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Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

why are presentation skills important for marketers

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

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The Importance of Presentation Skills: That You Must Know About

Uncover The Importance of Presentation Skills in this comprehensive blog. Begin with a brief introduction to the art of effective presentations and its wide-reaching significance. Delve into the vital role of presentation skills in both your personal and professional life, understanding how they can shape your success.

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Table of Contents  

1) A brief introduction to Presentation Skills 

2) Importance of Presentation Skills in personal life 

3) Importance of Presentation Skills in professional life 

4) Tips to improve your Presentation Skills 

5) Conclusion 

A brief introduction to Presentation Skills  

Presentation skills can be defined as the ability to deliver information confidently and persuasively to engage and influence the audience. Be it in personal or professional settings; mastering Presentation Skills empowers individuals to convey their ideas with clarity, build confidence, and leave a lasting impression. From public speaking to business pitches, honing these skills can lead to greater success in diverse spheres of life.  You can also refer to various presentation skills interview questions and answer to build you confidence! This blog will also look into the advantages and disadvantages of presentations .It is therefore important to understand the elements of presentations .

Importance of Presentation Skills in personal life  

Effective Presentation skills are not limited to professional settings alone; they play a significant role in personal life as well. Let us now dive deeper into the Importance of Presentation Skills in one’s personal life:    

Importance of Presentation Skills in personal life

Expressing ideas clearly   

In day-to-day conversations with family, friends, or acquaintances, having good Presentation skills enables you to articulate your thoughts and ideas clearly. Whether you're discussing plans for the weekend or sharing your opinions on a particular topic, being an effective communicator encourages better understanding and engagement. 

Enhancing social confidence  

Many individuals struggle with social anxiety or nervousness in social gatherings. Mastering Presentation skills helps boost self-confidence, making it easier to navigate social situations with ease. The ability to present yourself confidently and engage others in conversation enhances your social life and opens doors to new relationships. 

Creating memories on special occasions  

There are moments in life that call for public speaking, such as proposing a toast at a wedding, delivering a speech at a family gathering, or giving a Presentation during special events. Having polished Presentation skills enables you to leave a positive and lasting impression on the audience, making these occasions even more memorable. 

Handling challenging conversations  

Life often presents challenging situations that require delicate communication, such as expressing condolences or resolving conflicts. Strong Presentation skills help you convey your feelings and thoughts sensitively, encouraging effective and empathetic communication during difficult times. 

Building stronger relationships  

Being a skilled presenter means being a good listener as well. Active listening is a fundamental aspect of effective Presentations, and when applied in personal relationships, it strengthens bonds and builds trust. Empathising with others and showing genuine interest in their stories and opinions enhances the quality of your relationships. 

Advocating for personal goals  

Whether you're pursuing personal projects or seeking support for a cause you're passionate about, the ability to present your ideas persuasively helps garner support and enthusiasm from others. This can be beneficial in achieving personal goals and making a positive impact on your community. 

Inspiring and motivating others  

In one’s personal life, Presentation skills are not just about delivering formal speeches; they also involve inspiring and motivating others through your actions and words. Whether you're sharing your experiences, mentoring someone, or encouraging loved ones during tough times, your Presentation skills can be a source of inspiration for others. 

Exuding leadership traits  

Effective Presentation skills go hand in hand with leadership qualities. Being able to communicate clearly and influence others' perspectives positions you as a leader within your family, social circles, or community. Leadership in personal life involves guiding and supporting others towards positive outcomes. 

Unlock your full potential as a presenter with our Presentation Skills Training Course. Join now!  

Importance of Presentation Skills in professional life  

Effective Presentation skills are a vital asset for career growth and success in professional life. Let us now explore the importance of Presentation skills for students and workers:  

Importance of Presentation Skills in professional life

Impressing employers and clients  

During job interviews or business meetings, a well-delivered Presentation showcases your knowledge, confidence, and ability to communicate ideas effectively. It impresses employers, clients, and potential investors, leaving a positive and memorable impression that can tilt the scales in your favour. 

Advancing in your career  

In the corporate world, promotions and career advancements often involve presenting your achievements, ideas, and future plans to decision-makers. Strong Presentation skills demonstrate your leadership potential and readiness for higher responsibilities, opening doors to new opportunities. 

Effective team collaboration  

As a professional, you often need to present projects, strategies, or updates to your team or colleagues. A compelling Presentation facilitates better understanding and association among team members, leading to more productive and successful projects. 

Persuasive selling techniques  

For sales and marketing professionals, Presentation skills are instrumental in persuading potential customers to choose your products or services. An engaging sales pitch can sway buying decisions, leading to increased revenue and business growth. 

Creating impactful proposals  

In the corporate world, proposals are crucial for securing new partnerships or business deals. A well-structured and compelling Presentation can make your proposal stand out and increase the chances of successful negotiations. 

Gaining and retaining clients  

Whether you are a freelancer, consultant, or business owner, Presentation skills play a key role in winning and retaining clients. A captivating Presentation not only convinces clients of your capabilities but also builds trust and promotes long-term relationships. 

Enhancing public speaking engagements  

Professional life often involves speaking at conferences, seminars, or industry events. Being a confident and engaging speaker allows you to deliver your message effectively, position yourself as an expert, and expand your professional network. 

Influencing stakeholders and decision-makers  

As you climb the corporate ladder, you may find yourself presenting to senior management or board members. Effective Presentations are essential for gaining support for your ideas, projects, or initiatives from key stakeholders. 

Handling meetings and discussions  

In meetings, being able to present your thoughts clearly and concisely contributes to productive discussions and efficient decision-making. It ensures that your ideas are understood and considered by colleagues and superiors. 

Professional development  

Investing time in honing Presentation skills is a form of professional development. As you become a more effective presenter, you become a more valuable asset to your organisation and industry. 

Building a personal brand  

A strong personal brand is vital for professional success. Impressive Presentations contribute to building a positive reputation and positioning yourself as a thought leader or industry expert. 

Career transitions and interviews  

When seeking new opportunities or transitioning to a different industry, Presentation Skills are essential for communicating your transferable skills and showcasing your adaptability to potential employers. 

Take your Presentations to the next level with our Effective Presentation Skills & Techniques Course. Sign up today!  

Tips to improve your Presentation Skills  

Now that you know about the importance of presentation skills in personal and professional life, we will now provide you with tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills .

1) Know your audience: Understand the demographics and interests of your audience to tailor your Presentation accordingly. 

2) Practice regularly: Rehearse your speech multiple times to refine content and delivery. 

3) Seek feedback: Gather feedback from peers or mentors to identify areas for improvement. 

4) Manage nervousness: Use relaxation techniques to overcome nervousness before presenting. 

5) Engage with eye contact: Maintain eye contact with the audience to establish a connection. 

6) Use clear visuals: Utilise impactful visuals to complement your spoken words. 

7) Emphasise key points: Highlight important information to enhance audience retention. 

8) Employ body language: Use confident and purposeful gestures to convey your message. 

9) Handle Q&A confidently: Prepare for potential questions and answer them with clarity. 

10) Add personal stories: Include relevant anecdotes to make your Presentation more relatable.   

Presentation Skills Training

All in all, Presentation skills are a valuable asset, impacting both personal and professional realms of life. By mastering these skills, you can become a more effective communicator, a confident professional, and a persuasive influencer. Continuous improvement and adaptation to technological advancements will ensure you stay ahead in this competitive world. 

Want to master the art of impactful Presentations? Explore our Presentation Skills Courses and elevate your communication prowess!  

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why are presentation skills important for marketers

Why Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

What does it take to be a successful marketer?

Turns out we don’t have to guess because someone’s already done the research. Fractl used IBM’s Watson Personality Insights API from 2019 to pick out the key traits and characteristics of 20 of the world’s most prominent marketing leaders (I even made the list!).

According to the study, the No. 1 trait shared by marketing leaders is adventurousness, followed by high energy levels, assertiveness, and intelligence.

presentation skills compared to other skills

One interesting thing about this is that you’d also find a lot of those traits in people with exceptional presentation skills.

To put yourself out there and present to a room full of people, you need to be at least a little adventurous. If you’re not a high-energy person, you’ll find it hard to keep people engaged. If you’re not assertive, you’ll struggle to communicate your points effectively. The list goes on.

That’s not a coincidence. To make it as a marketer, excellent presentation skills are pretty much nonnegotiable.

3 Reasons Presentation Skills Are Important in marketing

In a way, marketing is one big presentation. When we write a blog post or appear on a podcast , we’re presenting. When we research our audience, we’re trying to understand better what they want to see and learn from our presentations.

In other words, strong presentation skills underlie pretty much every aspect of marketing. If you can deliver an incredible presentation, you can:

1. Having Good Presentation Skills Drive Trust in Your Brand

What makes people trust brands? According to a global survey from PR and marketing consultancy Edelman, it boils down to three key factors:

  • Product experience: The most important factor, 87 percent of respondents cited their experience with a product as a reason to trust a brand.
  • Customer experience: 56 percent of consumers said their own experiences with a brand play an important part in building trust.
  • Societal impact: 38 percent of consumers believe a brand’s impact on society is an important factor in assessing its trustworthiness.

However, an even more crucial point underpins all of this. Without strong presentation skills, potential customers aren’t going to know about any of those things!

If you don’t tout the quality of your product, or highlight your superb reviews and testimonials, or demonstrate your commitment to making the world a better place, how will anyone know whether they can trust you?

2. Presentation Skills Help Create Brand Awareness

Ever wondered why personal social media accounts get better engagement than brand accounts ? Because it’s easier to sell a person than a brand.

That’s why speaking at conferences, networking meetups, and other events can be such a useful tool for building brand awareness . It puts a human face on your brand, which instantly makes you more recognizable, relatable, and memorable. That’s why for many of us, when we hear the words Apple, Microsoft, or Tesla, we immediately think of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Elon Musk.

3. Use Your Presentation Skills to Drive Sales

Your presentation skills can be one of the biggest weapons in your armory when it comes to selling your product.

According to a study from Chief Marketer, live events are the second-biggest source of B2B leads , and also generate the second-highest ROI of any sales channel.

presentation skills - top sources of leads and ROI

Granted, not all those respondents would have been guest speakers at those events, but to generate leads, they would have absolutely been speaking to prospects at their display stands, during networking sessions, and even while queuing to buy a hot dog or coffee. Their one-on-one presentation skills were crucial to breaking the ice with those leads.

How to Develop Your marketing Presentation Skills

By this point, you hopefully agree with me that presentation skills are essential for modern marketers. Now, let’s take a look at how to hone those skills to meet your marketing objectives.

1. Set Goals for Developing Your Presentation Skills

If I told you to write me a blog right now, you’d likely find it pretty tough. After all, I’ve not given you any information. You don’t have a theme, or a title, or even an audience. In short, there’s no way of knowing what I’m looking for, so you can’t gauge what success looks like.

Alternatively, if I told you to write a blog about this year’s biggest trends in SEO, aimed at marketing leaders for SaaS startups, you’d have a much clearer idea of how to proceed.

The same thing is true for developing your presentation skills. Start by defining exactly what you want to achieve, such as:

  • becoming a better (or first-time) conference speaker
  • delivering more impactful training sessions
  • speaking more persuasively to leads
  • engaging potential prospects at the top of the sales funnel
  • honing your pitch presentations

Also, give yourself a deadline. Rather than generally building up your presentation skills, commit to improving your public speaking in time for a specific conference or networking event. Sign up as a speaker early; that way, you’re completely accountable for following through with your plans.

2. Research Your Audience

As well as simply “doing more of it,” there’s another extremely effective way to help you feel more confident about speaking in front of an audience: Do your research.

When you think about it, imposter syndrome is another big reason people shy away from public speaking. We worry we’ll be exposed as frauds and charlatans who don’t know what we’re talking about.

Thoroughly researching your audience will help guard against that feeling. When you know exactly who you’re talking to, it becomes much simpler to build an effective presentation.

If I’m speaking to a room of NASA engineers, I’m not going to tell them how to build a better rocket. I can’t tell them anything they don’t already know (and most of what I say would likely be wildly inaccurate).

However, I almost certainly know more about marketing than them. Maybe I’d tell them how, by sharing snippets of their work through their personal social profiles, they can build awareness and interest in what they do, which in turn, might persuade politicians that increased federal funding for NASA would be a real vote-winner. With that increased funding, they can go away and build better rockets.

With that in mind, before you start working on your next presentation, ask yourself the following questions about your audience:

  • How old are they?
  • Where are they from?
  • What jobs do they do?
  • Who do they work for?
  • How experienced are they?
  • What are their pain points?

The idea here is to identify the “thing” you know that’s of most value to your audience. The more you can niche down , the better. If you can’t answer some of those questions, speak to the event organizers; they should be able to help.

3. Incorporate Humor and Stories

Throughout human history, storytelling has been one of our most effective tools for influencing, inspiring, and teaching one another.

Paul Smith, author of “Lead With a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire,” put it better than me when he wrote :

In any group, roughly 40 percent will be predominantly visual learners who learn best from videos, diagrams, or illustrations. Another 40 percent will be auditory, learning best through lectures and discussions. The remaining 20 percent are kinesthetic learners, who learn best by doing, experiencing, or feeling. Storytelling has aspects that work for all three types. Visual learners appreciate the mental pictures storytelling evokes. Auditory learners focus on the words and the storyteller’s voice. Kinesthetic learners remember the emotional connections and feelings from the story.

