Professional Presentations
Many professional people don’t think about the amount of times in their work life that good communication is critical to their success. They tell themselves and others “I don’t give presentations” and so assume that they don’t need to improve their communication or information delivery skills because it’s ‘not what I do’. But a good proportion of these people do actually have many moments in both their working and personal lives where they need to communicate ideas, information or facts, persuade or influence people or simply talk to one or a group of people. Yes they may not been in a conference room with Powerpoint on their computer, but they still need to communicate effectively, engage and influence all the same.
Taking this into account, we need to expand our thinking about what constitutes a “presentation.” Presentations come in many more varieties than the formal situation that usually comes to mind. In many capacities and in different settings, we are called upon to share our ideas and beliefs with others. Here are a few examples of when you actually are presenting, some are obvious, others you may not have previously considered as ‘presentations’ but they actually involve engaging people and delivering information:
1. Giving a Sales presentation
2. Launching a new product
3. Giving a safety briefing at work
4. Motivating change
5. Training people to use a new software
6. Unveiling your proposal for a new plan
7. Reporting your quarter sales results
8. Pitching your ideas at a board meeting
9. Calming angry employees
10. Facilitating a discussion
11. Instilling confidence in customers
12. Reassuring stakeholders
13. Delivering orientations to new employees
14. Introducing a speaker
15. Accepting an Award
16. Convincing people to vote for you
17. Soliciting Donations for a charity
18. Describing an event
19. Changing attitudes
20. Articulating your vision
21. Persuading prospects to buy
22. Promoting your brand
23. Positioning your service or product
24. Arousing interest in a new product
25. Asking for a promotion
26. Explaining how something works
27. Attracting Investors to your business
28. Conducting a meeting
29. Stating your point of view at a meeting
30. Negotiating a deal
31. Apologizing for a mistake
32. Telling a story
33. Honouring someone
34. Entertaining an after dinner crowd
35. Eulogizing the deceased
36. Toasting a bride and groom
The common thread running through these seemingly diverse activities is an effort on the part of one person to communicate information to others. When you think of presentations this way, you’ll discover many more situations where clear organization, co
mpelling language and effective delivery can contribute to your success. Barristers don’t typically describe what they do in the courtroom as speaking or presenting. Yet every time they try to convince a judge or a jury, they are presenting. Make no mistake about it: presentations in some form are an inevitable part of your life, just like death and taxes. Ignore them at your own peril.
To discover how you can use Prezi to take your presentations from Mediocre to MEGA, see here……..
