personal presentation in a workplace

How important is Personal Presentation in the Workplace?

  • June 21, 2022

The short answer …VERY!

Personal presentation is how you portray yourself to other people. It includes the way you look, speak and move and is part of your communication skills. Communication is one of the most important life and work skills you need to be successful 🤓

Your personal presentation is made of: 👗Appearance – from wearing well presented clothes. 🗣Body Language – From the way you smile to the way you shake hands and your ability to make eye contact.

🧠Behaviour – your attitudes and behaviours towards situations and people are part of your your personal branding.

Within the first few seconds, we are judged based on our appearance and body language 😬

✨ Tips for making the most out of your Personal Presentation include:

✅ Dressing for the occasion. Don’t change your entire style every time you have to present. This is about adapting your own style to the situation.

✅ Practice power moves – Standing tall, power stances first thing in the morning, shoulders back – these contribute to looking confident.

✅ Affirmations – Make a list of your “I am” statements for those important occasions.

I am currently taking bookings for 1 day corporate workshops on Personal Presentation. If this is something you are interested in please feel free to email me at:  [email protected]

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6 presentation skills and how to improve them

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What are presentation skills?

The importance of presentation skills, 6 presentation skills examples, how to improve presentation skills.

Tips for dealing with presentation anxiety

Learn how to captivate an audience with ease

Capturing an audience’s attention takes practice. 

Over time, great presenters learn how to organize their speeches and captivate an audience from start to finish. They spark curiosity, know how to read a room , and understand what their audience needs to walk away feeling like they learned something valuable.

Regardless of your profession, you most likely use presentation skills on a monthly or even weekly basis. Maybe you lead brainstorming sessions or host client calls. 

Developing effective presentation skills makes it easier to contribute ideas with confidence and show others you’re someone to trust. Although speaking in front of a crowd sometimes brings nerves and anxiety , it also sparks new opportunities.

Presentation skills are the qualities and abilities you need to communicate ideas effectively and deliver a compelling speech. They influence how you structure a presentation and how an audience receives it. Understanding body language , creating impactful visual aids, and projecting your voice all fall under this umbrella.

A great presentation depends on more than what you say. It’s about how you say it. Storytelling , stage presence, and voice projection all shape how well you express your ideas and connect with the audience. These skills do take practice, but they’re worth developing — especially if public speaking makes you nervous. 

Engaging a crowd isn’t easy. You may feel anxious to step in front of an audience and have all eyes and ears on you.

But feeling that anxiety doesn’t mean your ideas aren’t worth sharing. Whether you’re giving an inspiring speech or delivering a monthly recap at work, your audience is there to listen to you. Harness that nervous energy and turn it into progress.

Strong presentation skills make it easier to convey your thoughts to audiences of all sizes. They can help you tell a compelling story, convince people of a pitch , or teach a group something entirely new to them. And when it comes to the workplace, the strength of your presentation skills could play a part in getting a promotion or contributing to a new initiative.

To fully understand the impact these skills have on creating a successful presentation, it’s helpful to look at each one individually. Here are six valuable skills you can develop:

1. Active listening

Active listening is an excellent communication skill for any professional to hone. When you have strong active listening skills, you can listen to others effectively and observe their nonverbal cues . This helps you assess whether or not your audience members are engaged in and understand what you’re sharing. 

Great public speakers use active listening to assess the audience’s reactions and adjust their speech if they find it lacks impact. Signs like slouching, negative facial expressions, and roaming eye contact are all signs to watch out for when giving a presentation.

2. Body language

If you’re researching presentation skills, chances are you’ve already watched a few notable speeches like TED Talks or industry seminars. And one thing you probably noticed is that speakers can capture attention with their body language. 

A mixture of eye contact, hand gestures , and purposeful pacing makes a presentation more interesting and engaging. If you stand in one spot and don’t move your body, the audience might zone out.

two-women-talking-happily-on-radio-presentation-skills

3. Stage presence

A great stage presence looks different for everyone. A comedian might aim for more movement and excitement, and a conference speaker might focus their energy on the content of their speech. Although neither is better than the other, both understand their strengths and their audience’s needs. 

Developing a stage presence involves finding your own unique communication style . Lean into your strengths, whether that’s adding an injection of humor or asking questions to make it interactive . To give a great presentation, you might even incorporate relevant props or presentation slides.

4. Storytelling

According to Forbes, audiences typically pay attention for about 10 minutes before tuning out . But you can lengthen their attention span by offering a presentation that interests them for longer. Include a narrative they’ll want to listen to, and tell a story as you go along. 

Shaping your content to follow a clear narrative can spark your audience’s curiosity and entice them to pay careful attention. You can use anecdotes from your personal or professional life that take your audience along through relevant moments. If you’re pitching a product, you can start with a problem and lead your audience through the stages of how your product provides a solution.

5. Voice projection

Although this skill may be obvious, you need your audience to hear what you’re saying. This can be challenging if you’re naturally soft-spoken and struggle to project your voice.

Remember to straighten your posture and take deep breaths before speaking, which will help you speak louder and fill the room. If you’re talking into a microphone or participating in a virtual meeting, you can use your regular conversational voice, but you still want to sound confident and self-assured with a strong tone.

If you’re unsure whether everyone can hear you, you can always ask the audience at the beginning of your speech and wait for confirmation. That way, they won’t have to potentially interrupt you later.

Ensuring everyone can hear you also includes your speed and annunciation. It’s easy to speak quickly when nervous, but try to slow down and pronounce every word. Mumbling can make your presentation difficult to understand and pay attention to.

microphone-presentation-skills

6. Verbal communication 

Although verbal communication involves your projection and tone, it also covers the language and pacing you use to get your point across. This includes where you choose to place pauses in your speech or the tone you use to emphasize important ideas.

If you’re giving a presentation on collaboration in the workplace , you might start your speech by saying, “There’s something every workplace needs to succeed: teamwork.” By placing emphasis on the word “ teamwork ,” you give your audience a hint on what ideas will follow.

To further connect with your audience through diction, pay careful attention to who you’re speaking to. The way you talk to your colleagues might be different from how you speak to a group of superiors, even if you’re discussing the same subject. You might use more humor and a conversational tone for the former and more serious, formal diction for the latter.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to presenting. Maybe you’re confident in your use of body language, but your voice projection needs work. Maybe you’re a great storyteller in small group settings, but need to work on your stage presence in front of larger crowds. 

The first step to improving presentation skills is pinpointing your gaps and determining which qualities to build upon first. Here are four tips for enhancing your presentation skills:

1. Build self-confidence

Confident people know how to speak with authority and share their ideas. Although feeling good about your presentation skills is easier said than done, building confidence is key to helping your audience believe in what you’re saying. Try practicing positive self-talk and continuously researching your topic's ins and outs.

If you don’t feel confident on the inside, fake it until you make it. Stand up straight, project your voice, and try your best to appear engaged and excited. Chances are, the audience doesn’t know you’re unsure of your skills — and they don’t need to.

Another tip is to lean into your slideshow, if you’re using one. Create something colorful and interesting so the audience’s eyes fall there instead of on you. And when you feel proud of your slideshow, you’ll be more eager to share it with others, bringing more energy to your presentation.

2. Watch other presentations

Developing the soft skills necessary for a good presentation can be challenging without seeing them in action. Watch as many as possible to become more familiar with public speaking skills and what makes a great presentation. You could attend events with keynote speakers or view past speeches on similar topics online.

Take a close look at how those presenters use verbal communication and body language to engage their audiences. Grab a notebook and jot down what you enjoyed and your main takeaways. Try to recall the techniques they used to emphasize their main points, whether they used pauses effectively, had interesting visual aids, or told a fascinating story.

woman-looking-at-video-from-tablet-while-cooking-dinner-presentation-skills

3. Get in front of a crowd

You don’t need a large auditorium to practice public speaking. There are dozens of other ways to feel confident and develop good presentation skills.

If you’re a natural comedian, consider joining a small stand-up comedy club. If you’re an avid writer, participate in a public poetry reading. Even music and acting can help you feel more comfortable in front of a crowd.

If you’d rather keep it professional, you can still work on your presentation skills in the office. Challenge yourself to participate at least once in every team meeting, or plan and present a project to become more comfortable vocalizing your ideas. You could also speak to your manager about opportunities that flex your public speaking abilities.

4. Overcome fear

Many people experience feelings of fear before presenting in front of an audience, whether those feelings appear as a few butterflies or more severe anxiety. Try grounding yourself to shift your focus to the present moment. If you’re stuck dwelling on previous experiences that didn’t go well, use those mistakes as learning experiences and focus on what you can improve to do better in the future.

Tips for dealing with presentation anxiety 

It’s normal to feel nervous when sharing your ideas. In fact, according to a report from the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, public speaking anxiety is prevalent in 15–30% of the general population .

Even though having a fear of public speaking is common, it doesn’t make it easier. You might feel overwhelmed, become stiff, and forget what you were going to say. But although the moment might scare you, there are ways to overcome the fear and put mind over matter.

Use these tactics to reduce your stress when you have to make a presentation:

1. Practice breathing techniques

If you experience anxiety often, you’re probably familiar with breathing techniques for stress relief . Incorporating these exercises into your daily routine can help you stop worrying and regulate anxious feelings. 

Before a big presentation, take a moment alone to practice breathing techniques, ground yourself, and reduce tension. It’s also a good idea to take breaths throughout the presentation to speak slower and calm yourself down .

2. Get organized

The more organized you are, the more prepared you’ll feel. Carefully outline all of the critical information you want to use in your presentation, including your main talking points and visual aids, so you don’t forget anything. Use bullet points and visuals on each slide to remind you of what you want to talk about, and create handheld notes to help you stay on track.

3. Embrace moments of silence

It’s okay to lose your train of thought. It happens to even the most experienced public speakers once in a while. If your mind goes blank, don’t panic. Take a moment to breathe, gather your thoughts, and refer to your notes to see where you left off. You can drink some water or make a quick joke to ease the silence or regain your footing. And it’s okay to say, “Give me a moment while I find my notes.” Chances are, people understand the position you’re in.

men-giving-conference-sitting-on-a-chair-with-microphone-presentation-skills

4. Practice makes progress

Before presenting, rehearse in front of friends and family members you trust. This gives you the chance to work out any weak spots in your speech and become comfortable communicating out loud. If you want to go the extra mile, ask your makeshift audience to ask a surprise question. This tests your on-the-spot thinking and will prove that you can keep cool when things come up.

Whether you’re new to public speaking or are a seasoned presenter, you’re bound to make a few slip-ups. It happens to everyone. The most important thing is that you try your best, brush things off, and work on improving your skills to do better in your next presentation.