With that in mind, another key way to improve your presentation skills is to work on your storytelling . Don’t just tell your audience how a certain tactic can get them more sales; give them specific, real-world examples that help them relate your advice to their own circumstances.

Also, don’t overlook the power of humor to engage an audience . As the British comedian John Cleese said :

If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas. And if I can persuade you to laugh at the particular point I make, by laughing at it you acknowledge its truth.

I’m not suggesting you go away and write a 30-minute standup set, but if you can drop a couple one-liners here and there, it can go a long way to getting your audience on your side.

4. Practice in Front of an Audience

Glossophobia, or fear of public speaking, is a common complaint. One much-quoted (and very old) Gallup survey claims it’s the second-most prevalent fear in Americans, affecting 40 percent of respondents.

presentation skills - fear of public speaking

Clearly, it’s not the “speaking” element that puts us on edge. It’s the idea of doing it in front of an audience. What if we make fools of ourselves, or say the wrong thing and get booed off stage?

Painful as it might sound, in my experience, the best way to overcome this is to seek out opportunities to speak in front of an audience. This can be in your professional or personal lives. It can be as simple as saying a few words at family gatherings or giving small presentations to your team at work.

Use Your Presentation Skills: 5 Tips for an Effective marketing Presentation

You’ve set goals for improving your presentation skills, done your research, crafted a handful of engaging anecdotes, and practiced in front of an audience. Now, it’s time to weave all those things together to create a killer marketing presentation. Bear these five tips in mind while you’re doing it:

1. Start Strong

According to one study, you’ve only got 30 seconds before your audience’s attention starts to lapse. That means you need a strong start to persuade them you’re worth listening to. Lead with your most eye-catching statistic, your best joke, or your punchiest anecdote, and keep it short. On average, we speak at up to 130 words per minute , so that only gives you a maximum of 65 words to play with.

2. Make a Good First Impression

Presentation skills aren’t just about what you say. They’re also about how people perceive you.

A study at California State University, Northridge, found students followed instructions far more accurately when those instructions were given by someone who was dressed casually rather than professionally.

Why did this happen? One interpretation from the study’s authors is that the students responded better to someone dressed similarly to them:

Perhaps the participants in our study felt that they were better able to relate to the experimenter in the casual-dress condition, thereby lowering their anxiety and increasing their ability to follow directions correctly.

In short, there’s no such thing as a right or wrong way to look or dress for a presentation. Rather, we should reflect our audience.

3. Come Prepared

Don’t kid yourself it’ll “be alright on the night.” If you don’t prepare properly, it won’t!

Figure out what works best for you by running through your presentation multiple times. Do you find it easiest to work off cue cards? Do you need visual aids? Or is it better for you to run lines until you’ve memorized your presentation word for word?

4. Ask Questions

There’s no better way to guarantee people are paying attention than to ask regular questions throughout your speech!

This isn’t about putting people on the spot. Instead, it’s about turning your presentation from a one-way narrative to a two-way conversation.

Say you’re giving advice on tackling a specific problem. Ask how many people had experienced that problem, when they first noticed it, and why they’re so keen to fix it.

5. Back Your Claims

There are very few instances in which you shouldn’t be supporting your claims with real evidence. Even if you’re giving your personal opinion on a topic, those opinions should be backed with actual data from reputable sources.

If I’m telling you that Facebook is the best platform to grow your business, you likely wouldn’t just take my word for it. You’d want to hear evidence about Facebook’s audience, the effectiveness of advertising on the platform, and how much it’ll cost.

No one is born with incredible presentation skills; not even Steve Jobs .

Sure, some of us are more confident than others at talking to an audience and getting our points across effectively. However, it takes work; and if honing your presentation skills is taking you away from other important work, like content marketing or SEO, our agency is here to help.

The good news is the harder you work at it, the more confident you’ll feel , and the better your presentation skills will become. It’s a virtuous circle!

What tips have you used to level up your marketing presentation skills?

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Mastering the Art of Presentations: 8 Essential Skills for Marketers

Mastering the Art of Presentations: 8 Essential Skills for Marketers

Introduction

Presentations are a vital tool for marketers to connect with their audience and convey information effectively. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a budding marketer, there is always room to improve your presentation skills. In this article, we will explore eight essential presentation skills, provide tips for leveling up, and showcase some top-notch presentation examples that can inspire and guide you. Let’s dive in.

What are Presentation Skills?

Presentation skills refer to the techniques and abilities that marketers utilize to convey information, ideas, and messages to their audience, whether it be potential clients, colleagues, stakeholders, or the public. These skills go beyond data and facts and involve crafting a compelling narrative, engaging the audience, and inspiring them to take action.

8 Effective Presentation Skills

One of the key presentation skills is clarity. It’s essential to say what you mean and mean what you say. Using action words and being clear in your delivery helps ensure that your message is easily understood by your audience.

2. Conciseness

Being able to convey your message concisely is a skill that helps keep your audience engaged. Avoid packing too much information into your presentation, as it can lead to boredom. Instead, focus on delivering the most relevant and impactful points.

3. Creativity

Creativity is a powerful presentation skill that allows you to captivate your audience. Find innovative ways to present your information, such as using animations, personal anecdotes, or integrating videos. Adding creativity to your presentation keeps it engaging and memorable.

Staying on topic is crucial for delivering a good presentation. Mastering the skill of focus ensures that you stay on track with your message, allowing your audience to follow along easily.

Understanding your pacing is an important skill to develop. Avoid rushing through your presentation and take breaks when necessary. Practicing your pacing will help you deliver your message effectively and keep your audience engaged.

Using humor in your presentation can make it more engaging and enjoyable. Hone the skill of incorporating appropriate jokes or light-hearted moments to amplify the audience’s interest and connection with your message.

Effective presentations strike a balance between humor and seriousness. Find the right balance for your presentation style and content to create an engaging and impactful delivery.

8. Confidence

Confidence is key to delivering a successful presentation. Believe in yourself and your message, as this will resonate with your audience. Your expertise and manner of speaking will inspire confidence in your listeners.

How to Improve Your Presentation Skills

While listing the essential presentation skills is easy, mastering them requires effort and practice. Here are some best practices to help you improve your presentation skills:

1. Take your time

Practice your pacing by timing yourself during your rehearsal. Identify areas where you may be rushing or dragging and work on adjusting your timing accordingly.

2. Relax your shoulders

Pay attention to your body language and try to relax your shoulders. Practicing at home will help you identify any tension in your body and take action to release it before your presentation.

3. Practice

Rehearsing your presentation multiple times is crucial for boosting your confidence and familiarity with the material. Consider practicing in front of a friend or family member who can provide feedback on your delivery.

4. Annunciate

Work on clear enunciation to improve the clarity of your words. This will enhance the audience’s understanding and reduce the chances of miscommunication. Write down tricky words phonetically on note cards for reference during your presentation.

5. Figure out where to take breaks

Identify natural pauses in your presentation where you can take a sip of water, anticipate laughter, or take a moment to breathe. This helps maintain engagement and prevents rushing through your material.

6. Figure out what you can cut

Review your presentation critically to identify sections that can be cut or condensed. Eliminate any information that may cause the presentation to drag or lose the audience’s interest. Keep your presentation concise and engaging.

7. Say what you mean

Be clear and precise in your language, avoiding hyperbole. Make sure that your words accurately convey your intended message. Your audience will appreciate the clarity and accuracy of your words.

8. Be a storyteller

Incorporate storytelling techniques into your presentation to engage your audience. Utilize case studies, user personas, or metaphors to create a narrative thread throughout your talk. Storytelling keeps your audience captivated and connected to your message.

9. Memorize structure, not words

Instead of memorizing your entire presentation word-for-word, focus on memorizing the structure and key points. This allows for a more natural delivery and prevents stumbling if you forget a specific word. Practice delivering different parts of your presentation in various ways.

10. Present slowly and pause frequently

When practicing, consciously slow down your pace to combat nerves. Include deep pauses throughout your presentation, especially when transitioning between slides, to allow for audience absorption and to give yourself breathing room.

11. Focus on actionable takeaways

Hook your audience from the start by highlighting the actionable takeaways they will gain from your presentation. Avoid overwhelming them with a comprehensive overview. Leave them with clear steps on what they can do next after your presentation.

12. Get comfortable with technology

If you’re using technology, such as slide decks or video conferencing platforms, familiarize yourself with the specific tools and practice using them beforehand. Feeling confident with the technology involved will contribute to a smoother presentation experience.

13. Think about movement

Consider your movement during the presentation and how it aligns with your speaking style. Are you comfortable walking and talking, or do you prefer to stay stationary? Find a balance that suits your presentation and the space you’ll be in.

14. Ask for feedback

Seek feedback from peers, managers, or even survey your audience to gather insights on areas of improvement. Constructive feedback is invaluable for refining your presentation skills

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21 Ways To Improve Your Presentation Skills

Bailey Maybray

Published: April 07, 2023

You know the feeling of sitting through a boring presentation. A text distracts you. A noise outside pulls your gaze. Your dog begs for attention. By the time the presentation ends, you question why you needed to sit and listen in the first place.

Presentation Skills: A woman speaks before a crowd.

Effective presentation skills can stop you from boring an audience to oblivion. Delivering strong presentations can help you stand out as a leader, showcase your expertise, and build confidence.

Table of contents:

  • Presentation skills definition
  • Importance of presentation skills
  • How to improve presentation skills
  • Effective presentation skills
  • Presentation skills for executives

→ Free Download: 10 PowerPoint Presentation Templates [Access Now]

Presentation Skills Definition

Presentation skills include anything you need to create and deliver clear, effective presentations to an audience. This includes creating a compelling set of slides , ensuring the information flows, and keeping your audience engaged.

Speakers with strong presentation skills can perform the following tasks:

  • Bring together different sources of information to form a compelling narrative
  • Hook audiences with a strong beginning and end
  • Ensure audiences engage with their content through questions or surveys
  • Understand what their audience wants and needs from their presentation

Importance of Presentation Skills

At some point in your career, you will present something. You might pitch a startup to a group of investors or show your research findings to your manager at work. Those in leading or executive roles often deliver presentations on a weekly or monthly basis.

Improving your presentation skills betters different aspects of your working life, including the following:

Communication: Improving your presentation skills can make you a better communicator with your co-workers and friends.

Confidence: 75% of people fear public speaking. By working on your presentation skills, you can gain confidence when speaking in front of a crowd.

Creativity: You learn to understand how to use imagery and examples to engage an audience.

Management: Presentations involve pulling together information to form a succinct summary, helping you build project and time management skills.

How To Improve Presentation Skills

1. create an outline.

Before designing slides and writing a script, outline your presentation. Start with your introduction, segue into key points you want to make, and finish with a conclusion.

2. Practice, Practice, Practice

Almost 8 in 10 professionals practice their presentations for at least an hour. So, practice your presentation in the mirror or to a close friend.

3. Start With a Hook

When presenting, grab your audience with a hook. Consider starting with a surprising statistic or a thoughtful question before diving into the core information.

4. Stay Focused on Your Topic

You might want to cover everything under the sun, but information overload can overwhelm your audience. Instead, stay focused on what you want to cover. Aim for key points and avoid including unnecessary details.

5. Remember To Introduce Yourself

At the beginning of the presentation, introduce yourself. Kill any tension in the room by mentioning your name, your role, and any other helpful details. You could even mention a fun fact about yourself, putting the audience at ease.

6. Work on Your Body Language

55% of people look to nonverbal communication when judging a presentation. Straighten your back, minimize unnecessary gestures, and keep your voice confident and calm. Remember to work on these aspects when practicing.

7. Memorize Structure, Not Words

You might feel better knowing exactly what you want to say. But skip the script and stick to memorizing the key points of your presentation. For example, consider picking three to four phrases or insights you want to mention for each part of your presentation rather than line-by-line memorization.

8. Learn Your Audience

Before crafting a killer outline and slide deck, research your audience. Find out what they likely already know, such as industry jargon, and where they might need additional information. Remember: You're presenting for them, not you.

9. Reframe Your Anxiety as Excitement

A study conducted by Harvard Business School demonstrates that reframing your anxiety as excitement can improve performance. For example, by saying simple phrases out loud, such as “I’m excited,” you then adopt an opportunity-oriented mentality.

10. Get Comfortable With the Setting

If you plan to present in person, explore the room. Find where you’re going to stand and deliver your presentation. Practice looking into the seats. By decreasing the number of unknowns, you can clear your head and focus on the job.

11. Get Familiar With Technology

Presenting online has unique challenges, such as microphone problems and background noise. Before a Zoom presentation, ensure your microphone works, clean up your background, test your slides, and consider any background noise.

12. Think Positively

Optimistic workers enjoy faster promotions and happier lives. By reminding yourself of the positives — for example, your manager found your last presentation impressive — you can shake off nerves and find joy in the process.

13. Tell a Story

To engage your audience, weave storytelling into your presentation — more than 5 in 10 people believe stories hold their focus during a presentation. Consider ways to connect different parts of your slides into a compelling narrative.

