seasoned speakers.

Speaker Managing Stress

One of the best things you can do is learn to calm your nerves ahead of time, so you don't get overly nervous as you walk out in front of the group.

If you are working to develop your presentation skills for a specific event, it's important to back off in the days leading up to your speech.

An Employee Relaxing

Trust that you have done the work you need to do to prepare so that you can give yourself some time to relax ahead of time.

When developing your presentation skills, an important first step is understanding your communication style. By learning more about how you communicate with others, you can identify your strengths and trouble spots. This can help you focus on areas where you feel you need the most improvement while also honing your strongest assets as a presenter.

A Company Presentation

If you are interested in improving your presentation skills or helping your team of managers become better public speakers, the  Presentation Skills Profile and  What's My Communication Style are the perfect tools for the job. By helping individuals identify their dominant communication styles and understand where they stand when it comes to presentation skills, they can learn to communicate optimally by enhancing their existing skills and incorporating new tactics.

Do you have any questions about how you can develop your presentation skills? If so, feel free to drop a comment down below, and we'll be sure to reply within a day or two! We make it a point to reply to all your comments and questions, and we'll be happy to help you out however we can!

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How To Develop Effective Presentation Skills

Effective presentation skills banner

Presentations are an essential component of business communication . They are the means of pitching a service or product, revealing findings, or presenting an idea. Taking time to learn and apply the secrets of effective presentation skills gives you the best chance of raising the quality of your presentations to the exceptional. Learn how to become highly effective at writing professional business cases with our business writing courses as well.

This guide outlines the components of presentation skills and how you can learn to deliver messages superbly. From essential planning to developing content, to ending a presentation, here are a set of rules to ensure that you get significant advantage from your presentation skills set.

Number one tip

Confidence and control, effective presentation skills, logistics – how to prepare for a presentation, infographic - do’s & don’ts of presenting, number one tip.

Without doubt, the number one ingredient for a great presentation, is content. Without great content, you cannot produce a great presentation. Quite simply, content is king.

Content also gives you confidence to cope with presentation nerves. Consequently, content is where you need to start. Clarify your objectives and work out the material you need to achieve them.

So, here is what you need to do to deliver the best presentation possible.

presentation preparation

Clarify your objectives

You need to be clear about what you want to achieve. Do you want audience opinion on whether to proceed with something? Are you seeking approval to spend money? Are you seeking audience views? Whatever your objectives, they need to be crystal clear, and your presentation needs to be designed – step by step – to achieve them. 

Produce content

Divide your presentation into a beginning, a middle, and an end. The audience needs to be clear why they should listen to you from your very first sentence. Ensure that you make a strong start, and make it benefit related. People buy benefits whether of a service, product or an idea.

Slides should be used as signposts

Cluttered slides distract and get in the way of the message. Slides should be signposts and nothing more. They are not for information – that is your job as the presenter.

Work out your key messages

Each part of your presentation must have a theme to support your objectives. Ensure that your messages are simple to understand and to remember.

Produce an audience-inspiring first sentence

The purpose of your first sentence is to sell your second sentence and so on. Ensure that your first sentence is the most interesting, dramatic and inspiring thing you can say about your topic at that time. Then detail the benefits your audience will receive by listening to you and hearing your proposition.

Summarise with an audience-inspiring last sentence

The end of your presentation should refer to your objectives at the beginning. Summarise your proposition – back it up with credibility statements – reaffirm the benefits and conclude with whatever is appropriate to meet those objectives.

Know your set up – where you will be standing and where your audience will be sitting

Familiarisation with the venue is an obvious help – it is not always possible, but when it is, take advantage.

Engage with your audience

Check their reaction to what you are saying so that you know whether to elaborate, slow down or move on.

Focus on your key messages

Make sure that you get your messages across. Simplicity leads to clarity.

Don’t turn your back to the audience to refer to your slides

Amateur presenters often turn their backs to look at slides. Refer to slides by all means but always face forward and always look at the audience.

Given your content excellence, you have nothing to fear. Be confident and fearless – smile, engage with your audience and deliver.