Although your job may require a different level of public speaking than your favorite TED Talk , developing presentation skills is handy in any profession. You can use presentation skills in a wide range of tasks in the workplace, whether you’re sharing your ideas with colleagues, expressing concerns to higher-ups, or pitching strategies to potential clients.

Remember to use active listening to read the room and engage your audience with an interesting narrative. Don’t forget to step outside your comfort zone once in a while and put your skills to practice in front of a crowd. After facing your fears, you’ll feel confident enough to put presentation skills on your resume.

If you’re trying to build your skills and become a better employee overall, try a communications coach with BetterUp. 

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Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

8 tips to improve your public speaking skills

The significance of written communication in the workplace, 9 signs that you’re being pushed out of your job, the 11 tips that will improve your public speaking skills, what is an entrepreneur understanding the different types and examples of entrepreneurship, get smart about your goals at work and start seeing results, goal-setting theory: why it’s important, and how to use it at work, the importance of good speech: 5 tips to be more articulate, empathic listening: what it is and how to use it, how to write a speech that your audience remembers, impression management: developing your self-presentation skills, 30 presentation feedback examples, your guide to what storytelling is and how to be a good storyteller, how to give a good presentation that captivates any audience, 8 clever hooks for presentations (with tips), how to make a presentation interactive and exciting, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

personal presentation in a workplace

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

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Elevating Professional Success: Mastering Presentation Skills in Workplace

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  • Presentation Skills
  • April 10, 2024

Presentation Skills Important In Workplace

Imagine a busy office, and someone steps up to give a presentation. They have important things to say, but the message doesn’t quite hit the mark. This often happens in the workplace – presenting the idea isn’t always easy.

In today’s workplace, of course, being good at presentations is more than just a useful skill; it’s something you need to succeed. Being able to share information clearly, persuasively, and with impact goes beyond the job interview process, titles, and industries. Once you get the hang of it, it can open up opportunities, build teamwork, and boost your professional reputation.

This blog is all about improving at presenting in the workplace. We’ll talk about why it’s so important, look at the key parts of a good presentation, and give you practical tips to become a more confident and effective presenter.

So, whether you’re a pro or just starting out, let’s work on making your presentations stand out in the workplace.

What Are Presentation Skills?

Beyond the surface, presentation skills are the nuanced art of delivering information in a way that grabs attention and leaves a lasting impression. It’s a multifaceted approach to public speaking , covering both how you articulate your thoughts and how you convey them through your body language and visuals.

Presentations are about choosing words that resonate, structuring ideas coherently, and ensuring clarity in delivery. Yet, presentation skills extend to the non-verbal communication, where gestures, facial expressions , eye contact , and the strategic use of visuals play a pivotal role in enhancing your message.

Think of presentation skills as a toolkit, each element contributing uniquely to the overall impact. Your words are like the instruments, your gestures add flair, and visuals are powerful anchors for understanding.

It’s a comprehensive strategy aimed at communicating information and making it relatable, memorable, and compelling.

Honing these presentation skills is more than a professional advantage in the workplace—it’s a means to influence decisions, foster collaboration, and establish yourself as a confident and effective communicator. As we dive deeper into workplace presentation skills, we’ll dissect these components to empower you to master the art of impactful presentations.

What Are The Key P resentation Skills in Workplace

In the professional world, honing specific soft skills is essential for delivering presentations that leave a lasting impact.

presentation skills in workplace image 01

Let’s understand these crucial presentation skills in workplace   abilities that extend beyond the mere conveyance of information, focusing on establishing a meaningful connection with your audience:

1. Verbal Communication

Mastering verbal communication involves more than just speaking—it’s about articulating thoughts with precision, clarity, and impact and most importantly active listening. Your choice of words, tone, pitch, and pacing all play crucial roles in ensuring your message or idea is heard and truly understood when you speak. A skilled communicator can keep the audience engaged through eloquence, making the presentation memorable and engaging.

2. Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal cues, comprising open body language, facial expressions, and gestures, communicate and deliver a wealth of information beyond spoken words. A presenter who masters non-verbal communication can project confidence, sincerity, and enthusiasm. Understanding and aligning non-verbal signals with verbal messages create seamless and compelling presentations, fostering a deeper connection with the audience.

3. Visual Communication

Visual communication skills go beyond aesthetics; it’s a strategic use of visuals—slides, charts, graphs—to enhance understanding and retention. Proficiency in visual communication ensures that your presentation is not only informative but visually appealing. Well-crafted visual aids complement spoken words, making complex information more accessible and leaving a lasting impression.

4. Written Communication

While spoken words take centre stage, effective written communication supports and reinforces your message. Crafting clear and concise content for slides, handouts, or supplementary materials adds depth to your presentation. A skilful presenter understands the importance of synergy between spoken and written communication, ensuring that both channels work harmoniously to convey key information to the audience.

5. Adaptability

Adaptability is the ability to tailor your presentation style to suit different audiences and dynamic situations. It involves recognising and responding to the unique needs and dynamics of each context using your critical thinking. A versatile presenter can seamlessly adjust vocal tone, content, and delivery, ensuring that the message remains relevant and impactful. Adaptability transforms a presentation from a one-size-fits-all approach to a customised and resonant experience for diverse audiences.

Why Are Good Presentation Skills Important In The Workplace?

In the dynamic and competitive workplace, the mastery of effective presentation skills in workplace transcends being merely advantageous; it becomes imperative for substantial career growth.

draft 1 presentation skills in the workplace google docs 1

Let’s go deeper into the multifaceted reasons why honing these critical skills is pivotal for professional success:

Professional Credibility

The art of presenting ideas with clarity and self-confidence is akin to crafting a professional persona. Strong presentation skills cultivate an aura of professional credibility, earning the trust and respect of colleagues, superiors, and stakeholders. This credibility is a cornerstone for building enduring professional relationships, positioning you as a reliable and competent office employee. 

Influence And Persuasion

Beyond mere communication, presentations are platforms for influence and persuasion. The ability to articulate ideas persuasively equips you to navigate diverse scenarios – whether you’re pitching proposals, leading team meetings, or advocating for projects. This skill becomes a powerful tool, enabling you to shape opinions, garner support, communicate and drive initiatives towards organisational success.

Career Advancement

Good presentation skills often serve as a catalyst for an accelerated career trajectory. A good presenter who can deliver compelling presentations is recognised as a valuable asset to the organisation. This distinction positions you for leadership roles where effective , communication skills , inspiration, and engagement of others are not just valued but crucial for steering the organisation towards its goals.

Enhanced Collaboration

Effective presenters are architects of collaborative environments. Through adept communication and engagement, they create spaces that foster collaboration among team members, clients, and stakeholders. Effective presentation skills contribute to the development of positive relationships, laying the groundwork for successful collaborations and shared achievements.

Confidence Building

Mastery of presentation skills is a journey towards projecting confidence. As you become adept at expressing ideas with impact, your confidence grows proportionally. This confidence not only enhances your personal and professional life but also has a ripple effect, inspiring confidence in your colleagues and contributing to the creation of creating a positive and dynamic work culture.

Leadership Development

Presentation skills are integral to leadership skills. Leaders are often required to articulate a vision, present information, motivate teams, and navigate challenges through effective communication. The ability to convey ideas clearly and inspire others through presentations is a hallmark of effective leadership, paving the way for greater leadership responsibilities.

How To Improve Workplace Presentation Skills?

Now that we understand the importance of workplace presentation skills let’s delve more detail into actionable strategies to enhance and refine these crucial abilities:

draft 1 presentation skills in the workplace google docs 2

Tailor Content To Your Audience

The first step is understanding your audience, which is crucial for an effective presentation. Utilise techniques such as audience analysis to gather information about their interests, preferences, and knowledge levels. Craft a message that resonates with them by incorporating relevant examples and industry-specific terminology and addressing their specific needs. Consider using audience personas to create a more personalised and targeted presentation.

Utilise Storytelling Techniques

Storytelling is an art that can be honed with specific techniques. Begin with an engaging hook to grab attention, then structure your narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Introduce relatable characters and real-life scenarios to illustrate key points. Use the power of visualisation by painting vivid images with your words. 

Audience loses interest when stage presence lacks confidence or enthusiasm keep your audience, so strive to maintain a dynamic and captivating delivery throughout your storytelling journey.

draft 1 presentation skills in the workplace google docs 3

Employ the Hero’s Journey framework to keep the focus of your audience interested because the hero overcomes challenges, creating a connection.

Learn To Manage Nerves

Techniques for managing nerves involve both mental and physical strategies. Practise deep breathing exercises to calm your mind and reduce anxiety. Visualisation techniques involve mentally rehearsing a successful presentation, boosting confidence and honing effective time management skills. Mindfulness practices that focus on the present moment can help alleviate nervous tension. 

draft 1 presentation skills in the workplace google docs 4

Additionally, the 10-20-30 Rule for slides (10 slides, 20 minutes, 30-point font) can simplify your visuals and ease presentation anxiety.

Invest In Professional Development

To invest in professional development, explore various resources and methodologies. Attend workshops, leadership development programs or webinars dedicated to presentation or public speaking skills. Enrol in a course that provides practical insights and strategies to develop presentation skills. Consider hiring a presentation coach for personalised guidance. Utilise online platforms offering interactive modules and real-world scenarios.

In job interviews or such situations , having refined presentation skills can significantly enhance your chances of success.

Practice And Seek Feedback

Effective practice involves simulated presentations and seeking constructive feedback. Utilise techniques like Mirror Practice to observe your eye contact, open body language and hand gestures. Record yourself to assess pacing, tone, and overall delivery. Practice with a timer to ensure adherence to allocated time. For feedback, create a feedback form or seek input from colleagues and mentors. Embrace the Two Stars and a Wish model, where you identify two positive aspects and one area for improvement, fostering a balanced and constructive feedback loop.

Free Tools To Enhance Your Presentations

Check out these free tools that can help make your presentations look better and grab the audience’s attention.

draft 1 presentation skills in the workplace google docs 5

Let’s dive into how these tools can make effective presentations without costing you a dime!

Offers a vast library of professional templates (thousands!) covering various presentation styles and topics. Their drag-and-drop interface is user-friendly for beginners, while advanced features like animation and data visualisation cater to experienced users. Additionally, they boast a massive collection of stock photos, illustrations, and icons (many even free!) that you can seamlessly integrate into your slides. 

Google Slides

This lightweight editor shines in its simplicity and accessibility. Being part of Google Drive, it integrates seamlessly with other Google tools like Docs and Sheets, facilitating easy data import. While the template selection is decent, the main strength lies in its real-time collaboration features, allowing multiple users to edit and work on the presentation simultaneously.

This interactive tool focuses on keeping the audience engaged in real time. Create polls, quizzes, and word clouds on the fly, allowing your audience members to participate and respond directly during your presentation. This fosters a more dynamic and memorable speaking experience. Their free plan lets you create basic polls and quizzes, while paid plans offer advanced features like live data visualisation and presenter controls.

