There Is No Excuse for Giving a Bad Presentation and How To Improve Your Presentation Skills

Believe it or not just because you are high up in a company or a senior board directors it does not mean you are a natural public speaker. How to make your presentation skills better and why there is no excuse for presenting badly

If you are giving a presentation or have to stand up in front of a group of people here is something to consider and a thought for you. Next time that you know you are going to have to stand up and present yourself in front of a group of people do not immediately go and make your slides or pen your script. Ask yourself first this very simple question. Am I boring? It may seem like this is a very harsh question to be asking yourself however the truth is it does not make a difference or matter how cool your presentations content is if your presentation and performance style is not up to scratch or any good whatever you do is going to fall flat.

If your answer to the question is a yes or possibly even a maybe my advice to you is to go and get some training to improve those skills. When I talk about training I am not talking about presentation training but in fact performance training. I bet you did not realise but we are in the theatre business. Delivering a good presentation to any audience even a business based audience is very similar to playing a part in a play or a TV series. The audience you are presenting to needs to believe every word you say and they have to engage with you. No matter how uncomfortable or awkward it feels taking that first step and getting yourself some acting skills will in fact be a huge benefit to your presentation skills. Energy sells and data repels. Your passion and enthusiasm will always make a much greater impact on people and how they react than just simple facts. You must engage with your audience. Do not simply tell people what you want them to learn or know you must allow them to discover your insights.

It is usually down to you to make this change. However unfortunately most audiences are often willing to listen to even the most unaccomplished presenters. Yes we may fill in the evaluation form but we more often than not we will never actually give that brutal feedback that could actually make the difference to making their presentation work better perhaps their voice was too monotone maybe they overran maybe they just did not convey enough passion in the way they spoke or they were anchored to the spot these are the people that need some training. These are all things that can be worked on but you must recognise they need work first.

I often find myself disappointed that inspirational leaders who seem to achieve great results in all other areas of their business do not always inspire when it comes to public speaking.It should be a no-brainer that the leaders of an organisation should be fabulous on their feet? We expect them to be passionate and articulate and to motivate their employees and clients alike? Yet so often we find that they just fall short.

To be a a memorable speaker the basic needs are threefold

Passion. Your audience wants and needs to hear and feel your passion for your business.
Inspiration. Your audience wants to know you believe in the future of your business. They want and need to be inspired to perform for you.
Rapport. Your audience wants to connect with you and you need to connect with them.

All three of these skills require a well-crafted speech as well as knowing your content and delivering it from the heart. You also need preparation and rehearsal. Without these two initial stages you just will not be able to perform to your best ability.

Then why do our business leaders not follow this route to create and be part of inspirational performances?
Well it is usually partly because no one dares to speak up and tell them that they need a work on their voice projection or that their presentation rambles and they need to make their content more concise. It makes sense that most people would go out of your way to avoid offending their boss or people higher up in the company or hurting his or her feelings or for fearing the loss of your job but is it not better to give these leaders straightforward and immediate advice that makes them look good or better? After all it is for the good of the company and the companies success and therefore your success in the end too.



Aspect LTD offers presentation training uk and has events planners and is an events agency in London for b2b, corporate events and agm and egm events and digital communications solutions.