14. Prepare for Questions

At the end of your presentation, your audience will likely have questions. Brainstorm different questions and potential answers so you’re prepared.

15. Maintain Eye Contact

Eye contact signals honesty. When possible, maintain eye contact with your audience. For in-person presentations, pay attention to each audience member. For online ones, stare at your camera lens as you deliver.

16. Condense Your Presentation

After you finish the first draft of your outline, think about ways to condense it. Short and sweet often keeps people interested instead of checking their phones.

17. Use Videos

Keep your audience’s attention by incorporating video clips when relevant. For example, videos can help demonstrate examples or explain difficult concepts.

18. Engage With Your Audience

Almost 8 in 10 professionals view presentations as boring. Turn the tide by engaging with your audience. Encourage audience participation by asking questions or conducting a live survey.

19. Present Slowly and Pause Frequently

When you get nervous, you talk faster. To combat this, remember to slow yourself down when practicing. Place deep pauses throughout your presentation, especially when transitioning between slides, as it gives you time to breathe and your audience time to absorb.

20. Start and End With a Summary

A summary at the start of a presentation can pique your audience’s interest. One at the end brings everything together, highlighting key points your audience should take with them.

21. Ask for Feedback

You will never deliver the perfect presentation, so ask for feedback. Talk to your managers about where you could improve. Consider surveying your audience for an unbiased look into your presentation skills.

Effective Presentation Skills

Effective presentation skills include communicating clearly, presenting with structure, and engaging with the audience.

As an example, say a content manager is presenting a quarterly review to their team. They start off with a summary. Their introduction mentions an unprecedented 233% growth in organic traffic — numbers their team has not seen in years. Immediately, the presenter grabs their team’s attention. Now, everyone wants to know how they achieved that in one quarter.

Alternatively, think of an entrepreneur delivering their pitch to a group of investors. They start with a question: How many of you struggle to stay awake at work? They then segue into an exciting product designed to improve the sleep quality of working professionals. Their presentation includes videos demonstrating the science behind sleep and surprising statistics about the demand for their product.

Both examples demonstrate effective presentation skills. They incorporate strong attention grabbers, summaries, and attempts to engage the audience.

Think back to strong presentations you viewed as an audience member. Ask yourself: What made them so memorable, and how can I incorporate those elements into my presentations?

Presentation Skills for Executives

Presentations take up a significant portion of an executive’s workload. Executives regularly showcase key company initiatives, team changes, quarterly and annual reviews, and more. Improving your presentation skills as a leader can help with different parts of your job, such as:

Trust: Delivering great, effective presentations can build trust between you and your team.

Confidence: Most people dread presentations — so a strong presenter projects the confidence needed by a leader.

Emotional intelligence: A great presentation taps into the audience’s perspectives, helping executives improve their emotional intelligence .

Expertise: Presentations help executives display their subject-matter expertise, making employees safe in their hands.

Delegation: At times, executives might need to pull information from different sources for a presentation — improving their ability to delegate as managers.

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6 presentation skills and how to improve them

smiling-woman-introducing-her-presentation-to-her-team-at-work-presentation-skills

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What are presentation skills?

The importance of presentation skills, 6 presentation skills examples, how to improve presentation skills.

Tips for dealing with presentation anxiety

Learn how to captivate an audience with ease

Capturing an audience’s attention takes practice. 

Over time, great presenters learn how to organize their speeches and captivate an audience from start to finish. They spark curiosity, know how to read a room , and understand what their audience needs to walk away feeling like they learned something valuable.

Regardless of your profession, you most likely use presentation skills on a monthly or even weekly basis. Maybe you lead brainstorming sessions or host client calls. 

Developing effective presentation skills makes it easier to contribute ideas with confidence and show others you’re someone to trust. Although speaking in front of a crowd sometimes brings nerves and anxiety , it also sparks new opportunities.

Presentation skills are the qualities and abilities you need to communicate ideas effectively and deliver a compelling speech. They influence how you structure a presentation and how an audience receives it. Understanding body language , creating impactful visual aids, and projecting your voice all fall under this umbrella.

A great presentation depends on more than what you say. It’s about how you say it. Storytelling , stage presence, and voice projection all shape how well you express your ideas and connect with the audience. These skills do take practice, but they’re worth developing — especially if public speaking makes you nervous. 

Engaging a crowd isn’t easy. You may feel anxious to step in front of an audience and have all eyes and ears on you.

But feeling that anxiety doesn’t mean your ideas aren’t worth sharing. Whether you’re giving an inspiring speech or delivering a monthly recap at work, your audience is there to listen to you. Harness that nervous energy and turn it into progress.

Strong presentation skills make it easier to convey your thoughts to audiences of all sizes. They can help you tell a compelling story, convince people of a pitch , or teach a group something entirely new to them. And when it comes to the workplace, the strength of your presentation skills could play a part in getting a promotion or contributing to a new initiative.

To fully understand the impact these skills have on creating a successful presentation, it’s helpful to look at each one individually. Here are six valuable skills you can develop:

1. Active listening

Active listening is an excellent communication skill for any professional to hone. When you have strong active listening skills, you can listen to others effectively and observe their nonverbal cues . This helps you assess whether or not your audience members are engaged in and understand what you’re sharing. 

Great public speakers use active listening to assess the audience’s reactions and adjust their speech if they find it lacks impact. Signs like slouching, negative facial expressions, and roaming eye contact are all signs to watch out for when giving a presentation.

2. Body language

If you’re researching presentation skills, chances are you’ve already watched a few notable speeches like TED Talks or industry seminars. And one thing you probably noticed is that speakers can capture attention with their body language. 

A mixture of eye contact, hand gestures , and purposeful pacing makes a presentation more interesting and engaging. If you stand in one spot and don’t move your body, the audience might zone out.

two-women-talking-happily-on-radio-presentation-skills

3. Stage presence

A great stage presence looks different for everyone. A comedian might aim for more movement and excitement, and a conference speaker might focus their energy on the content of their speech. Although neither is better than the other, both understand their strengths and their audience’s needs. 

Developing a stage presence involves finding your own unique communication style . Lean into your strengths, whether that’s adding an injection of humor or asking questions to make it interactive . To give a great presentation, you might even incorporate relevant props or presentation slides.

4. Storytelling

According to Forbes, audiences typically pay attention for about 10 minutes before tuning out . But you can lengthen their attention span by offering a presentation that interests them for longer. Include a narrative they’ll want to listen to, and tell a story as you go along. 

Shaping your content to follow a clear narrative can spark your audience’s curiosity and entice them to pay careful attention. You can use anecdotes from your personal or professional life that take your audience along through relevant moments. If you’re pitching a product, you can start with a problem and lead your audience through the stages of how your product provides a solution.

5. Voice projection

Although this skill may be obvious, you need your audience to hear what you’re saying. This can be challenging if you’re naturally soft-spoken and struggle to project your voice.

Remember to straighten your posture and take deep breaths before speaking, which will help you speak louder and fill the room. If you’re talking into a microphone or participating in a virtual meeting, you can use your regular conversational voice, but you still want to sound confident and self-assured with a strong tone.

If you’re unsure whether everyone can hear you, you can always ask the audience at the beginning of your speech and wait for confirmation. That way, they won’t have to potentially interrupt you later.

Ensuring everyone can hear you also includes your speed and annunciation. It’s easy to speak quickly when nervous, but try to slow down and pronounce every word. Mumbling can make your presentation difficult to understand and pay attention to.

microphone-presentation-skills

6. Verbal communication 

Although verbal communication involves your projection and tone, it also covers the language and pacing you use to get your point across. This includes where you choose to place pauses in your speech or the tone you use to emphasize important ideas.

If you’re giving a presentation on collaboration in the workplace , you might start your speech by saying, “There’s something every workplace needs to succeed: teamwork.” By placing emphasis on the word “ teamwork ,” you give your audience a hint on what ideas will follow.

To further connect with your audience through diction, pay careful attention to who you’re speaking to. The way you talk to your colleagues might be different from how you speak to a group of superiors, even if you’re discussing the same subject. You might use more humor and a conversational tone for the former and more serious, formal diction for the latter.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to presenting. Maybe you’re confident in your use of body language, but your voice projection needs work. Maybe you’re a great storyteller in small group settings, but need to work on your stage presence in front of larger crowds. 

The first step to improving presentation skills is pinpointing your gaps and determining which qualities to build upon first. Here are four tips for enhancing your presentation skills:

1. Build self-confidence

Confident people know how to speak with authority and share their ideas. Although feeling good about your presentation skills is easier said than done, building confidence is key to helping your audience believe in what you’re saying. Try practicing positive self-talk and continuously researching your topic's ins and outs.

If you don’t feel confident on the inside, fake it until you make it. Stand up straight, project your voice, and try your best to appear engaged and excited. Chances are, the audience doesn’t know you’re unsure of your skills — and they don’t need to.

Another tip is to lean into your slideshow, if you’re using one. Create something colorful and interesting so the audience’s eyes fall there instead of on you. And when you feel proud of your slideshow, you’ll be more eager to share it with others, bringing more energy to your presentation.

2. Watch other presentations

Developing the soft skills necessary for a good presentation can be challenging without seeing them in action. Watch as many as possible to become more familiar with public speaking skills and what makes a great presentation. You could attend events with keynote speakers or view past speeches on similar topics online.

Take a close look at how those presenters use verbal communication and body language to engage their audiences. Grab a notebook and jot down what you enjoyed and your main takeaways. Try to recall the techniques they used to emphasize their main points, whether they used pauses effectively, had interesting visual aids, or told a fascinating story.

woman-looking-at-video-from-tablet-while-cooking-dinner-presentation-skills

3. Get in front of a crowd

You don’t need a large auditorium to practice public speaking. There are dozens of other ways to feel confident and develop good presentation skills.

If you’re a natural comedian, consider joining a small stand-up comedy club. If you’re an avid writer, participate in a public poetry reading. Even music and acting can help you feel more comfortable in front of a crowd.

If you’d rather keep it professional, you can still work on your presentation skills in the office. Challenge yourself to participate at least once in every team meeting, or plan and present a project to become more comfortable vocalizing your ideas. You could also speak to your manager about opportunities that flex your public speaking abilities.

4. Overcome fear

Many people experience feelings of fear before presenting in front of an audience, whether those feelings appear as a few butterflies or more severe anxiety. Try grounding yourself to shift your focus to the present moment. If you’re stuck dwelling on previous experiences that didn’t go well, use those mistakes as learning experiences and focus on what you can improve to do better in the future.

Tips for dealing with presentation anxiety 

It’s normal to feel nervous when sharing your ideas. In fact, according to a report from the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, public speaking anxiety is prevalent in 15–30% of the general population .

Even though having a fear of public speaking is common, it doesn’t make it easier. You might feel overwhelmed, become stiff, and forget what you were going to say. But although the moment might scare you, there are ways to overcome the fear and put mind over matter.

Use these tactics to reduce your stress when you have to make a presentation:

1. Practice breathing techniques

If you experience anxiety often, you’re probably familiar with breathing techniques for stress relief . Incorporating these exercises into your daily routine can help you stop worrying and regulate anxious feelings. 

Before a big presentation, take a moment alone to practice breathing techniques, ground yourself, and reduce tension. It’s also a good idea to take breaths throughout the presentation to speak slower and calm yourself down .

2. Get organized

The more organized you are, the more prepared you’ll feel. Carefully outline all of the critical information you want to use in your presentation, including your main talking points and visual aids, so you don’t forget anything. Use bullet points and visuals on each slide to remind you of what you want to talk about, and create handheld notes to help you stay on track.

3. Embrace moments of silence

It’s okay to lose your train of thought. It happens to even the most experienced public speakers once in a while. If your mind goes blank, don’t panic. Take a moment to breathe, gather your thoughts, and refer to your notes to see where you left off. You can drink some water or make a quick joke to ease the silence or regain your footing. And it’s okay to say, “Give me a moment while I find my notes.” Chances are, people understand the position you’re in.

men-giving-conference-sitting-on-a-chair-with-microphone-presentation-skills

4. Practice makes progress

Before presenting, rehearse in front of friends and family members you trust. This gives you the chance to work out any weak spots in your speech and become comfortable communicating out loud. If you want to go the extra mile, ask your makeshift audience to ask a surprise question. This tests your on-the-spot thinking and will prove that you can keep cool when things come up.

Whether you’re new to public speaking or are a seasoned presenter, you’re bound to make a few slip-ups. It happens to everyone. The most important thing is that you try your best, brush things off, and work on improving your skills to do better in your next presentation.

Although your job may require a different level of public speaking than your favorite TED Talk , developing presentation skills is handy in any profession. You can use presentation skills in a wide range of tasks in the workplace, whether you’re sharing your ideas with colleagues, expressing concerns to higher-ups, or pitching strategies to potential clients.

Remember to use active listening to read the room and engage your audience with an interesting narrative. Don’t forget to step outside your comfort zone once in a while and put your skills to practice in front of a crowd. After facing your fears, you’ll feel confident enough to put presentation skills on your resume.

If you’re trying to build your skills and become a better employee overall, try a communications coach with BetterUp. 