GetFeedback

This platform focuses on structured feedback collection. Design surveys with various question types (multiple choice, open-ended, rating scales) and customise them to gather specific feedback on different aspects of your presentation. Analyse responses, identify areas for improvement and track progress over time. Their free plan allows for basic surveys with limited responses, while paid plans offer advanced features like branching logic and reporting tools.

Conclusion: Effective Presentation Skills to Build Your Personal and Professional Life.

Wrapping up our discussion on presenting at work, it’s clear that being good at this isn’t just a skill—it’s a big plus for your career.

Whether you want to impress decision-makers, work better with others, or move up in your job, having great presentation skills is like having a secret weapon.

Remember, getting better at presentations is a journey, not a one-time thing. Each time you present, see it as a chance to get even better.

Learn from what goes well and what doesn’t. As you put these ideas into action, may your presentations not just be about talking but about connecting, persuading, and succeeding in the busy world of work.

Here’s to you becoming an awesome presenter—confident, interesting, and leaving a lasting impression.

Avatar photo

Rishabh Bhandari

Rishabh Bhandari is the Content Strategist at Kapable. Rishabh likes to transform complex ideas into captivating narratives relatable to the target audience. He loves telling stories through his content. He believes that stories have the power to shift mindsets and move mountains. He has 3 years of experience in educational blog writing and copywriting.

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The Reason Why Your Workplace Presentation Skills Are So Important

Presentation Skills Are Important in the Workplace

Discover the true value of workplace presentation skills, and how they can help you lead and influence!

Discover Why Workplace Presentation Skills Are so Important

When you’re a manager, you need to have good presentation skills so you can lead your team, influence strategy, and even improve results.

Overall, your workplace presentation skills can highly impact your leadership skills. And once you master public speaking and messaging and storytelling becomes your second nature, you’ll be able to motivate others and drive impactful decisions.

Of course, you won’t be able to become a presentation expert overnight – and that’s why we’re here.

Our guide will help you understand why presentation skills in the workplace are so important and what you can do in your next presentation to put the wheels in motion.

Enhancing Leadership through Presentation

Building credibility and respect.

For managers seeking to establish credibility and respect as leaders, mediocre workplace presentation skills simply will not suffice anymore. To earn the trust and buy-in of your team and peers, you must be able to articulate ideas with polish, structure, and command of the subject matter.

Even the most brilliant strategic thinking means little if you cannot convey your vision persuasively. To reach presentation excellence , try the following techniques:

  • Carefully modulating vocal tone for gravitas
  • Using clear and authoritative language
  • Maintaining eye contact
  • Integrating narratives and data into speech flow

Sharpening skills in areas like these signals preparation and mastery to audiences. But make no mistake – excelling as a confident speaker requires dedication. With programs like our One-to-One skils training , you can learn how to refine your style and stage presence further.

Motivating and Inspiring Teams

Rallying the troops is not easy – canned corporate speak falls flat fast these days. People need authentic inspiration that sparks passion and purpose from within. The most effective motivators tap into that emotional spark by painting tangible visions folks can envision themselves executing.

Strategic plans remain just words unless infused with meaning. Relatable stories breathe life into dry data and directives. Asking real questions, and fully incorporating feedback makes teams feel truly heard, valued, and invested.

Great leaders convey conviction by speaking from their hearts. They motivate by sharing why the work matters to them personally. When teams see the mission through their leader’s eyes, that purpose becomes personal for them too. Then real commitment flows.

Unlocking these abilities takes time – the principles are straightforward but nuance is everything. With dedication to enhance their narrative skills though, managers discover they can rally teams to astonishing new heights.

Developing workplace presentation skills takes guidance and practice which things like our Storytelling for Business Course can provide in spades. Through hands-on learning, managers discover how to craft inspiring narratives and deliver them masterfully. They emerge as influential motivators ready to ignite real change.

The principles are straightforward but the nuance is immense. With a dedication to enhancing their strategic narrative abilities, managers discover they can rally their teams to astonishing new heights.

Presentation Skills Immersive Five Days

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Influencing Decision-Making and Strategy

Steering organisational decisions.

When it comes to swaying major strategic decisions , having a seat at the table is just the beginning. To truly influence executive conversations and achieve your desired outcomes, you must command the room with conviction.

Powerful presentation skills allow you to shape discussions by controlling the narrative. 

Wielding true influence over pivotal decisions requires commanding the room. Adopting this level of authority means mastering specific techniques:

  • Address likely objections head-on: Anticipate concerns decision-makers may have and dispel them strategically. Displaying a full grasp of the landscape builds confidence in your ideas.
  • Lead with compelling data: Back claims with ample evidence so leaders feel assured by your command of the facts. Data-driven arguments hold sway.
  • Speak with flexible vocal emphasis: Modulate tone, pace and volume to focus minds on key goals. This verbal dynamism keeps narratives compelling over long meetings.
  • Structure seamless storyline flow: Deftly transition between narrative elements to guide discussions to intended conclusions. Crescendos and details should cinch, not confuse.

Refining such advanced skills demands commitment but unlocks influence. With preparation and practice, managers gain the tools to spearhead strategy by steering pivotal conversations with authority and acumen. Let’s discuss how our customised coaching can accelerate your journey.

Aligning Team with Organisational Goals

Savvy navigators take time to decipher why pronounced goals matter, translating numbers and jargon into stories that evoke emotional investment . Compelling visuals help reinforce key concepts too. Inviting input helps uncover disconnects, doubts, or insights to inform updated guidelines. Ongoing forum sustains impulse to execute.

Re-examining goals through field teams’ eyes illuminates aspects previously opaque back at headquarters. People want to advance ideas they helped shape and comprehend. Respecting experience glues collective purpose tighter than relying on demands alone. Harnessing their interests and expertise fuels creativity that propels division over the finish line amid tight margins and clockwork.

Instilling esprit de corps around any sizable undertaking demands recognising each member’s contributions. Dynamic managers embrace the challenge because they understand that sustained achievements on an ambitious scale only emerge when people feel dialled into the values and humanity driving that journey, not just the roles assigned.

Presentation Skills In-House Tailor Made Training

If you are looking for In-House Presentation Skills Training for a group or teams, please see our

Advancing Career through Masterful Presentations

Gaining visibility and networking.

If visibility and exposure are critical to your career growth, workplace presentation skills offer the perfect networking opportunity to get yourself noticed. 

Simply taking the stage is insufficient to drive career growth nowadays. To truly showcase leadership abilities, managers must deliver confident , compelling presentations that capture attention .

Want to accelerate your leadership journey? Polished presentations showcase potential. But simply claiming the stage won’t cut it. To truly make an impact, bring your A-game – a confident tone and compelling narrative that clarifies complex ideas.

Weave in stories and data that provide relatable context. Deploy effective questioning to spur meaningful dialogue. Exude quiet authority through verbal fluidity, crisp articulation and open body language. Slides should visually reinforce key points, not dominate.

Mastering such niche workplace presentation skills elevates you above the rest. But Make no mistake – excellence requires commitment. Customised training blends frameworks, coaching and practice for internalising the nuances. Lean into the rigours with dedication and realise the differentiation possible during high-stakes visibility moments. That’s how careers leap.

Refining such niche presentation capabilities accelerates professional advancement but requires commitment. Customised training solutions like Impact Factory’s one and two day presentation skills courses combine robust frameworks, expert coaching, and hands-on practice for mastering key areas. With dedication, managers gain skills to distinguish themselves during high-stakes moments.

Demonstrating Leadership for Promotion

Career advancement hinges on visibility – standing out requires a commanding presence. Mediocre presentations only go so far before hitting ceilings. To seize those coveted promotions, substance and polish must align. Savvy speakers demonstrate gravitas through smooth delivery, strategic narrative , and memorable messaging. They guide audiences fluidly through data visualisations toward intended takeaways. Stories get woven with facts to reinforce recall. Messaging stays crisp but conversational.

Executives refine such niche skills through tailored coaching. Impact Factory’s Personalised Executive Presentation Coaching helps managers master the techniques crucial for career acceleration. Their experts assess strengths, identify growth areas, and provide frameworks and hands-on practice. 

Managers gain confidence in delivering high-stakes presentations with clarity and conviction.

But realisation takes proactivity. Leaders seeking elevation must first acknowledge their next frontier for development. Schedule an initial consultation to evaluate readiness. Whether seeking executive presence, compelling storytelling, or another area of growth, Impact Factory develops customised plans for realising one’s full leadership potential.

Mastering Crisis Management with Presentation Skills

Effective problem-solving communication.

When unprecedented challenges emerge, stakeholders inevitably look to leaders for direction and resolution. These high-pressure moments call for composed, solution-oriented communication.

Experienced presenters acknowledge concerns head-on while succinctly conveying viable solutions and clear next steps. They provide straightforward explanations of the process and address uncertainties. But what can you do in your next presentation?

  • Stick to factual information
  • Use a clear organisational structure
  • Watch your tone and pace for maximum reassurance

If you’re looking to take your skills another step further, our one day media skills course will equip you to steer your team through chaos with calm, focused communication .

Leading in Crisis through Communication

In times of turbulence, employees understandably look to leaders for a steady hand at the wheel. In such situations, the ability to communicate with clarity, confidence , and compassion is critical.

Successful leaders ground their teams by presenting vision, direction and contingency plans with poise. They use a slow narrative pace, crisp articulation, and composed delivery to provide maximum reassurance. To make your message stronger, try:

  • Reiterating core values and organisational priorities
  • Presenting contingency plans and scenarios
  • Inviting audience perspectives and concerns
  • Using storytelling to reinforce shared identity and purpose

Truly mastering crisis communication takes rigorous preparation. And with comprehensive programs like the Five-day Intensive Presentation with Impact course, you can gain the needed skills to shine when the stakes are highest.

Elevate Your Presentation Skills With Impact Factory

Mastering leadership communication is a winding journey, not a single summiting. But persevering promises dividends in influence. Progress flows from self-honesty – regularly soliciting blunt feedback exposes one’s gaps. Perhaps nervous tics emerge when conversations turn. Or complex data lacks translation for certain audiences. Once developmental areas come into focus, improvement follows consistent, concentrated effort.

While dedication furthers skills, targeted coaching accelerates them. Wise managers seek external expertise to tackle niche challenges singularly. Impact Factory , for example, offers personalised workshops and one-on-one sessions addressing common leadership pitfalls. From rallying teams around new initiatives to steering crises, our communication training tackles both universal and unique pain points through framework building and repeated practice.

True expertise requires commitment but unlocks otherwise elusive potential. As goals evolve over one’s leadership journey, how can external support further your vision? Please, let us know – an initial consultation may reveal growth possibilities not yet on your radar, unveiling your next positive disruption. The first step starts with asking.

