Presentation Skills Training: 7 Do’s and 5 Don’ts
Good Presentation Skills Can Knock It Out of the Park
A good presentation can go a long way toward getting the result that you want. Presentation skills training can change the perception of those you are presenting to because the presentation is exactly what they want. It’s when a presentation is boring or too long that you start seeing people pulling out their smartphones, yawning, or staring off into space. This is not how you are going to get results.
Presentation skills training and management skills training can go hand in hand when you are in a leadership position and you want to make sure that those within your staff giving presentations do so in the most engaging way possible. These can be internal or external presentations.
7 Things to Do During a Presentation
Effective presentation skills mean being able to do the following:
- Identify the problem that the listeners are facing. In other words, identify their pain. By identifying their pain, you can get their attention. You have identified something that is causing them a problem, and now you are going to tell them about how you can fix it. State their concerns so they know you understand and identify with them.
- Self-edit by giving the information the audience is looking for. You could talk about yourself and your company all you want, but you are going to bore with some of those details. Give information that is going to pique their interest and then take them on a journey.
- Don’t start talking about things out of order. It can be easy to get ahead of yourself. Pace yourself, and you will get to certain points when it is time.
- If you are using PowerPoint, don’t splash a lot of words across the screen. Minimizing the text minimizes the distractions. Slides should supplement what you’re talking about because you don’t want to read to your audience as if they are children.
- Relate to the audience through personal stories. This is an important part of presentation skill development because you can learn how to tell your stories without being too windy.
- Make sure you rehearse by yourself and in front of others. This will help you become more comfortable with the presentation.
- Make sure you ask if anyone has any questions and answer them well. Your presentation doesn’t have to fall flat. Make sure you have contact information so you can follow up.
5 Things to Avoid During a Presentation
Some of the things that you will learn to avoid during a business presentation are:
- Don’t tell jokes if you’re not funny. Nerves can cause you to tell bad jokes. Focus more on delivering valuable information. Sometimes the truly funny jokes come naturally.
- Don’t try to pull a big stunt during the presentation. Instead, talk about what you have to offer.
- Don’t read your slides, or you are going to make your audience feel like they are in a classroom rather than a business setting.
- Don’t leave your personality out of the presentation. People need something to relate to, and your personality is it.
- Don’t forget that people are going to ask questions. Prepare yourself for them. Encourage them.
When you consider these tips, you can have a more effective presentation. With the help of presentation skills training, you can knock your presentation out of the park and make a great impression. That impression can prove profitable for you.