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Communication Skills Part 3

Presentation Skills

Why Business Presentations?

Business presentations are an integral part of managerial functions in every organization. These

presentations are given when a message is to be communicated to a select group of people. These

presentations are so common that every business executive gives presentations, depending on his job

profile, on one or more occasions. One can give a number of examples of reasons when presentations

are given. A departmental head may give presentation to his staff members to tell them about the short

and long term plans; a sales executive may give presentation to his customers to tell them about his

product; a project team leader may give presentation to her superior after completing the project; the

finance head of a company may give presentation to the top management to describe the next years

budget; the CEO of a company may give presentation to his top management team describing his new

strategy; so on and so forth. There are number of occasions when business executives are required to

give presentations to their superiors or subordinates or team members or customers or lending

institutions etc.

Importance of Business Presentations

Presentations are given to sell some idea to somebody or explain some concept to someone or

sometimes only to pass on some information. Therefore, if the presentation is not done effectively, it

may not achieve the desired purpose. Every business executive and budding manager should develop

that expertise. Some people may be very knowledgeable, intelligent and competent but if they are not

able to give effective presentation, they may not be able to impress their superior and that may become

an important hurdle in their growth and progress. Sometimes we observe two extremes. Some people

avoid giving presentation because they are not confident and they always take the back seat. There are

others who are over-confident and once they start they dont want to stop. Neither of these two is the

correct approach for a business executive. Therefore, it is important for every manager and would be

manger to master the presentation skills.Features of a Good Presentation

1. Contents and the Audience

The contents of a presentation should match the audience. If the audience is very knowledgeable and

experienced then the level of presentation should be very high. If it is for the people who do not know

the subject then it should be prepared using very simple concepts.

2. Language and the Audience

The language of the presentation is also like the contents. One can use technical terms, jargon,

acronyms etc if the audience is familiar with the subject. If the audience is new to the subject and knows

nothing then the presenter should use very simple language.3. Precise and Concise

Most of the times the audience sitting for the presentation would have very limited time. Therefore, the

presenter cannot make very long presentation. This will not only bore the audience but they will also

not appreciate the skills of the presenter. If they lose interest, the presentation may not achieve the

purpose. The presenter should learn how to say a lot of things in few words. Concise and precise do not

mean that one should compromise on the content. This will make the presentation incomplete.

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4. Logical Sequence

The entire presentation should have a very logical flow. The points which one presents should have

some logical relationship and while giving presentation if this relationship is lost then the meaning of the

presentation may also be lost and the audience will be confused. The presenter should know the correct

sequence of the points which she is presenting.

5. Advance Preparation

Before giving the presentation the presenter should study the audience, their background, the time

available, the place of presentation etc.. Based on this information she should prepare the presentation.

If a proper planning is not done and if the presentation is not prepared well in advance then the failure

is guaranteed.

6. Lively Presentation

A presentation has to be lively to maintain the interest level of the audience. It can be made lively by

using some interesting quotes or a piece of information. It can also be made lively by using proper body

posture and gestures. If the presenter stands still with no body movements while giving presentation,

the audience would never enjoy the presentation. Her smiling face, talkative facial expressions, eye

contact, her dressing and grooming are the other aspects of lively presentation.

7. Humour

Humour can also be used to make presentations interesting. This can be done by telling some relevant

jokes or anecdotes. Some people are comfortable using some wit and funny language to bring humour

in their presentation. However, one should be careful about not hurting anybody in the audience while

trying to bring humour in the presentation. Humour is certainly not essential but if one can bring it very

naturally then it is recommended.

8. Question Answer Session

Almost every presentation is followed by question-answer session. The audience will always have some

doubts or they may want some more information for which they would like to ask questions at the endof the presentation. The presenter should handle this session very carefully and see that the audience is

satisfied with her answers. The only way to succeed in question-answer session is to prepare thoroughly,

read a lot and be clear in your subject/concepts.

