Speech is power; speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.

Ralph Waldo Emmerson

A key component of communication skills are presentation skills. Powerful presentation skills are important in all aspects of life including our professional lives. The act of presenting is undertaken for the same reasons for which we communicate. There are a number of different types of presentations which can be delivered using a range of formats.

Types of presentation

Professionals deliver presentations to,

  • Inform
    • This category includes:
      • Reporting and / or explaining
      • Sharing information and data on performance and plans
      • Providing professional development and training
      • Providing training for product or services
      • Explaining rules and regulations
  • Persuade
    • This category includes:
      • Influencing organizational culture
      • Supporting organizational change
      • Gaining support for organizational strategy and plans
      • Gaining support for purchases and investment
      • Promoting individuals or organizations
      • Creating buy-in from people
  • Align
    • This category includes:
      • Reminding people of organizational strategy, plans, and objectives
      • Correcting / influencing behaviour
      • Better integrating departments and business units
  • Entertain
    • This category includes:
      • Building rapport within teams and across the organization
      • Reinforcing a business message
      • Supporting organizational culture goals
      • Fostering goodwill
  • Provoke
    • This category includes:
      • Creating understanding and buy in for organizational change
      • “Holding up a mirror” of a set of behaviours that need to change
      • Supporting critical and creative thinking
  • Motivate
    • This category includes:
      • Energizing members of an organization toward specific goals
      • Reinforcing and encourage a specific set of behaviors
  • Celebrate
    • This category includes:
      • Recognizing individual and group performance and organizational contributions
      • Celebrating achievements and milestones
      • Fostering goodwill

Presentation Formats

Engaging people is about meeting their needs, not yours.

Tony Robbins

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Exercise

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