Professional presentation generally entails demonstrating, motivating or conveying any information to the audience in a decisive manner. In the current competitive world, the portrayal of self-image is of much importance. With this knowledge, organisations and the public, in general, prefer using physical attributes to measure the intellectual level of individuals ( Brooks & Wilson, 2014). It is unfortunate that individuals miss their lifetime opportunities due to their failure to explore the key ramifications of professional presentation. Based on this concept, professionalism is anchored on a person’s ability to manifest confidence and credibility in the area of specialisation. It is important to note that professional presentations can be accomplished in different ways. This can be through audio or written document. However, in both cases, the choice of words and the organisation of thoughts matter in portraying self-image. In a psychological perspective, it is considered that the choice of words, their articulation and organisation, in general, has a direct link to the personality of an individual ( Walters & Walters, 2016) . For instance, a disoriented or organisation of thoughts stipulates a speaker is never a patient person who can prepare for any task.
Types of Professional Presentations
The professional presentation can be classified based on how the message is used. The audience, in particular, has a strong influence on the type of presentation to be used. However, it is important to note that there are various forms of classifying professional presentations. Informative for instance is a kind of professional presentation that emphasises the description of facts. In this type, the main idea is broken down into distinct fragments that are easy to understand. An example of this type is the research results or a university lecture. In both events, the speaker manoeuvres his or her way into the main point by developing supportive ideas that can easily be understood by the audience. An informative presentation has widely been used in the business sector where firms strive to strategize on being competitive in the industry ( Walters & Walters, 2016) . In this perspective, the main idea elicited by the professionals are broken down into unique building blocks where weaknesses and strengths can be evaluated. It is also worth considering that informative presentation is analytic in nature. Even though it may not be analytic in some cases but still communicates ideas in a concise and rational manner. Informative presentation can be both visual or audio equivalent of a written document. Even though it is through in nature, but it does not have to be formal. Based on this concept, the informative presentation can be both nonspecific or generic to the target audience but in both cases, the professionalism associated with it is maintained. The whole process is always influenced by the type of audience in consideration.
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Instructional is another type of professional presentation where the main focus lies in providing orders or instructions. An Instructional presentation is normally designed to educate the audience on new concepts. It is usually considered thorough with long sessions. It uses theoretical frameworks for enlightening the audience on some specific concepts under consideration. Therefore, professionals usually consider familiarising the audience with the basics of the theory before taking them through other steps. Class tutorials, instructional videos and safety demonstrations are examples of professional instructional presentations.
The professional presentation can also be classified based on its arousing attributes. In the current world, powerful speakers are known for their emotion arousing skills. This is one particular trait that can help an individual change the mind of the audience on a given concept. Arousing is a type of professional presentations that mainly focuses on coercing the audience to consider a given concept. For the presentation to make the audience receptive, the speaker needs to use some strong emotional language. This may include describing debilitating personal stories that can arouse a sensor of humour from the audience. In some other instances, professionals provide descriptive recommendations to get the attention of the audience. Motivational speech, a church sermon and debate are some of the examples of this kind of presentations. However, for the success in this presentation, an individual needs to understand the audience and also possess the ability to string powerful words that can be emotional. However, most of these presentations are less engaging. The speaker acts as the sole provider of information
Decision making is a type of professional presentation that compels the audience towards executing the speaker’s proposal. In this kind of presentation, a speaker aims at using evidence to reinforce his or her proposals. For instance, he or she may opt to describe some of the problems that a given community is facing to make the proposal known. Mostly, decision-making presentations elicit numerous solutions to a problem with their respective possible consequences. In the business sector, decision-making presentations are commonly used to seek customer loyalty by warning them from using some products. A business meeting and the parliamentary debate on lawmaking are some of the typical examples of decision making presentations. Even though this professional presentation leaves the audience in jeopardy, but it does provide them with an opportunity to compare the elicited options.
Lastly, persuasive presentation mainly focuses on compelling the audience to agree to a given proposal. Of all the types of professional presentation, persuasive traits are the most commonly used. In this type of presentation, the speaker aims at using facts to coerce the audience to accept the proposal. This strategy is mainly achieved by comparing the solution with other alternatives and eliciting advantages for credibility. In some instances, such kind of presentations draws emotions from the audience since the speaker may decide to go overboard to gain their attention. Business proposals and political debates are some examples of persuasive presentations. For instance, in political debates, the speaker aims to elicit numerous benefits associated with his or her idea by undermining the rivals’ recommendations. However, persuasive presentations can only be successful if the speaker understands the strengths and weaknesses of the audience. This is because the audience may harbour negativity to towards the speaker without any concrete reasons. Therefore, understanding the audience and possessing linguistic proficiency are some of the factors that are considered key in a persuasive presentation.