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Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

The 11 tips that will improve your public speaking skills

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Presentation Geeks

Why Marketing Presentations Are Essential To Business Growth [With Examples]

Table of contents.

In many different industries and job sectors, presentations are part of the job . The ability to create an effective and clear presentation or marketing deck that gets your point across and engages your audience takes time, energy, practice and experience. In this article we explore the importance of presentations in marketing your brand and how that ultimately leads to business growth.

So, What is a Marketing Presentation?

A marketing presentation is a summary of your business and marketing strategies. In the marketing industry, presentations are that much more important. Often, you or someone on your team will be pitching ideas to clients and execs in the form of a presentation.

Creating an engaging and effective marketing presentation is important to sealing the deal or updating senior employees on your work.

A marketing presentation often includes key pieces of information such as:

  • The product/brand/organization
  • The marketing campaign title
  • The campaign objectives
  • Target audience/target market
  • A marketing strategy with a unique selling point
  • Key takeaways and next steps
  • A timeline for rolling out the campaign

Each of these items will help you to effectively communicate your ideas and plan to the client in an engaging and logical way.

5 Reasons Why Presentations Are Important in Marketing

A graphic of 5 hands holding up fingers with the text 'marketing presentation'

Effective marketing presentations can have a huge impact on your career as a marketing professional. They will help grow your business and build your agency’s reputation among other clients. Here are 5 reasons why presentations are important in marketing and why you should work on creating awesome marketing presentations.

1. Your Presentation is Your Brand’s Value

Marketing presentations are essentially sales pitches. You are trying to convince a company or client to work with you or buy your product. If your presentation is sloppy, unclear, and boring, clients or customers will likely view your brand in the same way .

Having Good Presentation Skills Drive Trust in Your Brand

Being able to create a strong and engaging presentation shows potential clients that you believe in what you are selling and are willing to invest in it. That in turn makes your brand that much more attractive. Presenting with conviction is key, confidently presenting your product/services is an art and can make a huge difference when making the right impression.

If your presentation is full of low quality images, incorrect data, boring slides, and the presenter doesn’t engage the audience, you likely will not gain too many new clients. When presenting your slides, include high quality images, real life examples, and accurate data.

Get PowerPoint Presentation Help

If creating Powerpoint or Google Slides presentations is not in your skill set, don’t stress! There are tons of free presentation templates that can act as a first step in your creation process. At Presentation Geeks, we work with clients to create engaging and effective presentation templates. Hiring someone to help with creating your slides can make a huge difference and mean more time for you to put the information together.

Today, the business environment, vision, and outlook is changing faster than ever before. This was especially true for BP who wanted to share their investment in renewable energy. With a focus on imagery and minimalistic design, we were able to create a presentation that supported their vision.

British Petroleum Presentation Sample

why are presentation skills important for marketers

Your presentation template can either start with something very simple or can be a bit more complex. Choose a template that makes sense for your business and presentation style. You should also think about the environment you are presenting in. While conference settings can call for more engaging and exciting slides, a client meeting may mean dialing it in.

2. Use the Right Design Principles in Your Marketing Presentations

As many marketing professionals will tell you, a great design goes a long way. This also extends to your marketing presentation. Whether it’s at networking events, marketing conferences, client meetings, or just internal presentations, a strong presentation created with a great design will stick with the viewers even after the presentation is complete.

Visual Hierarchy

A basic design concept that you can use to create great marketing presentations is the visual hierarchy. This is a design principle that involves identifying design elements and organizing them in order of importance.

For a marketing presentation, this could include keeping the key information as the most eye catching elements on a slide. You will want to think about what you want your audience to take away from one slide and keep the key message and the most important points the biggest or at the top to drive the point home.

Color Psychology

Another design element to consider is colour psychology. This will also have to coincide with your brand’s colours, but aesthetic is a huge part of creating a pleasing and engaging presentation.

There have been studies done that state that specific colours can have an impact on a viewer’s decision making. Colour can be used to draw the eye to important information or elements of the presentation that you want the viewer to remember.

Font Pairing

One last design element you should consider when creating your slides is to pair your fonts. While there are many creative font styles out there, the vast majority will not be used in professional marketing presentations.

You will want to find fonts that match or pair well your brand’s. For example, you don’t necessarily want two more flowery fonts paired together as this can take away from the information and data that is being presented.

Tell an Engaging Story With Your Marketing Presentation

A compelling brand story can be the reason a customer decides to purchase your product or use your services. This story should be evident throughout the whole presentation: from the titles and layout to the images and colours.

Close up of a typewriter with the text "Storytelling is the best marketing"

3. It Helps in Conversion of Followers into Customers

One of the main purposes for a marketing presentation is to convert a viewer into a customer or client. The information and knowledge you deliver and who you present it can be a motivating force to turn an audience member into one of your customers. Integrating tips and strategies for engaging your customers will help you convert followers into customers.

Use Your Presentation Skills to Drive Sales

Sales happen when client needs are met with a service or product. But, if your potential clients or customers don’t know about your company, you won’t increase your sales.

This is where your marketing presentation has a huge and important role. While a strong marketing plan can help you reach your goals, an engaging and professional presentation can turn audience members from strangers to customers.

Make Your Marketing Presentation About Your Audience

When you run a Google Slides or Powerpoint marketing presentation, you need to remember to make it about the audience . Especially if you are trying to boost sales or gain a client, make them the central focus.

To reach them, you should cultivate empathy. You can do this by understanding the problem from their perspective. Understand their needs and questions and then work towards answering them. You’ll find that customers that feel understood or heard by an organization will be more likely to continue in the buying journey.

Create Journey Maps

Cartoon drawing of the customer buying journey

In many types of content marketing, you have to consider the types of buyers or customers you are trying to reach. As well, you have to think about the buying journey they will take to move from potential customers to actual customers. It is information that can help you understand the customer and understand their thought process.

While this should all be brainstormed in your marketing plan, it can also be defined and explored in your marketing presentation and on your slides.

Digging into the “why’s” behind a customer’s decisions will help you create marketing and advertising components that will get their attention and answer their questions. Then, answering these questions in your Google Slides or Powerpoint presentation will reach your target audience that much more.

4. It Creates Brand Awareness

Strong brand awareness can make or break a company. Think about brands like Band-Aid or Kleenex who has such strong brand awareness that their brand names have become synonymous with the name of the product.

In order to grow your business, you have to make potential clients and customers aware of your brand. This is where digital marketing come into play.

A presentation can often be the means by which you introduce your company to a group of potential customers.

Focus On Your Central Idea

One of the most important tips to remember when you are presenting to potential customers is to focus on the most important idea and key pieces of information you want them to leave with.

If you present an enormous amount of information with tons of images that aren’t related to your organization your brand image gets lost in the shuffle. Deliver the most important ideas on your slides and you’ll see how engaged your audience is.

5. Good Presentations Generate Trust and Invite Opportunities

As marketers know well, trust is a huge part of running a business. As a presentation strategy, you want to generate trust through the information your provide and the stories that are told.

As one of Canada’s most recognized asset management firms, Dynamic Funds offers top-tier solutions. In creating this presentation, our focus was on integrating an easy to read, accessible PowerPoint presentation that translated big concepts in an audience friendly way to build trust with them.

We encourage you to watch the example video.

why are presentation skills important for marketers

Making a good first impression

Right from the start, you want to come across as a trustworthy and intelligent brand. Customers don’t want to hear from an organization that doesn’t seem trustworthy or worth their time. There are some tactics you can use to help present yourself well to your viewers.

For example, when you’re speaking, make eye contact. Be conformable and positive in your tone. Tell a related story to keep them engaged. All of these tips can make a huge difference on your presentation.

Understand How to Help and transform Your Audience

As we stated above, understanding a customer’s needs and wants can transform your audience. If your product isn’t presented as a solution to their problem, customers will lose interest and stay as potential followers. Telling them that your product or service will meet their needs in your presentation will go a long way and will likely convert them from followers to actual customers.

Need A Marketing Presentation Created For Your Company?

Make an impression that lasts with your next presentation. Use our presentation design service that will not only save you time and money, but create powerful sales tool that will make the right impression, first time around.

If you’re ready to begin working with award winning designers that have an established reputation, contact Presentation Geeks today by clicking the button below.

Author:  Content Team

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9 Tips for Improving Your Presentation Skills For Your Next Meeting

By Hannah Tow , Feb 03, 2020

Improve Presentation Skills Blog Header

Presenting to an audience is one thing, but presenting ideas in a persuasive manner to the key stakeholders of your business is a whole other ball game.

The fact of the matter is that successfully presenting to a room full of people is a skill that’s mastered by very few. It takes practice, practice, and even more practice to start feeling comfortable with everyone’s eyes focused on you so you can effectively get your point across. 

The reality of presenting is that you can’t escape it. Especially as you start to move up in your career. If you’re yearning to improve, this article will walk you through the top nine tips to use to enhance your presentation skills for your next big meeting as well as throughout your life. Let’s get started.

Improve Presentation Skills List Infographic Venngage

9 top tips for improving your presentation skills:

  • Practice speaking in front of others
  • Use less text and more visuals in your presentation
  • Leverage your personality
  • Welcome questions and comments during
  • Be passionate and engaging
  • Maintain eye contact with your audience
  • Obsess over your listeners
  • Focus on confident body language
  • Keep it as short as possible

Constantly practicing, refining and improving upon your presentation skills will not only make you a more confident individual, but you will find that you rise quicker to success in your career. However, having great presentation skills does not just affect your work-life. Great presentation skills are truly life skills that you should integrate into more areas than just the conference room.

1. Practice speaking in front of others 

Presentation Skills Tip 1

Practice always makes perfect. 

It doesn’t matter how well you know what you’re talking about, the moment you have to persuade, engage, or teach in front of an audience, you will probably stumble a bit. This is a natural reaction that affects pretty much everyone when all eyes are pointed in one direction and the anxiety sets in. 

It’s important to remember that the overwhelming feeling of stress you probably feel is the result of your unfamiliarity with the situation, not from your lack of preparedness. The more comfortable you are with taking the stage and having everyone’s attention on you, the less nervous you’ll get. 

The greater confidence you have in your presentation skills will allow you to focus on what actually matters–which is the material that you’re presenting. 

The best way to implement this practice is by starting off small. Prepare a presentation to give to your friends, family, or closest co-workers. This sounds easy, but you will learn that it’s not necessarily who is listening to you that causes nerves, but it’s the fact that all of the attention is on you. 

You’ll become more comfortable with the attention when you begin practicing in front of others more often, which will allow you to effectively present your ideas next time it’s your turn to speak in the conference room.

RELATED: Learn the top ten public speaking tips to better prepare you for your practice sessions. 

2. Use less text and more visuals in your presentation

Presentation Skills Tip 2

We’ve all been there before: sitting at the conference table trying our very best to stay interested and engaged with the presentation before us. The presentation lacks color, images, and all sense of creativity while containing an over-abundance of text and long-form paragraphs. 

These types of presentations are horrible for two reasons: 

The first reason being that the minute you have words on the screen, your audience will direct their attention away from you to begin reading and completely tune you out. 

The second reason is if your presentation skills are poor, not only will your presentation be dull to listen to, but it will be unbelievably boring to look at as well. You’ll quickly find out how easy it is to lose most of the room’s attention when you create a lackluster presentation. 

If you feel lost attempting to design your slides into an exciting work of art, try using creative presentation templates . PowerPoint templates make it simple to produce something beautiful, and they can also make you feel like an accomplished designer after seeing the outcome, such as this business presentation example . 

Business Pitch Deck Template

In addition to nicely designed slides, you should always try to use infographics and charts to help you better summarize the complex information you’re relaying to your audience. It will be much easier for your listeners to understand what you’re explaining when they have something to visualize it with. Plus, there are plenty of resources out there to help you craft these visuals.

Learn how to make an infographic in five easy steps or produce an impressive graph .

If you feel worried that your presentation doesn’t hold enough content, you must remember the main reason for visual aids: 

They are to enhance what you’re speaking about, not lead it! 

If you’ve done enough practicing, you should feel confident in your presentation skills to thoroughly explain your main ideas and you won’t need to rely on the screen anyhow.

TIP: If you’re looking for even more ways to engage your audience with your visuals, check out 120+ presentation ideas that are sure to wow and delight! 

3. Leverage your personality

Presentation Skills Tip 3

As cliche as it sounds, you should always be true to who you are, especially if when you’re presenting. 

It’s incredibly easy to tell if someone is faking it for the sake of their audience, so you should never pretend to act in a way that you don’t typically do. Not only will you feel unnatural and uncomfortable doing it, but you can also risk embarrassment when you try to tell a forced joke and no one laughs or your new-found trait of sarcasm doesn’t sit well with your boss. 

It should bring you comfort knowing that most everyone in your meeting knows who you are. Use this to your advantage and start the presentation by playing up your best personality traits. Use your humor if you’re known to crack jokes or throw in your typical mannerisms.

Funny Slide Template

These little additions will make your presentation feel much more relaxed for everyone involved. In addition to your own unique quirks, you should also bring a level of personability to your meeting.

Be empathetic, smile more, and look around the room.  Doing so will improve your presentation skills, make you more likable, and allow your audience to be more receptive to you. 