FAQs on Workplace Presentation Skills

What are the five key presentation skills to develop.

In our experience, the fundamentals are clear articulation, polished body language, strong audience engagement, logical structure, and effective visual aid usage. Master these core abilities first.

How can I improve the flow of my presentation?

Creating a clear narrative arc is crucial – outline key points and transitions in advance. Use stories, questions, and eye contact to maintain engagement. Keep slides simple to avoid losing their attention . And be sure to summarise those key takeaways at the end.

What makes for a poor presentation?

Lack of preparation is a big one. A monotone voice and stiff body language won’t help either. Overly text-heavy slides just make people tune out. Failing to actively engage the audience is also a killer. Information overload without clear messaging is another major pitfall.

Why do many people fear public speaking?

Some anxiety is natural, but here’s the thing: focus on mastering your material rather than nerves. With practice delivering to small groups first, it gets much easier. Preparation and experience are key to gaining confidence .

Related Articles:

Are you ready to take the next step? Here are resources to help you take the right direction:

  • Presentation Skills Training – Find out how we can tailor the training to the needs of your team and business.
  • Benefits Of Presentation Courses – Sharp presentation skills bring benefits to your employees and business at the same time. While your employees gain more confidence, your business can drive higher sales. Explore the benefits in more detail.
  • How To Use Body Language To Enhance Your Presentation Skills – Presentations aren’t only about the message. You also need to focus on the way you deliver it and the impression you make on the audience. Here are a few quick tips on how to build a strong stage presence.

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personal presentation in a workplace

personal presentation in a workplace

How Personal Presentation plays an important role in the workplace?

What is personal presentation in the workplace and why is personal presentation important?

Personal presentation at work

What is personal presentation in the workplace?

Personal presentation is how you portray yourself to other people. Your personal presentation includes everything from the way you look , to the way you speak and move . Personal presentation is part of the communication skills, and communication is one of the five important life and work skills you need to build as a professional. Personal presentation means the way you present yourself in everyday situations, including the most stressful ones like job interviews.

Your personal presentation is made of several elements including (but not limited to) the following:

Physical appearance

Your physical appearance is a major part of your personal presentation. It includes everything we can see about you from wearing clean clothes, having clean and brushed hair and being well-groomed to the colour and style of your clothes and accessories.

Body language

Your body language plays an essential part in your personal presentation. From the way you smile to the way you shake hands and your ability to make eye contact, your non-verbal communication significantly impacts your personal presentation.

Attitudes and behaviours

We can consider that your attitudes and behaviours towards situations and people are part of your personal presentation (and your personal branding ) . The way you speak to and get along with others definitely impacts your personal presentation and what people think about you. Are you being friendly, kind and polite every time you can?

Why is personal presentation important?

With the above definition of personal presentation, it seems essential to learn how to give the right impression through how we look, what we say, and what we do .

We know that within the first few seconds, we are judged based on our appearance and body language. No matter how relevant and interesting our message is, if our personal presentation is not appropriate, people will hardly listen to our message. Working on our personal presentation is the first step to develop effective presentation skills .

Our personal presentation is helping us to fit in by following certain codes of conduct and corporate styling principles. When getting ready to facilitate a workshop, I always adapt my personal presentation to the company I visit with a focus on the company’s industry. No matter how comfortable and fashionable my workout outfit looks, it is not relevant or appropriate to my activity.

A few years back, I was helping a client getting back to the workplace as a chef. She was having a multiple of interviews, she had amazing cooking skills but still couldn't find a job. She decided to use my personal branding and image consulting services to boost her success. The first (and last) coaching session was enough to understand what was going wrong and to adjust the situation. My talented coachee came to our session dressed for interviews and I could immediately spot that her issue was based on her personal presentation. She looked beautiful but she was overdressed for the occasion. She was wearing high heels, a lot of make-up, a complicated hairstyle and fake nails. I looked at her from a recruiter’s point of view and understood why nobody would hire her! The only thing a recruiter can think is that she will be late in the morning to get ready, she will then spend hours in the bathroom to stay stunning, she will never be able to stand on those heels all day, and she might lose a nail or two in the cooking pots and plates. My client dressed like that with the best intentions, to give a positive first impression; it was just not appropriate and relevant to the situation. Together, we selected a few appropriate outfits making her look like a chef at work instead of a fashion icon. Immediately after our session, she dared to reapply to her favourite opportunity and successfully got the job. I guess the lesson here is to dress for the occasion .

How to make the most from your personal presentation?

As mentioned above, the best thing to do is to dress for the occasion. Dressing for the occasion doesn’t mean that you need to change your entire style and feel like wearing a Halloween costume every time you get out. Dressing for the occasion is about adapting your own style to the situation . It might mean being more classy, trying to look more serious or professional, or if you are evolving in a creative environment it might mean showing off your creativity.

When feeling lost about the dress code, simply observe people around you; how do people dress on such occasions, what do they wear when working in this company? It will give you some guidance to pick and choose your outfit and accessories.

Because your personal presentation isn’t only about your appearance, you will pay attention to your body language and non-verbal signals as well as your behaviours.

Maud Vanhoutte

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Why first impression matters

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  • INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
  • Communication Skills

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The SkillsYouNeed Guide to Interpersonal Skills

Introduction to Communication Skills - The Skills You Need Guide to Interpersonal Skills

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Personal appearance is an often-disregarded part of communication and presentation skills.

When you are speaking in public, you may be representing your organisation or just yourself. It is still  you  at the front. It is  you  that the other person, group or audience sees and before you have time to open your mouth and say anything, certain assumptions, both consciously and subconsciously, have been made.

First impressions are very important - they can be about attitude as well as dress.

Visual impact is at least as important as verbal impact. People will very quickly make assumptions based on your personal appearance, including your facial expressions, the clothes you wear, how well-groomed you are and your body language.

Clothes and Grooming

Perhaps the most obvious element of personal appearance, and certainly the easiest one to change, is what you wear and how well-groomed you look.

Nobody is likely to be able to tell you exactly what is appropriate attire in any given situation. There will, however, be plenty of people to tell either you or someone else if you get it wrong. The questions that you have to ask are:

What sort of external image is appropriate to the organisation you represent?

What image will fit with the event that I am attending?

Only you can answer these questions.

Some organisations are happy for people to be casually dressed. This is particularly true in the technology industry.

Other organisations may expect smarter attire, especially if you are representing the organisation at an external event. There is, however, a whole range of options from smart casual to smart business. This can be especially challenging for women, although it is also more obvious if men get it wrong, and wear/don’t wear a suit at the wrong times.

It is important to be suitably dressed within expected limits.

You should also ensure that you are appropriately groomed. This does not mean that women have to spend two hours putting on make-up before attending an event. It does, however, mean that you should be clean, your clothes should be clean and ironed, and that your hair should be tidy.

Nobody expects you to be packaged into something you are not. However, your appearance is a reflection of your own self-esteem. You should aim to present yourself to your best possible advantage. Whilst you might be casually dressed when working within your organisation, a more formal approach may well be preferable when representing your organisation at an external meeting.

Good grooming and a tidy appearance is always preferable, whether casually or more formally dressed. It presents a much more professional appearance.

It also suggests that you think that you are relatively important: that you matter. This is important if you wish to be taken seriously. Nobody is going to respect someone who does not look like they respect themselves.

Facial Expressions

Little can be done to alter your face, but a lot can be done about the expression that is on it!

It does not matter how the day started or what minor crisis has occurred along the way. People have not come to this event or meeting to see you looking gloomy. If you do not look interested and enthusiastic about what you are saying, why should anyone else care?

It is your duty—to yourself as well as to the organisation that you represent—to convey a calm, friendly and professional exterior, whatever you may feel inside. Try to smile and appear optimistic and confident. More to the point, try to convey how you (should) feel about a subject in which you are an expert: at least interested and capable, and preferably enthusiastic.

Paradoxically, simply behaving as though you are confident can actually help you to become more confident. This is very much a ‘virtuous circle’.

For more on this see our page: Non-verbal Communication: Face and Voice .

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

he reflection you see in the mirror is not necessarily a true likeness of the face known to family, friends and colleagues because they see you off-guard, in repose, concentrating on a task, or listening to them.

Most people unconsciously change their expression when looking into the mirror.

It is quite natural to ‘play to a mirror’, possibly by raising an eyebrow, pulling a face or smiling at the reflection. This is why people often feel self-conscious when they see a ‘ bad ’ photograph of themselves.

The Real You:

It is human nature to make compromises. We all change our approach depending on the people we meet and what we feel is expected from us.

Your 'on-duty' self, the one who functions in public, is different from your 'off-duty' self, the one concerned with home, family and friends.

These differing roles all require their own particular qualities and skills in personal communication and can also call upon different requirements of attitude and personal appearance. Your external image, your personal appearance, is how you are seen by the world, whereas the real you (not a role model or the person you would like to be) is someone who is honest with themselves.

See our page: Body Language for more information.

Understanding body language is one of the most important aspects of personal presentation. The image conveyed by the physical self should support and enhance what is being communicated verbally. If the visual image differs widely from the spoken message, it is often the non-verbal account that is believed.

The way you sit and stand, your gestures and mannerisms and your facial expressions will say far more about you and how you are feeling at any given time than the words you are using. When individuals are nervous or uneasy, their behavioural 'bad habits' become more pronounced.

Awareness of your body language, of how you behave under pressure, what signals you are unconsciously giving, how nerves and stress affect you physically, can help you understand how you 'come across' to others. It can also explain how the wrong impression is sometimes given and how confusion can occur.

Working on body language is a way of improving personal presentation.  For example, when concentrating on something rather hard, your expression may look troubled, when in reality you are not anxious at all, just absorbed. This does not mean you should go around with a fixed smile on your face. However, you do need to be aware that your physical self might send one set of signals when your mind is involved elsewhere.

Body language can also be used as a mask to convey contrary feelings. How often have you nodded firmly when you did not understand a word, smiled when your instinct was to scowl, or clapped enthusiastically at the end of a talk that nearly put you to sleep?  In these cases you were not being hypocritical, but using body language positively as the mechanism of good manners.

Our gestures are part of our personalities, a part of how we express ourselves. Hand and arm movements can add emphasis, aid explanation and convey enthusiasm. They only become a negative signal when repeated so often that they become irritating to the observer. Listeners can become so side-tracked by the sight of someone constantly playing with their hair, tapping on the table with a pen, etc., that they no longer listen to the spoken word.  These negative signals can break down the communication process.

