One presentation is the difference between a promotion and a demotion; between an educated workforce and misinformed employees; between a hit product and a market dud. When your manager assigns you with the task of creating a presentation, you need to pull out all of the stops. Show your managers that you have the dedication and passion needed to contribute to company goals. Use the following tactics to demonstrate your presentation skills to your boss or bosses:
Show the whole picture.
With every presentation topic, there exist layers of information, details, and data. The layers can be configured to paint a variety of pictures of the same situation. You do a disservice to your audience if you do not acknowledge the layers. That’s why it works wonders to mention different perspectives – whether they contradict yours or reaffirm it. By showing the entire landscape of your presentation topic, you add tension to carry the narrative from beginning to end.
Address the commonalities.
Presentation skills in persuasion are critical to impressing your managers with your public speaking. Discover the similarities between your mode of thinking and your average audience member’s thought process to establish an emotional and logical connection. Try to position your viewpoint through the lens of your audience.
Ask questions.
Do you remember in school when your teachers would tell you that there is no such thing as a stupid question? The same principle applies in your presentations. It’s a sign of maturity and empathy to ask your audience how they feel about the direction of your message. After the first section of the speech, get a read on your progress so you can switch the narrative, if necessary.
A presenter who introduces other views of a topic is a presenter who clearly does their homework. Preparation and evaluation are key qualities to show your managers on a regular basis. Presenters who put themselves in other people’s shoes in order to understand them display empathy. Finally, presenters who ask for and receive feedback on their performance shows their bosses they are not stuck in their ways. Managers see an opportunity to mold presenters like this and trust them to adapt to new information and different audiences.
