Released on: February 20, 2008, 6:18 am

Press Release Author: Developing People

Industry: Human Resources

Press Release Summary: What exactly do you need to learn and develop? Do you need to
understand the fundamentals, develop your confidence or just brush up on a few
skills?

Press Release Body: The following are some examples of practical tips that you can
try out and practice to improve your presentation skills.

· Before presenting, ensure that you understand as much about your audience as
possible (what is their knowledge of the topic, what is their background, what will
they be expecting?). Once understood, determine the approach you will take (what
information to provide, what questions the presentation should answer, what tone
should be adopted etc.). What questions might they ask?

· Outline your presentation by writing down all of the key points and in what order
they should be presented.

· Make a video of yourself presenting to others. Critically review it with a
colleague or friend.

· The best way to improve public speaking and develop confidence is through practice.

- Seek out opportunities that require you to make presentations to small groups,
perhaps outside work with community or service organisations.

· To present opinions forcefully and directly, avoid phrases like 'it seems to me'
or 'it is likely that'. Use strong, 'punchy' verbs.

· Illustrate key points of your presentation with real life examples that your
audience will understand.

· Examine the habits of an excellent speaker (for example, watch the weather
presenters on TV). What is it that they do? What are their behaviours, body language
etc? What can you learn from them? What are you prepared to try and do differently?

· Learn to read the reaction from the audience. Are they attentive throughout, do
any look bored?

· Check your tone of voice and body language, is it consistent with your words? Ask
others for feedback.

· Read the following books - Successful Presentation Skills by Andrew Bradbury,
You've Got to Be Believed to Be Heard by Bert Decker, and The Definitive Book of
Body Language, A&B Pease.

While the above is not meant to be an exhaustive list of tips to improve one's
presentation skills, it does serve as an example that a management training course
may not be the answer to develop your presentation skills.

Web Site: http://www.developingpeople.co.uk

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Tel: +44 (0)1538 304186
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