Positive and Negative Body Language

Positive body language includes:

  • Maintaining eye contact with the person you are speaking to.
  • Smiling (if appropriate) but especially as a greeting and at the end of a conversation.
  • Sitting squarely on a chair, leaning slightly forward (this indicates you are paying attention).
  • Nodding in agreement.
  • A firm handshake.
  • Presenting a calm exterior.
  • Looking interested.

Negative body language includes:

  • Not looking at a person when speaking.
  • Tapping a foot, fingers etc.
  • Rocking backwards and forwards.
  • Scratching.
  • Continually clearing your throat.
  • Fiddling with hair, ear lobes, jewellery, jacket, glasses, etc.
  • Picking at fingers or finger nails.
  • Repeatedly looking at your watch or a clock in the room.
  • Standing too close to others.
  • Inattention to a person who is speaking.

A final thought

You may believe that personal appearance shouldn’t matter. You might, quite rightly, believe that you are much more than the clothes that you wear, or whether you remembered to brush your hair that morning, or if you look grumpy.

It is, of course, true that each of us is far more than our appearance. However, when we meet someone new, we inevitably make judgements about them. With nothing else to go on, we rely on appearance. How you look does matter, therefore, even if you wish it did not. You only get one chance to make a first impression, and you want it to be the right one.

Continue to: Positive Body Image Self-Presentation in Presentations

See also: Building a Personal Brand Reflective Practice Interview Skills

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Important Presentation Skills for Workplace Success

personal presentation in a workplace

  • What Are Presentation Skills?

Steps To Create a Presentation

Skills that help make an effective presentation, how to make your skills stand out.

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Whether you’re a high-level executive or an administrative assistant, developing your presentation skills is one key way to climb in an office-based job. Leaders make decisions based on information shared in presentation format, and hardly any business changes its mind without first seeing a persuasive presentation.

It is important for any office employee to know what steps go into creating an effective presentation and what presentation skills are most important to employers. Highlighting these skills will also help you stand out during your job search.

Key Takeaways

  • Presentation skills are what you need to know to be able to give an engaging, effective presentation.
  • The steps to creating a successful presentation are preparation, delivery, and follow-up.
  • Employers want to know you have the necessary skills to research, analyze, and create a presentation, plus the communication skills needed to deliver it and field questions afterward.
  • You can highlight your skills to employers through your resume, cover letter, and interview.

What Are Presentation Skills? 

Presentation skills refer to all the qualities you need to create and deliver a clear and effective presentation. While what you say during a presentation matters, employers also value the ability to create supporting materials, such as slides.

Your prospective employer may want you to deliver briefings and reports to colleagues, conduct training sessions, present information to clients, or perform any number of other tasks that involve speaking before an audience.

Giving engaging and easy-to-understand talks is a major component of the strong  oral communication skills  that are a  job requirement  for many positions. Not all presentations take place in a formal meeting. Many presentation skills are relevant to one-on-one consults or sales calls.

Any presentation has three phases: preparation, delivery, and follow-up. All presentation skills fit into one of these three phases.

Preparation 

Preparation involves research and building the presentation. Consider the audience you'll be presenting to and what most interests them. This may mean crafting the entire text (or at least writing notes) and creating any slides and other supporting audio/visual materials.

You will also have to make sure that the appropriate venue is available, properly set up beforehand, and ensure the projector (if you'll need one) works and connects with your laptop.

You'll also want to practice your presentation as many times as you need to to feel comfortable delivering it with ease and confidence within the time allotted for the presentation.

Skills related to preparation include conducting research related to your presentation topic, devising charts and graphs depicting your research findings, and learning about your audience to better tailor your presentation to their needs. You'll also need to create digital slides, using statistics, examples, and stories to illustrate your points and effectively to persuade the audience.

Preparing handouts or digital references is an added courtesy that will help the audience pay attention because they won't be preoccupied with note-taking.

Your delivery is the part of the presentation that the audience sees. A good delivery depends on careful preparation and confident presentation and requires its own distinctive  skill set . 

Skills related to delivery include giving an attention-grabbing opening for a talk, providing a summary of what will be covered to introduce the presentation and provide context, and using  body language  and eye contact to convey energy and confidence.

Make sure you pause to emphasize key points, modulate your vocal tone for emphasis, and articulate your speech clearly and smoothly.

Don't be afraid of injecting humor or speaking with enthusiasm and animation—these techniques can help you in projecting confidence to your audience.

Summarize key points at the conclusion of the presentation, and be sure to have a plan for how you'll field any audience questions.

Presentation follow-up includes properly breaking down and storing any equipment, contacting any audience members with whom you agreed to communicate further, and soliciting, collecting, and analyzing feedback.

In some presentations, you may collect information from audience members—such as names and contact information or completed surveys—that you also must organize and store.

Skills related to follow-up include creating an evaluation form to solicit feedback from attendees, interpreting feedback from evaluations, and modifying the content and/or delivery for future presentations. Other follow-up skills include organizing a database of attendees for future presentations, interviewing key attendees to gain additional feedback, and emailing presentation slides to attendees.

To create and deliver the most effective presentation takes a variety of skills, which you can always work to improve.

You must be able to look honestly at your performance, assess the feedback you get, and figure out what you need to do to get better. That takes  analytical thinking .

More importantly, you need to have a firm grasp of the information you are about to communicate to others. You need to analyze your audience and be prepared to think quickly if asked questions that force you to demonstrate that you are fully aware of the material and its implications.

The kind of analytical skills you need to be an effective presenter include problem sensitivity, problem-solving , reporting and surveying, optimization, and predictive modeling. It also helps to be adept at strategic planning, integration, process management, and diagnostics. With these skills, you'll be better able to objectively analyze, evaluate, and act on your findings.

Organization

You do not want to be the person who spends half of their presentation time trying to find a cable to connect their laptop to the projector. Many things can and do go wrong just before a presentation unless you are  organized .

Presentation preparation also means keeping track of notes, information, and start/stop times. You will want to proofread and fine-tune all the materials you plan to use for the presentation to catch any mistakes. Make sure you time yourself when you rehearse so you know how long it will take to deliver the presentation.

A presentation that's finished in half the time allotted is as problematic as one that's too long-winded.

Some key organizational skills to work on include event planning, auditing, benchmarking, prioritization, and recordkeeping. Make sure your scheduling is on point and pay close attention to detail. Quick thinking is an important skill to have for when things inevitably go wrong.

Nonverbal Communication

When speaking to an audience, the way you present yourself can be just as important as how you present your information. You want to appear confident and engaging. You can do this through good posture, the use of hand gestures, and making eye contact with the audience.

Practice your  nonverbal communication  by filming yourself doing a practice presentation and observing your body language carefully. Your physical bearing and poise should convey a degree of comfort and confidence in front of an audience, while active listening , respect, and emotional intelligence will help you in facilitating group discussions.

Presentation Software

Microsoft PowerPoint is the dominant software used to create visual aids for presentations. Learn to use it well, including the special features outside of basic templates that can really bring a presentation to life. Even if someone else is preparing your slideshow for you, it will help to know how to use the software in case of last-minute changes.

Other software that is good to learn includes Microsoft Office, Apple Keynote, Google Slides, and Adobe Presenter.

Public Speaking

You need to appear comfortable and engaging when speaking before a live audience, even if you're not. This can take years of practice, and sometimes  public speaking  just isn't for certain people. An uncomfortable presenter is a challenge for everyone. Fortunately, public speaking skills can improve with practice . Some skills to work on include articulation, engagement, and memorization. You should be able to assess the needs of the audience and handle difficult questions. Controlling your performance anxiety will help you communicate more effectively.

Research is the first step in preparing most presentations and could range from a multi-year process to spending 20 minutes online, depending on context and subject matter. At the very least, you must be able to clearly frame research questions, identify appropriate information sources, and organize your results. Other useful skills include brainstorming, collaboration , comparative analysis, data interpretation, and deductive and inductive reasoning. Business intelligence is a skill that will help you evaluate what information you need to support the bottom line, while case analysis and causal relationships will help you parse and evaluate meaning.

Verbal Communication

Public speaking is one form of  verbal communication , but you will need other forms to give a good presentation. Specifically, you must know how to answer questions. You should be able to understand questions asked by your audience (even if they're strange or poorly worded) and provide respectful, honest, and accurate answers without getting off-topic. Use active listening, focus, and empathy to understand your audience. Skills such as assertiveness, affirmation, and enunciation will help you restate and clarify your key points as it relates to their questions or concerns.

You may or may not need a written script, but you do need to pre-plan what you are going to say, in what order you will say it, and at what level of detail. If you can write a cohesive essay, you can plan a presentation.

Typical writing skills apply to your presentation just as they do to other forms of writing, including grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and proofreading. The ability to build outlines, take notes, and mark up documents will also be useful.

More Presentation Skills

In addition to the skills previously mentioned, there are other important skills that can apply to your presentation. The other skills you need will depend on what your presentation is about, your audience, and your intended results. Some of these additional skills include:

  • Summarizing
  • Providing anecdotes to illustrate a point
  • Designing handouts
  • Recognizing and countering objections
  • Posing probing questions to elicit more detail about specific issues
  • Awareness of ethnic, political, and religious diversity
  • Receiving criticism without defensiveness
  • Refraining from speaking too often or interrupting others
  • Anticipating the concerns of others
  • Product knowledge
  • SWOT analysis format
  • Supporting statements with evidence
  • Multilingual
  • Working with reviewers
  • Consistency
  • Developing and maintaining standard operating procedures (SOPs)
  • Developing a proposition statement
  • Creating and managing expectations

Include skills on your resume. If applicable, you might mention these words in your  resume summary  or  headline .

Highlight skills in your cover letter. Mention one or two specific presentation skills and give examples of instances when you demonstrated these traits in the workplace.

Show your presentation skills in job interviews. During the interview process, you may be asked to give a sample presentation. In this case, you will want to embody these skills during the presentation. For example, you will want to demonstrate your oral communication skills by speaking clearly and concisely throughout the presentation.

PennState. " Steps in Preparing a Presentation ."

Harvard Division of Continuing Education. " 10 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills ."

Northern Illinois University. " Delivering the Presentation ."

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19 Top Presentation Tips for Work

By: Michael Alexis | Updated: April 17, 2024

You found our list of presentation tips for work.

Presentation tips are strategies that help workers deliver effective presentations. For example, planning ahead, understanding your audience, and using engaging narratives. The purpose of these tips is to make a positive impact during presentations. These tips are also known as “giving presentations at work” and “how to prepare for presentations.”

These presentation tips for work are related to team building PowerPoint topics , team meeting ideas , and public speaking tips .

This list includes:

  • giving presentations at work
  • business presentation tips
  • how to prepare for presentations
  • work slideshow tips
  • work presentation skills
  • how to make interesting slides

Let’s get to it!

List of presentation tips for work

From planning ahead to motivating your audience, here is our list of the best tips for giving great presentations.