How to Plan a Presentation

As is discussed earlier some advance planning and preparation is very essential to make your

presentation effective. While preparing a presentation one should collect a lot of information in advance

and based on that should prepare the presentation. Some of the important points are as follows:

1. Audience

Who is your audience is a very important question for which one should try to find the answer before

preparing the presentation. This implies the educational background of the audience, their knowledge

level, their familiarity with the subject, their age, gender, castes, likes, dislikes, level in the organization,

preferences, etc. Even their hierarchical relationship with the presenter is important.

2. Purpose

Why are you making the presentation is the second question one should try to answer while preparing

the presentation. It can be only for passing on some information. It can be for convincing the potential

customers to buy the new product. It can be for convincing the lower management why the new

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strategy should be implemented. It can be for reporting to the boss after the successful completion of

the project. It can be for getting some financial approvals from the senior management. If the objective

of the presentation is clear, it can be designed according to that purpose and then only it will be

successful.

3. Place or Location

Where the presentation will be made is the next question. Knowing the place in advance is very

important to avoid the last moment surprises. The knowledge of the place is important to know the

capacity of the hall/room, to know about the A/V facilities which are available, the availability of

internet, the surrounding atmosphere, air-conditioning, seating arrangement etc. If the place is new to

you, it is better to collect all this information.

4. Time

When you will be making the presentation is the next question. The time is important. If your

presentation is at the end of the day after many presentations have already been made, it is better to be

very brief and interesting. If it is just before the lunch break, you should ensure that you are not eating

into the lunch duration of the audience. If it is immediately after a sumptuous lunch, it would be a big

challenge to keep the audience awake. The other aspect of time is the duration of your presentation.You should always complete the presentation in the time allotted to you.

5. Content

After you get answers to the first four questions then the next question is, what should be the contents

of your presentation. This will completely depend on the answers to the first four questions. The

contents of the presentation should be decided on the basis of the knowledge of the audience, your

purpose, location, and time of the presentation.

6. Team Presentation

Business presentations can be made individually or by a team. If it is team presentation then some

additional precautions should be taken. There should be a proper coordination among team members

about who will do what. There has to be complete understanding among the team members. They also

need to follow some manners and etiquettes of a team presentation.

7. Practice

Presentations can never be effective and successful if you dont practice in advance. Practicing will give

you ideas about the time management and possible questions you may face. Practicing before your

guide or friends can also help you know your body language, your confidence level, some of the points

where you are not very clear etc.

How to Organize the Presentation

Organizing the presentation is to decide

A. How will you give the introduction or how will you begin?

B. What should be in the main body of your presentation?

C. How you should conclude your presentation?

How to Deliver a Presentation

A presentation can be delivered in three ways:

1. Reading Loudly

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Under this method the entire presentation is written in advance and this pre-written text is read in front

of the audience.

2. Speaking from the Memory

Under this method the presenter prepares for the presentation in advance and memorizes the entire

presentation. While giving presentation he speaks from his memory.

3. Speaking from Notes

Under this method the presenter notes down the main points of his presentation either on a piece of

paper or prepares power point slides. After that he practices and prepares well for every point and

explains those points while giving the presentation.

The other aspects of delivery are:

1. Voice, Posture and Gestures:

The voice of the presenter should be audible or else he should use the audio equipments. He should

effectively use paralinguistic symbols while talking. His posture and gestures should be confident and

should maintain the interest of the audience. He should be very lively while giving presentation.

2. Eye Contact

The presenter should never lose the eye contact with the audience. She should look at all the people

sitting in the audience. She should not look at the ceiling or the floor or somewhere in the zero.

3. Dressing

The dressing of the presenter should be very formal and sober. The kind of clothes she wears, their

colours, the accessories used and the make-up; everything is very important. The person should take

care that the audience pay attention to the presentation and not to the dress or accessories.

4. Visual Aids

The presenter should know how to make an effective use of visual aids. These days people mostly use

power point slides to give presentation. They should know about organizing the matter on each slide,

the colour combination, the volume of the text used on each slide, the animation effect etc.

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