In many cases, you may be presenting virtually, rather than in person. You can still allow your personality to shine through and energize your virtual presentation. Lisa Schneider, Chief Growth Officer at Merriam-Webster, wrote for Venngage on how to adapt an in-person presentation into a virtual presentation . Check it out.

4. Welcome questions and comments during your presentation

Presentation Skills Tip 4

Be flexible throughout your presentation. Answer questions and respond to any comments your audience may have either through hand raising or an audience response tool . Don’t worry if it veers you off your script. Chances are if one person has a question or comment, the others in the room are thinking it too. 

Use this as an opportunity to prove how well you understand the material you’re presenting–your audience will take notice.

Also, take some time out at the start or your presentation to ask your audience some icebreaker questions and slowly transition into the more important stuff. 

Taking this minute to talk through anything that your audience is thinking of is a good thing because it means they are engaged with you and really paying attention to the words coming out of your mouth. Doing so will also relax the format of your presentation, allowing you to feel more confident and relaxed as well.

5. Be passionate and engaging 

Presentation Skills Tip 5

When creating your presentation, craft it in such a way that makes your audience curious and makes them have questions for you. A persuasive presentation is the best way to get the positive reactions you are looking for, so be as passionate as you can be about your subject matter to seal the deal. 

Remember that questions and comments during your presentation are a good thing, especially if you’re the one prompting them! 

The more excited you are to present your ideas and show off your expertise, the more excited and engaged your audience will be. Own your subject matter and know what you’re talking about, it’s one of the most important presentation skills to have.

6. Maintain eye contact with your audience

Presentation Skills Tip 6

This is a very obvious tip that will go a long way with your audience. 

When the people you’re speaking to feel like you’re taking notice of them, they are much more likely to take notice of you and pay better attention to everything that you’re saying. 

It’s important to remember that losing eye contact and looking everywhere but at the people that you’re presenting to is a common nervous behavior. Pay extra close attention to whether or not you’re guilty of that, and work to ensure you have your eyes on at least one person.

7. Obsess over your listeners 

Presentation Skills Tip 7

Be receptive to your listeners. You can’t forget that what you’re presenting is for the audience, and it has nothing to do about you! 

Focus on the value you can provide to the people in the room. The more serving you are to them, the greater chance you have at driving your point home and nailing your presentation. 

It’s also important not to forget about those listening to you remotely over video conferencing . Make sure they know you’re aware of them and engage them as well! 

8. Focus on confident body language 

Presentation Skills Tip 8

Smiling, hand gestures, eye contact, and a powerful stance all exude confidence. 

If you don’t have strong body language and are showing physical signs of nervousness (ie. tapping, bouncing, shaking, darting eyes, and more) your audience will have a hard time focusing on the material you’re presenting and hone in on the fact that you’re nervous and probably don’t know what you’re talking about as much as you say you do.

No matter how nervous you are, take a deep breath and pretend otherwise. You might actually start to believe it!

9. Keep it as short as possible

Presentation Skills Tip 9

Every single person’s time is valuable ( especially at work), so don’t waste precious meeting time. If you can say everything you need to in half of the time that is allotted, you should do so. 

Ensure that you’re only sharing the most important information. All of the extra fluff will bore your audience and you will lose their attention very quickly.

It’s a great idea to wrap up your presentation with key takeaways and action items. Doing so will ensure that no matter how quickly your meeting ended, your team understands their next steps. You can send out a quick, summarizing slide deck or an easy to read one-pager for their reference later. These visuals will make sure all of your bases are covered and that everyone is on the same page upon leaving the meeting.

A good presentation makes all the difference. Check out the top qualities of awesome presentations and learn all about how to make a good presentation to help you nail that captivating delivery.

  

Never stop refining your presentation skills 

Possessing great presentation skills doesn’t come naturally to most people–it’s something that’s learned and practiced over time. As with most things in life, you must continuously work on refining your skills to get better and better. 

Use these nine proven presentation tips that we covered in this article to improve your presentation skills and ace different presentation styles . By doing so, you will find that presenting at your key meetings becomes easier and easier and you’ll begin to nail it every single time.

More presentation guides:

How to Make a Persuasive Presentation

120+ Best Presentation Ideas, Design Tips & Examples

33 Presentation Templates and Design Tips to Hold Your Audience’s Attention

Presentation Design Guide: How to Summarize Information for Presentations

  • International edition
  • Australia edition
  • Europe edition

Think about what the audience needs and what you want them to do as a result of hearing your talk.

Want to win over an audience? How to improve your presentation skills

Whether the prospect of delivering a presentation fills you with excitement or dread, there are key steps to ensuring you make an impact

Presentations shouldn’t be just a set of bullet points on a screen. In An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore used presentation slides to provide a compelling argument to his audience. Your next business presentation may not win any awards, but there are things you can do to make an impact.

Remember, it’s not about you

There are many reasons why you would need to give a presentation: pitching for funding, building a business relationship or making a sale. However, the overall purpose of your presentation should always do one thing: provide something your audience needs. In his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes: “Begin with the end in mind”. Think about what you want the audience to do as a result of hearing your talk – whether it is to buy your product the next day or introduce you to their company’s senior decision-makers.

Structure it first

Before you do anything, you need to consider the structure of your presentation. If you’re selling a product or service, then you can start by describing a problem faced by the client, industry or market. Then describe how your product or service solves that need. If you’re providing an update on a project, consider a timeline of events. Whatever you choose, you should lay out the key points that help your audience understand the message, then gather supporting material. Supporting material includes facts, statistics, relevant quotations, client testimonials and, above all, stories. Stories create the emotional connection that makes your presentation memorable.

You will need to grab the audience’s attention within the first 30 seconds, so prepare a bold opening such as “I’m going to show you how to increase sales by 20%”.

Make a storyboard

I like to describe each slide or deck on a sticky note in a sentence or drawing (you may prefer to use some software). For example, “chart showing that sales volume has increased by 20%” or “picture of a child playing with one of our toys”. Then arrange them in a logical order. Communications expert Nancy Duarte said that presentations fail because of too much information, not too little. For each slide, ask yourself the question, does it help this audience understand this message? If you’re not sure, put it aside for use in a different presentation. By the time you’re finished you’ll have a logical outline of your talk.

Avoid death by bullet point

Images have much greater impact than text, so avoid death by bullet point by looking for images that support your points and stories. You can find plenty of free-to-use photos online through Creative Commons, an organisation which releases copyright-licenses free of charge to the public, and there are low-cost photo libraries available too. Best of all would be to use your own photos. Remember that you and your message are unique, so avoid bland, generic stock photos and clip art. Use text sparingly and make sure you use a large, clear font. You should use a consistent colour scheme that matches your brand image.

You may love your logo, but it doesn’t need to appear on every single slide. If you’re 20 minutes into a presentation and the audience doesn’t know who you are, then a logo on each slide won’t help. Put it at the beginning and the end, along with your contact information.

Practice makes perfect

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Feeling confident will allow you to focus on your audience. You should practise with the equipment you’ll be using. If you are using someone else’s equipment, make sure you’re familiar with how it connects and practise so that you’ll be able to do it smoothly. If you’ll be connecting to a sophisticated set up at a client’s office, find out if you can get into the meeting room in advance. Watching a salesperson spend 15 minutes trying to connect their latest iPhone to a prospect’s Soviet-era television can be entertaining on a rainy day – but it doesn’t help them get their message across.

It’s all in the delivery

This is where all your preparation pays off. Take a deep breath. Smile at the audience and give your presentation, with impact.

Steve Campion is a member of Toastmasters International

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Why Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

Posted by Ruth Hopkins | Dec 19, 2022 | Business | 0 |

Why Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

What does it take to be a successful marketer?

It appears that the research has already been completed, so there is no longer any requirement to speculate. Fractl employed IBM’s Watson Personality Insights API in 2019 to identify the essential characteristics and attributes of 20 famous branding gurus globally.

Findings from the study demonstrated that the primary quality shared by some top-level marketing professionals was having an adventurous spirit. Following that, these individuals exhibited high levels of energy, boldness and assertiveness, and intelligence.

This is intriguing because individuals known for their effective presentation abilities often demonstrate similar characteristics.

One must exhibit a degree of boldness to volunteer to exhibit in front of an audience. If you don’t have a lot of energy, it will be difficult to maintain people’s interest. If you fail to be assertive, it will be difficult to effectively express your thoughts. The list goes on.

That’s not a coincidence. To succeed in marketing, it is essential to have exceptional presentation abilities.

3 Reasons Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

In a way, marketing is one big presentation. We show ourselves to the world when creating a blog post or participating in a podcast. By investigating our viewers, we attempt to gain a better knowledge of the type of content they would like to view and grasp from our demonstrations.

Put simply, outstanding presentation abilities influence essentially every element of marketing. If you can deliver an incredible presentation, you can:

1. Having Good Presentation Skills Drive Trust in Your Brand

What makes people trust brands? According to a global survey from PR and marketing consultancy Edelman, it boils down to three key factors:

  • Product experience:  The most important factor is that 87 percent of respondents cited their experience with a product as a reason to trust a brand.
  • Customer experience:  56 percent of consumers said their own experiences with a brand play an important part in building trust.
  • Societal impact:  38 percent of consumers believe a brand’s impact on society is important in assessing its trustworthiness.

Nevertheless, a more significant point is the basis of all this. Without having the ability to effectively present, possible clients won’t be aware of any of these details!

If you don’t boast about the caliber of your product, showcase your amazing reviews, or establish that you are devoted to improving the world, how is anyone supposed to know if they can rely on you?

2. Presentation Skills Help Create Brand Awareness

Have you ever thought about why people tend to interact more with individual social media accounts than those of businesses and organizations? It is simpler to market to an individual than to an organization.

Attending conferences, mingling at networking engagements, and participating in other such activities greatly raise a brand’s visibility. It gives your company a personal aspect, making it quick to recognize, easier to connect with, and more likely to be remembered. When we hear the names, we automatically link Apple, Microsoft, and Tesla to Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk.

3. Use Your Presentation Skills to Drive Sales

Strong presentation abilities can be a powerful tool to promote your item.

The Chief Marketer found that face-to-face events make up the second biggest amount of leads for B2B organizations and also offer the second highest return on investment among any of the channels in sales.

Indeed, not all survey participants would officially be speakers at the events. Still, they would certainly use the events to reach potential customers. This could involve talking to them at their display stands, during networking sessions, or even waiting for something to eat or drink.

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How to Develop Your Marketing Presentation Skills

At this stage, I hope you concur that good presentation abilities are imperative for modern advertisers. Let’s examine how we can refine those abilities to reach your marketing goals.

1. Set Goals for Developing Your Presentation Skills

Start by defining exactly what you want to achieve, such as:

  • becoming a better (or first-time) conference speaker
  • delivering more impactful training sessions
  • speaking more persuasively to leads
  • engaging potential prospects at the top of the sales funnel
  • honing your pitch presentations

Also, give yourself a deadline. Focus on improving your public speaking specifically for an upcoming conference or networking event instead of simply working on constructing presentations in general. Register to be a speaker quickly; you are responsible for fulfilling your commitments.

2. Research Your Audience

In addition to just practicing more, there is another highly successful path to gaining confidence speaking in front of a crowd: Gathering information.

Considering it, feeling like an imposter is yet another cause that makes people unwilling to do public speaking. We are afraid we will be discovered to be liars and deceivers who do not know what we are discussing.

Making sure you have done extensive research into who your target audience is will protect you from feeling uncertain. When you clearly understand the audience you are addressing, constructing an efficient presentation is substantially more straightforward.

3. Incorporate Humor and Stories

Throughout the ages, storytelling has been one of our most successful tactics for swaying, motivating, and educating others.

Consider this; another beneficial way to enhance your presentation abilities is to cultivate your abilities in narration. Rather than just explaining how a particular approach can increase profits, provide tangible, realistic examples so the audience can relate to your advice about their situation.

Do not underestimate the capacity to utilize humor to draw in a crowd.

4. Practice in Front of an Audience

A common phobia is the fear of having to speak in public, otherwise known as Glossophobia. A widely cited Gallup poll conducted long ago stated that the second biggest fear among Americans is experienced by 40 percent of survey respondents.

Evidently, it is not the act of talking that makes us anxious. The notion of performing in front of a crowd. What if we make a mockery of ourselves or speak incorrectly and get jeered from the platform?

In my experience, although it’s not pleasant, the most effective approach to overcoming this issue is to look for chances to talk in front of a crowd. This can be in your professional or personal lives. It can be as easy as uttering some phrases with family or delivering mini talks to your group at work.

10 Tips On How To Improve Presentation Skills

Giving presentations and engaging in public speaking can stir up various feelings. The more outgoing people among us might feel unease in their hearts, but they force themselves to ignore it because of sheer grit. While some of us immediately experience sweaty hands and growing fear in our throats. No matter what group we are part of, we are all attempting to find methods to enhance our communication ability. We strive to eliminate worries about being evaluated by a large group of people.

Have you ever wondered how to enhance your presentation abilities? Look at our 21 presentation tricks – they can be used by anyone, from teachers to scholars.

