If you give presentations as part of your job, then you’ll need presentation skills. What are these skills, and how can you effectively hone them for your job?
How to Feature Presentation Skills in Your Resume
Presentation Skills
Many people need to give presentations as part of their job. These presentations may span a wide variety of different requirements, from as simple as quickly talking to a group of your coworkers to as complex as crafting an in-depth PowerPoint slideshow reporting on the successes your company has had over the last six months. If you’re doing presentations as part of your job, then you need to have solid presentation skills. Here’s how you can show them in your resume.
What Are Presentation Skills?
Presentation skills are what separate engaging presentations that address what an audience needs to know from boring presentations that tend to go over an audience’s head, often not giving any lasting information. Presentation skills are actually varied and usually require a number of different skills working together, such as these:
- Eye contact
- Ability to create visual aids
- General communication skills
- Hand gestures
- Body language
- Organizational abilities
- Self-confidence
- Speaking skills
- Crafting good takeaways
An effective presentation requires that you’re generally good at all of these above skills.
Different Types of Presentations to Learn
Different kinds of presentations might require different presentation skills, so it’s a good idea that you understand the differences. Here are four common types of presentations that you might need to prepare for:
- Persuasive presentations. These presentations are attempting to persuade your audience into thinking or believing a certain thing. For example, you may give this type of presentation if you’re trying to convince the executives at your company to give your organization a higher budget next year.
- Informative presentations. These presentations give general information to your audience. You might give this type of presentation if you need to talk about the benefits that your company’s social media presence has brought to the company overall.
- Instructional presentations. These presentations explain how to do something. You might give this type of presentation if your company shifts to a new platform for employees working from home, and you need to teach everyone the basics of using that platform.
- Inspirational presentations. These presentations are meant to inspire audience members through the subject matter. When you watch a public speaker at a seminar, they’re typically giving an inspirational presentation.
Every presentation will be in front of an audience, but that audience won’t always be looking for the same thing. By understanding the difference between different presentation types, you can craft a presentation that works.
Tips for Improving Your Presentation Skills
There are a few things that you can do to improve your presentation skills pretty dramatically without making a lot of changes. If you’re good at implementing these tips into your presentations, then you may be able to create a better presentation overall. Here are a few bullet points to consider next time you’re creating a presentation:
- Don’t craft your presentation entirely around memorizing each point. Good presentation skills should allow you to create your presentation in real-time as you go over each main point.
- Consider creating a handout for certain presentations. If you need to make sure the audience retains information after the presentation is over, then a handout can be a great way to do that.
- Remember that presentation preparation is just as important as the process of giving the presentation. You can give a better presentation just by rehearsing your presentation multiple times before you actually give it.
- Don’t expect yourself to have incredible presentation skills the first time you ever give a presentation. Allow yourself to grow and become better at presenting over time.
Just because you’re not currently happy with your presentation skills doesn’t mean your skills will stay at this level forever. The more you practice and try new things, the better you’ll be at presentations as a whole. Check out courses and online tutorials for giving better presentations.
FAQ: Presentation Skills
What can I do to get over my fear of public speaking?
Many people are scared of standing in front of an audience and giving a speech. If you’re worried about speaking in front of an audience, then here are a few quick tips to get better.
- Start with presentations in front of very small audiences, then build up to larger ones.
- Take deep breaths to calm yourself down before you start the presentation.
- Focus on the presentation rather than the people in the room.
- Create a template or general structure for your presentation rather than memorizing the whole presentation.
- Make great visual aids to direct attention to those aids.
Just because you’re scared of public speaking doesn’t necessarily mean you should avoid it entirely. These tips can help you get better at it over time.
How can I find good examples of public speaking to build from?
There are many good examples of public speaking out there. Go to or watch recordings of seminars, watch TED talks online, and even observe other people who give presentations in your company. The more you learn about other people’s public speaking skills, the better you’ll be at your own public speaking options.
What should I do if I can’t find ways to practice public speaking?
If you’re having a hard time finding an audience for your public speaking practice, then consider asking friends and coworkers for some help. Giving a short presentation may only take 10-15 minutes, and even if they’re not great at providing feedback, they may be able to give you a place where you can discuss your presentation out loud and get over any fears you may have of presenting to an audience.
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