Back To Contents

Confidence and control comes from presentation content, preparation and practice. Like learning a language or a sport, or driving a car, the better your theory and the more practice you take, the better your ability – and in this case the better your capability of how to give a good presentation.

Work out probable audience questions, and prepare complete answers. If you need to know facts and figures, have them to hand. Ask yourself questions throughout each stage of your presentation that the audience might ask. Try Why, Who, When, Where and Why. A narrative which delivers complete information instead of begging questions will give your presentation an air of justifiable professionalism.

business meeting

Getting attention

A successful presentation or presenter engages with their audience through interesting content applicable to audience needs.

To connect with your audience, you need to start a presentation with an impactful set of words. Your beginning needs to grab attention, attract, and motivate your audience to pay attention to what comes next.

You could start a presentation by showing an image, giving a statistic, asking a question, or by delivering a notable quote. Whatever you show, say, or deliver, ensure it connects to your theme and to your objectives.

Communicating your message

The aim of a presentation is to get your message to resonate with the audience. Great presentation skills and delivering your message effectively is based on content. There is no substitute for great content however good your presentation style.

Concentrate on your core message and keep it simple. Depending on presentation styles, you can learn how to give a great presentation by using a combination of words, voice and body language. All play a vital role in communicating messages.

The Do's of Effective Presentations

what to do for effective presentation skills

Giving a presentation is about presenting content, and the success of a presentation is about how well you sell your content to your audience. If you’re new at delivering presentations, then there are a couple of key do’s you should apply to achieve the most effective presentation techniques.

Practice makes perfect

As well as increasing confidence and helping to calm initial nerves, undertake your own presentation training by practicing beforehand.  

Learn how to give a good presentation by running through your slides or notes numerous times and checking your timing.

Introduce yourself

Let your audience know who you are, why you qualified to talk about the subject, and what they will learn by listening to you.

Eye contact

Get your audience engaged – smile and make eye contact.

Use handouts and slides. If you want people to view a chart – it’s easier to read as a handout rather than from a screen. It also helps keep your audience more engaged with your presentation if they have something to do.

Ask questions

Invite your audience to ask questions to help them get involved and to give you feedback. Of course, you may wish to leave that invitation until the end of your presentation.

The Don'ts of Effective Presentations

don'ts of effective presentation skills

To ensure that you give a good presentation in terms of delivery, avoid:

Speaking too fast

Slow down your speed of delivery – speaking too fast means people won’t be able to catch everything you are saying.

Reading out loud

People can read a sentence about 4 times more quickly than someone can read the same sentence aloud. Do not read from your slides. In any case, remember slides should be signposts for your audience and nothing more.

Saying 'um'

Practice your answers so that you won’t be caught out. If you want time to think, compliment the questioner on the quality of their good question.

Focus instead.

Logistics - How To Prepare For A Presentation

Whether it’s learning how to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for a job interview or how to make a business presentation:

business meeting room

  • Have your slides on a backup USB stick and email yourself a copy.
  • Check the room you will be presenting in.
  • Find out as much as you can about your audience.
  • Dress appropriately for your audience - if in doubt always dress up.
  • Print handouts and have them with you.

Infographic - Do's & Don'ts of Presenting

Take a look at some of the Do’s and Don’ts of presenting with the below infographic, created by Walkerstone.com , and channel your nerves to positive effect. The infographic outlines in a clear step-by-step design the do’s of presenting and the don’ts of presenting, some statistics around communicating your message, keeping the attention of your audience, as well as some useful considerations to remember for your presentation.

Use this infographic as a preparation checklist for your presentation and you’ll feel more confident and prepared, come across as a professional speaker which hopefully will result in a successful outcome. If you like what you see, feel free to share the infographic on your own site (crediting Walkerstone.com) and help spread these useful tips for presenting…

Presenting infographic

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Public Speaking and Presentation Skills for Administrative Leaders

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills for Administrative Leaders

Welcome to our blog on public speaking and presentation skills for administrative leaders! In today’s fast-paced and competitive business world, effective communication is more important than ever. As an administrative leader, your ability to present ideas clearly, confidently, and persuasively can make all the difference in achieving your professional goals. Whether you’re leading a team meeting, presenting to senior executives, or representing your organization at a conference, mastering the art of public speaking is essential. In this article, we’ll explore the key aspects of public speaking that every administrative leader should focus on. From crafting engaging presentations to overcoming nervousness and handling Q&A sessions with ease – we’ve got you covered! So let’s dive right in and discover how you can enhance your public speaking prowess to become a standout leader in your field. Let’s get started!