1. Make a good first impression.

This is a recurrent query. Therefore, volumes of resources are accessible to one’s disposal regarding selecting suitable attire for a presentation. In the end, comfort and tidiness are crucial for the ensemble. What’s talked about less is how you actually look. The instant you’re perceived as the presenter, whether that’s coming into the room, on the stage, or virtually, your listeners form a bunch of opinions about you before you have to utter a sound. This may seem a bit daunting, yet it is truly a positive! The way you present yourself with a confident posture and body language will be picked up by the people you are addressing before they even notice your hair and wardrobe.

2. Play with intonation and melody.

How we express ourselves verbally is not always as important as how we voice it. You want your audience to be engaged with what you are saying. Why is it that when one person speaks in front of an audience, it tends to be unpleasant and grating, while another is captivating and stimulating? Essentially, one requires you to put in a lot of effort to listen, while the other is doing all the labor for you. How one speaks greatly affects their delivery, including pitch, inflection, and rhythm.

3. Don’t forget to pause

Pausing is an important and versatile tool. It pauses between different tones or ideas, allowing the listener to reflect on what was just said before something new is presented. Insert pauses as “mini-breaks” between your ideas to stay in command and captivate the audience.

4. Know what you want to say.

Outline the goal of your presentation before developing any material to ensure you stay on track and do not digress. Consider the impression you want to make on your audience. Do you want them to come away feeling inspired? Delighted? Motivated? Would you like them to purchase your item, cast their ballot for you, or transform their life in some capacity? Every slide shown and every point brought up during speaking should directly relate to the goal.

5. Have structure

Beginning, middle and end. This formula will assist you in calming down when speaking. Start with ten to fifteen percent of the total time devoted to your introduction, follow it up with approximately three-quarters of the time allotted to the body of your presentation, and at the end, wrap up with the last ten percent of your speech. Once you have an outline, concentrate on the three main topics you want to convey to your listeners and keep them at the top of your mind while you are giving your talk. It may be enticing to create a lengthy list, but if you can limit it to three items, you will be more likely to make sure they are fully understood and provide an interesting speech.

6. Deliver your points

If we avoid making eye contact with our audience or listener when we talk, it implies that we are not particularly interested in them. If we focus our attention, make our voices heard, and look directly at the person we are speaking to, then our message will show that we are invested in the conversation and are determined for them to comprehend what we are saying.

Successfully conveying your thoughts means that your vocal tone, facial expression, and gaze unite to truly give your audience your ideas.

7. Practice does make perfect.

It is clear, but frequently disregarded; continual practice is the best way to prepare for an important presentation. If you’re getting ready for an in-person presentation, it’s a good idea to practice what you will say by speaking aloud, either in front of a mirror or with someone else. Organizing a Zoom gathering and filming yourself while presenting would be advantageous if you are getting ready to present virtually. Be courageous enough to observe yourself again – you will be astonished by what you observe. Take note of major ideas and words you want to emphasize in your presentation.

8. Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.

When you think of Abraham Lincoln or Mahatma Gandhi, their enthusiasm and ardor probably come to mind, not their apprehension. The necessity to voice their opinion overpowered their fear of speaking in public. To channel their skills in public speaking and confidence, look at your prepared remarks and ask yourself:

  • What are my goals for the audience?
  • What am I giving them?
  • Will they be moved?
  • Will this make them feel relief or pain?

Keep returning to the parts of your message that meet the desired objectives, and explain why they are necessary.

9. Make eye contact, especially online.

It is well understood that maintaining eye contact is critical, and our eyes can objectively express our feelings to others independently. And this is no different in a presentation.

It might seem like it isn’t possible to maintain eye contact while virtually presenting, but this is when it is even more crucial. When delivering a presentation over the web, it is essential to make eye contact with your viewers by gazing into the camera – this will give them the sense that you’re looking directly at them. It’s that simple!

10. Curate your square

When you’re online, your background really matters. This little rectangular area is all you have to display yourself and make a lasting impression, so select something distinctive and think about what is behind you. Incorporate something that speaks to you and creates the desired effect, such as houseplants or vases of flowers, textbooks or artwork. We are dedicated to honest communication, so having a false or automated background is not a good idea – you don’t want people to believe you’re trying to conceal something.

Nobody is born with outstanding speaking abilities; this includes even Steve Jobs.

Of course, some of us are more self-assured when addressing a congregation and articulating our messages convincingly. It is an effort that needs to be made; if honing your public speaking skills impedes accomplishing other work, such as content creation or search engine optimization, our firm is available to support you.

The more effort you put in, the more self-assured you will be, and your presentation talents will be greater. It’s a virtuous circle!

Guest Post Disclaimer The views expressed in this post do not represent the views of 90-Minute Books. The information has not been verified and should be considered an opinion. You are always advised to do independent research.

Related posts:

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  • Why Organic Marketing Can Deliver Better ROI Than Paid Search
  • Why Use Instagram to Promote Your Small Business?
  • Marketing Funnel Stages: How To Get More Leads and Sales at Each One

About The Author

Ruth Hopkins

Ruth Hopkins

Guest writer with a long interest in marketing for small businesses.

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7 Presentation Skills to Wow Your Audience

7 Presentation Skills to Wow Your Audience

We’ve all been there, sitting in a presentation or speech, struggling to keep our eyes open as the presenter drones on. Maybe the content is interesting, but the delivery is lacklustre. Or maybe the delivery is fantastic, but the content is disorganised or hard to follow. Whatever the reason, there’s no denying that effective presentation skills are critical to captivating and inspiring your audience.

So, whether you’re a seasoned speaker or a novice presenter, it’s always a good idea to brush up on your skills. That’s why in this blog post, we’ll be covering seven effective presentation skills that are sure to wow your audience. From knowing your audience to engaging with them, these skills will help you deliver powerful presentations that leave a lasting impact.

So, let’s dive in and explore these seven effective presentation skills that will take your speaking abilities to the next level. And to help you hone these skills, we’d like to introduce you to our specialised effective presentation skills training  programs.

Skill 1: Knowing Your Audience

One of the most effective presentation skills is knowing your audience. Understanding your audience helps you tailor your presentation to their needs, interests, and expectations.

Knowing your audience allows you to focus on the topics that are most relevant to them and speak in a language they can understand. Failure to know your audience can lead to a disengaged and uninterested audience, which can ultimately derail your presentation.

Tips for Identifying and Understanding Your Audience

When it comes to delivering a presentation, understanding your audience is essential. Identifying their needs, interests, and expectations can help you tailor your presentation to keep them engaged and interested throughout. Here are some tips to help you better identify and understand your audience:

1. Research your audience

Before your presentation, research your audience to understand their demographics, interests, and expectations. This can be done through social media, surveys, or by asking the event organisers for details about the attendees.

2. Ask questions

During your presentation, ask questions that engage the audience and help you understand their needs and interests. This can help you tailor your presentation to meet their expectations.

3. Analyse non-verbal cues

Pay attention to non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language. This can help you gauge the audience's level of engagement and adjust your presentation accordingly.

4. Consider the occasion

The type of event can affect the expectations of your audience. If you're presenting at a formal event, your audience may expect a more polished and structured presentation. On the other hand, if you're presenting at a more casual event, your audience may appreciate a more relaxed and conversational tone.

5. Use social media

Social media can be a great tool for understanding your audience. Look for groups or hashtags related to your topic to see what people are saying about it. You can also use social media to ask questions and get feedback from your audience.

Skill 2: Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful tool that can make your presentation stand out from the rest. It can help you engage your audience emotionally and make your message more memorable.

A well-crafted story can take your audience on a journey, creating a connection between you and them. In a world where attention spans are short, storytelling can be an effective way to hold the attention of your audience and keep them engaged.

Tips for crafting a compelling story for your presentation

Crafting a compelling story for your presentation takes some effort, but the result can be powerful. Here are some tips to help you create a story that resonates with your audience:

1. Start with a clear message

Before you begin crafting your story, identify the key message you want to convey. This will help you structure your story around the central idea and ensure that it aligns with your overall goal.

2. Use a simple structure

A simple structure can help you keep your story focused and easy to follow. Consider using a traditional story arc, which includes an introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

3. Create relatable characters

Characters are an important part of any story. Create characters that your audience can relate to, and make them feel human and believable. This will help your audience connect with your story on an emotional level.

4. Use sensory language

Sensory language can help bring your story to life. Use descriptive words to paint a picture in the minds of your audience. This can help them better understand and remember your story.

5. Incorporate humour

Humour can be an effective way to engage your audience and create a memorable presentation. However, be sure to use humour that is appropriate, relevant and not sexist, ageist or ableist. 

Skill 3: Visual Aids

Visual aids can be a powerful tool to enhance your presentation and improve its effectiveness. They can help you convey complex information in an easy-to-understand way and make your presentation more engaging and memorable. 

The human brain processes visual information much faster than text, so incorporating visual aids in your presentation can help your audience understand your message more quickly and effectively.

Tips for creating effective visual aids

Now that we've covered the importance of visual aids, here are some tips for effective presentation skills :

1. Keep it simple

Visual aids should be simple and easy to understand. Avoid cluttered or complicated images, and use clear and concise language. Your audience should be able to quickly and easily understand the information you are presenting.

2. Use high-quality images

Low-quality images can be distracting and detract from your message. Use high-quality images that are relevant to your message and enhance the overall tone of your presentation.

3. Avoid too much text

Visual aids should be used to support your message, not replace them. Avoid using too much text on your slides or graphs, and instead, use bullet points or brief phrases to convey your message.

4. Use colour strategically

Colour can be a powerful tool to help emphasise important information, but it should be used strategically. Avoid using too many colours or bright colours that can be distracting.

5. Incorporate multimedia

Videos and audio can be effective tools to help engage your audience and make your presentation more interactive. Just be sure to use multimedia that is relevant to your message and supports the overall tone of your presentation.

Skill 4: Body Language

Body language is a critical aspect of effective communication skills for presentation , especially in a presentation setting. The way you use your body can have a significant impact on how your message is received by your audience. 

Your body language can convey confidence, interest, enthusiasm, and many other emotions and attitudes that can affect how your audience perceives you and your message.

Tips for using effective body language

Here are some tips for effective presentation skills :

1. Stand up straight

Good posture is key to projecting confidence and authority. Stand up straight with your shoulders back and your feet shoulder-width apart.

2. Make eye contact

Eye contact is a powerful way to connect with your audience and build trust. Try to make eye contact with different members of your audience throughout your presentation.

3. Use hand gestures

Appropriate hand gestures can help emphasise your message and make your presentation more engaging. However, be careful not to overdo it or use gestures that are distracting or inappropriate.

4. Avoid fidgeting

Fidgeting can be distracting and convey nervousness or anxiety. Try to stand still and avoid pacing, tapping your feet, or playing with objects.

5. Use facial expressions

Your facial expressions can convey a wide range of emotions and attitudes, from enthusiasm and interest to boredom and disengagement. Use appropriate facial expressions to match the tone of your message.

Skill 5: Voice and Tone

The way you use your voice can have a significant impact on how your presentation is perceived by your audience. 

Your voice and tone can convey a range of emotions and attitudes, such as confidence, authority, enthusiasm, and interest. Your tone can also indicate the level of importance or urgency of your message.

Tips for using effective voice and tone

Now that we understand the impact that voice and tone can have on a presentation, let's explore some tips for effective presentation skills:

1. Practice speaking with intention

Before your presentation, take some time to practice your speaking with intention. Think about the key messages you want to convey and how you want your audience to feel while listening to your presentation. This will help you deliver your message with a clear and purposeful voice and tone.

2. Vary your pace

Varying your pace can help keep your audience engaged and interested in your presentation. Slow down during important or complex points, and speed up during lighter or more exciting parts. By varying your pace, you can also create a sense of urgency or importance in your message.

3. Use pitch to convey emotion

Varying the pitch of your voice can help convey different emotions and attitudes in your presentation. For example, a higher pitch can convey excitement, while a lower pitch can convey seriousness or importance.

4. Pay attention to your volume

Be sure to project your voice so that everyone in the room can hear you. However, be careful not to speak too loudly, which can be distracting or overwhelming for your audience.

5. Pause for emphasis

Pausing at strategic moments can help emphasise important points and give your audience time to process your message. Take a breath and pause before making an important point to give it more weight.

Skill 6: Engaging Your Audience

One of the most important aspects of giving a presentation is engaging your audience. Without audience engagement, your presentation can quickly become boring, forgettable, or even frustrating for your listeners. Engaging your audience is a crucial skill that can help you build rapport, gain trust, and effectively communicate your message through your communication skills for presentation .

Tips for engaging your audience throughout your presentation

Engaging your audience is a crucial skill that can help you build rapport, gain trust, and effectively communicate your message using your communication skills for presentation . In this section, we will explore some tips for effective presentation skills .

1. Use storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful tool that can help you capture your audience's attention and keep them engaged. Use personal stories, anecdotes, or case studies to illustrate your points and make your presentation more relatable.

Asking questions can help you create a dialogue with your audience and make them feel like they are part of the conversation. Use open-ended questions to encourage participation and discussion.

3. Use humour

Appropriate humour can help lighten the mood and create a sense of rapport with your audience. Use jokes, puns, or funny anecdotes to break up the monotony of your presentation and keep your audience engaged.

