What Every Manager Should Know About How to Sharpen His Presentation Skills

Regardless of the nature of our job or social standing, sooner or later we will be called upon to make a presentation of one sort or the other. To sharpen your skills, whet your audience's appetite, and educate them, here is the key to your success: organize your presentation by keeping them in mind.

To help you do just that, here are some tips to consider:

* Have an inviting opening. Greet your audience with a statement that conveys your genuine pleasure in seeing them and in being there.

* Summarize your main points. Inform your audience from the beginning about the structure of your presentation. When you do, they more likely will follow your presentation until its close. They will, consequently, be better able to follow each successive point as you develop it.

* Back your main points with examples, statistics, or facts. Caution: Be careful of overwhelming the audience by turning it into a scientific or technical presentation when presenting to a general audience.

* Design simple, yet convincing visuals that your audience can understand and interpret quickly.

* End with a strong conclusion that invites your audience to take immediate action or seek follow-up.

* Handle questions openly and honestly, admitting when you don't have an answer, but, at the same time, promising to get back to your audience, or the individual, when you do.

Follow these tips, and I guarantee that you will see progress in your presentation skills that will lead to successful outcomes.

Remember: When you maximize your potential, everyone wins. hen you don't, we all lose.

© Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in ezines, newsletters, and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box, and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required. Contact us at: executiveandgroup-consulting@yahoo.com when you publish this article.

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Management Consultant and Trainer, conducts seminars, lectures, and writes articles on his theme: "... helping you maximize your potential." He offers management, marketing, and parenting resources at < b>Maximizing Your Potential blog.

In The News:

pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


How to Attract New Business Like George W. Bush Wins Elections

THE LITTLE-KNOWN SPEECHWRITING SECRETS THAT WON GEORGE W. BUSH THE... Read More

Audience Respect

One of the biggest mistakes most presenters make is in... Read More

Six Marketing Tips for Trade Show Success

A trade show is an ideal way of showcasing your... Read More

7 Myths That Make Meetings Miserable

Myth 1: Executives belong in meetings.Although the demands of business... Read More

Nonverbal Communication in Business

There are five key elements that can make... Read More

Sharpening Your Presentation Skills

Regardless of the nature of our job or social standing,... Read More

Just Say No to PowerPoint: Enough is Enough!

Have you ever been slideswiped? You walk into a meeting... Read More

Develop The Winners Edge Through Conversational Hypnosis

Communication is vital for survival in an age of information... Read More

How to Convert PowerPoint to Flash Manually

Converting PowerPoint to Flash would be absolutely a good choice... Read More

Powerpoint Sales Presentations Are Boring - Stop It!

As the meeting began, the project manager of the buying... Read More

Painless Presentations

Did the "Painless" part of the title get your attention?Speaking... Read More

5 Breakthrough Marketing Ideas

Do you ever get frustrated with your marketing? Are you... Read More

Ancient PowerPoint Secrets: Ask Your Grandma!

Yes, there are ancient PowerPoint secrets...secrets your grandmother knows and... Read More

Writing The Query Letter

The query letter is simply a business letter that serves... Read More

Facilitating Panel Discussions

A client recently called to say she was going to... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Sharpen His Presentation Skills

Regardless of the nature of our job or social standing,... Read More

Transitions: Building Bridges to Your Points

Presenters often tell me that they fear losing their train... Read More

Networking: How to Network Within Your Organisation

Although there are any number of different networking groups and... Read More

Beetle Bailey and Presentation Skills

In March 2002, the comic strip Beetle Bailey contained a... Read More

Tough Talk: Bad News Delivered the Right Way

Communicating Bad News The Right WayIt's the rare executive who... Read More

How to Prevent Presentation and Speaking Disasters

I just got back from my whirlwind speaking engagements and... Read More

Kvetching Behavior and How it Hinders Success

Kvetching is the Yiddish word for complaining, hand to the... Read More

Handling Questions with Authority

At some point in your presentation you will be expected... Read More

Tips for Thinking on Your Feet

If you really aware and alert, your audience's behavior -... Read More

Lecturing from the Lectern

Most people love to hide behind the lectern.. It makes... Read More

Grand Opening: The Key To Great Presentations

Whether you are speaking in front of a civic group... Read More

Guidelines for Rehearsal Criticism

It is both good planning and considerate to provide auditors... Read More

Presentation Pitfalls Series: Top 10 Content Mangement Mistakes

Here, David Letterman style, are what I consider to be... Read More

Total Recall: How to Remember Your Speech Without Memorizing

We all fear that moment. You look out on a... Read More

I Love the Smell of PowerPoint in the Morning: The 5 Sensory Approach to Business Presentations

You're in a conference room. You're giving a PowerPoint presentation... Read More

10 Tips For Bringing Your Event To Life

Your job as an event planner doesn't stop with the... Read More

Powerful Presentations: How to Write and Deliver a Presentation to Remember

If the mere thought of standing up in front of... Read More

Watch Out For Power Thieves

"I'm not an expert on this topic, but . .... Read More