Presentation skills are taught in corporate training classes, public workshops and college courses. But do they teach you the right skills to solve your workplace problems and achieve your career goals?
In corporate training classes, public workshops and college courses, presentation skills are taught. But do they teach you the right skills to solve your workplace problems and achieve your career goals?
The answer may surprise you.
In many cases, the answer is a resounding "no."
Many presentation skills training focus only on tactics. How to stand, sit and move. How to gesture effectively. How to speak clearly and dramatically. Tips and tricks to appear confident and poised.
These are important tactics that can help you go from dismal to all right. But 'OK' is not good enough if you want to go somewhere in your career. It's not good enough if you want to guide participatory presentations. Not if you want to be known as a leader who facilitates collaboration and discussion.
Involving the audience is one of the biggest challenges for many presenters. If you let people speak, you may lose control. Things could get out of hand. You could run over time. Or head far a field from the agenda.
True, these things can happen. But not because you are letting people speak. They can happen if you don't have the skills to be effective.
If you are concerned about avoiding presentation failure, this is where you need help.
To be a masterful presenter, you need to open up a safe zone for dialogue. This is a skill that can be learned with proper training.
You discuss a different way of looking at issues. You open up a topic, which is usually off limits. You reveal a stuck way of thinking. You get people talking rather than controlling a rigid position. And in doing so, you open up the conversation.
Naturally, this takes skill. You need to know your presentation strategy, communicate a powerful story, and be highly skilled at taking your audience on a journey.
Many presenters blow this. Why? Because they are risk averse. They don't want to look bad in front of an audience. They don't want to touch the tough stuff. They don't want to talk about the elephant in the room.
So, they opt for the old solution: to not talk about the tough issues.
The result? Dull and boring presentations. Tedious recitals of data. Deadly task-driven briefings. Huge and expensive wastes of time.
If you want to develop real world skills, you need to invest in training. This is a simple equation. Get the training you need to be comfortable and confident in guiding interaction. Then you will know how to encourage open conversation. This is specialized training you deserve to have, if you are serious about achieving your goals.
Then, you can really start to rock and roll. With open discussion, group collaboration and interactive problem solving you will get more done in less time -- with a huge increase in momentum.
Discover how real world facilitative skills help you give masterful presentations and guide team discussions. With a small amount of targeted training, you can expect a dramatic improvement in results.
Milly Sonneman is a recognized expert in visual language. She is the co-director of Presentation Storyboarding, a leading presentation training firm, and author of the popular guides: Beyond Words and Rainmaker Stories available on Amazon. Milly helps business professionals give winning presentations, through online presentation skills trainings at Presentation Storyboarding. You can find out more about our courses or contact Milly through our website at: http://www.presentationstoryboarding.com/