Presentation Training Skills

Presentation Training

Presentation Training is provided across the United States and Canada. Participants have three options to attend and participate in our presentation training. Presentations are delivered via public open enrollment courses in all major metropolitan areas and are also available to be delivered on-site via private courses. The 3rd option is to attend Online Webinar Presentations Skills Workshops. Our face to face Presentation Training can be provided as off-the-shelf sessions, ready to be delivered to a diverse audience or can be customized to provide a tailored and personalized presentation training approach based on client needs. All presentations courses are limited to a maximum of twelve participants so as to increase presentation course effectiveness and provide the individual level of face to face or online coaching and interaction that is associated with the Presentations Training Skills Center.

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4 Presentation Workshop Secrets to Delivering a Great Business Presentation

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What I found is that presenting is a skill, just like driving or playing the piano. We are all born with some level of natural talent, but all of us - from the best or the worst - can improve significantly by practicing some basic techniques that I first learned long ago. I noticed that almost every great presentation uses the following four secrets to deliver great business presentations.

4 Secrets To Delivering A Great Business Presentation

#1. Telling Great Stories:

People love stories - whether it's telling them, hearing them, or passing them on. Usually, when I point this out, it isn't too long before someone asks where they should look for good stories to use in their presentations. The first place I would advise you to look would be within your own personal experiences.

Think about your speech topic, and how it relates to you. Was there a time when the information you're sharing was a big help to you? Do you know someone who went through what you're trying to describe?

We all wish we had more firsthand business knowledge. Showing how the advice or insight you're about to give has transformed someone's career, or company, is a great way to grab attention.

Another place to find good stories is books or magazines. A quick look through your professional library might lead you to dozens of stories that would be relevant to your target audience or industry.

The big problem isn't usually in finding stories; it's in deciding which ones to include. If you're not sure about something you want to use, ask yourself a key question: why do I want to tell this story? If it's because it pertains to the issue at hand, or can shed some light on some aspect of your presentation that you'd like to make interesting and memorable, then try it out.

And finally, remember that any story is only as effective as it is relevant. When you've finished telling your audience what happened, bring it back around to the point of your talk. It doesn't matter how funny, emotional, or eye-opening any event was - or how well you told it - if the people listening can't figure out why it matters.

#2. Find Great Quotes:

No matter what you're trying to say, chances are someone else has gotten to it first and said it better than you can. What's more, people attach more credibility to statements that come from celebrities and historical figures.

Every quote should have a reason for being in your presentation, and that reason needs to be something stronger than "it fills a few seconds of dead air." Give the quote and the source, but then go on to talk about what it means to you, or why it's relevant to your discussion.

#3. Using Smart Statistics:

We've all learned that statistics will it make your presentation seem better researched, it will make it more convincing as well. Besides, of all the tools you can use to spice up your presentation and give it more weight, statistics are among the easiest to find. We live in a culture that's seemingly obsessed - and sometimes overrun - with percentages and figures. Corporate groups, consultants, universities, and especially the government, all produce their own statistics on a regular basis. Finding them is as easy as going online or spending fifteen minutes in your local library.

If you want to give your presentation an extra kick, come up with your own statistics. What I'm recommending is that you survey your audience, or a group of their peers. You can do this by phone, e-mail, or a quick in-person survey.

Regardless of where you find your statistics, the important thing is that they be accurate, and that they somehow build toward a point or argument you are trying to make. Being armed with a few compelling numbers and percentages gives your message a lot more impact, so do what you can to include them in your presentation.

#4. Finding and Using Humor

You need to use humor in your presentation for the same reason that children's medicine is supposed to taste like bubble gum - it makes the tougher stuff easier to swallow. We all like to be entertained, and adding a few laughs is a great way to keep things moving. A couple words of caution, though: first, don't overdo it. If you're naturally funny, use that talent to deliver your point. But you don't want to let your presentation degrade into an open-mike night.

Finding humor to throw into your talk is usually pretty easy; you just have to keep your ears open and pay attention to what other people laugh at.

For example, I used to have a big fear of flying. To help me get over it, a pilot acquaintance of mine offered to let me sit in the cockpit for a short flight. I accepted, and once we were airborne, the pilot showed me how he had planned the route, gotten updates on the weather, and programmed the navigational instruments. After we had gone through all that, I asked where we were actually going. The pilot's answer: "to have this plane fixed."

It's just a small story, and one that usually gets a few laughs, but that's the whole point. You aren't looking to headline at the Laugh Factory; and even if you could, it wouldn't necessarily be great for your presentation, since too much humor can be a distraction. So look for something to break the ice, use it to loosen things up, and then get to the next point.

Because humor is so important to your presentation, I have a few final thoughts. First, stick with funny stories and stay away from jokes. The priest and the rabbi who walk into a bar just don't have a place in your business speech. Second, don't use any humor that's going to offend anybody. If you have any doubt at all whether someone in the audience would get upset with what you're saying, don't risk it to get a laugh.

Putting The 4 Pieces Together:

Notice that I said most compelling speakers and presenters use these four tools, not that they necessarily use all of them, or in the same proportions. For some of us, storytelling comes naturally, but humor is hard to master. Others find the laughs easy to deliver, but aren't as comfortable with quotes. The key is to find what works for you.

No matter which ones come naturally to you, try to keep these basics in mind as you prepare and deliver your presentation. Using them won't guarantee you excellent results, but they will give you a strong foundation.

Source: Carl Henry link

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