Professional Presentation Skills
In the current world, most people fail in their presentation skills due to limited exposure to the communication techniques. Even though it is natural that some people may harbour linguistic efficiencies, it is important to understand that numerous techniques can be used to optimise presentation capabilities. Inability to relax the nerves is one major problem that most speakers have admitted to experience in generations. The fear of facing a multitude of people creates anxiety and panicking which in return hurts the speaker’s confidence in articulating important ideas. It is also through such tensions that the audience can easily read the personality traits of the speaker. In such instances, the audience may develop a poor judgment on the message articulated by the speaker. It is always a difficult task to present a confident and relaxed image if the nerves are tensed. Most experienced professionals have admitted that they normally take certain rituals to keep them relaxed before the presentation ( Hayne & McDaniel, 2013). However, numerous ways can help a person control the nerves. Generally, energised nerves tend to induce impulsive energy which has a negative effect on the articulation of words during a professional presentation. Therefore, before engaging in a professional presentation, it is prudent for the speaker to take a deep breath. Mostly, people despise this technique because it is too basic. However, breathing in through the nose and exhaling through the mouth is a very important approach of releasing all hidden tensions that help in calming the nerves ( Hayne & McDaniel, 2013). For the success of this strategy, a person is advised to do so for as long as it takes to establish a relaxed and confident image. It is also important to note that people misunderstand this concept since breathing deep is supposed to be initiated from the abdomen. Through this practice, a person is able to gather a sustained breathing pattern that helps to relax the shoulders and the chest. Therefore, in professional presentation, taking a deep breath is a vital tool in the establishment of composure.
A polished image is another important skill in professional presentation. This trait is developed through personal initiatives of concealing emotions from the visible body attributes. The posture projected by an individual usually describes the inner feelings. For instance, a person harbouring sad emotions may exhibit poor body movements during presentations ( Jolles, 2017) . Eye and hand coordination are some of the aspects that can be used to understand human emotions from a physical appearance. It is always a difficult task to create a professional image when bad emotions are overwhelming. The ability to live a double life is an important element in a professional presentation. When purporting to be confident, a speaker can develop the confidence required in the efficient handling of a presentation. Fidgeting, fiddling or staring at the floor are some of the concepts that can be used by the audience to read the speaker’s emotions ( Jolles, 2017) . Therefore, before a presentation starts, a speaker should move some few steps towards the audience to establish a good rapport with them. This move will also help to dispel some of the fears that one may be harbouring before the presentation. Also, professionals can take some few seconds to stare at the audience as a gesture of demanding their attention. This delay in presentation can also help the speaker to identify certain sections of the audience to pay attention to during presentations. Mostly, professional speakers use humour to build a good rapport with their audience. Therefore, it is through this close relationship that the speaker can effectively disseminate his or her ideas without being influenced by nervousness. As a result, the information articulated has a higher chance of being understood by the audience. Generally, the ability of the audience to understand the main ideas in any presentation depends on the credibility of the source. If the speaker shows some kind of confidence in his or her presentations, then the audience is more likely to believe whatever is said.
Communicating with friends can be a lot easier than presenting to a large audience. Anxiety and panicking may creep in thus causing hesitation in the articulation of words. Therefore, it is important for the speaker to indicate that indeed he or she is a professional. The ability to talk like a professional mainly relies on how words are articulated with clarity. In presentations, the ability of the audience to grasp the information conveyed majorly depends on its clarity. If the information is conveyed in a less clear manner, then the attention of the audience is more likely to be disrupted thus reducing the confidence of the speaker. It is important to note that the ability to communicate professionally has nothing to do with experience but the personal composure to see through the task. With this knowledge, it is, therefore, advisable to take time on every word articulated. It is through this strategy that the speaker can measure the impact of each word before using it. This delay can also be effective in helping the speaker organise the thoughts properly. It’s also advisable that the words are articulated with an average voice for clarity. Even though clarity is achieved through elevation of vocal tones, it does not provide permission to provoke the audience with an irritating voice. Normal and constantly disseminated voice acts like a muscle that weaves the words in an efficient and organised manner. It is also through this technique that the professional speaker can indicate to the audience that the information conveyed is credible. Mostly, concise, precise and organised articulation of words indicates that the speaker is well prepared for the presentation.
Furthermore, a speaker has to show passion for the professional presentation exercise to be successful. In most cases, people tend to misuse the word passion by relating it to experience. Having experience in something does not justify an individual's passion it. Generally, passion is something that a person enjoys while working on it. People tend to be passionate about things when they develop a strong connection with them. Based on this concept, it is recommended that a speaker seeks for ways to develop passion in the topic under discussion. The main reason for this element is to enhance an understanding of the ideas being presented. When individuals have passion in something, they fancy exploring all the complexities associated with it. With this knowledge, professional presenters save themselves from embarrasses associate with questions from the audience. Mostly, if the speaker is unable to respond to a given question, he or she is considered incompetent.