4. Use visual aids

Visual aids, such as graphs, charts, or videos, can help illustrate your points and make your presentation more dynamic. Use them strategically to support your message and keep your audience engaged.

5. Use audience participation

Incorporating interactive elements, such as polls, quizzes, or games, can help keep your audience engaged and create a sense of excitement or competition. Use them strategically to break up your presentation and keep your audience engaged.

Skill 7: Handling Questions and Feedback

Handling questions and feedback is a critical skill that can make or break a presentation. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, address any concerns, and show your audience that you value their input.

Tips for handling questions and feedback effectively

Handling questions and feedback can be daunting, but with some practice, it can become an opportunity to showcase your expertise and engage with your audience. Here are some tips on how to handle questions and feedback effectively:

1. Listen carefully

Listen carefully to the question or feedback, and take a moment to think about your response. This shows that you respect the person asking the question and value their input.

2. Repeat or rephrase the question

This ensures that you have understood the question correctly, and it also helps the audience hear the question clearly. Rephrasing the question can also help clarify any misunderstandings or confusion.

3. Be concise

Keep your answers concise and to the point. Avoid giving long-winded answers that might confuse or bore the audience.

4. Use real-life examples

Using examples or stories can help illustrate your points and make them more relatable to the audience. It can also help keep the audience engaged.

5. Be honest

If you don't know the answer to a question, it's okay to say so. You can offer to follow up with the person after the presentation or suggest resources where they can find more information.

Wrapping It Up

In conclusion, effective presentation skills are an essential part of being a successful communicator. Knowing your audience, storytelling, using visual aids, body language, voice, and tone, engaging your audience, and handling questions and feedback are all key skills that can help you deliver a powerful and impactful presentation.

By following the tips and strategies we've shared, you can improve your communication skills for presentation  and leave a lasting impression on your audience. And if you're looking to take your skills to the next level, some.Education provides presentation skills training that can help you develop and hone these skills.

Remember, a great presentation isn't just about the content - it's also about the delivery. By mastering these skills, you can engage your audience, build your credibility, and leave a lasting impression. So go out there and wow your audience!

Useful Resources :   10 importance of speech communication |  Communication skills presentation |  Grapevine communication

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August 26, 2022

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Posted on august 26, 2022, the importance of presentation skills in hybrid or in-person events and how to improve them.

Presentation skills is what gives value to your insights, instead it is useless if you aren’t able to communicate them properly.

Communication is a soft skill that many organizations recognize but fail to look for when recruiting fresh talent. Yet, in marketing, communicating with presentations is something that will happen quarterly, monthly, and sometimes even more regularly. 

A good presentation requires planning, research, and practice to perfect. Done right, they can be the difference between you winning that budget for your future campaigns or not.  

In this article, we’ll explore the importance of your presentation skills in hybrid or in-person events, what they can do for you and your business, and how to improve them. Let’s go. 

Table of Contents

What are presentation skills?  

Presentation skills are a marketer’s ability to interact with their audience, clearly convey messages, and engage the audience in the content of what they have to say. 

Presentation skills help event professionals and marketers adequately communicate their offerings and value to a specific audience and are quintessential to the role’s success. 

How do presentation skills help marketing roles? 

Presentation skills allow marketers to deliver messages to a target audience concisely and clearly. Excellent presentation skills are valuable in marketing when you’re trying to land a new client, pitching a campaign idea to stakeholders, or reporting on success analytics.

It’s fair to say presentation skills significantly impact job performance as well as workplace and team engagement. For example, a presentation writer at an event is responsible for creating engaging and informative presentations that will be used to educate and inform the audience.

As a marketing specialist or manager, it’s your job to organize marketing reports and analytics and present them in a way that engages your team. You’re responsible for curating, creating, and presenting content to help better your brand. Every great content marketing campaign started with a presentation.

Before we get into the skills you’ll need to improve your marketing presentations, let’s consider the tools to make your job easier. Let’s explore the top marketing templates the pros use to improve their workplace presentations.  

5 Top templates to lift your marketing presentations   

 As a marketer, you’re likely to be tasked with:

  • Regularly submitting campaign proposals
  • Spearheading go-to-market strategies
  • Conducting market research and analysis
  • Producing KPI reports 

One of these templates , from Pitch, will help you deliver better presentations while saving you time to work on your marketing skills. 

1. Project proposal template

A great project proposal template can help you save time and energy and give you a framework to introduce to your organization. If you need to identify a problem, present a compelling solution, and incorporate social proof to win over stakeholders on a regular basis, this is the proposal template for you.

2. Market analysis template

A market analysis provides information on markets, buyers, competitors, and other market factors that can help your business stay on top. A well-designed template is key for presenting your research with confidence and communicating the potential of a market to your team. 

A market analysis template is great when you want to confidently present your research. With slides for market size, buyer personas, customer demographics, market trends, and more, it comes with everything you need to effortlessly communicate and structure your analysis.    

Source 

3. Marketing strategy template   

A marketing strategy consists of tactics you’ve determined your business needs to implement to hit its organizational goals. It’s a comprehensive plan hitting those quarterly and yearly benchmarks through consumer insights and the creation of a distinct and evergreen competitive advantage. 

A marketing strategy digs into the characteristics of customer segments and identifies how to target them better.

A thorough marketing strategy template containing the company’s value proposition, key brand messaging, and data on target customer demographics can help you clearly communicate with key stakeholders and get that strategy ball rolling. 

Source  

4. Marketing plan template  

Once you’ve got the green light on your marketing strategy presentation, the next step is to create a marketing plan. This should provide specifics on how you’ll achieve your marketing objectives and support the strategy. 

By using a detailed marketing plan template , you can organize your promotional efforts, lay out the content you need to build, finalize your marketing objectives, and assign roles and responsibilities to everyone on your team.

5. KPI report template  

A KPI report offers a measurable way to evaluate the impact of your marketing activities. It helps you monitor the success of different marketing channels to determine where your marketing budget should and shouldn’t go. 

With this free KPI report template , you can easily identify trending data to see what’s working and what’s not and showcase this visually. From here, you’ll be able to make and communicate strategic tweaks to better reach your targets and business goals. 

How to improve your presentation skills and become a better marketer 

Aside from using marketing templates to offer your presentation structure and aesthetic flair, it’s also crucial to consider how your speech, tone, and body language can help you deliver a stellar presentation.

Let’s look at some practical ways to evolve your presentation skills and win over internal and external stakeholders.

1. Stick to a script 

A presentation script is the secret behind a winning presentation, and scriptwriting is a skill well worth honing. Done well, you’ll be able to better structure your thoughts and ensure that your information is packed with a punch—saving the drama until last. 

There are a few common speech writing tactics you can use in your script writing to help you deliver a more persuasive presentation. Consider things like: 

  • Lists of three 
  • Plosives 
  • Rhetorical questions
  • Hyperboles 
  • Rhymes and half rhymes
  • Themes 

2. Kiss your audience: keep it simple, stupid 

There’s nothing more powerful in conveying a message than keeping it simple. When you keep things simple, you keep them memorable. You’re able to deliver the point you’re trying to make in bitesize chunks that your audience can digest—no matter how complicated the topic. 

One of these courses , from Udemy, can run you through how to technically deliver presentations clearly and memorably, using common public speaking tactics.  

3. Tell a story   

According to a Stanford University study , facts that are built around a story are seven times more memorable than those that are not. When you create a story around your presentation, you can create a compelling beginning, middle, and end, that becomes more of a journey for your audience. 

In doing so, your audience will retain more information, and you’ll be able to confidently deliver your presentation with the knowledge your audience is wholeheartedly engaged and interested in where you’re taking them. 

4. Use body language to your advantage  

As a marketer, it’s important to consider how your body language affects the overall reception of your presentation. Non-verbal communication is just as important as verbal communication.

Confident body language can help you establish credibility, connect with your audience, and make your audience feel at ease. 

There are multiple aspects of this non-verbal communication tactic. You want to control the room with a combination of different facial expressions, eye contact, hand movements, and other whole body gestures.    

Consider the following when giving your next big presentation:

  • Face your audience as much as possible and avoid turning your back on them  
  • Establish eye contact with individual members of your audience  
  • Smile! It’s been proven to be infectious and boost moods 
  • Mimic some of your audience’s actions to feel more relatable 
  • Keep hand gestures up and constant to be engaging 
  • Avoid crossing your arms or legs, keep everything open to appear welcoming 
  • Own the floor: move around the room to keep your audience engaged 
  • Avoid clapping or making sound with your body movements as they can be distracting to what you’re trying to say  

5. Let your personality shine   

Incorporating aspects of your personality into your presentation will help your audience feel at ease, while adding a personal touch that will make your presentations more memorable. 

Of course, keep things as professional as they should be, but there’s absolutely no harm in using personal anecdotes, telling jokes, sharing your personal experience, or ad libbing from the script to keep listeners engaged.     

6. Record your presentation and self-edit 

A smart way to improve your presentation is to record yourself going through it. This will allow you to analyze and pinpoint problem areas, such as body language, voice clarity, and your pace—making sure you keep things on time. 

You can then focus on improving those areas before the big day. When self-editing your presentation, pay attention to: 

  • Timing 
  • Tone of voice 
  • Body language and facial expressions
  • Sound and lighting 
  • Your digital aid 

7. Take things online

Given today’s world, there’s a high chance you’re presenting online, however, if you’re not, then don’t rule out your online audience as well—ensure your presentation is accessible as possible to your team and those that need to hear it.  

If you are presenting online, virtual audiences can easily get distracted or struggle to engage. Ensure you’re fighting both of these factors as efficiently as possible. 

Linkedin learning instructor Cassandra Worthy says the three most important components to engaging your virtual audience are energy, connection, and content; and she’s not wrong. However, there is more you can do to keep that digital audience engaged: 

  • Ask people to mute their notifications before the presentation starts
  • Encouraging questions 
  • Invite a facilitator to help manage the chat 
  • Encourage chat reactions: with emojis 
  • Frequently ask questions to keep them on their toes
  • Use visual and sound assets 
  • Ensure you’re got a solid wifi connection
  • Ensure you’re using a good quality microphone
  • Present in a quiet place, without any distractions in your background 

You’re ready to nail that presentation

Now that you have the necessary tools, templates, courses, and knowledge to improve your presentation, the only thing left to do is to jump straight in. Start learning and improving your presentation skills today, and deliver better presentations tomorrow.

About the Author / Akeem Okunola

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Why Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

Presentation Skills Featured Image

What does it take to be a successful marketer?

Turns out we don’t have to guess because someone’s already done the research. Fractl used IBM’s Watson Personality Insights API from 2019 to pick out the key traits and characteristics of 20 of the world’s most prominent marketing leaders (I even made the list!).

According to the study, the No. 1 trait shared by marketing leaders is adventurousness, followed by high energy levels, assertiveness, and intelligence.

Presentation Skills1

One interesting thing about this is that you’d also find a lot of those traits in people with exceptional presentation skills.

To put yourself out there and present to a room full of people, you need to be at least a little adventurous. If you’re not a high-energy person, you’ll find it hard to keep people engaged. If you’re not assertive, you’ll struggle to communicate your points effectively. The list goes on.

That’s not a coincidence. To make it as a marketer, excellent presentation skills are pretty much nonnegotiable.

3 Reasons Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

In a way, marketing is one big presentation. When we write a blog post or appear on a podcast , we’re presenting. When we research our audience, we’re trying to understand better what they want to see and learn from our presentations.

In other words, strong presentation skills underlie pretty much every aspect of marketing. If you can deliver an incredible presentation, you can:

1. Having Good Presentation Skills Drive Trust in Your Brand

What makes people trust brands? According to a global survey from PR and marketing consultancy Edelman, it boils down to three key factors:

  • Product experience: The most important factor, 87 percent of respondents cited their experience with a product as a reason to trust a brand.
  • Customer experience: 56 percent of consumers said their own experiences with a brand play an important part in building trust.
  • Societal impact: 38 percent of consumers believe a brand’s impact on society is an important factor in assessing its trustworthiness.

However, an even more crucial point underpins all of this. Without strong presentation skills, potential customers aren’t going to know about any of those things!

If you don’t tout the quality of your product, or highlight your superb reviews and testimonials, or demonstrate your commitment to making the world a better place, how will anyone know whether they can trust you?

2. Presentation Skills Help Create Brand Awareness

Ever wondered why personal social media accounts get better engagement than brand accounts ? Because it’s easier to sell a person than a brand.

That’s why speaking at conferences, networking meetups, and other events can be such a useful tool for building brand awareness . It puts a human face on your brand, which instantly makes you more recognizable, relatable, and memorable. That’s why for many of us, when we hear the words Apple, Microsoft, or Tesla, we immediately think of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, or Elon Musk.

3. Use Your Presentation Skills to Drive Sales

Your presentation skills can be one of the biggest weapons in your armory when it comes to selling your product.

According to a study from Chief Marketer, live events are the second-biggest source of B2B leads , and also generate the second-highest ROI of any sales channel.

Presentation Skills3

Granted, not all those respondents would have been guest speakers at those events, but to generate leads, they would have absolutely been speaking to prospects at their display stands, during networking sessions, and even while queuing to buy a hot dog or coffee. Their one-on-one presentation skills were crucial to breaking the ice with those leads.

