Have you ever thought about how painful it is for your team members to present?
Have they had any training or guidance on how to create and deliver a presentation that truly engages an audience and inspires action? MOST organisations do not offer training on presentation skills, despite making it a requirement of the job.
And you're failing your team when you do that.
Statistics show that MOST of the population experiences some degree of fear or anxiety when it comes to public speaking.
For many of your team members, speaking and presenting is WAY out of their comfort zone.
Although it's essential to challenge ourselves to expand our abilities and knowledge, people without any coaching or training may lack insight into the optimal methods for:
Identifying primary messages
Crafting a lucid and captivating storyline
Choosing interesting and pertinent stories and examples
Developing presentations with slides that avoid dullness
Preparing and effectively utilizing voice and body language
Engaging and retaining the audience's attention
Commanding the space and presence in-person or online
Coping with nervousness and answering Q&A sessions with confidence
Of course, we all learn as we go along, but without proper training and coaching, we risk repeating mistakes that we've seen in other uninteresting or ineffective presentations. This was certainly the case for me until I started learning from some of the best speakers around the world, rather than just observing my colleagues who had never had any training themselves.
Why do we set our teams up to fail?
By not providing proper support, we perpetuate the idea that mediocre presentations are acceptable. This not only does a disservice to the presenter, but also to everyone else who has to sit through the presentation. And that's before we even consider the wider impact on the business, which is a topic for another day.
Looking to help your team achieve their presentation goals? Get in touch for Team Training today :)
Mark Westbrook - Speaking Coach
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