Working professionals are required to come up with a presentation during a company or department meeting. If you are a working individual who may be just starting out in your career or who is already at the height of your profession, you need to learn the basics of presentation skills and understand its importance. Regardless of your position or designation in your office, you should be ready in anything that may be required of you to do such as making a presentation.
Conducting a Presentation
A presentation is like a department or general company meeting. The difference is that in a meeting, someone is designated to preside and every participant gets to brainstorm and discuss on the given agenda while in a presentation, usually only one person facilitates the entire gathering while the rest become mere audience.
Though, in most cases, the listeners are free to ask questions about the purpose of the presentation or the ideas presented. In a meeting, the objective is to agree upon a deliberated resolution and action plans from among all members. Also, if a question or comment is raised, everyone is free to voice out their opinions and answers to it.
On the other hand, the aim in a presentation is to convince and persuade the audience on a certain proposal or work depending on the purpose of the presentation. So, if questions are raised from the listeners regarding what is being presented, only the facilitator takes efforts in answering them.
During a presentation, the speaker may utilize various materials in presenting the outline. These materials may be in the form of visual aids, a PowerPoint presentation, audio and visual recordings, illustrations, graphs, and other available resources that would help in carrying out the goal of the presentation.
Purpose of a Presentation
In a corporate setting, there are various reasons for doing a presentation. The most common is when your boss assigns you a certain project or task which you need to demonstrate to the department or even the entire organization. Sometimes, a company requires its members to present a monthly, quarterly, or annual business review.
Usually in a sales or marketing company, this kind of presentation discusses a summary report of the total sales of the employees for the given period. Also, some employees who have a certain proposal to the management need to call a gathering or meeting to present the plans.
Even in a hiring process, some organizations require a demo for the qualifying applicants of a specific position. This is an example of a simple presentation. Members of the training department of a company also do a lot of presentation since facilitating training is already a presentation in itself.
From the given reasons and examples, the very purpose of a presentation is to talk the audience into agreeing with its objectives from your very own efforts and skills in conducting it.
What is the Essence of Good Presentation Skills?
Why do professionals need to know the importance of making a good presentation? Basically, it defines your character as a mature professional. Anyone who understands the basics of presentation skills and knows how to put it into proper application is a good indication of a potential company asset. It is not easy to be speaking before a group of professionals. This also explains why presentation skill is important.
A good level of confidence is boosted on the person. Once you acquire even the basics of it, you start to feel more confident and positive. In the long run, you will realize that your work personality will also improve. Moreover, your work colleagues will look up to you as a model. You will not just create an impression in the company; you will also gain the trust of the organization as a whole.
Always remember that conducting a presentation in your organization is not merely an obligation; it is a talent and a skill. You should not just perceive a presentation to be a typical company practice because this characterizes you as a true professional. You carry the skill with you in whatever career path you take and it is one of the skills that will take you one step up the ladder of success in the aspect of your career.
