Professional Presentation Skills

Presentation skills development starts with understanding the fundamentals of effective and powerful presentations.

• Articulate the fundamentals of a purposeful message and presentation
• Describe factors that impair presentations
• Explain how to establish credibility and confidence as a speaker

A speaker must consider their audience’s needs in order to capture their interest and inspire them into action. Careful planning is critical to the success. 

• Discuss the purpose and goal of business presentations
• Describe techniques that facilitate listeners’ motivation to change or act
• Summarize how to prepare a presentation that meets the audience’s needs

Public speaking is one of the most important yet most feared forms of communication.

• Identify why people feel anxious about public speaking
• Describe techniques to reduce and control stress and speaker anxiety
• Review the use of speaking techniques to ease audience tension

Leaders, formal and informal, need to be able to deliver a clear, succinct and inspiring message.

• Recognize effective openers and closers
• Distinguish appropriate use of verbal and nonverbal communication
• Discuss focusing and controlling questions and answers

Presentation aids are valuable to getting a clear message across to audiences of all ages, education levels, degrees of interest or motivation. 

• Describe the purpose of presentation aids
• Explain the range of choices for presentation aids
• Articulate the role of careful planning and good execution when using presentation aids

Speakers need to be prepared to handle difficult situations that may arise with confidence and skill.

• Outline the methods to handle negative reactions to a presentation
• State general guidelines for dealing with problem audience behaviors
• Describe techniques to handle critics