PRESENTATION SKILLS

A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience.

Presentation Types

There are two types of presentation , which are; formal and informal presentation.

Formal presentations usually include a powerpoint or slideshow of some sort so your audience can follow along. Formal presentation give you the opportunity to share and receive feedback on your ideas and research findings. While informal presentation are usually prepared in a short amount of time and do not require the same organisational methods as  a formal presentation. It is perfectly acceptable too generate discussion throughout an informal presentation and allow the audience to provide input and feedback.

Formal presentation types

Job interview: After succeeding in getting to final interview for a professional job, the chances are that one will be asked to deliver a short presentation to the panel.In this scenario, a specific topic could be given to talk about: typically this might be to address a current issue and make recommendations on how tackle the issue. Take for instance, in  teaching positions an employer could ask you to deliver a presentation to an invited audience or the panel.

Appraisal  :  This is the method of evaluating the behaviour of the employees in the workplace, normally including both quantitative and qualitative aspect of the job. How the employee is performing , how the employee can develop and what the superior can do for an effective development.

Project presentation : The presentation is for explaining project- both the product and the process- to the evaluators.The presentation complements the project documentation and the product demo. The presentation creates the first impression of your project in the mind of the evaluators.

Informal presentation types

Estate agent viewing : This is either when Estate agents visit your home in other to evaluate your properties for prospective buyers or when a prospective buyer get shown around the enquired properties. This type of presentation does not have to be 100% prepared , and casual clothes are accepted.

Comedy set: In this type of presentation , normal - everyday language is permitted compared to the formal mode of presentation.

Music  Concert: You can talk to your audience like you would to your friends in this type of presentation . Example of this is the popular American Rapper,DMX, addressing his fans at wood stock 1999 music concert in USA. https://youtu.be/CSRfHcZiVfs

PRESENTATION STYLES

Presentation styles are the techniques a business professional uses when delivering a speech . The best style to choose for a presentation often varies depending on the subject you are discussing. Below is listed types of presentations styles.

Visual style: With this speaking style, one might need to work little harder to get your audience engaged. This style is helpful when speaking to a large audience with broad interests. It's also great when you need to throw together slides quickly. In this type of presenting style, many visual elements are needed to support the presenter's topic and discussion point. Charts, images, graphs and any other visual aids are all allowed to help the audience understand the subject. Perfect example of this is Steve job presentation style at the introduction of the iPhone at Macworld 2007 https://youtu.be/x7qPAY9JqE4

Freeform style: This style of presentation involves personal storytelling through short stories about their personal experiences regarding the specific topic. When presenting using this style , speakers rarely use slides or statistics. instead, they use their stories to emphasise each point there are trying to make. This style of presentation can be used in networking events, elevator pitches and impromptu meetings. Ken Robison used this style on the Ted talk show  https://youtu.be/kFMZrEABdw4 .

Instructor style : Many speakers use this presentation style when they are teaching their audience about a complex or high- level subject. It involves using familiar phrases, figures of speech, metaphors and visuals to break down a difficult topic into simpler terms the audience will more easily understand. This style is needed especially when a presenter is not comfortable or unfamiliar with the subject matter.

Al Gore, the American politician and environmentalists, used this style on Ted talk show while speaking on the climate change https://youtu.be/u7E1v24Dllk .

Coach Style:  The coach style presentation is for energetic and charismatic speakers. This presentation style is a great style to use with an audience who needs to be sold on an idea . This presentation style works best if the presenter doesn't need to get into details. This style would work well if one is speaking to a group of executives who need to be sold on the idea of what his or her company does rather than the details of how one does it. Example of this is Linda Edgecombe talking about Changing our culture from chaos to calm on Ted talk https://youtu.be/ycT3kyNOXbc

                                               PRESENTATION SKILLS

Presentation skills are the skills needed in delivering effective and engaging presentations to a variety of audiences . These skills cover a variety of areas such as the structure of your presentation , the design of slides, the tone of your voice and the body language .

Here are lists of skills needed to deliver a better  presentation;

Prepared effectively. This does NOT necessarily mean that you have written out your speech verbatim and rehearsed it until you know it off by heart—although that might work for some people. It does, however, mean that you one has  to be confident that he or she is saying the right thing, in the right way, to the right people.

Be clear about your audience and your message. Every presentation will be better if one has  clearly considered the message that you want or need to convey, and how best to convey it to your audience. These two pieces of information drive your style, structure, content, and use of visual aids.

Never overrun your allocated time.  In other words, don’t outstay your welcome. Almost every speech or presentation is better if it is shorter. Nobody minds going for coffee early or finishing before they expected to do so. Everybody minds being held up.

Engage the Audience . Asking the audience if there is a particular information that they were expecting that you haven't provided, is one way of engaging and connecting with your audience, this is likely to happen at the end of the presentation just to make sure there has been an effective communication from the onset.

Transform Nervous energy into Enthusiasm. It may sound strange, but i will often down an energy drink and blast hip hop music in my earphones before presenting , this pumps up and helps turn jitters into focused enthusiasm .  The genre of music doesnt work for everyone though so it better to know and learn what works for you an an individual