Are you depriving yourself of the chance to progress your career because of a lack of presentation skills? Well, considering that fear of public speaking among corporate executives is far greater than fear of flying , you may not be be alone in this predicament. So what we can you do?
There are a number of things you can do to get you started but you need to answer a few questions (honestly) first: ” Do I want to improve my presentation skills?” ”Why do I want to?” ” How badly do I want to?” The answer to the last two questions will determine the amount of passion and effort you will invest and the likelihood of success.
Here are a few suggestions:
1. Read a book. Or several books if you are serious about this. There are many helpful ones out there that will guide you through the structures and the dos and don’ts of goof presentation skills. Great presentations are much more than just standing in front of an audience and speaking. These authors have put together a wealth of information which will help later on for purposes of reference and assistance.
2. Find role models. There are many great speakers – locally and internationally – whom you could glean styles and techniques from. This in no way means that you copy anyone, but even great athletes have role models when they start out and before they go on to define their own style. Check out TED Talks for inspiration.
3. Practise, practise and practise. Just as with reading about swimming , you have to put the book down and dive into the water, so too with presentation skills. Start small and ask for feedback. As your confidence grows, you can take on bigger challenges and face larger audiences. Every audience, topic and purpose is different. You will soon discover how to adapt to each situation, moderating the content and delivery style to suit each one. Good luck!
By Leon Menezes. The writer is a professor-of-practice at the IBA-Karachi, a senior HR practitioner and an executive coach.