1. Plan Ahead

Planning ahead is crucial when giving presentations at work. This process involves outlining key points, organizing materials, and practicing delivery. By taking the time to plan in advance, you can ensure a more polished and effective presentation.

Planning also allows for adjustments and improvements before the actual delivery. Practicing leads to a more confident performance. Successful presentations often result from careful planning and preparation.

2. Understand Your Audience

Knowing your audience is an important part of delivering an effective presentation. Before your speech, research the demographics, interests, and expectations of your listeners. Then, you can tailor your content accordingly. This step fosters engagement and ensures your audience receives your message positively. Understanding your audience leads to more impactful presentations.

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3. Research the Topic

Selecting a research topic is vital when preparing for work presentations. Your topic should interest you and meet your audience’s needs. Having a strong idea is essential for delivering a compelling presentation. While writing, think about the relevance, depth, and potential impact of the topic on your audience. By being thoughtful, you can add engagement and value to your presentation. By dedicating time to choosing the right research topic, you establish a strong foundation for your presentation.

4. Make Effective Slides

When wondering how to make interesting slides, be sure to be short and sweet. Effective slides are the cornerstone of making strong presentations. Slides should have concise and relevant info that matches your speech. Bullet points, charts, and images can help you share your image clearly. To avoid distracting from your points, avoid overcrowding slides with text or too many visuals. By making visually interesting and informative slides, you can capture the audience’s attention.

5. Use Presentation Tools

Tools for presentations are crucial for making engaging and polished presentations at work. These tools include software like Microsoft PowerPoint and online platforms like Prezi or Canva. These platforms provide various features, such as templates, animations, and collaboration options. By using presentation tools well, folks can give powerful presentations that connect with their audience. Plus, these tools can make it easy to create your slides.

6. Share Engaging Narratives

Narratives offer a compelling way to connect with your audience. By telling an engaging story, you can provide valuable insights in a memorable way. Stories should be relevant, easy to follow, and emotionally resonant. Adding personal anecdotes can humanize the information.

Also, using stories in your presentations can make them more digestible and engaging. An interesting narrative ties up facts and figures, making them easier to remember. Sharing your content through stories also promotes emotional connections. These bonds encourage audience engagement and open discussions. This tip makes your presentation informative and engaging.

7. Focus on Body Language

Body language is one of the most vital work presentation skills. This type of communication involves gestures, facial expressions, and posture. For instance, maintaining strong eye contact and open body positioning can build trust. Being aware of your body language can improve your presentation skills. Further, this behavior demonstrates professionalism in different work environments.

8. Control Your Voice

Controlling your voice is essential for work presentations. Speaking clearly and confidently is key to sharing your message with the audience. Monitoring your tone and volume helps emphasize important points and keeps listeners engaged. Practicing proper pronunciation and enunciation improves speech clarity. Improving voice control can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your work presentations.

9. Use Humor

Adding humor to presentations can engage the audience and enhance content retention. A well-timed joke or light-hearted story is one of the work slideshow tips that can create a relaxed atmosphere. Humor should suit the context and match the overall tone of the presentation. Ultimately, humor should support your message without overshadowing it. By using humor thoughtfully, presenters can connect with their audience and maintain their interest. Thoughtful humor can also simplify complex information in a more entertaining way. From clever comments to amusing visuals, humor can make presentations more enjoyable.

For example, here are icebreaker jokes .

10. Manage Your Time

Effective time management is key to giving great work presentations. While writing your speech, be sure to keep your time frame in mind. On average, it is a good idea to spend around two minutes on each slide. For instance, for a 20-minute presentation, you can make ten slides. Following this structure can keep you on track. You can balance information by trimming stories, prioritizing key points, and rehearsing your speech. These steps will ensure smooth transitions. Well-managed time helps with message clarity, engagement, and professionalism.

Learn time management tips .

11. Practice

Practicing your presentation is crucial to success. You can start by honing your content and then rehearse aloud often. Before the final presentation, practice in front of friends or colleagues to get feedback. Then, you can make adjustments as needed.

Practice also helps you engage your audience with better articulation and confidence. By rehearsing, you will improve your flow and create a more polished final product.

12. Accept Feedback

Accepting and using feedback is essential to creating a strong speech. This process helps you identify areas that need improvement and share your message effectively. Once you complete your slides, perform your presentation for coworkers and friends. These listeners can offer notes that can foster your growth. It is important to remember that constructive criticism is supposed to help you. Being resilient on this front can improve your presentation skills.

Read about constructive criticism .

13. Interact with Audiences

Interaction is one of the most important business presentation tips. You can engage the audience with questions or tasks to maintain interest. Body language, eye contact, and Q&A sessions can create connections. This interaction fosters a dynamic atmosphere, improves the discussion, and enables better understanding. Ensuring two-way communication makes your presentation highly effective and memorable.

14. Use Visual Aids

Images, charts, and graphs can improve a presentation by showing data or concepts visually. Using visual aids can help the audience grasp information and remember important points. When used well, visual aids can make a presentation more interesting and memorable for viewers. To prevent overwhelming the audience with excessive information, keep visual aids clear.

15. Overcome Nerves

Experiencing nervousness before a presentation is common. One way to overcome these nerves is by preparing well. For instance, make sure you have a deep understanding of your topic and rehearse your delivery. Also, practicing slow, deep breaths can help calm your nerves. Deep breathing can also improve your focus throughout the presentation. Feeling nervous is normal and can actually improve your performance by keeping you attentive.

16. Address Questions

Answering questions during a presentation is essential for sharing information. These sessions engage your audience and clear up any uncertainties they may have. When you respond to questions, it is crucial to be brief and confident in your responses. Before replying, take a moment to think about the question to ensure you give a clear answer. Questions provide an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and expertise on the subject. By addressing questions well, you show your grasp of the topic and establish credibility with your audience.

17. Stand Out

To stand out in a work presentation, you should engage your audience from the beginning. For this process, start with an interesting opening that captures the viewers’ attention. Then, use visual aids like slides or props to help folks remember important points. Finally, keep eye contact with your audience and show confident body language. By using these tactics, you can leave a lasting impact and help your message connect with your coworkers or customers.

18. Leave Strong Impressions

Closure in a presentation is the speaker’s way of concluding their talk. This step leaves a lasting impression on the audience. During these final moments, you can summarize important points and provide a call to action. Another closing option is finishing with a thought-provoking quote. A powerful closure can emphasize core concepts and encourage deeper thinking among listeners.

Here are good opening and closing statements for meetings .

19. Evaluate Your Performance

When wondering how to prepare for presentations in the future, be sure to take time after each speech to analyze it.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself:

  • Were you clear and concise?
  • Did you engage the audience?
  • How was your body language and eye contact?

Evaluating your performance will help you identify strengths and areas for improvement. In addition, you should seek constructive feedback from your peers to enhance your presentation skills.

Examples of presentation topics

You can give workplace presentations on several topics.

Here are a few examples:

  • Financial Planning : This presentation covers the basics of budgeting, saving, investing, and managing finances. Attendees will learn to achieve short-term and long-term financial goals.
  • Effective Communication : Explore strategies and techniques for clear, concise, and impactful communication in the workplace. These tips foster better collaboration and understanding among team members.
  • Project Management Essentials : Share essential skills and tools for planning, executing, and monitoring projects effectively. These methods ensure successful completion within scope, budget, and timeline.
  • Customer Service Excellence : Teach techniques for providing exceptional customer service, building customer loyalty, and resolving issues.
  • Team Building and Collaboration : Explore methods for fostering a positive team environment. Talks can promote trust, cooperation, and synergy among team members to achieve collective goals.
  • Presentation Skills : Develop confidence and proficiency in delivering engaging and persuasive presentations. Learn to use effective visuals and engaging storytelling techniques.
  • Time Management Hacks : Discuss practical strategies and tools for prioritizing tasks, minimizing distractions, and maximizing productivity.
  • Leadership Development : Explore key principles of leadership, including communication, decision-making, motivation, and delegation.
  • Conflict Resolution Strategies : Cover common sources of conflict in the workplace, and learn techniques for resolving conflicts.
  • Stress Management Techniques : Talk about coping mechanisms and relaxation strategies to effectively manage workplace stress. This presentation promotes mental health and well-being.

No matter which topic you cover, these presentation tips will help you succeed.

Final Thoughts

Mastering the art of presenting at work can improve your professional impact. By adding these tips to your routine, you can become more confident in delivering presentations. Effective presentations should engage and inspire your audience. The more you present, the better you will become at it. By refining your skills and striving for continuous improvement, you can become a presentation pro.

Next, check out our posts on conference breakout session ideas and lunch and learn topics .

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FAQ: Presentation tips for work

Here are frequently asked questions about presentation tips for work.

What are some good tips for presentations at work?

Several tips can help you create strong workplace presentations. Examples include time management, presentation tools, and planning ahead.

How can you make presentations more engaging?

To make presentations more engaging, consider using storytelling to share your points. Visual aids like graphs or images can also illustrate points clearly. Q&A sessions can help clarify your points and add an element of interaction.

What tools can you use for better work presentations?

Several tools can help you make your presentations. For instance, Prezi offers a zoomable canvas, Google Slides is great for easy collaboration, and Canva has a wide range of templates.

What are some strategies to overcome presentation nerves?

Nerves are common before giving a presentation. To help beat the stress, practice your speech several times, focus on the message, and take plenty of deep breaths.

How can you use humor in work presentations?

Relevant jokes or stories are a great way to add humor to a presentation. Funny visuals and slides are another option. However, it is important to ensure the humor is appropriate and does not detract from the message.

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Author: Michael Alexis

CEO at teambuilding.com. I write about my experience working with and leading remote teams since 2010.

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The Importance of Presentation Skills in the Workplace

personal presentation in a workplace

Good presentation skills require organisation and confidence. If these two essential items are not ticked off, then it’s time you looked at developing presentation skills. This type of personal development work will really assist you to develop first more confidence, which is the key. Then, by you getting organised, well presented and ultimately building self-esteem, those dream jobs will appear and your ambitions will be realised!

Being well presented in the workplace – in a presentation, in a meeting, during a discussion with a colleague or client is essential. If your career matters to you – develop your presentation skills!

We are a brand created by women, for women, to support you to follow your passion and boost your confidence.

personal presentation in a workplace

A presenter or staff member is given an added advantage over someone who is less than polished in public speaking (i.e. someone who actually avoids it like the plague), when he or she can get up and deliver a well-constructed, confident presentation in front of a group of colleagues.

Superiors notice the confident approach, which translates into other parts of their role. Staff who are highly skilled in their area of expertise, but hate public speaking, will still be appreciated, but they may just get more kudos and more accolades if they can articulate their approaches and knowledge in a more confident manner.

