If you’ve ever watched the ‘90s sitcom Seinfeld, you might
be familiar with one of comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s jokes. In a standup
routine, Seinfeld joked about study results which showed the fear of
death was only second to the fear of public speaking. “In other words,” he said, ”at a funeral the average person would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.”
It’s a hilariously heightened example, but today most professionals are still afraid of public speaking. In fact, a recent study from Prezi found nearly one in 10 professionals would rather call in sick than give a presentation. Another 12 percent would rather someone else take the presentation, even if it negatively impacted their respect among superiors and peers. Even mega-CEO and entrepreneur Richard Branson has admitted he hates public speaking.
Why Presentation Skills Count
While the fear of public speaking is widespread, giving into this fear is a great way to put your career on pause. According to the same survey by Prezi, 70 percent of professionals think presentation skills are essential to career success.
It’s not exactly hard to see why. Presentation skills are just communication skills; it’s the ability to help others to conceptualize your vision. The same skills which go into coordinating with a team or writing a memo also translate into giving a killer presentation.
If your superiors and coworkers can’t imagine you giving a compelling presentation, they will probably also have difficulty imagining you in a leadership position. After all, leading a team is all about communicating with, nurturing, and motivating others.
How can you expect the higher-ups at your company to give you a chance to lead when you can’t even get through a simple presentation? Good presentation skills show off leadership skills: the ability to communicate, listen, and persuade others. Bad presentation skills, however, show you might not have what it takes to take the reins. Here are some ways to improve your presentations in order to move up the career ladder:
Keep it Short
With technology always competing for our notice, the modern attention span has been shrinking. In fact, 46 percent of those surveyed by Prezi note their attention has wandered during a coworker’s presentation. These workers begin multitasking, with 27 percent checking email and 28 percent picking up their mobile phones to text.
This isn’t a good sign, especially since human beings tend to be so bad at multitasking in general. Psychology Today reports only two percent of people are actually any good at multitasking. Once your coworkers pick up the phone or start culling through email, little of your presentation is getting through.
The best way to guard against technological interruptions is to account for our short attention spans. Keep your presentations short and to the point. Ask yourself what the main focus of your presentation is, and then cut out all the fluff around it. Take a look at highly viewed and highly influential TED talks, which limit their speakers to a mere 18 minutes to get their points across.
Don’t Rely on Slides
Your slides might not be as helpful as you think: according to the Prezi study, 63 percent of workers think slide-based presentations can be boring and ineffective. But this doesn’t mean it’s time to throw out the PowerPoint deck altogether. Slides can be a smart way to restate your point without belaboring it. Use slides as a guidepost, not as a script for your entire presentation.
Know Your Audience
The best way to give a good presentation is to keep it tailored specifically to your audience. What do they want to know? Why are they at your presentation and what do they hope to learn? The answers to these questions can help guide your presentation, and even reveal how much or little to use humor and what salient points you should stress. If you keep your audience in mind all the way through the presentation, you’ll be more likely to present information relevant to their needs, thereby keeping their attention.
Your career is too important to skip out on basic presentation skills. If you put some time and effort into facing your fear and tailoring your presentations, you can start impressing with your communication skills. A good presentation can be the first step up the career ladder, so it’s time to conquer your fears.
What do you think? Are you afraid of public speaking? What are some presentation tips you can share?
It’s a hilariously heightened example, but today most professionals are still afraid of public speaking. In fact, a recent study from Prezi found nearly one in 10 professionals would rather call in sick than give a presentation. Another 12 percent would rather someone else take the presentation, even if it negatively impacted their respect among superiors and peers. Even mega-CEO and entrepreneur Richard Branson has admitted he hates public speaking.
Why Presentation Skills Count
While the fear of public speaking is widespread, giving into this fear is a great way to put your career on pause. According to the same survey by Prezi, 70 percent of professionals think presentation skills are essential to career success.
It’s not exactly hard to see why. Presentation skills are just communication skills; it’s the ability to help others to conceptualize your vision. The same skills which go into coordinating with a team or writing a memo also translate into giving a killer presentation.
If your superiors and coworkers can’t imagine you giving a compelling presentation, they will probably also have difficulty imagining you in a leadership position. After all, leading a team is all about communicating with, nurturing, and motivating others.
How can you expect the higher-ups at your company to give you a chance to lead when you can’t even get through a simple presentation? Good presentation skills show off leadership skills: the ability to communicate, listen, and persuade others. Bad presentation skills, however, show you might not have what it takes to take the reins. Here are some ways to improve your presentations in order to move up the career ladder:
Keep it Short
With technology always competing for our notice, the modern attention span has been shrinking. In fact, 46 percent of those surveyed by Prezi note their attention has wandered during a coworker’s presentation. These workers begin multitasking, with 27 percent checking email and 28 percent picking up their mobile phones to text.
This isn’t a good sign, especially since human beings tend to be so bad at multitasking in general. Psychology Today reports only two percent of people are actually any good at multitasking. Once your coworkers pick up the phone or start culling through email, little of your presentation is getting through.
The best way to guard against technological interruptions is to account for our short attention spans. Keep your presentations short and to the point. Ask yourself what the main focus of your presentation is, and then cut out all the fluff around it. Take a look at highly viewed and highly influential TED talks, which limit their speakers to a mere 18 minutes to get their points across.
Don’t Rely on Slides
Your slides might not be as helpful as you think: according to the Prezi study, 63 percent of workers think slide-based presentations can be boring and ineffective. But this doesn’t mean it’s time to throw out the PowerPoint deck altogether. Slides can be a smart way to restate your point without belaboring it. Use slides as a guidepost, not as a script for your entire presentation.
Know Your Audience
The best way to give a good presentation is to keep it tailored specifically to your audience. What do they want to know? Why are they at your presentation and what do they hope to learn? The answers to these questions can help guide your presentation, and even reveal how much or little to use humor and what salient points you should stress. If you keep your audience in mind all the way through the presentation, you’ll be more likely to present information relevant to their needs, thereby keeping their attention.
Your career is too important to skip out on basic presentation skills. If you put some time and effort into facing your fear and tailoring your presentations, you can start impressing with your communication skills. A good presentation can be the first step up the career ladder, so it’s time to conquer your fears.
What do you think? Are you afraid of public speaking? What are some presentation tips you can share?
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