7 Must-Have Presentation Skills for Career Growth

Good presentation skills are the most crucial quality that an employee can have in any organization. It is an asset for the individual for reaching great heights in their career as well as for the success of the venture that they work for. Such skills can help employees lead projects, take command over people, succeed in acquiring and retaining clients, and pave the way for better opportunities. Therefore, it is important to learn excellent presentation skills and brush them up from time to time.

Here are the top skills that you need to ace your presentation game –

1. Research and Brainstorming

Before crafting slides, one needs to gather all necessary information regarding the topic. It is the most crucial stage as the content remains the backbone of every presentation.

It includes doing extensive research for the particulars you need and the kind of content, be it facts, figurative data, or snippets required to make the presentation more captivating. It is followed by drawing relevant data from credible sources and compiling it in an intriguing manner.

Research also includes understanding the background of your audience, their preferences, and the kind of seminar that they are looking forward to. It will help you cater to their needs and requirements.

2. Structuring and Framing Data

Once you have gathered your data, it is vital to put it in a systematic order to create an outline for your presentation. It will help you sort your information accordingly. This can be an introduction, followed by the main topic and conclusion with a summary of the entire session.

It is an extremely important step because it will allow you to include all the main points and create a presentation that makes absolute sense to your audience.

3. Excellent Writing Skills

No matter how great your slides look if they are full of grammatical errors, including spelling mistakes and punctuation errors, most of the people sitting in your audience are likely to get disinterested. Good writing skills help you avoid any such mishaps and convert raw data into an engaging story using the right words.

4. Delivery Skills

Your delivery tone has the power to hook your audience.

One such example is that of a powerful orator, Adolf Hitler. The reason why Hitler’s speeches are considered an epitome of good oration is that his voice modulations instantly captured people’s attention. He expressed his emotions and intentions through the tones of his voice, which influenced millions and millions of people.

Therefore, delivering your speech with the correct modulation can help you get through your presentation with flying colors.

5. Body Language

Projecting confidence through the way you speak, stand, and present can help you establish yourself on the stage. This can be done by maintaining eye contact with your audience, using hand gestures wisely, tilting your head appropriately, and covering the stage from time to time while presenting.

6. Engagement with the Audience

One of the most important things during a presentation is leaving some room open for audience engagement. This can be a question and answer session, feedback, polls, and much more. It will instantly lighten the atmosphere and give your audience a chance to connect with you.

The most efficient way of rolling out such a session during your presentation is by pre-planning it — you can create a questionnaire of polls beforehand and roll it on stage.

7. Analytical Skills

Once your presentation is over, it is extremely necessary to look back upon it — note down what could’ve been better and what was actually good. Reflect upon the parts that were most enjoyed by your audience and the ones that weren’t much appreciated by them. You must analyze and sort the feedback that you receive and make sure to work upon them for your next endeavor.

Tips for Acquiring Great Presentation Skills

Here are a few tips that will help you notch up your presentation skills -

• Don’t be afraid of taking a course or a workshop that can help you acquire and master all these presentation skills.
• “Practice makes a man perfect” is the formula for achieving success in this field. The more you rehearse, the better you get at it.
• Watch presentation videos by famous presenters such as Steve Jobs. Look for oration videos such as TedEx Talks. These will help you build your body language for the stage. Watch this presentation of the Macintosh by Steve Jobs

• Remember to stay calm and composed during your presentation to avoid uneasy nerves.
• Arrive early and, if possible, practice on the real stage a couple of times to accustom yourself to the environment.

Conclusion

If you want to acquire an asset that rewards you, consider mastering the art of excellent presentation skills. Besides elevating your self-confidence and giving you a morale kick, such skills help you become an irreplaceable asset for your business. Not only will it help reduce miscommunication within your organization, but it will also help you increase efficiency within your team.