“Being well presented in the workplace – in a presentation, in a meeting, during a discussion with a colleague or client is essential. If your career matters to you – develop your presentation skills!”

Presentation and public speaking skills are “learnt” skills – by working on these skills, the quiet and shy person can learn to present with confidence and evidentially “Find their voice”.

Where do Presentation Skills have an impact in the Workplace?

Presentation skills will help in the following workplace or professional circumstances:

  • At interviews, as the interviewer or interviewee
  • At meetings, face to face or in a conference call
  • At networking functions, meeting new people or getting to know ones you already know.
  • Speaking to colleagues and staff
  • Delivering a presentation to clients detailing a technical topic or selling a product
  • Presenting at conferences
  • Speaking at large internal meetings
  • Speaking at Chamber of Commerce or Rotary promoting your business
  • Speaking with suppliers
  • Speaking with clients
  • Presenting training
  • Attending training

And so on …

Are you tired of unproductive meetings? Let our Meeting Notebook help make your meetings work.

Presentations are part of the job.

Yes, it’s true. Professionals are expected to give presentations as part of their job. But surely with their education, whether at university or other colleges, delivering a presentation is straightforward? Well, no!

A Gallup poll found that 40% of the population have a fear of speaking in public. It doesn’t matter how big or small the group, there are some people who struggle to give presentations. Does this have an impact on their work? Potentially, yes.

So what are the areas that are important in the workplace, with respect to presentation skills?

“Presentation skills and public speaking are a “learnt” skill – by working on these skills, the quiet and shy person can learn to present with confidence and evidentially “Find their voice””

1. Know Your Audience

Understand what the audience wants to get out of the presentation. You need to be mindful of the people in the meeting or in the conference room. This is so your presentation will meet and exceed the audience’s expectations, and so your audience gets what they came for.

2. Plan your Presentation

Planning the structure of your presentation – and knowing what structure works for your audience – is very important. For your audience to absorb your information, it needs to be delivered in an easy-to-follow format.

3. Make it Interesting

Attention spans are not long, no matter how advanced the audience is. Make sure you’ve included some really interesting points, and vary the type of interest points, as this will help to keep the attention of the meeting.

“A Gallup Poll found that 40% of the population have a fear of speaking in public … Does this have an impact on their work? Potentially, yes”

4. Dress the Part

Your appearance in the workplace matters. Not only are you meant to be a thought leader in your chosen presentation topic, you are also in competition with others wanting to advance. If you are not well presented, with respect to clothes, hair, shoes, paperwork, etc., people will notice and it will have an impact.

5. Show you Care

Your enthusiasm for the topic is essential. If you seem disinterested in the topic you are talking about, your audience will pick up on this.

6. Be Organised

Your audience will appreciate you being organised for a meeting or a presentation. If there are little changes or hiccups, your audience will understand. If you are unorganised and you appear to have not put in an effort, the attendees will not sympathise, and they will get annoyed.

“Make sure you’ve included some really interesting points … this will help to keep the attention of the meeting”

7. Discuss the “Elephant in the Room”

If there is an issue, if something isn’t working, you are experiencing a problem, then make a mention of whatever it is and then move on. If we hold back from discussing something important (which may not have an impact on the meeting topic), then get this discussion done, and then move on. If you don’t, the attendees will be thinking about that rather than the actual topic at hand.

8. Get a Grip on your Nerves

Handling nervousness and building confidence is important – you will struggle to get your message across if you struggle here. Being mindful of how you present at work will really help with your interactions with colleagues and clients. This will ultimately impact on whether you get that important raise, or that desired new job.

Featured Photo Credit: citirecruitment via Compfight cc

Adrienne-McLean-bio-image-Leaders-in-Heels

Adrienne, with her experience of growing up in a family business, working in the corporate and small business sector plus building her own business, gives an enthusiastic and practical approach to the benefits of presentation skills development, learning to promote yourself and building a successful business. She is a regular presenter, blogger and a contributing author in four recent business publications.

Follow her via Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter and Google+

2 replies on “ The Importance of Presentation Skills in the Workplace ”

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Loved this post, some great points. Some areas where you might think are second nature but its a great reminder to people especially at times that they might be stressed. Its good to have a check list to keep organised and above it all.

' src=

Adrienne McLean

Thanks Julia for your feedback, Much appreciated.

Comments are closed.

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   Home » Articles & News » Personal Presentation – an Overview

Personal Presentation – an Overview

  • Young Professional

personal presentation

What is Personal Presentation and Why is It Important?

Personal presentation is a communication skill , and communication is one of five important life and work skills you can build as a Young Professional .

Personal presentation means the way you present yourself in everyday situations, and more stressful ones like job interviews. How you appear to the world can have a major impact on your ability to get a job. It’s said that an employer will make a judgement about you in the first 30 seconds after meeting you, which is then quite hard to change during the interview (though not impossible!). So it’s important to make a good impression.

You are your own brand, and what you do and say, as well as your appearance, is all part of that. This means dressing smartly, being clean and having good personal hygiene, and carrying yourself well. Presentation means making a strong first impression and appearing professional.

Whilst employers shouldn’t judge you on how you look, appearing neat and confident is important to show that you’ve made an effort. To be a professional you need to dress the part, which means appropriate clothing for your industry. It could be a suit and tie, or for some jobs particularly in the creative industries there’s more of a relaxed vibe. Whatever the dress code presenting yourself well means you’ve done your research and taken the time to fit in. Standing out can be good but you don’t want to be the only person in the office wearing trainers.

Developing and Demonstrating Good Self Presentation.

It’s fairly easy to improve your personal presentation. Start by looking into the sort of clothes people wear in your chosen industry. For an interview it’s good to wear a slightly smarter version of this. If in doubt it’s a safe bet to wear a suit or trousers/skirt and a blouse or smart top for an interview. Even in a casual role you want to show you take the job seriously at the interview. Make sure everything is clean, dry, and not wrinkled. Laying your outfit out the night before is a good idea, especially if you work in an office environment this will help you ensure you look the part every day.

Another part of personal presentation which isn’t as obvious is confidence. If you are confident people will be able to tell when you walk into a room, and will view you as well presented. If you don’t feel confident you can use the ‘fake it ’til you make it’ trick – stand tall, pull your shoulders back, make eye contact and smile. Tell yourself you are confident and you might find that soon you are.

You are a whole person, and as such everything you say or do in public counts towards the impression of you that others create. This includes social media, so make sure your accounts are presenting you in the best possible way. If you’ve got things on there you don’t think are particularly professional change your security settings, or remove them. It’s really important to make sure you’re aware of what you put out there!

Showing you have good personal presentation is as simple as turning up on time, dressed professionally and appropriately, and appearing confident and enthusiastic about the role. If you get that right you’ll make a great first impression, and can go on to talk about your excellent communication , teamwork and people skills – which all go towards presenting you in a positive way. If you use the STARRS method as well you’ll certainly impress.

Further reading:

  • How Interviewers Know When To Hire You in 90 Seconds
  • What really happens in the opening moments of a job interview
  • Self-Presentation in Presentations

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Why is Personal Presentation Important at Work?

By Ion Doaga

Why is Personal Presentation Important at Work?

There are so many obstacles that stop an employee's growth within a company. And one of these obstacles is the employee's poor personal presentation.

Without a good personal presentation, an employee may never receive positive attention. But he will get enough negative attention. 

Without knowing him well, his coworkers make negative assumptions based on his appearance. They'll say things like "He is not professional", "He's a negative person", or He is a bad team player".

The truth is that they express their concern about his poor personal hygiene. They think that he doesn't want to make their life easier while working in the same team.

What if the employee would try to improve his presentation in the workplace? Would his coworkers consider his efforts to be in the team? Would all the negative perceptions about the employee disappear?

May ... but that's not the only benefit of having a good personal presentation at work.

See below which the benefits of aligning your appearance with the company’s standards .

What is a personal presentation at work?

A good personal presentation speaks about the employee as a responsible employee. That's a message that influences his coworkers, supervisors, and managers. 

Dressing, behaving and communicating  appropriately  leave a good first impression. 

It’s a way of telling everybody that you want to be helpful to their working environment rather than being a hurdle . 

The importance of personal hygiene in the workplace

Effects of inappropriate personal presentation in the workplace.

You heard the saying that you have only one chance to make a good impression on yourself. That’s especially important when you build relationships with coworkers or represent the company meeting clients face to face. Let’s imagine the following situations where Jerry is our hero:

  • If, while meeting clients, Jerry dresses inappropriately it may result in lost opportunities and sales . Customers judge their service provider reps by their appearance too. They have a hard time trusting a  poorly dressed person.
  • Jerry works in a beauty salon where clients come to make themselves beautiful. In this case, clients expect Jerry to have good personal hygiene and appearance. 
  • Now, imagine that Jerry is a real estate broker.  In such a case, any poor sign on Jerry’s appearance takes the client's focus from what Jerry tells them about the features of the house . Every time the client is distracted from the employers' words, his chances to sell the house decreases .
  • Now, Jerry arrives into the office looking like he rolled out of bed. He didn’t clean his teeth. He didn’t clean his nails, and his hair spikes due to unwashed hair. He just gave his coworkers a reason to be talked behind his back. In the eyes of management, sloppiness is a sign of disrespect for your job.

Which are the most important personal image standards at work?

1. be well-groomed.

To be well-groomed follow the below basic grooming tips: 

  • use deodorant without excesses.
  • maintain a clean hairstyle.
  • trim your nails.
  • shave your face. Or if you have a beard, maintain it regularly.
  • wear clean and fresh clothes matching the style and color.
  • avoid wearing excessive jewelry. 
  • 14 Tips for Maintaining Employee Personal Hygiene at Work

2. Maintain a healthy image

Another element of personal presentation is a healthy physical appearance.

A healthy look speaks about practicing healthy habits, eating well, and exercising.

This keeps the employee energized and positive.

A healthy employee is more efficient and takes fewer sick leaves.

While on the other side, poor health speaks about an employee as having a weak character. That tells his boss or coworkers that if he can’t take care of his health then he can't take care of the company as well.

3. Maintain good hygiene 

  • maintain a dental hygiene routine to avoid such hygiene issues such as bad breath, caries, teeth yellowing.  
  • maintain good body hygiene to avoid releasing embarrassing odors and skin diseases. 
  • wear clean and ironed clothes.
  • wash your hands often to avoid the spreading of your microorganisms within the office.

4. Show a friendly attitude

Besides maintaining a good workplace personal hygiene and having a pleasant physical look, you must also behave professionally. This means treating your coworkers and clients with a positive and professional attitude:

  • greet and welcome guests appropriately.
  • use suitable language.
  • show good and friendly manners.
  • open doors for guests. 
  • offer seats.
  •  be confident and maintain good posture.
  • be punctual.

Your presentation at work plays an important role in your career growth.