Understanding the Importance of Public Speaking in Administrative Roles

1. Understanding the Importance of Public Speaking in Administrative Roles

In the world of administrative roles, public speaking skills are often overlooked or undervalued. However, they play a crucial role in your success as a leader. Effective communication is the foundation for building relationships, inspiring trust, and gaining support from colleagues and superiors:

  • As an administrative leader, you are constantly interacting with people at all levels of the organization. From addressing your team during meetings to presenting updates to senior executives, your ability to convey information clearly and confidently is paramount.
  • Public speaking also allows you to influence and persuade others. Whether it’s advocating for new initiatives or pitching ideas to stakeholders, being able to articulate your thoughts persuasively can make a significant impact on decision-making processes.
  • Furthermore, public speaking helps establish credibility and authority in your field. When you deliver well-prepared presentations with poise and professionalism, it showcases your expertise and enhances your reputation as a competent administrator.
  • By honing your public speaking skills, you’ll be better equipped to handle unexpected situations that may arise during presentations or meetings. Being adaptable in these moments demonstrates resilience and resourcefulness – qualities highly valued in leadership positions .

Understanding the importance of public speaking in administrative roles can elevate not only your professional standing but also positively impact organizational outcomes. So embrace this opportunity for growth and strive towards becoming an exceptional communicator who inspires others through their words!

2. Crafting Engaging and Informative Presentations: Best Practices

When it comes to delivering presentations as an administrative leader, it’s crucial to captivate your audience with engaging and informative content . Here are some best practices that can help you create impactful presentations:

  • Start by clearly defining the objective of your presentation. What do you want your audience to take away from it? Having a clear focus will enable you to structure your content in a way that effectively delivers your message.
  • Next, consider the needs and expectations of your audience. Tailor your presentation to their interests and concerns, ensuring that the information you provide is relevant and meaningful to them. This will enhance their engagement and make them more receptive to what you have to say.
  • Another important aspect is organizing your content logically. Create a well-defined outline or flowchart that allows for a smooth transition between topics. This helps maintain cohesiveness throughout the presentation while keeping the audience engaged.
  • Incorporating visual aids such as slides or charts can greatly enhance understanding and retention of information. However, be mindful not to overload your slides with too much text or cluttered visuals – simplicity is key! Use compelling images, graphs, or diagrams that support and reinforce key points effectively.
  • Furthermore, don’t forget about incorporating storytelling techniques into your presentation. Stories have the power to captivate an audience’s attention while making complex concepts easier to understand. By weaving personal anecdotes or real-life examples into your speech, you create connections with listeners on an emotional level.
  • Additionally, make use of varied delivery techniques like tone modulation and gestures; these add dynamism and energy to keep audiences engaged throughout the presentation. Practice good vocal projection so everyone in the room can hear you clearly – this ensures no one misses out on valuable information!
  • Lastly but importantly – practice! Rehearse multiple times before delivering any presentation so that you become comfortable with both the content itself as well as how it flows when spoken aloud. Practicing will help you identify areas that need improvement and allow you to refine your delivery for maximum impact.

Crafting engaging and informative presentations requires careful planning, consideration of your audience’s needs, and effective delivery techniques. By incorporating these best practices, you can create presentations that leave a lasting impression on your audience and effectively communicate your message as an administrative leader.

