Presentation Skills Workshops that Improve Office Performance

Successful business presenters use a variety of skills to make their point. They are in control of their voice and body language, they project themselves across the room, and they speak with a measured and confident tempo. They do not apologize or stop when they make a mistake; they simply correct themselves and move on. They know how to use anecdotes to engage their audience without losing track of the core argument. They develop their content around a coherent argument and only use information relevant to that argument. However, the key to their success is knowing their audience’s expectations.

There is no such thing as a “natural” public speaker. Your team can learn how to plan, project, and persuade with presentation skills courses at Wavelength, one North American firm leading the way in business skills training. Recognizing your audience and their expectations is your key to success. These are some of the audiences your team has likely struggled with in the past.

Groups — Whether they’re clients or coworkers, audiences expect an engaging and informative presentation. Employees will not get your argument across convincingly if they cannot capture and keep their attention. A disengaged audience quickly misses facts and information, zones out, or even starts doing unrelated work.

Non-Technical Audiences — Delivering technical information to non-technical audiences is a difficult communications challenge. Workshop facilitators at Wavelength emphasize four key principles:

a) Targeted Content

b) Projecting Confidence

c) Engaging the Room

d) Using Visual Support

Whereas MBAs and business BAs typically have some experience standing in front of large and small groups from their university education, technical employees may not. Course facilitators train them how to avoid jargon and use language and terms that their non-technical colleagues or seniors will understand. They also teach technical staff how to use their voice and body language to project confidence and credibility. People who are not used to addressing large or small groups often stumble, avoid eye contact, and speak too quietly or too quickly. However, speaking confidently and clearly is a skill that anyone can learn, especially with the help of facilitators at communication skills firms like Wavelength. Finally, facilitators help employees effectively use visual supports such as Power Point for communicating complicated technical information in graphs, charts, and infographics.

Senior Leaders — Individuals in middle or senior management positions can always brush up on their skills in courses like these, but there are also workshops designed specifically with their needs in mind. Middle and senior managers learn how to deliver presentations to senior leaders in these courses. There are unique rules for delivering reports and recommendations to executives and boards of directors. Course leaders teach managers how to self-assess their skill levels, plan content with senior leaders in mind, develop a critical message, and handle Q&A sessions with a room full of experts.

Business people in all roles and specializations can become more confident and credible presenters with the right help. Any organization’s team will get better results and improve their performance with the right workshop designed around their specific needs.