How to Develop Your Marketing Presentation Skills

By this point, you hopefully agree with me that presentation skills are essential for modern marketers. Now, let’s take a look at how to hone those skills to meet your marketing objectives.

1. Set Goals for Developing Your Presentation Skills

If I told you to write me a blog right now, you’d likely find it pretty tough. After all, I’ve not given you any information. You don’t have a theme, or a title, or even an audience. In short, there’s no way of knowing what I’m looking for, so you can’t gauge what success looks like.

Alternatively, if I told you to write a blog about this year’s biggest trends in SEO, aimed at marketing leaders for SaaS startups, you’d have a much clearer idea of how to proceed.

The same thing is true for developing your presentation skills. Start by defining exactly what you want to achieve, such as:

  • becoming a better (or first-time) conference speaker
  • delivering more impactful training sessions
  • speaking more persuasively to leads
  • engaging potential prospects at the top of the sales funnel
  • honing your pitch presentations

Also, give yourself a deadline. Rather than generally building up your presentation skills, commit to improving your public speaking in time for a specific conference or networking event. Sign up as a speaker early; that way, you’re completely accountable for following through with your plans.

2. Research Your Audience

As well as simply “doing more of it,” there’s another extremely effective way to help you feel more confident about speaking in front of an audience: Do your research.

When you think about it, imposter syndrome is another big reason people shy away from public speaking. We worry we’ll be exposed as frauds and charlatans who don’t know what we’re talking about.

Thoroughly researching your audience will help guard against that feeling. When you know exactly who you’re talking to, it becomes much simpler to build an effective presentation.

If I’m speaking to a room of NASA engineers, I’m not going to tell them how to build a better rocket. I can’t tell them anything they don’t already know (and most of what I say would likely be wildly inaccurate).

However, I almost certainly know more about marketing than them. Maybe I’d tell them how, by sharing snippets of their work through their personal social profiles, they can build awareness and interest in what they do, which in turn, might persuade politicians that increased federal funding for NASA would be a real vote-winner. With that increased funding, they can go away and build better rockets.

With that in mind, before you start working on your next presentation, ask yourself the following questions about your audience:

  • How old are they?
  • Where are they from?
  • What jobs do they do?
  • Who do they work for?
  • How experienced are they?
  • What are their pain points?

The idea here is to identify the “thing” you know that’s of most value to your audience. The more you can niche down , the better. If you can’t answer some of those questions, speak to the event organizers; they should be able to help.

3. Incorporate Humor and Stories

Throughout human history, storytelling has been one of our most effective tools for influencing, inspiring, and teaching one another.

Paul Smith, author of “Lead With a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire,” put it better than me when he wrote :

In any group, roughly 40 percent will be predominantly visual learners who learn best from videos, diagrams, or illustrations. Another 40 percent will be auditory, learning best through lectures and discussions. The remaining 20 percent are kinesthetic learners, who learn best by doing, experiencing, or feeling. Storytelling has aspects that work for all three types. Visual learners appreciate the mental pictures storytelling evokes. Auditory learners focus on the words and the storyteller’s voice. Kinesthetic learners remember the emotional connections and feelings from the story.

With that in mind, another key way to improve your presentation skills is to work on your storytelling . Don’t just tell your audience how a certain tactic can get them more sales; give them specific, real-world examples that help them relate your advice to their own circumstances.

Also, don’t overlook the power of humor to engage an audience . As the British comedian John Cleese said :

If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas. And if I can persuade you to laugh at the particular point I make, by laughing at it you acknowledge its truth.

I’m not suggesting you go away and write a 30-minute standup set, but if you can drop a couple one-liners here and there, it can go a long way to getting your audience on your side.

4. Practice in Front of an Audience

Glossophobia, or fear of public speaking, is a common complaint. One much-quoted (and very old) Gallup survey claims it’s the second-most prevalent fear in Americans, affecting 40 percent of respondents.

Presentation Skills2

Clearly, it’s not the “speaking” element that puts us on edge. It’s the idea of doing it in front of an audience. What if we make fools of ourselves, or say the wrong thing and get booed off stage?

Painful as it might sound, in my experience, the best way to overcome this is to seek out opportunities to speak in front of an audience. This can be in your professional or personal lives. It can be as simple as saying a few words at family gatherings or giving small presentations to your team at work.

Use Your Presentation Skills: 5 Tips for an Effective Marketing Presentation

You’ve set goals for improving your presentation skills, done your research, crafted a handful of engaging anecdotes, and practiced in front of an audience. Now, it’s time to weave all those things together to create a killer marketing presentation. Bear these five tips in mind while you’re doing it:

1. Start Strong

According to one study, you’ve only got 30 seconds before your audience’s attention starts to lapse. That means you need a strong start to persuade them you’re worth listening to. Lead with your most eye-catching statistic, your best joke, or your punchiest anecdote, and keep it short. On average, we speak at up to 130 words per minute , so that only gives you a maximum of 65 words to play with.

2. Make a Good First Impression

Presentation skills aren’t just about what you say. They’re also about how people perceive you.

A study at California State University, Northridge, found students followed instructions far more accurately when those instructions were given by someone who was dressed casually rather than professionally.

Why did this happen? One interpretation from the study’s authors is that the students responded better to someone dressed similarly to them:

Perhaps the participants in our study felt that they were better able to relate to the experimenter in the casual-dress condition, thereby lowering their anxiety and increasing their ability to follow directions correctly.

In short, there’s no such thing as a right or wrong way to look or dress for a presentation. Rather, we should reflect our audience.

3. Come Prepared

Don’t kid yourself it’ll “be alright on the night.” If you don’t prepare properly, it won’t!

Figure out what works best for you by running through your presentation multiple times. Do you find it easiest to work off cue cards? Do you need visual aids? Or is it better for you to run lines until you’ve memorized your presentation word for word?

4. Ask Questions

There’s no better way to guarantee people are paying attention than to ask regular questions throughout your speech!

This isn’t about putting people on the spot. Instead, it’s about turning your presentation from a one-way narrative to a two-way conversation.

Say you’re giving advice on tackling a specific problem. Ask how many people had experienced that problem, when they first noticed it, and why they’re so keen to fix it.

5. Back Your Claims

There are very few instances in which you shouldn’t be supporting your claims with real evidence. Even if you’re giving your personal opinion on a topic, those opinions should be backed with actual data from reputable sources.

If I’m telling you that Facebook is the best platform to grow your business, you likely wouldn’t just take my word for it. You’d want to hear evidence about Facebook’s audience, the effectiveness of advertising on the platform, and how much it’ll cost.

No one is born with incredible presentation skills; not even Steve Jobs .

Sure, some of us are more confident than others at talking to an audience and getting our points across effectively. However, it takes work; and if honing your presentation skills is taking you away from other important work, like content marketing or SEO, our agency is here to help.

The good news is the harder you work at it, the more confident you’ll feel , and the better your presentation skills will become. It’s a virtuous circle!

What tips have you used to level up your marketing presentation skills?

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COMMENTS

  1. Why Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

    3. Use Your Presentation Skills to Drive Sales. Your presentation skills can be one of the biggest weapons in your armory when it comes to selling your product. According to a study from Chief Marketer, live events are the second-biggest source of B2B leads, and also generate the second-highest ROI of any sales channel.

  2. Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills

    This is not surprising. Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way. For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget ...

  3. 8+ Presentation Skills Every Marketer Needs

    4. Focus. Staying on topic is crucial to giving a good presentation. Honing the skill of focus allows any presenter to stay on track with what they're saying and for the audience to follow along. 5. Pacing. Understanding your pacing is an important skill to hone so you don't rush through your presentation.

  4. What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

    Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired ...

  5. What Are Effective Presentation Skills (and How to Improve Them)

    Presentation skills are the abilities and qualities necessary for creating and delivering a compelling presentation that effectively communicates information and ideas. They encompass what you say, how you structure it, and the materials you include to support what you say, such as slides, videos, or images. You'll make presentations at various ...

  6. The Importance of Presentation Skills: A Complete Guide

    Presentation Skills encompass the ability to deliver information in a clear, engaging, and persuasive manner. It involves not just the words spoken but also the body language, visual aids, and overall charisma of the presenter. Effective Presentations can captivate audiences, convey ideas convincingly, and leave a lasting impact on listeners ...

  7. Why Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

    3. Use Your Presentation Skills to Drive Sales. Your presentation skills can be one of the biggest weapons in your armory when it comes to selling your product. According to a study from Chief Marketer, live events are the second-biggest source of B2B leads, and also generate the second-highest ROI of any sales channel.

  8. Mastering the Art of Presentations: 8 Essential Skills for Marketers

    Presentation skills refer to the techniques and abilities that marketers utilize to convey information, ideas, and messages to their audience, whether it be potential clients, colleagues, stakeholders, or the public. These skills go beyond data and facts and involve crafting a compelling narrative, engaging the audience, and inspiring them to ...

  9. 21 Ways To Improve Your Presentation Skills

    1. Create an Outline. Before designing slides and writing a script, outline your presentation. Start with your introduction, segue into key points you want to make, and finish with a conclusion. 2. Practice, Practice, Practice. Almost 8 in 10 professionals practice their presentations for at least an hour.

  10. 6 presentation skills and how to improve them

    To fully understand the impact these skills have on creating a successful presentation, it's helpful to look at each one individually. Here are six valuable skills you can develop: 1. Active listening. Active listening is an excellent communication skill for any professional to hone.

  11. How To Create Effective Marketing Presentations in 6 Steps

    How to create marketing presentations. Follow these steps to create an effective marketing presentation: 1. Determine who your audience is. Before you make slides or plan your presentation, it's important to consider your audience. If you are presenting to other marketers, for example, you may be able to use more technical marketing language.

  12. Why Marketing Presentations Are Essential To Business Growth [With

    Here are 5 reasons why presentations are important in marketing and why you should work on creating awesome marketing presentations. 1. Your Presentation is Your Brand's Value. Marketing presentations are essentially sales pitches. You are trying to convince a company or client to work with you or buy your product.

  13. Presentation skills

    Three Benefits of Visualization. Analytics and data science Digital Article. John Sviokla. "A good sketch is better than a long speech…" — a quote often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte ...

  14. 9 Tips for Improving Your Presentation Skills For Your Next Meeting

    9 top tips for improving your presentation skills: Practice speaking in front of others. Use less text and more visuals in your presentation. Leverage your personality. Welcome questions and comments during. Be passionate and engaging. Maintain eye contact with your audience. Obsess over your listeners. Focus on confident body language.

  15. Presentation Skills

    Presentation skills can be defined as a set of abilities that enable an individual to: interact with the audience; transmit the messages with clarity; engage the audience in the presentation; and interpret and understand the mindsets of the listeners. These skills refine the way you put forward your messages and enhance your persuasive powers. The present era places great emphasis on good ...

  16. Want to win over an audience? How to improve your presentation skills

    Presentations shouldn't be just a set of bullet points on a screen. In An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore used presentation slides to provide a compelling argument to his audience.

  17. Why Are Presentation Skills Important?

    Presentation Skills are Important for Stress Reduction. The financial cost of stress to organizations can be devastating. Work-related stress can be demoralizing to staff, management and ...

  18. Why Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

    3 Reasons Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing. In a way, marketing is one big presentation. We show ourselves to the world when creating a blog post or participating in a podcast. By investigating our viewers, we attempt to gain a better knowledge of the type of content they would like to view and grasp from our demonstrations.

  19. 7 Presentation Skills to Wow Your Audience

    2. Ask questions. During your presentation, ask questions that engage the audience and help you understand their needs and interests. This can help you tailor your presentation to meet their expectations. 3. Analyse non-verbal cues. Pay attention to non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions and body language.

  20. Why Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

    Use Your Presentation Skills: 5 Tips for an Effective Marketing Presentation. You've set goals for improving your presentation skills, done your research, crafted a handful of engaging anecdotes, and practiced in front of an audience. Now, it's time to weave all those things together to create a killer marketing presentation.

  21. Why Presentation Skills Are the Most Important Skill Set to Have

    Good Presenters=Good Communicators. The most successful employees are the ones who can communicate well. People with good presentation skills know how to speak to a crowd with confidence, relaying information in a clear and concise manner. Employees use communication skills on a daily basis when they are communicating with their supervisor ...

  22. The Importance of Presentation Skills in hybrid or In-Person ...

    Presentation skills allow marketers to deliver messages to a target audience concisely and clearly. Excellent presentation skills are valuable in marketing when you're trying to land a new client, pitching a campaign idea to stakeholders, or reporting on success analytics. It's fair to say presentation skills significantly impact job ...

  23. Why Presentation Skills Are Important in Marketing

    3. Use Your Presentation Skills to Drive Sales. Your presentation skills can be one of the biggest weapons in your armory when it comes to selling your product. According to a study from Chief Marketer, live events are the second-biggest source of B2B leads, and also generate the second-highest ROI of any sales channel.

  24. Marketing Management: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?

    Personal skills necessary for marketing management include communication, project management, creativity, organisational skills, and problem-solving. You can build these relevant marketing management skills in a few ways: Attend networking events and seek networking opportunities online and in person. Find a mentor who works in marketing ...