3. Effective Use of Visual Aids in Administrative Presentations

Visual aids are powerful tools that can enhance the impact and effectiveness of your administrative presentations. They help to engage your audience, convey complex information more easily, and leave a lasting impression. However, it is important to use visual aids strategically and thoughtfully to ensure they support your message rather than distract from it:

  • Choose visual aids that align with your content and goals. Whether it’s slideshows, charts, graphs, or diagrams – select visuals that will enhance understanding and reinforce key points. Keep them simple yet visually appealing to maintain interest without overwhelming viewers.
  • Next, consider the layout and design of your visual aids. Use clear fonts, contrasting colors, and appropriate spacing to ensure readability for all members of the audience. Aim for consistency throughout your presentation by using a similar template or theme for all slides or handouts.
  • When incorporating visuals into your presentation, be mindful of timing and pacing. Introduce each visual aid at the right moment to maximize its impact on comprehension and engagement. Avoid overcrowding slides with too much information; instead focus on highlighting key takeaways.
  • Furthermore, remember that you are the presenter – not just a narrator for the visuals. Maintain eye contact with your audience while referencing each visual aid; this will create a connection between you as the speaker and those listening intently.
  • Lastly but importantly: practice! Familiarize yourself with how each visual aid functions within your presentation so that you can seamlessly navigate through them during delivery without any technical glitches or confusion.

By effectively utilizing visual aids in administrative presentations, you can elevate their impact significantly while keeping audiences engaged throughout.

4. Overcoming Nervousness and Building Confidence as a Public Speaker

Public speaking can be nerve-wracking for anyone, even experienced administrative leaders. However, by employing effective strategies, you can overcome your nervousness and build confidence as a public speaker:

  • Preparation is key. Take the time to thoroughly research your topic and organize your thoughts before stepping onto the stage. This will give you a solid foundation to rely on during your presentation.
  • Additionally, practice makes perfect. Rehearse your speech multiple times in front of a mirror or with trusted colleagues. This will help familiarize yourself with the material and boost your confidence.
  • Another helpful technique is deep breathing exercises. Before taking the stage, take a few moments to focus on slow, controlled breaths. This helps calm nerves and clears the mind for better clarity while speaking.
  • Visualizing success is another powerful tool in overcoming nervousness. Close your eyes and imagine yourself delivering an engaging presentation with ease and confidence. Visualizing positive outcomes can help shift any anxious feelings into self-assurance.
  • Remember that mistakes happen to everyone – even seasoned speakers! Embrace those mishaps as learning opportunities rather than dwelling on them negatively. By accepting imperfections as part of the process, you’ll cultivate resilience and become more confident over time.

By implementing these strategies consistently, you’ll gradually conquer nervousness while building confidence as a public speaker – an essential skill for every administrative leader seeking to make their mark!

Adapting Your Presentation Style to Different Audiences and Settings

5. Adapting Your Presentation Style to Different Audiences and Settings

When it comes to public speaking, one size does not fit all. In order to truly connect with your audience and deliver a memorable presentation, you must adapt your style based on the specific audience and setting:

  • Understanding your audience is crucial. Are they colleagues in your organization? Potential clients or customers? Each group will have different expectations and knowledge levels. Tailoring your message accordingly will ensure that you capture their interest from the start.
  • Take into account the setting of your presentation. Is it a formal conference room or an informal networking event ? The atmosphere can greatly impact how you deliver your message. For instance, in a more casual environment, incorporating personal anecdotes or humor may be appropriate to engage the audience.
  • Furthermore, consider cultural differences when presenting to diverse audiences. What might resonate well with one culture could fall flat with another. Being mindful of these nuances allows you to navigate potential pitfalls and build rapport across various backgrounds.
  • Additionally, adjusting your language and tone is key when adapting to different audiences. Using technical jargon among industry experts will showcase credibility but may confuse others who are less familiar with the terminology. Opt for clear language that everyone can understand while maintaining professionalism throughout.
  • Don’t forget about visual aids! Utilizing visuals such as graphs or charts can enhance comprehension for analytical minds; whereas using images or videos might appeal more strongly to visually-oriented individuals.
  • Being able to adapt your presentation style based on the unique characteristics of each audience and setting is essential for effective communication as an administrative leader.

By tailoring content delivery strategies through understanding demographics, settings nuances, cultural awareness , linguistic choices ,and visual aids selection, you’ll elevate yourself as both an engaging speaker and influential leader. Take the time to research and prepare for each presentation, and be willing to make adjustments on the spot if needed. Doing so will not only impress your audience, but also increase their understanding and retention of your message.

