There are more highly trained people in the business world today than ever before. And with training comes an enormous body of knowledge on all levels of business management, organizational structures, and effective sales techniques. Add to this the readily available supply of new information that can be garnered quickly and easily through electronic information processing, and it results in a very different atmosphere than ever before. Consequently, almost everyone who’s in the business world will—at one time or another—have to spend a good part of their time preparing effective presentations.
Presentation skills go hand in hand with public speaking, and both are invaluable skills to have and to nurture throughout one’s career. And while most people are aware that public speaking is the number one fear for most of us, not everyone has the chance—or even the desire—to improve their skills.
Becoming adept at public speaking, as well as giving effective presentations, is something that has to be acquired through practice and doing, but there are certain ways to improve one’s skills even before hitting the floor and talking to a group of strangers.
Here are some tips to think about from your friends at Dale Carnegie Training of Pennsylvania:
The single-most effective tip for any kind of public presentation is to prepare. Knowing the material well, and knowing it in advance, can give any speaker a certain confidence, and this confidence is usually capable of overriding any nervousness or anxieties about delivering in public.
Remembering, too, that—now more than ever—we live in a visual culture is helpful in preparation. Any opportunity to provide visuals is going to increase a presentation’s effectiveness, and also give the audience more trust in the speaker.
It’s also necessary to remember that the audience really is on your side. Speaking to them with the assumption that they’re your friends is one way to short-circuit the fear of speaking, since it begins with the idea that everyone is on common ground.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Western and Central PA, providers of professional development and management development courses and information in Pennsylvania. We would love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter @dalecarnegiepa.
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