Maintaining a professional appearance helps your coworkers and your boss perceive you as a valuable employee in the company while your clients perceive you as a helpful and useful professional at their job.

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We have encountered so far two uses of personal presentation. One of them became more common in the past years, as the freelancing scene is burgeoning. 

As you guessed, the personal presentation is used by freelancers as an extended business card. It includes the services the freelancers provide, their work process, recommendations, and any relevant information they want to share with potential clients. But we will discuss this in a further article. 

personal presentation in a workplace

In this article, we will cover the other use of the Personal Presentation, also known as the Interview Presentation, as a part of the hiring process for middle – senior positions. You reached a point in your career when a simple interview or CV is not enough to fully convey your potential. So, this is where a personal presentation comes in. 

Giving a presentation will let you showcase your public speaking skills, knowledge about the position you are applying for, and the field you are working in. This will also help potential employers to better understand the value you are to bring to the company. 

Reaching this level in your career comes with high expectations, and the classic PowerPoint templates won’t do you good. There is always the option of going with solid white background and standard font, but take into consideration the aesthetics of the organization. Or choose to work with a specialist that will highlight your attributes and channel your personality. 

1. Cover slide

The first impression matters and we are not talking only about your physical appearance, but also your digital one. No one is judging you for how you look or how you dress, it all varies from company to company. Yes, you do need to give your best professional appearance and your presentation alike. 

Employers can tell from the cover slide how much interest you put in the presentation. Make a first impression that lasts, get their attention from the beginning, and don’t let go. 

personal presentation in a workplace

You can also download some cover slide templates from here: 

Cover slide templates

2. About me (similar to CV, the most important info)

Your audience has already seen your application, and your CV, they probably went through your social accounts such as Linkedin. This is the time to paint them a picture of yourself, and how you want them to see you from now on, both on a professional and personal level. 

In a middle-senior position, some personal details are essential to creating a bond, as the employer is looking for someone that they can work with, that they can bring into the team. 

Don’t go into specific details in this part, you are going to talk about your career, achievements, and skills later. 

personal presentation in a workplace

3. Career (where have you worked and what have you done there)

As in a CV, there is no need to present all the jobs you had had. Choose those who are relevant to the job you are applying and if you are specifically fond of one, you can mention it. 

Pick 3 or 4 previous positions, mention the company you worked for, and from there you can extend to your main responsibilities and key learnings. It is important to present them as part of your story, not just bullets on the slide and we also recommend making a connection between those positions and the one you are applying for. 

personal presentation in a workplace

4. Achievements and Training

This can be a slide or two slides sections. To differentiate yourself from other candidates, ensure the achievements you are listing focus on the results rather than your duties. Quantify your achievements through specific situations and the results you gained.

You don’t need to brag about yourself, but most people forget that they also need to sell themselves (their results and their knowledge) in this personal presentation. Put out those achievements that would apply to the job and can even enter scenarios on how those situations can help you in the new job. 

personal presentation in a workplace

5. Skill Set

This is about you, about the skills that you worked to get. Again, it’s not about just listing the skills you have, bringing out examples, and experience, and telling on how you acquired that skill. 

Before making out this list, research a few things about the company, what are they looking for in employees, what the job will require of you and what are the values of the company. This way it will come easier when presenting the skills that you have and that will help you with the new position.  

personal presentation in a workplace

6. Experience in the position applying 

It’s not just the previous jobs you have, it’s the experiences you got from them. So rather than presenting the old jobs, talk about specific projects/situations that would apply to this one. 

Talk about what happened, how you handled it, what were the results, and what have you learned from there. Ask yourself first how will this help me in the position that I am applying for. When you figured that out, the presentation will go smoother.  

personal presentation in a workplace

7. Your added value to the company

With all the experience you have and the research done on the company and the job, this is the time to tell your interviewers what is your vision of the company. 

Using the skills you presented, explain how can you be an asset to them and what value will you add to the company. 

personal presentation in a workplace

8. First actions on the job

All the stories have built up the person standing right now in front of the committee. What they want to know now is what actions you would take if you got the position. Don’t go after some revolutionary actions, keep your feet on the ground and analyze what are the needs of the company and what can you do about them.

For every action you put on the presentation, think of the small steps and the resources you need to do that action. As a follow-up to this slide, have prepared a few notes with the results you are expecting from them. 

personal presentation in a workplace

9.  Final statement 

The final statement needs to be a strong selling point, you can point out some of the skills and experience. Put all of this in a way that will bring benefits to the company.  

Why you are the best candidate for this position and how will that bring value to the company? 

personal presentation in a workplace

10. References & Contact Info

Ask a previous employer for a short recommendation, remember to mention the name and the position of the author. The other references can be on your CV, and in this slide have just one written recommendation that is relevant for the job. 

You arrived at the final slide, inviting your audience to a small Q&A while the reference is still displayed. They already have your contact info, but it’s recommended to put it on the final slide. Have the presentation ready to be sent to the committee if necessary. 

personal presentation in a workplace

Before preparing or delivering a personal presentation, consider these tips:

  • As you have seen in the article, we mention a lot that the information you put in the presentation is relevant to the job you are applying for; 
  • Research the company and the job;
  • Keep in mind that your physical and digital appearance can denote how much you have prepared for this interview and how much you want the position;
  • You don’t need to be a presentation designer, you can always keep it simple. Though, avoid using regular templates, and personalize the presentation to your aspect;
  • Have the presentation ready to be delivered before the interview.

We can always help you prepare the specific presentation and you can take your time to prepare for the interview. Send us a message and let’s talk about you!

For more tips on preparing presentations and free templates subscribe to our newsletter. 

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Professional Appearance and Grooming for the Workplace

Proper grooming and professional appearance are important to gain not just positive impression but also respect in the workplace. First impressions matter and the way you look and carry yourself create impact on people you get along with in the work setting. Proper grooming and professional appearance is important to both men and women. Lack of these may lead to poor image and may interfere with your chance of getting good impression and positive feedbacks from your workmates and superiors.

Professional Standards in the Workplace

In today’s competitive and modern business world, it is highly essential to adhere with professional appearance and grooming for the workplace. If you have the desire to look your best at all times in social and professional settings, you need to keep in mind the following basic guidelines for good grooming in the workplace:

1. Wear business suits in basic colors. 2. Always be neat and clean including your teeth, fingernails, face, hair and even your shoes. 3. Keep your pockets empty and as much as possible avoid tinkling coins or keys and bulges. 4. Avoid eating candies, smoking cigarettes and chewing gum when you are inside the office. 5. Use portfolio case or light briefcase when carrying important documents with you instead of compiling these documents in folders and carrying these between your armpits. 6. As much as possible get rid of tattoos and body piercings for these will just make you look untidy and unprofessional. 7. Wear light perfume and cologne and minimize using lots of jewelries.

It is also highly important to maintain professional appearance and image at all times. Proper grooming and professional appearance can certainly make you stand out and be ahead of the competition. You can achieve these by following these helpful tips:

Make Sure To Wear Clean And Presentable Clothes

Have separate clothes for hanging out and going to the office. It seems to be unprofessional if you wear clothes with holes and stains in the workplace. Wear the cleanest and most presentable outfit when going to work for this will surely help you look your best. However, you need to still comply with the dress code set by your company.

Invest on Iron and Dry Cleaner There are some clothes that require pressing or special care by a reliable dry cleaner. Pants and other clothing look better when they are professionally pressed.

Dressed Conservatively If you wanted to establish a credible and respectful image, you need to dress conservatively in the office. In the case of women, they are advised to avoid using clothes that are revealing. Clothes must be in proper fit and length to ensure confidence and comfort upon wearing.

These are just few of the many ways on how you can achieve ideal professional appearance and grooming for the workplace. Individuals also have to note that personal hygiene must be practiced in the workplace and not just at home. Professional appearance can further be enhanced by reporting to work early, wearing the best smile often and displaying positive attitude.

What to Wear to Work

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    Learn how to dress appropriately for different work environments and situations, and how to follow the dress code and appearance policies of your employer. Find out the types of business attire, examples, and tips for personal presentation and communication skills.

  13. How Personal Presentation plays an important role in the workplace?

    Learn how to dress, act and communicate for different situations and industries. Personal presentation is part of your communication skills and affects your first impression and success in the workplace.

  14. Personal Appearance

    Learn how to use your personal appearance, facial expressions, body language and clothes to convey a professional and confident image in public speaking. Find out how to dress appropriately, groom yourself well and avoid negative signals that can undermine your message.

  15. 8 Types of Workplace Presentations (With List of Tips)

    Learn about the purposes and examples of different types of presentations you may use at work, such as educational, instructional, motivational, persuasive and more. Find out how to deliver an effective presentation with tips on notes, visuals and audience engagement.

  16. Important Presentation Skills for Workplace Success

    Learn how to create and deliver effective presentations for your career goals. Find out what presentation skills are, how to develop them, and how to showcase them to employers.

  17. 19 Top Presentation Tips for Work

    9. Use Humor. Adding humor to presentations can engage the audience and enhance content retention. A well-timed joke or light-hearted story is one of the work slideshow tips that can create a relaxed atmosphere. Humor should suit the context and match the overall tone of the presentation.

  18. The Importance of Presentation Skills in the Workplace

    Presentation skills will help in the following workplace or professional circumstances: At interviews, as the interviewer or interviewee. At meetings, face to face or in a conference call. At networking functions, meeting new people or getting to know ones you already know. Speaking to colleagues and staff.

  19. Personal Presentation

    Learn what personal presentation is, why it matters for your career, and how to improve it. Find out how to dress, act, and communicate professionally in different situations and industries.

  20. Why is Personal Presentation Important at Work?

    Conclusion. Your presentation at work plays an important role in your career growth. Maintaining a professional appearance helps your coworkers and your boss perceive you as a valuable employee in the company while your clients perceive you as a helpful and useful professional at their job. Ion is the founder of the Wellness Gaps blog.

  21. 10 Slides to use in a Personal Presentation

    1. Cover slide. The first impression matters and we are not talking only about your physical appearance, but also your digital one. No one is judging you for how you look or how you dress, it all varies from company to company. Yes, you do need to give your best professional appearance and your presentation alike.

  22. Personal Presentation

    Our appearance, our bearing and manner, and our work space create an insightful narrative of how we see ourselves and how we see others. Our personal presentation is a window to our personality ...

  23. 9 Tips for Maintaining a Professional Workplace Appearance

    Learn why workplace appearance is important and how to follow proper grooming and dressing standards. Find out the types of business attire and tips for different settings and situations.

  24. Professional Appearance and Grooming for the Workplace

    Learn how to dress, groom and behave professionally in the workplace to gain respect and positive impression. Find out the basic guidelines, tips and examples for men and women to look their best and stand out.