6. Handling Q&A Sessions with Poise and Professionalism

  • One crucial aspect of public speaking for administrative leaders is the ability to handle Q&A sessions with poise and professionalism. These sessions provide an opportunity for audience members to seek clarification, express opinions, or challenge ideas presented during the presentation. Here are some tips on how to navigate these sessions effectively.
  • It’s essential to actively listen to each question. Give your complete attention to the person asking and demonstrate that you value their input. Repeat or rephrase the question if necessary to ensure everyone understands its context.
  • Remain composed and confident when responding. Take a moment before answering to collect your thoughts and formulate a clear response. Be concise yet thorough in providing information while avoiding jargon or complicated language that may confuse the audience.
  • Address each question respectfully and professionally, even if it challenges your viewpoint or presents a difficult topic. Remember that maintaining composure demonstrates credibility as a leader.
  • Furthermore, always be honest about what you know and don’t know. If you’re unsure of an answer, admit it instead of guessing or making up information on the spot. Offer alternative solutions such as promising further research or follow-up after the session.
  • Manage time effectively by setting expectations regarding time limits for questions early on – this ensures fairness among participants while allowing sufficient time for other aspects of your presentation.

By handling Q&A sessions with poise and professionalism as an administrative leader, you enhance your reputation as someone who values dialogue and collaboration while fostering trust within your audience.

7. Continuous Improvement: Training and Developing Public Speaking Skills

Developing strong public speaking skills is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement. While some individuals may naturally excel in this area, others may need to invest time and effort into honing their abilities. The good news is that with dedication and practice, anyone can become a confident and effective public speaker:

  • One of the best ways to improve your public speaking skills is through training programs or courses specifically designed for administrative leaders. These programs often provide valuable insights on how to engage audiences, structure presentations effectively, and deliver messages with clarity and impact.
  • In addition to formal training, seeking feedback from trusted colleagues or mentors can be immensely helpful. They can offer constructive criticism on areas such as body language, vocal tone, or pacing – essential elements of engaging presentation delivery.
  • Another effective method for developing public speaking skills is by regularly challenging yourself to speak in different settings or at various events. This could involve volunteering for speaking opportunities within your organization or joining professional networks where you can share your expertise in front of diverse audiences.
  • It’s also important to remember that confidence plays a significant role in successful public speaking. Building self-assurance takes time but can be achieved through techniques such as visualization exercises before presentations or practicing deep breathing exercises to manage nerves.
  • Recording yourself during presentations allows you to review your performance objectively. By watching these recordings carefully, you’ll identify areas for improvement and adjust accordingly in future engagements.

Remember that becoming a proficient public speaker doesn’t happen overnight; it requires consistent effort and dedication over time. With each opportunity you seize – whether it’s attending workshops, seeking feedback from peers, diversifying your audience base – you’re investing in personal growth as an administrative leader who excels at engaging others through powerful communication skills .

In today’s fast-paced and dynamic business world, administrative leaders play a crucial role in driving organizational success. And one skill that can make all the difference in their effectiveness is public speaking and presentation skills. By understanding the importance of public speaking in administrative roles, crafting engaging presentations, effectively using visual aids, overcoming nervousness, adapting to different audiences, handling Q&A sessions with professionalism, and continuously improving their skills through training and development opportunities, administrative leaders can elevate their impact and influence within their organizations. Public speaking is not just about delivering information; it’s about connecting with your audience on a deeper level. It’s about inspiring them to take action and instilling confidence in your leadership abilities . With well-honed presentation skills , you have the power to motivate teams, gain buy-in for important projects or initiatives, and establish yourself as a trusted voice within your organization. Remember that practice makes perfect when it comes to public speaking. Take every opportunity you can to speak publicly – whether it’s presenting at team meetings or volunteering for external speaking engagements. The more you put yourself out there and challenge yourself to improve your skills, the more confident you’ll become over time.

So embrace the power of public speaking as an administrative leader – because when you master this skill set – there will be no limit to what you can achieve!

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    Produce content Divide your presentation into a beginning, a middle, and an end. The audience needs to be clear why they should listen to you from your very first sentence. Ensure that you make a strong start, and make it benefit related. People buy benefits whether of a service, product or an idea. Slides should be used as signposts

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