It is also important for professionals not to stick to the scripts when doing presentations. A relentless reciting and reading the scripts inhibits the speaker’s ability to focus on the main point. This habit increases nervousness since the speaker may struggle to ensure that each word is accurately articulated. Even though scripts act as a guide, they create boredom in professional presentations. Sticking to the scripts confuses the audience and may limit their level of understanding the key concepts postulated. Therefore, it is important for professionals to use common words that can create an effective link with the audience.
Lastly, a professional speaker should always seek to walk in the shoes of the audience. For a presentation to be successful, the speaker should be in a position to align his or her intentions with that of the audience. In every presentation, the audience usually has concerns that that have to be addressed by the speaker. Based on this concept, it is worth for a professional to picture what the audience may expect from the presentation. Why will the audience attend the presentation? Why will the audience care about the presentation? These are some of the concepts that can help the speaker to prepare for a presentation. By answering these questions, he or she will have a clue about the overall expectations of the speaker. Presenting to the wrong audience has always been considered a tragedy since the reputation of a professional may be tarnished. However, some of this information can be gleaned from the event coordinator who can shed light on some concepts. In the current world, some of the expected presentations are normally advertised in magazines, television and internet platforms such as Twitter. If the event is of much importance to the public, then gathering information from such platforms will provide a good basis of understanding the expectations of the audience.
Benefits of Professional Presentation Skills
In the modern world, professional presentation skills have numerous advantages. Companies have embarked on nurturing this aspect among employees as a strategy to improve on their customer loyalty. Today’s adverts, road shows and business seminars require individuals who are competent in presentations. Because organisations are currently using persuasive skills, it, therefore, justifies its relevance in the current world. With persuasion, an organisation or an individual can accomplish numerous tasks easily. For instance, through persuasion, an organisation can be able to maximise its sales in the market. Customers can be compelled towards purchasing some products through the use of professional, persuasive speakers.
Even though a professional presentation normally aims at conveying information to the audience efficiently, the speaker’s confidence can also be boosted in the process. By having frequent presentation sessions with different types of the audience, a professional can gain morale which can elevate his or her overall performance. As a consequence, the organisation can benefit from this process. It also helps to create more opportunities for the speaker. Through efficient presentations, other corporations or interested persons can hire a professional to accomplish other tasks. With this knowledge, the professional can also improve on their personal experiences when dealing with different classes of audience. It is also worth revisiting the fact that through presentation an individual can gain enough knowledge on different concepts. The professional quality of humility can be very instrumental in changing the overall behaviour of a speaker. It is also clear that through educating other members of the society, a professional can learn some concepts that can have an impact on his or her general behaviour.
Retention of information is a very important aspect in the current world where marketing of products has advanced to new heights. Therefore, through professional presentations, individuals are able to improve on their retentions of information. Memory retention has always been thought to have a direct relationship with performance ( Živković, 2014). The gleaned information usually improves the intellectual capability of professionals to make critical decisions when faced with challenges. Also, through memory retention individuals can be able to innovate new ways of handling organisational processes which as a result fosters overall development of the society.
Also, professional presentation sessions can help to educate the society on some aspects that are important for human survival. For instance, demonstrative sessions on safety, HIV and drug abuse can be very helpful in nurturing a healthy society. However, these concepts can only be achieved through effective professional presentations. The ability of the audience to retain such information depends on the language used by the speaker. If a professional uses different demonstrative cues to make his or her points clear, then there is a high chance the audience is more likely to retain the information. With these sessions, the audience can also learn new concepts that if put into practice can enhance growth. For instance, a presentation session on entrepreneurship can help people identify some of the key opportunities in the business world. Also, a professional can use his or her relationship with the audience to understand the cultural ramifications associated with certain concepts. Professional presentations can also help to nurture culture competence. It is through such skills that professionals can devise ways to handle people with diverse cultural backgrounds. Consequently, professional presentation is a very vital tool in the organizational efforts of exploring new markets.
References
Brooks, G., & Wilson, J. (2014). Using oral presentations to improve students’ English language skills. Humanities Review , 19 , 199-212.
Hayne, A. N., & McDaniel, G. S. (2013, October). Presentation rubric: Improving faculty professional presentations. In Nursing forum (Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 289-294).
Jolles, R. L. (2017). How to Run Seminars and Workshops: Presentation Skills for Consultants, Trainers, Teachers, and Salespeople . John Wiley & Sons.
Walters, D. E., & Walters, G. C. (2016). Scientists must speak . CRC Press.
Živković, S. (2014). The importance of oral presentations for university students. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences , 5 (19), 468.
