Communication Skills to Give a Presentation it

¶ … Communication Skills to Give a Presentation

It has recently been assigned that I will be responsible to present the quarterly sales information at an in-person meeting to a group of stakeholders, managers, sales people, and customers. Before beginning the presentation, it is important to understand how to design the speech to be most effective to the audience.

When preparing a speech, the speaker must be aware of their audience by understanding the way in which their audience listens. There are four main types of listeners: Data, structure, vision, and human element. It is best to assume that every audience has each of the four main types of listeners, so the speaker must prepare the speech accordingly. The speaker should identify as to which is their strong point and use it as the core, but in order to capture the entire audience, it is best to adapt to each (Brown, 2006).

The first type of listener is the data listener. This person will listen to the presentation to evaluate the data provided. They are interested in knowing the facts and knowing the validity of the information given. The structure listener wants to know how the speech fits together. If the presentation flow is accurate and organized, this listener will be more able to follow. The vision listener focuses more on where the presentation is going to lead rather than where it is currently at. Finally, those focused on the human element are focused on how the information given at the presentation will integrate into what they and the rest of those involved will be doing. Those listening to this particular speech are employee stakeholders, and it will be important to note the significance of the employees. The employees will enjoy hearing recognition, and satisfaction, profitability, and stock prices (Brown, 2006).

There are several types of communication that one may use, but not all are appropriate or necessary during a company speech. Because this is a presentation, it will be important for the speaker to pay attention to speaking in person. It will be virtually impossible to give the speech in any other way. Another form of communication is written. Giving the audience something to see while listening to the speech will further enhance the emphasis of the presentation. Types of written communication include: Memos, proposals, emails, letters, training materials, and operating policies. For the presentation, it would be ideal to provide an outline for the training presentation, as well as a Powerpoint (Bauer, & Erdogan, 2009).

While verbal and written communications are among the most important forms of communication for the presentation, it is also important to be aware of non-verbal communication. Providing good body language, facial expressions, body stance, and tone will make listeners pay better attention, while the way that one is dressed and conveys their message will make them take them more seriously. The speaker must practice the speech to ensure they are not spending too much time talking and to make sure their speech tone and body language helps convey the overall message of their presentation (Bauer, & Erdogan, 2009).

Before presenting, the speaker must be aware of the diversity within the audience. Because there will be stakeholders of all levels at the presentation, the speaker will need to edit the content to allow everyone to be able to understand it. If a less educated employee is confused about what is being presented, it will be harder and less motivating to pay attention. While the presenter edits their speech for difficult language, they should also watch for other key areas that could turn their audience off. First, they should look for words with double meanings. If a word or phrase could be interpreted in any other away that the speakers purpose, it could change the overall presentation for the audience. Secondly, the speaker must look for areas of their presentation that could be offensive to some. This could be in areas of religion, political view, or other sensitive areas of opinion differences. The references that are used for the presentation should be checked for religion base. If a speaker can avoid it, it is best to not use religious references or personal experiences with religion into the presentation. If religion is brought into the presentation, the speaker must be careful not to insult it. It will lose respect and credibility, while offending members of the audience (DiversityTrends.com, 2011).

It is, however, safe for a speaker to use culture as an example. It is suggested that if a presenter is going to use four example stories, two should be cross culture (DiversityTrends.com, 2011). Within the presentation, the speaker should use visual and tactile aids. Words alone do not assist every listener, and may help others to pay more attention. Learning about the demographics and dynamics of the audience ahead of time will cut down on future confusion and help create comfort when giving the presentation, as the speaker will be able to reach out and relate to the audience. After the presentation is over, the speaker should request feedback. Allowing anonymous questionnaires to be passed around the audience will provide accurate and honest feedback for areas of improvement (DiversityTrends.com, 2011).