The importance of effective communication is more critical than ever as the office of the
One skill that every finance professional needs, and many do not possess, is the ability to deliver an effective presentation. Those without this skill limit their upward mobility, and often stand by and watch those who have it move above them on the corporate ladder.
During my own
I offer the following as warning signs that you may not yet be at the top of your game in terms of your presentation skills:
- You do not prepare for presentations- no matter how well you know the material you will cover everyone needs to take time to practice a presentation. Delivering a presentation is like being a stand-up comedian. Some days you are just “on” and other days you are not. If you are having an “off day” preparation is what enables to deliver a presentation that is worthy of the professional brand you want to convey each and every time to speak to a group of people (in-person or virtually). Proper preparation for a presentation is a skill and needs to be developed and nurtured.
- You are a story teller- a short relevant story can add important context and color to a presentation, but going off topic and wastes your valuable “air time”, and can impact the ROI your audience realizes from attending your presentation. Effective story telling in the context of a professional presentation is rare. It can be done, but is a slippery slope for most.
- You like to speak in technical terms, offer details, and not known for your energetic personality- it is hard for many to admit, but some people in delivering a presentation just come off as having the personality of a wet fish. Speaking to what’s really important and adding some energy and variability to your delivery will improve your connection with the audience of any presentation.
- You do not “know” your audience before you deliver a presentation- you need to know what value you will offer each attendee for attending your presentation. If you do not then you have placed a huge inherent barrier in front of yourself to delivering a quality presentation.
- You do not care to understand why you are delivering a presentation (and/or why it is important to you)- if you do not care about your presentation content or why you are giving a presentation that will come through loud and clear to any audience. If you ever put yourself on auto-pilot even when giving a presentation you have given many times the audience will pick up on it, and you will fail to engage your audience.
I am interested in getting the thoughts of others who have suffered through presentations that left them confused, aggravated, wanting more, or feeling like attending a presentation was a complete waste of their time. In a future blog I will address presentation best practices.