With new AI based technologies helping to level the business playing field there are three key strategies that will help to set your organisation apart from the competition – the quality of your people and ability to retain sought-after talent; creating a positive company-wide culture where people feel valued and are motivated to work towards common organisational goals; and the ability to quickly and effectively reskill and upskill employees as new AI-based work practices emerge.
What you might find surprising is that despite the increasing use of AI in business, interpersonal skills are more important than ever. In a recent LinkedIn Learning study among L&D and talent professionals, interpersonal skills and presentation skills saw the highest growth rates in terms of the skillsets required to boost organisation growth in the new AI era.
Interpersonal skills and presentation skills rely on one critically important work and life skill: the ability to communicate effectively and persuasively. It’s a skill that is not inherently natural for many people but it is a skill that can be taught. And once mastered, it can lead to a significant improvement in critical thinking and problem solving, and of course, people management. These crucial human skills are essential for maximising the potential of AI platforms and ensuring successful integration.
In this blog we will highlight three elements that can enhance and improve communication and presentation skills across your organisation; investing in comprehensive formal training; incorporating regular practise, together with feedback, into the workplace; and leveraging the latest presentation technologies to deliver impactful, engaging presentations. And by the way, when we talk about presentation skills, we don’t just mean building confidence when public speaking. Presentation skills includes storytelling and creating compelling content, the ability to identify key messages that will persuade and motivate an audience, as well as skills to communicate with confidence, credibility and impact.
1. Invest in Presentation Skills Training for your Teams
The quickest and most effective way to see immediate and career-lasting improvements in business presentation skills is to invest in high-quality in-person or online training programs. At SecondNature International our programs are designed to develop the skills needed so that your people can tailor different presentations for different audiences, create presentations with a clear, compelling narrative, and ultimately to inform, influence and inspire listeners. We have introductory presentation skills programs for those new to business, right through to advanced courses for those who are already competent and confident and want to become more inspiring and memorable speakers. We also run targeted ‘Pitch to Win’ courses for business development teams. Every program You can expect to see the benefits of training across a range of settings.
- More engaging and persuasive content produced in significantly less time, leading to greater efficiency.
- Inspiring narratives and confident and engaging presentation delivery, no more reading from the slide!
- Improvement in team, stakeholder and customer relationships.
- Better negotiation outcomes.
- Stronger leaders resulting in greater staff alignment to organisational goals.
Teams that can present confidently are more likely to influence decisions, secure buy-in, and drive initiatives forward, ultimately contributing to higher performance across the organisation.
2. Foster a Culture of Practice and Continuous Feedback
Formal training is just the first step. It is important that participants are given regular opportunities to try out their newly acquired skills and gain even more confidence. Constructive feedback, consistent with training methods, will help to embed these skills until they become second nature.
Creating a culture that values consistent practise can help employees feel more valued leading to greater job satisfaction, company loyalty and sustained performance improvements. In the same LinkedIn Learning Study employees were asked what they wanted from training. Perhaps not surprisingly, progression towards career goals came top of the list. And as we know, good communication skills, is one of the most important skills for career advancement.
So, try to organise regular internal presentation opportunities where teams can practise in front of colleagues and receive actionable feedback. Our 6-point evaluation checklist is a great way to evaluate skill levels and to monitor progress. It is also a useful guide for providing clear, constructive insights and feedback which will help people to improve their skills in the future. Even team members who haven’t had formal training will benefit from these practise sessions by observing and learning from more experienced presenters.
Regular practice will also mean that your teams are less anxious about presenting and better equipped to handle unexpected challenges, such as difficult questions or technical issues, without losing momentum.
There are also a number of virtual reality software platforms that allow users to practise their presentation skills in an interactive and immersive environment. There are different virtual business settings to choose from and they enable the presenter to use voice commands and hand gestures to progress through the content and change slides. Many programs have additional add-ons such as real-time translation and avatar creation and can provide feedback on body language, speech patterns and communication style.
3. Leverage Cutting-Edge Technology to Elevate Presentations
The right content and presentation design software can significantly enhance the impact of your business presentations. By utilising modern tools, presenters can transform data and ideas into engaging, visually compelling content and imagery that engages audiences and brings the narrative to life. This area has come a very long way since the introduction of PowerPoint back in 1987!
Whether you are simply looking for beautiful and intuitive templates, drag and drop options, or a fully interactive, three-dimensional video experience, the latest range of presentation software can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to create engaging slideware and multi-media visual aids. For a review of our top 19 picks, check out this blog for a run-down on the best features.
Many of these tools are compatible with online team collaboration software so that content can be imported, or exported easily to other platforms.
In addition to design software, there are a range of AI powered tools such as Microsoft’s Power BI and Tableau, that allow you to connect to, visualise and analyse, huge amounts of data in real-time, making it quick easy to integrate and simplify complex information.
Maximising Technology for Your Organisation
Ensure your team is well-versed in the latest presentation tools and regularly updates their skills as technology evolves. Training on the effective use of these tools can be a game-changer, ensuring presentations are not only informative but also engaging and visually impactful.
Conclusion
By integrating formal training, regular practise opportunities, and the latest technology into your organisation’s learning and development plans, you can significantly enhance your teams’ communication abilities. This will not only improve individual performance but also drive greater collaboration, decision-making, and overall organisational success.
For nearly 20 years we have been known as the Business Presentation Skills Experts, training and coaching thousands of people in an A-Z of global blue-chip organisations – check out what they say about our programs.
Every training course is fully formed but it is also significantly tailored for your business – we maximise the tailoring for every program we run, to meet the exact needs of each client. We also personalise every program, individually, for every participant (even in group workshops).
The ultimate result of our presentation training or coaching is that your people will gain clarity and confidence in presenting so they exude credibility and deliver a message that is compelling. What they learn will mean all future presentations become secondnature!
If you want to see your employees dramatically improve their ability to create and deliver persuasive and inspiring presentations that will help drive your organisational performance and success, get in touch.
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