Mastering the skills to present confidently doesn’t just improve communication; it empowers teams to convey ideas clearly, drive engagement, and inspire action. From pitching a new initiative to sharing strategic insights, presenting well requires a blend of authenticity, simplicity, and connection.
We’ll explore five essential presentation principles that can help elevate your skills to present and make communication impactful and memorable.
Conversations
Think about your daily conversations. In the morning at breakfast, during lunch at work or in the evening with family or friends – it’s organic, engaging and conversational. Furthermore, you don’t need an extensive set of notes or flash cards to communicate – it’s simply a conversation!
What about presentations then?
Presentations will vary depending on the subject, the audience and the occasion, and we may well need that presentation outline or set of notes. However, to build emotional rapport with our audience and to make a real lasting impression – we need to view our presentation as a conversation.
Simplicity
We all understand the old adage of ‘keep it simple’, and yet how many times do we break this powerhouse of principles? Simplicity in presenting starts with the way we construct and build our presentation. Furthermore, simplicity helps in the way we deliver the presentation to our audience.
How does a simple message help both the presenter and the audience?
Firstly, it helps the presenter to convey a more concise message and creates flexibility within the presentation. Additionally, a simple message helps our audience to better understand the main points, supporting evidence and the concluding comments.
Clarity
Presentations that have a clear objective and logical development can help both the presenter and the audience. Why is clarity of message so important? As part of mastering the skills to present, clarity ensures that we guide our audience to better understanding rather than obscuring key points.
Furthermore, clarity ensures that we explain to the audience (preferably at the beginning of the presentation) what the presentation subject will discuss and how any question and answer session will work.
Clarity is vital because when our message is clear – our message will be better understood.
Audience
Think about an upcoming presentation. How well do you know your audience? What do they already know and what do they need to know? What will they be expecting from you as a presenter? These are just a few important questions to consider.
Why should we have a clear picture of our audience?
The more we understand our audience – the more we will be able to build rapport and make a connection with them. Additionally, great presenters not only use non-verbal communication, but they pay close attention to the signals of the audience and react accordingly.
Furthermore, we can refine our skills to present when we can encourage our audience to listen – we can really communicate with them.
Stories
Who doesn’t like to hear a captivating story? From childhood to adulthood, we have all been introduced to stories that have faithfully been passed down from generation to generation. Think about how familiar we are with the classic stories and their associated heroes, villains and dramatic plot lines.
What has storytelling got to do with business presentations?
Stories can create a deeper level of understanding of the point being made and can build an emotional connection with the audience. Without a doubt, storytelling is one of the greatest skills to present effectively.
Steve Jobs clearly understood the connection. He said: ‘The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.’
So, if you’d like to know more about our presentation skills training course or would like to discuss a bespoke course, please contact our team to see the options available.