A couple of months ago I wrote a blog post on why it’s necessary to improve your presentation skills. If you missed it, you can find it on our website at www.incedogroup.com/blog. To summarize, I said that presentation skills aren’t just for speakers, trainers or consultants; they are necessary for anyone who wants to advance their career. At some point you will have to give a presentation, whether it’s at a meeting, for a job interview or to your boss to acquire funding for a project. Learning how to improve your presentation skills is critical for your success, regardless of the type or level of position you hold. And if you are in a leadership role, excellent presentation skills are, quite frankly, expected.

Now how do you improve your presentation skills? A few simple techniques:

1. Volunteer to make a presentation every chance you get. It can be anything from leading a meeting to presenting an idea to your boss or conducting a postmortem of a project or campaign. The more often you stand in front of people, the more comfortable you become.
2. Be clear about the message you want to communicate. What is the goal of your presentation? Is it to inform, excite or provide data to enable a decision? Whatever the context, determine it in advance. If your message isn’t obvious to your audience, you will lose them before you begin.
3. Practice may not make perfect but it sure helps take the jitters away. Occasionally you may be asked to make an impromptu presentation, but it’s not likely to happen frequently. Most often you will know in advance about a meeting, interview or other presentation in which you will be involved. Know what you want to convey in your presentation and practice saying it in a variety of ways. There is no shortcut on how to improve your presentation skills.
4. Toastmasters is an organization that assists people with improving their presentation skills. Most meetings are weekly for a couple of hours, and participants learn and practice skills by giving a prepared or impromptu speech or by serving as timer, evaluator or grammarian.
5. Read. Read books, articles, blog posts … just read. Your grammar and vocabulary will improve the more you read.
6. Be concise. Write out what you want to say and practice it, then cut it down. It’s likely you are too wordy and may be including information that isn’t necessary.
7. Slow down. Most of us talk too fast, and when we are nervous or uncomfortable we talk even faster. Slow down, put scheduled pauses in your presentation, and ask questions to force yourself to speak slowly and distinctly so your message is heard.

These aren’t the only tips on how to improve your presentation skills. However, if you practice and master these I promise that your presentations will be more effective. Reread the first paragraph. Everyone, regardless of their role or job level, will, at times, have to make presentations. You can’t be in the workforce without being interviewed, and that is a presentation. Let me know how these tips on how to improve your presentation skills work for you.

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